The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-09
WHAT A WOMAN SAW.
Visitors Observations on
the Big Live stock Show.

Chicago Journal.
Once inside the buildings leading to the
pavilion at the stockyards I decided that to
walk down the dim avenue between stalls
filed with FESTIVE, glossy-lanked, sharp
horned Hereford cattle requires more cour-
age i'm the average woman than to face an
army with banners.
A pretty bride was lodging through be-
side her husband Saturday.
"What il one should get away?' she
questioned, with an apprehensive glance
over her costume to assure herself that it
had no touch of red. What If one Of
those creatures, that has all my life
through destroyed the pleasures of picnics
and sketching tours, should suddenly
plunge through the lane that certainly las
no turning, while I CHANGED to be passing
by?"
She measured the distance from door to
door with lightning glances. How long
would it take her to make it IF
Here, isn't this a beauty The man
was evidently not moved by the same I'M
pressions. He was there to see and admire
the stock, marvel over the weight and dis
cuss the pedigree. "See that back, ne
continued. big as an elephant"
"I-I-see!' she ~quavered.
A cattleman was standing near. Ills mink
overcoat hung %iauntily back from the HANDS
that were thrust in his pockets.
Eyes. pretty good show. all told" he SAID.
Have you anything here?' questioned
the other.
Oh nothing to speak of. / lay claim to
that bunch over there He pointed with
his thumb over his shoulder
"Whew!" the other whistled. A those
stock, / reckon"
"Oh, ~tolerable." He was taking his hon
here this season. L brought 1T a htle
bunch of cattle from my place.
How many did you bring? some one
asked, and the cattle man replied laconicai-
ly:
Nonchalance like that is wasted on a cat
tie ranch.
L fled through the piggery. In my opinion
the evil spirits which went in to the scrip
tural swine never changed residence, ex-
cept by transmigration. The bleared, slow
| turning eyes 'have all the seeming of a
demon that is dreaming" L am convinced
| that in all creation there is no other thing
so obnoxious as a pig, and yet 1 STOOD TOT
a moment beside a woman who looked and
loked again with smiles, and finally turned
to say: 49,,
Don't they look like innocent Children
mo, madam. they do not" L shouted,
above the shrill and defeaning squeals.
"Oh." she said, IF you could see the real
| cunning, tiny ones you would think they
were just the image of babies"
/ took refuge in the sheep fold. 1 have
respect for sheep. They are philosophers
with a sense of humor.
A man standing beside one lordly COM
pany of Southdowns pointed to the natural
leader of the flock and said meditatvely:
Just such a thick-necked old rascal as
that made an infidel of me when / was a
| little chap. 1 was a country boy, and my
father thought he owned a piece of meadow
| land between our house and the school. But
L ha 1idntf Ar Pon lNafhor nvvnQd IL and
he wouldn't allow any trespassing on 1t,
| either. / had to cross that lot to go to
| school. There was no other way to get
| there, and hat old villain knew it. He
would wait until I'd get too far away from
the fence to retreat, and then he'd come
full tilt and knock me about an eighth of
| a mile. / got so 1 dreaded the experience
and played hooky from my classes until
| father found 1t out. After that 1 thought
| I'd rather take ii from the sheep.
But my life was made miserable with
anxiety and fear. OF course. my wounds
| were not serious. Then we begin having
| revival meetings in the Grange hall. and
one night it flashed on my mind that /
would enlist the angels in my behalf. / felt
as happy as a lark over the idea, and
never once thought that the plan could
fail. The next morning / ran along to the
| meadow bars. and then fell down on my
| knees and prayed TO be protected from my
| enemy. 1 went in, and when I saw the old
chap swinging toward me, with his head
| down, / felt myself a later Daniel; when,
Bif,I was in my old place. eating grass
like the other character of the same story.
and I have been an unbeliever ever since
| 1 was delighted with the wise-looking
cheviots, the antlered dorsets, and the
long-wooled and French merino varieties.
1 should think an interesting excursion
might be made by school children to the
stockyards at this time, particularly to the
| department of wool-growers, as the tricks
and manners of the creatures can be best
studied when they are huddled under the
watchful and vigilant eye of the man with
the shears. G. ID. b.