Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1906-06-01
TALE OF A CIRCUS.


when some one tugged at his elbow
and then looked down into the up
turned face of a youngster at his side.
Then his face lighted and, drawing
his big. hand out of his overcoat, he
slapped theN young fellow heartily ON
the shoulder.
"Phil!" he exclaimed. where did
you come from?"
Just blowed in from Decatur" the
other answered, lightly, land what are
you doing here, Uncle?"
Old Abe turned about and pointed
to bill poster across the street.
"Oh, am over at the L. this week
with my dogs" he said. But what
are you doing in Chicago, sonnie?"
"Nothin' particular" answered Phil
lip. Il want to sign out as soon as
the season opens up. l suppose your
outfit will be pulling out soon?"
II am going back to st. Louis in
three weeks" old Abe answered. Pm
getting a bigger canvas made. It'll
be twice as big as that old one, Phil.
What do you think of that?"
We'll, that's going some," said Phil
briefly. They walked on in silence for
a few minutes.
"Uncle," said the young fellow,
stopping and pointing to a restaurant
across the street, I'm hungry and I'm
broke-clean strapped. Had to soak
my ticker to get here, and paid my
last nickel for a shine last night"
The Snowman led the way across the
street to the little Clark street lunch
he hnu int Oh no fr
| at table. The young fellow ordered
| pork and," and old Abe wanted an
| Irish stew.
NOW" said old Abe, when they
were alone, 1--WE got some questions
for you to answer. Where have you
been since last Fourth of July-you
and Johnson? What became of
Knobbs?"
| "Knobbs- Knobbs?" said the other.
What of-what's the matter with
Knobbs?"
| well, Johnson and you and Knobbs
disappeared from Shelbyville, ILL.,, ON
the night of the Fourth of July. Some
blankets were taken and some other
stuff disappeared. Now, what do you
know about it, Phil?"
You don't-why, l didn't take 'em
-s'elp me, didn't. 1 tell you, uncle,
Johnson and l got left behind that
night, and We hunted for you for a
month before we gave you up for
lost
"Circuses, as a rule" said old Abe,
"ain't ginerally so hard to find. AS
for that pesky monkey, I do believe
you know just where he is. Now,
what do you know, PHILIP"
Was the monkey and the blankets
all you missed?" asked the other.
mo-" said the older man, I'VE
missed our trap drummer and first
cornet, and we missed 'em bad. That
was bad trick for you and Johnson
to play"
1T was this way" said Phil, as he
slipped his coffee. johnson an me.
that night we was tired and rolled out
in cornfield. 1t was a fine night,
not too cool an not too warm, an we
didn't wake up until it was long after
sun-up next mornin'.
las we later learned" Phil laughed;
anyhow, we lit out after you'uns, and
then was stopped. What detained us
was somethin' peculiar. Ghosts, it
was-perhaps old Nick himself-was
what detained us. Leastways so said
everybody we came across"
Phil" old abe laughed, you're not
good at lynn"
"This is every bit the truth-what
I'm tellin'. Listen: We staid all night
with farmer Teller what had seen ii
the night before. He saw the burned
thing in the henhouse and, devil or
no, 1t was particular fond of eggs
cause the next mornin' they found nc
less than the empty shells of a dozen
eggs lynn on the floor.
Now, he said that long in the mid
die of the night he had been walked
by the squawkin' of chickens in the
henhouse. Sounded like all the hens
was bein' murdered, he said, and he
hustled out an found the thing sittin
comfortable and confidentlike in a her
box, suckin' eggs. 1t smiled at him
good-natured like; then let out how
and jumped into the window. 1t sci
in the window a moment, and the
farmer said it waved it's hand at him
OF course that farmer might have
been liar. That was what detained
us. We organized a searchin' party
and hunted for the thing"
Poor Knobbs,' old Abe broke in
Il suppose he's dead now. OF course
you didn't finG bim."
"Knobbs?" said the other. "Wha
of Knobbs?"
"That devil of yourn was Knobs
sure's I'm alive. Because Knobs wa.
!. powerful fond of eggs-raw eggs
, Knobs had a peculiar way of throw
in kiss at you when he was partic
, ularly happy. OF course 1t wa,