Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-02-06
AL IN Y M
DAY' 5 w ORR
By ELIAS LISLE
Copyrtsht, 1901. by A. S. Richardson's.

Brindle, the performing lien of the
Cosmopolitan circus, let out sound
that was half groan anil half rear.
''Whut. You brute.' said 'Rerthels.
the elephant man. gesturing at him for
silence.
Don't abuse him. said the woman,
scarcely more than a girl. who stood
beside Berthels. "He isn't in coed hui
NOR today"
SHOULD say he wasn't" replied Ber-
thels. "Ill tempered, bad hammered
beast. Wouldn't wonder if he was go
ing bad"
Nonsense! My lions don't so bad.
Besides, he's only two-year-od. Look
at old Archon. He's ten if he's q day,
and you don't see him going bad. do
you?"
There's something wrong with Brin-
die, anyway" insisted the man.
"Of course there is He's had Il rough
morning Of it.. He was clumsy and
stepped on Archon's toes at rehearsal
l
in the next cage laughed, and that hurt
Brindle's feelings. You know how sem
sitiye he is. He sulked so that had to
beat him to make him perform at all.
He's aWfully cut up about it, for you
know | really believe he is fond of
me-"
wish you'd believe that about some
body else. Sue" said the man wistful-
ly, looking down into the clear, brown
eyes that were fixed on the lion.
perhaps | don't want to-" said the
girl saucly. Besides. Brindle is my
sworn slave. You can hear him swear
ing now" she added laughing. as the
handsome beast muttered lionwise
deep down in his great chest.
mile Zelka the feline empress"
was right in her half jocular estimate
of Brindle. Brindle was a lion With
feelings. Some lions are savage. 9th
ers are Sullen, more are treacherOuS,
and all are absolutely cold blooded.
There are a very few exceptions to
this rule, however. and Brindle was
one of those very rare exceptions,
with capacity for affection and 10y
atty. Mile. Zelka had only faint in
king of this. Berthels didn't believe in
IT, at all because he was the head Of
the elephant herd. and elephant men
are very wise and believe nothing but
the worst about animals. That is the
Cd son why all of them don't die
yun Berthels was anxious about
MffesR 2eSiSa, who was plain Sue Ran
some to him. That she wasn't Sue
Berthels was not his fault If she
ever did become so, he intended that
her lion training career should end,
and she suspected this. So it was
partly scoquetry that made her leave
him now. walk over to the cage and,
putting her piquant face close up to
the lions, begin to talk to him.
But Brindle's sensibilities had been
lacerated. To be beaten by his queen
was humiliation Of spirit beyond all
others. Not yet had the smart of it
passed away. Therefore he now arose
haughtily, stalked over to the farther
: corner Of his cage and affected ma
jestic disdain Of his charmer's CONVEX
sati0n.
"Well, you aren't very polite this
afternoon" she remarked as she turn
ed away. "Hope you'll feel better
when it comes time for the show
"And l hope you'll cut that beast out
of the programme tonight, Sue, dear"
said Berthels as he went to his ele-
plants.
After they had gone the hyena which
had insulted Brindle that morning
chose to make some jeering remarks.
Arose Brindle then in wrath and
spoke in substance as follows through
the network of bars at which he claw
ed:
'.You snickering eater of better peo-
pies leayings, if could break into
that cage for about two seconds and
get one sWipe at you I'd knock that
grin through the top of the tent"
Gle, he, he, he! Ha-ah-h- b. hrr-h a- ha p
tainted the hyena. Ella -ha''-
The hateful voice died away as a ris-
ing growl from Archon's cage gave
news that the king of the circus had
Observation-Disclosures with strange fire
III Ills eye, DClOfG WHICH the OCQeE ALL
mails covered. Fer this was the fire of
madness and murder which no man is
wise enough to know, though all ami
mails recognize it with terror Archon
had gone bad. At one glance Brindle
knew it: knew, too, that the demon in
possession of the great lion might lie
craftily in wait for long, but that soon
er or later it would glut itself in
slaughter.
OF the attendants surrounding the
case where the feline empress ruled
her beasts that night one wore grave
and drawn face. Berthels should have
been with the elephants but anxiety
had brought him into the ring when
Mile. Iella's act was called. With a
pang of fear he noted the intense nerv-
BUSINESS of the young lion, the most
promising performer of the lot. Brin-
die was stumbling through his part