The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1904-05-13
ale Of a
Cork Leg.
Considerable Ingenuity and Breath
Absolutely Wasted.

taken the seat next to him in the
railway car, madam, notice tn;
YOU observe | have but one leg. |
had a cork le., some years ago,
which served me almost as we'll as an
ordinary leg, and was in some re-
spects superior to my departed limb.
| lost my leg while travelling with a
circus, and the general manager very
kindly gave me one which h; d be-
longed to his deceased father-i in law.
1t was little too long, but in every
other respect it was Perfect. 1t had
the exact shape of a human leg, with
the additional advantage Of an elab-
crate system of springs, by which,
the leg could be wound up for hop
ping. When / was in hurry had
only to wind up my leg, and | could
hop eight and quarter miles on i,
without stopping.
Well, in this show had general
charge Of the menagerie and the
special care Of our most valuable ex-
hibit, the twomatwitch. Very likely,
madam, you have never heard of a
twomatwitch, as ours was the only
specimen which was ever introduced
into America. Its home is in Nor
folk Island, and it lives only on the
cones Of Norfolk pines, which we
had to import to this country at a
great expense. 1t looks and runs
like hare. but it has the skin Of a
rat and a tail as large and bushy as a
squirrels.
Now, one evening when | was
feeding it from my hand, as was my
custom, some hay near its cage
caught fire, and the frightened ami
NAL leaped from my hand and start
ed for the exit. | had never antici-
pated snch thing, for the twoma-
witch was perfectly docile and had
never tried to run away.
Luckily my leg was wound up,
and so | started out hopping after it.
l let the speedcatch loose and rushed
ahead as fast as could. But that
twomatwitch was a wonderful runner.
1t was perfectly fiat prairie country.
and a racecourse could not have been
smoother. For about FIVE miles he
kept an even twenty yards ahead OF
me. | couldn't go any faster, and it
did not have to. AT last | saw the
animal was getting tired out. The
distance between us very slowly low,
cred to fifteen yards and then to ter
The twomatwitch tried making sharp
turns, but it only could gain a few
yards that way, which | always made
up in a short time. Its case was fast
growing hopeless. Just when | was
within five feet of the animal it Owed
into a prairie dog hole and lef, me
alone--yes, alone. Not person or
house in sight. The night was warm
SO thought I'd rest there till the
men who would come out ;fl,r ne
should find me. / wound up my leg
IN case should need it, unhitche1
it, and placed it securely over the
hole SO the twomatwitch coull not
get out. | then picked out a COM
Portable place and lay down to rest.
tor had been considerably jolted by
my long trip.
| had lain there about h If an
hour, when | heard nois.. The
[womatwich was scratching against
my leg. When had crawled over
to the hole, the leg had somel @ y
righted itself (there was spring to
do that, and the little beast had pro.
badly touched it), and there was nv
eg running at full speed in the same
direction as the twomatwich.
AS my leg did not have to carry
he weight of my body, it hoped a
great deal further each time and
vent ahead with Tightening speed. 1t
became smaller and smaller. till it
lnally looked like very little enat
umping up and down, and at last if
seemed to leap off the edge of the
horizon.
Now | was in pretty fix. Leg
zone. Twomatwitch gone. No food
No drink. For two days lay there,
madam, without nourishment of any
Il