Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-11-15

the trainer called her loosely and Of
fectionately. The nickings in her ears
the sagging of her skin about the jaws
and eyes. and the sordid gray OF her
wrinkled hide showed that Ella was
well along in the sere and yellow. Old
showmen who knew her career said
| that in the days when her eyes were
! bright and her trunk was smooth with
the bloom of youth. Ella had been
both capricious and tempery. But she
was past the humors of youth years
before the event that Is now to be mar.
rated. She was very mild and yearn.
ing and wistful in these her later
years. and had centered all her affec.
lions on Badly" Bragg. who had han.
died her in the Sells shows and who
descended the plane with her Loyalty
when, like a star who accepts vaude.
vile engagements, she Joined Merritt
e. Wells "jay-town aggregation" and
"bucked the highway" to earn her dat
ly hay.
During her later years Ella had been
much inclined to retrospection. She
would stand for hours and weave
treading from one forefoot to the
other, her trunk dangling soggily.
"She haint good. cheerful company
like she used to be-" Badly confided
to his companions. There's nothin
that's more dispiritin' than bein' round
an old elephant that's dreamin about
the past all the ding.blessed time
Them's the kind that grow dotty all
to once and do damage even to the
ones they love best. Now there's Ella,
there! I've told her a doZan times
that I've got to leave her and git into
a bigger show. Say, but she takes on
so bad that when the time comes to
break away can't do II. reckon she'd
foller me to the ends Of the earth II
should try to shake her. Some fe'
males do git tremendous attached
Here Badly would sigh and stun pro
digious lump of tobacco into his cheek
and look expressively into Elias rheu
my eyes.
On the voyage from Eastport Ella
was tethered in the gloom OF the mair
, deck forward among the baggage anC
, wagons. One leg was secured by 9
, chain to stanchion and one to tn,
wheel of the emu's cage.
> Despite her apparent abstraction
the perturbation of Cephas was motto
, ed by her Occasionally she stopped
= her pudging swing from side to sid,
, and gazed interrogatively at the tiger
When the canvas had been thrown ov
, er the cage she would pause. barker
to his BIB growls. and then, fioppin!
. her ragged ears in dubious wonder
, would fall again to weaving"
The prophecy of the instinct-inspir
ed Cephas. who had valnly dinned hi'
,, message, began to be fulfilled short.
after IL o'clock that forenoon. Han
and eggs were to be served for dinner
, on the Red Tar. The air was damn
, and heavy, the fire in the galley stov,
3 didn't draw and the cook encouraged
II by administering an allopathic dos
n of kerosene oil.
4 The instant sthe stream from tn
= spout made connection between tn
Il can and the fire an explosion occurre
d The cook rushed forth. shrieking, hi
garments blazing. leaving behind hiT
, in the galley a vortex OF lire. Tn
n cookroom of the Red Tar was soake
with the grease OF countless stopped
a over dinners. In five minutes the NJ
per work of the steamer forward wa
, a roaring mass of flames. The pilot
p were driven from the wheelhouse, an
a. the deckhands threw down the hose Il
II panic and rushed for the boats on tn
saloon deck. The Red Tar was doom
r. ed-that was apparent. In that fot
with only cliffs to port and starboart
" twas not judicious to drive the Graf
"a for shore. The captain ordered tn
m engines stopped, tied down the whit
: tie rope, and with the grum groan ,
=. the big.belled marine hooter soundin
n its mOurnful swan song, the eight!
4. nine mOrtals aboard Joined in despel
q. ate efforts to divorce themselves fror
Il the catastrophe. There was no tim
to think of rescuing the animals of tn
" menagerie on the main deck. The fir
was already pickering around bear
II and brace, and eating through the fra
partition between the freight spac
n. and the galley.
h Cephas had rent the canvas as h
ar drove his mighty paws through tn
bars. and now he was yawling furiou
is ly, his eyes glowing even more red
g than the fire. Every animal by blea
I croak, howl or below was putting I
piteous protest. And, welding q
II. sounds together in wall that quivert
v. afar through the shrouding fog, Il
c. booming marine whistle groaned /
~ sistently on.
IS The last man to leave the pathet
10 cOncourse of the Grand Consolidate
of Menagerie" was Badly Bragg. A su
r. den and insane impulse to save FL
a. had Saizad him