The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-04-20
have to have my salary raised IL wa.

have to have my salary raised II I was
expected to keep up with my antelope,
but he told me where to go to get an
increase of salary, some place in Ar.
kansas-maybe Hot Springs.
Then my antelope heard the Indians
and cowboys coming behind, and he
got his second wind, and never did
touch the ground no more, and must
have looked like buzzard sailing
through the air. When my antelope
got up to where pa was trying to keep
up with his elk, told pa he better let
go his elk and get the cowboys and
Indians to ride around ahead of the
stampede and head them off,
Pa said he couldn't let go of his elk
cause the rope was tied to his belt,
but for me to hit the ground some.
where ahead and let go of that jack
rabbit l was chasing, and tell the cow.
boys to head off the stampede. So
when 1 lit again l let go the rope.
and the antelope got ahead Of every.
thing, and l wished l had bet on him.
When the cowboys and Indians got
up to me l delivered the message from
pa, and they divided and went around
the TANKS of the stampeders, and in
another mile they headed them off in
a nice pasture, and kept riding around
the animals so they couldn't get away.
They soon had the whole bunch under
control, and we all got together to see
if anybody was hurt.
Well, pa was the worst sight Of all.
If his belt had broke he never would
have lost his pants, cause more than
a million cactus thorns had gone
through and pinned them on. We had
to cut them off, and pull out the thorns
with pincers, one at time, and pa
yelling murder for every thorn. The
boss canvassman was in the same fix,
and everybody that tried to hold an
animal was pinned together with
thorns, and they had gravel up their
trousers from sticking their heels into
the soil.
Everybody was mad, and they threat
ened to lynch pa when they got back
to the tent for suggesting letting the
animals out to Craze. We started back
to town, the cowboys and Indians driv.
ing the animals, and the Zebras ano
giraffes kicking up and acting as
though they had got out of school or
account of the death of dear teacher
like schoolboys.
Before we got to town wind came
up so strong that we had to walk edge.
wise to go against it, and finally we
met the tent coming out to meet us,
cause a cyclone had taken it bodily and
was blowing it all over the prairie.
And WREN we got to town the animals
in the cages, that can't eat grass, were
having an indignation meeting, and
bowling awful.
Pa was the first man to get back to
thought he better do, and l told him
he better get in the porcupine cage,
cause he looked, with the cactus thorns
sticking out of him like the father of
all porcupines. He said l thought l
was smart, and he asked me if 1 was
hurt any, and 1 told him all l could
find was a stone bruise on my spine,
where 1 struck prairie dog house.
Well, we got the animals into liv-
cry barn, and it took us almost the
whole week to have the tent hauled
back and sewed together, and we had
to pay the cowboys and Indians more
than the animals were worth to bring
them back, and let them into the show
free. The managers had a meeting and
resolved to get out of the Indian Ter
ritory and into Kansas just as quick
as possible.