Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-02-28

e two weeks stand, in Madison Square
Garden, we are having the tents re-
paired, and don't have to put up and
take down tents, and ride all night on
trains We are all stopping at hotels.
and getting rested, and pa is having
q chance to shine.
The managers think pa is trying to
commit suicide. for he wants to take
the place of anybody who is sick
or drunk, and is the understudy Of
everybody. We got one act that just
curdles your blood, cage in the ring,
with lions and tigers and leopards, who
go through all kinds of stunts. One
lion rides a horse and jumps through
hoops, and lands on the back of the
horse, and jumps on a staging anG
lets the horse go around the ring. anG
| then jumps on again. The horse is
blindfolded, so he don't know it is a
lion that jumps On his back, but
thinks it is a man.
The tigers ride bicycles, and the
!eopards jump about wherever the
trainer tells them to; a monkey acts
as clown, and little elephant runs a
make-believe automobile That act
alone is worth the price of admission.
We'll, the regular trainer went to
Coney Island, and got drunk, and we
| either had to cut out that perform
ance, or give back the money, AMI
the manager was wailing about it,
cause nothing makes circus man
OF vii nv
| Then pa said he would save the Gay
by taking charge of the animal act.
| lie said he had watched it every day,
and knew how to do it, and he could
! dress up in the clothes of the regula !.
Trainer. and the animals wouldn'
| know the difference. Gee, but / was
scared to have pa try to run that AMI
NAL show, and I think everyone in
| the show believed it would be pas
finish. felt like an orphan when pa
| came out of the dressing-room with
the trainers clothes on, though pas
stomach was so big you would think
| olindfolded horse would know pa
was no trainer
Well, pa went in the round cage.
| made of bar iron, and motioned to the
! attendants to send the animals into
| the cage through the chute from the
animal quarters. The first to come
were two tigers that were to ride We
lociredes. l trembled for pa when
they went in and waved their tails
and looked at pa as much as to say:
20, we won't do thing to you" They
actually looked at each other am
winked; but pa motioned to the We
locipedes. and looked fierce, and when
they hesitated about getting on, pa
said: You won't, won't you," and he
took club filled with lead and start
ed for the biggest tiger. He hesitated
a moment, and then he jumped on the
machine, and the other followed, and
they raced around, and then pa male
them.get off and jump hurdles. Finally
he motioned to a shelf for them K
jump up onto, and when they, hest.
tated. he kicked one in the Stats, ant
hit the other with the club, and they
went up on that shelf too quick, bu
they stayed there and snarled at pa
and | was afraid they would jump III
Then they brought in the blint
horse and the lion, and the lio1
was onto pa, and he struck right off
He got up on the pedestal from
which he was to jump onto tn,
horses back. but when the horse cam,
around the lion wouldn't jump, ant
pa said: III give you one moro
chance" and the horse went unde
the lion, and he wouldn't Jump. S,
pa stepped the horse and took an iroI
lar and knocked the lion off onto tn,
floor, and he growled at pa, but D:
kept mauling him, and finally TIL
lion jumped up on the pedestal ant
seemed to say: Bring on your horse,
and pa started the horse, and Mr.. Lioi
made his jumps all right, and the All
dience cheered pa
All the animals went through thei,
stunts all right, but l thought l couit
see they were laying for pa, and
wished he was out Of the cage. Tnt
windup came when the lions wer,
seated on benches, and the elephan
was between them, and the tigers an(
leopards made a pyramid, and th'
monkey was clawing around pas legs
The signal was about to be given fol
the animals TO return through tn,
chute, when the monkey tackled pa:
legs like football player. the e!e
plant pushed pa over. and the lion.
paved him and snarled, and the
tigers took a mouthful out of pa.
pants, and the leopards snatched hi.
red coat off, and the signal was give
for them to get out OF the cage, an,
they went out like boys at recess
leaving pa in the cage with the BLIND
horse with not clothes enough LET
on him to wad gun. He was NO
even scratched, however, the animal,
having just combined to humiliate pa
The audience cheered. Pa said