Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-11-23

mails have no human instincts, and d.
not know how to take Joke. We
are apt to think that wild animals In
captivity are worrying over being
confined In cages, and gazed at and
commented on by curious visitors, and
that they dream OF the free life they
lived In the jungles, and sigh to 60
back where they were captured, and
prowl around for food, but you can't
fool me. Animals that formerly had
to 60 around In the woods, hungry
half the time. and occasionally gorg-
ing themselves on a dead animal. and
sleeping out In the rain In all kinds
of weather, know when they have
struck a good thing In n menagerie.
with clean straw to sleep In, and when
they are hungry all they have to do
is to sound their bugle and they have
pre-digested beefsteak and breakfast
food brought to them on a silver plat
ter. and II the food Is not to their lik-
ing. they set up a kick like star
boarder ut boarding house. Their
condition in the show, In Its changed
condition from that Of their na,ivs
haunts, Is like taking hobo OF the
trucks Of freight train and taking
him to the dining car of the limited.
and letting him eat to a finish. Peo-
pie talk about animals escaping from
captivity. and going back to the jun
giles, and humane societies shed tears
over the poor, sad-eyed captives, sigh
ing for their homes, but you turn
them loose at South Bend, and run
your circus train to New Albany
without them. and they would follow
the train and overtake 1t before the
evening performance the next day, and
you would find them trying to freak
into their cages again, and they would
have to be fed.
When pa and I went into the harm
where the cages were, to take an ac-
count Of stock. and get acquainted
with our animals, they acted just like
the circus men did. when they saw
pas clothes. The animals were about
half asleep when we went in, but q
big lion bent one eye on pa, and
then he rose up and shook himself.
and gave roar and cough that
sounded like he had the worst case OF
pneumonia, and he snorted a couple
OF times. as though he was say
ing to the other animals: Here's
something that will kill you dead. and
want you all to have a piece OF 1t.
raw" and he brayed some more, and
all the animals joined in the chorus,
the big tiger lying down on his SOM
ach and waving his tail, and snarlin5
and showing his teeth like a cat that
has located mouse hole, and the
tiger seemed TO say: 20, saw 1t first
and it's mine
The hyena set up a laugh like man
who is not tickled, but feels that 1t
Is up to him TO laugh at funny
story that he can't see the point OF at
a banquet where Chauncey Depew tells
one OF his crippled jokes, and pa was
getting nervous. A big grizzly bear
was walking delegate in his cage, and
he looked at pa as much as to say:
Hello, Teddy, was not at home wheA
you called in Colorado, but you get
in this cage, AMI will make you think
the Spanish war was q Sunday-scnool
picnic beside what you will Sc: from
your uncle Ephraim," and a bob cat
jumped up into the top of his cage
and snarled and showed his teeth. and
seemed to say: Bring on your whole
pack of dogs and l will eat them
alive"
Pa threw ont his chest in front OF
monkey cage, and monkey snatched
his watch, and then all the animals be-
gan to laugh at pa just like lot OF caa
boys in school when visitors make call.
Pa went around to visit all the ami.
mails, officially. while got interested
in a female kangaroo, with a couple
of babies. not more than three weeks
old. and I noticed the mother KAN
CARGO made the old man kangaroo, her
husband, stand around, and he acted
lust like some men l have seen who
were afraid to say their souls were
their own in the presence Of their
wives.
Pa showed up without any coat,
while was kangaroo;ng. and there
was a rip in his pants. and asked him
what was the trouble, and he said ne
got too near the cage Of leopard.
that seemed to be asleep, and the
traitor reached out his paw and gath
cred in the tail of pas coat, and just
snatched 1t of his back as though 1t
was made Of paper.
Pa is little discouraged about mis-
experience in the circus the first day.
but he says 1t will be great WHEEL we
get the run of the business. He says
every day will have its excitement. To-
morrow they are going to extract
tooth from the boa-constrictor, and
a. An1