The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-02-16

| paired, and don't have to put up and
take down tsnts, and ride all night on
trains. We are all stopping at hotels,
and getting rested, and pa is having
chance to shine.
| The managers think pa Is trying tC
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
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 staging anc
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 man.
The tigers ride bicycles, and the
,eopards jump about wherever the
trainer tells them to; monkey acts
as clown, and little elephant runs
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 1t,
cause nothing makes circus man
wall like giving back good money.
Then pa said he would save the day
by taking charge of the animal act.
He said he had watched it every day.
and knew how to do it, and he could
dress up in the clothes of the regular
trainer, and the animals wouldn't
know the difference. Gee, but l was
scared to have pa try to run that AMI
NAL show, and think everyone in
the show believed it would be pas
finish. l felt like an orphan when pa
came out of the dressing-roo with
the trainers Clothes on, though pas
stomach was so big you would think
blindfolded 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 ye-
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 and
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 hes1tated
a moment, and then he jumped on the
machine, and the other followed, and
| they raced around, and then pa made
them get off and jump hurdles. Finally
he motioned to shelf for them to
| jump up onto, and when they hest
tated. he kicked one in the Stats, and
| hit the other with the club, and they
went up on that shelf too quick, but
| they stayed there and snarled at pa,
and | was afraid they would jump on
him when his back was turned.
Then they brought in the blind
horse and the lion, and the lion
was onto pa, and he struck right off,
/ He got up on the pedestal from
which he was to jump onto the
| horses back, but when the horse came
around the lion wouldn't jump, and
pa said: "I'll give you one more
chance" and the horse went under
the lion, and he wouldn't jump. So
pa stepped the horse and took an iron
lar and knocked the lion Off onto the
floor, and he growled at pa, but pa
kept mauling him, and finally tho
lion jumped up on the pedestal and
seemed to say: Bring on your horse"
and ga started the horse, and Mr.. Lion
mace his Jumps all right, and the au-
! dience cheere6 pa.
All the animals went through their
stunts all right, but l thought / could
see they were laying for pa, and I
wished he was out of the cage. The
wind-up came when the lions were
seated on benches, and the elephant
was between them, snd the tigers and
leopards made pyramid, and the
monkey was clawing around pas legs.
| The signal was about to be given for
the animals to return through the
chute, when the monkey tackled pa S
legs like a football player, the e!e-
phant pushed pa over, and tie lions
paved him and snarled, and the
tigers took mouthful out of pas
pants, and the leopards snatched his
red coat off, and the signal was given
for them to get out of the cage, and
they went out like boys at recess,
leaving pa in this cage with the blind
horse, with not clothes enough LETT
on him to wad gun. He was not
even scratched, however, the animals
having just combined to humiliate pa.
TIE audience cheered. Pa said:
''Wen, wouldn't that skin YOU" They
threw him an overcoat to put on, and
he bowed lire hero, and quit the ring
cage. and was met outside by the whois
show management, and congratulated
on having more nerve than any map
alive.
! Pa said: eff you VIII give me q
shotgun loaded with bird shot, / will
make those animals get on their knees
al the next performance, and beg my par
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