The commonwealth., 1906-01-12

| keeper got an IRON nook IN inS ere
plants ear, and they pulled pa out
on one side, and got the elephant away
on the other side, and just then the
| calliope, that ends the parade, came
by us and played the Blue Danube, ="
and the elephant got on his hind feet
and waltzed on the pavement. They
put pa and the Clrcassian beauties in a
! patrol wagon and took them to the
show lot. and sat by the driver, and
he let me drive the team.
Pa had his sheik clothes rolled up
around his waist. and was wrlnging
/ them out, and talking awful sassy, and
when We got to the lot 1t took long
/ time to convince the policemen that
We we're not guilty of disorderly con-
duct, and Just then the elephant came
7 tearing by us, with the keeper on
horseback behind him, prodding him in
the ham every Jump with sharp iron,
and he went through the side of the
tent as though he was mighty sorry he
didn't kill US all.
They made him get down on his
knees and below in token Of surren"
der, and then we all went and changed
our clothes Tor the afternoon perform
ance. As wo passed through the
menagerie tent, dripping every animal
set up yell as much as to say:
There, maybe you will give cayenne
pepper to plous sacred COW again,
COuiound you" and that Conyinces me
that animals are human.
The last week has been the hardest
on pa of any week since we have been
out with the circus The trouble with
pa is that he wants to be Johnny on
the spot as the boys say, and if any
thing breaks he volunteers to 90 to
work and fix it, and If anybody is sick
or disabled, he wants to take their
place, as he says so he will learn
everything about the circus, and be
competent to run a show alone next
year
But 1t was a mean trick the principal
owner of tho show played on pa at
Canton, 0. You see John L., Sullivan
used to do q boxing act with this
show, years ago, and everybody likes
John. and when he shows up where the
show gives a performance he has the
freedom Of the whole place, and every
body about the show is ready to fall
over themselves to do John l.. a serv-
Ice.
Well, Sullivan showed up at Canton,
and he went everywhere, all the fore
noon, and met all the old timers, and
at the afternoon performance he was
awfully Jolly
John was standing beside the ring
when the japanese jugglers were Jug
Cling, and he leaned against a pole.
Pa came in from the men garie tent,
aad be didn't know Sull van, and when
he saw Sullivan hold ng the pole up.
pa said to the boss proprietor hat the
fat man who was interfering with the
show ought to be called down, put
out.
The boss said to pa: you go take
him by the ear and put him out" and
pa, who is as brave as a lion. started
for Sullivan, and the boss winked at
the other circus men, and pa went up
to Sullivan and took hold of Johns
neck with both hands, and said:
Come on out Of here"
Well. sir, we ought to have moving
pictures of what followed. Sullivan
turned on pa, and growled just like a
lion. Then he took pa around the
waist and held him up under his arm.
and picked up piece of board and
Slated pa just as though pa was
child, and the audience just yelled and
pa called to the circus men for help,
but they Just laughed.
Pa got a chance at the fat man and
he hit him in the jaw, but it did not
hurt Sullivan, only made him mad.
He took pa up by the collar and
whirled him around until pa was diz-
2y. and then he started with him for
the menagerie tent, and called to the
boss canyasman: Bill, come on and
tell me which Is the hungriest lion,
and I will feed him with this cold
meat"
Pa yelled cause he thought he was
in the hands of an escaped lunatic, and
the circus hands came and took him
away. Then the owner told pa who
Sullivan was. and pa almost tainted.
But finally, after breathing hard for
awhile, pa went up to Sullivan and
shook his hand, and said "Mr. Sui
livan. you must excuse me. II had
known you were the great John L.,
would not have licked yoN." Sullivan
looked at pa and said: well, you are
a wonder. old man. and you did do
me up," and pa and Sullivan became
great friends. Since then pa is pretty
chesty. cause the circus men point
him out to the jays as the man VINO
whipped John L. Sullivan.
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