The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-03-30

pa rolled. over and groa1teA n hta
berth, and went to sleep ana snored
SO the freaks wanted to have a nose
/! bag, such az horses eat out of. pulled
ever pas face. = ...3z.
The queerest thing that. ever han
pened in the. circus business in this
country took place at Germantown,
"a. The teamsters went on strike
at Pittsburg, for increase in wages and
shorter hours and for two days the
management had a great time. y
We had to get drays to haul the
stuff from the train to- the lot, and
then our transfers got the local dray
men to join them, and when we, got
ready to haul the stuff back to- the
train nobody would do any work, and
the walking delegates from the Team
steTs' union just took possession of
the show, and we were stuck, like an
automobile when the gasoline gives out
We had got to looking 1T the team
sters as of no particular account when
they walked out, but when thew
wouldn't work, they became the most
| important part of the show, and after
the show was over the managers who
had told the striking teamsters to go
plumb, found that they had gone
y plumb, and they had to rush all over
Pittsburg and find them, and grant
their demands, and get them to 20 to
work.
Fa was sent out to find bunch of
them, and it cost pa over $50 to get
! them out Of beer garden, and back
| TO the lot, and it was almost daylight
| before we got our train started for the
| next town.
Well, at the next town we could sse
there was something the matter with
the animals. They acted as though
they had lost all interest in the sue
| cess OF the show, and wouldn't do
any o. their stunts worth cent. The
elephants went through their act
carelessly and when they were scolded
or prodded with the iron hook. thew
got mad and wanted to fight and when
they got back from the ring to the
animal tent they wouldn't eat the
baled hay, but threw it all over the
tent, and acted .riotous.
The kangaroos would not do their
boxing act, the horses kicked at their
hay, and wouldn't eat their oats, the
| camels growled at their food and
scared the people who passed by where
they were tied to stakes the sacred
cattle got their backs up and acted
as though they, being pious, couldn't
swear, but would like to hire the n.y.
enas to swear for them; the giraffes
laid down and curled their necks so
they were no attraction to the show.
| cause giraffe is no curiosity unless
ne stretches himself away up towards
the top of the tent. The zebras rolled
in the mud and spoiled their stripes,
50 people couldn't tell them from COM
mon mules the grizzly bear walked
/ his cage, and kept giving vent to bear
language, and the big lion was howl
ing all the time.
u,
and when we loaded the train the
managers held meeting in our car
to decide what in thunder was the
matter with the animals. All kinds
of theories were advanced, such as
poison, malaria from Indiana, and
pure cussedness. After they had dis
cussed the matter awhile, pa came in,
and they asked him what he thought
about it, and that tickled pa, cause
as foolish as he looks, he helps the
show out of lots of bad holes. Pa
lit cigar and put it in one side OF his
mouth, put his hat up on one side OF
his head, like he was tough, aad
looked wise, and said:
Fellow fakirs, l have been watch
ing the animals all day, and while l
do not say they understand enough of
the ways of human beings to be post
ed on labor unions, and all that, 7
want to tell you they are on strike
and that grizzly and that lion are
the walking delegates that are stir
ring them up to mischief They may
not know anything about the team
sters' strike, but they know something
has happened, and they are displeased
at something, and they have lost re-
spect for the employer. They are on
strike, and the very devil is going to
pay tomorrow, unless the cause of
the dissatisfaction is discovered and
mutual concessions made
Gentlemen, you hear me-" said pa.
and he sat down on the edge of tho
arm of the car seat. -
They gave pa the laugh, but finally
told him to take charge of the strike
ana settle it quick, but they wanted
to know what he thought II animals
would be dissatisfied about, as long ~
they got food enough to eat. -
Pa said: "I'll tell you. You feel
the horses and other hay-eating AMI
mails on musty baled hay, bought
from contractors that may have had
it on hand for five years., How would
You like it if you. We're served with