Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-02-14

ance,. or give back the money, AMI
the manager was wailing about it,
cause nothing makes z 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 was
scared to have pa try to run that All
NAL show, and think everyone in
| the show believed it would be pas
! finish. l felt like an orphan when %
came out of the dressing-room with
the trainers clothes on, though pas
stomach was SO big you would think
olindfolded. horse would know "a
| was no trainer.
| Well, pa went in the round cage,
made OF bar irOn,> and mOtiOned to tho
attendants to send the animals into
the cage through the chute from the
( animal quarters. The first to cone
were two tigers that were to ride ve-
lociredes. I 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 ami
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 filed 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 made
them get off and jump hurdles. Finally
he motioned to shelf for them 10
jump up onte;>,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 l was afraid they would jump ou
him when his back was turned.
Then they brought in the blind
horse and the lion, and the liol,
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: "Pll give you one more
chance and the horse went unde:
the lion, and he wouldn't jump. s.:
pa stepped the horse and took an iror
lar and knocked the lion off onto thu
floor, and he growled at pa, but p:
kept hauling him, and finally tn,
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 au
> dience cheered pa.
All the animals went through thei!
stunts all right, but I thought I couit
, see they were laying for pa, and
wished he was out of the cage Tn'
wind-up came when the lions wer,
seated on benches, and the elephaE
was between them, and the tigers AM
leopards made pyramid, and tn
monkey was claWing around pas legs
The signal was about to be given fc
the animals to return through tn
chute, when the monkey tackled pa
legs like football player, the ele
phanl pushed pa over, and the lion
paved him and snarled, and tn
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 blin'
horse, with not clothes enough LET
on him to wad gun. He was NO
even scratched, however, the ANNA!
having just combined to humiliate pa
The audience cheered. Pa said
''Well, wouldn't that skin YOU" The.
threw him an overcoat to put on, an
he bowed like hero, and quit the rim
cage, and was met outside by the who;
show management, and congratulate
on having more nerve than any MAJ
alive.
Pa said: IF you will give me
shotgun loaded with bird shot, viii
make those animals get on their knee
at the next performance, and beg my pa1
don. You can discharge your traine.
ana + will teach them lot of new
stunts"
Say, pa is wonder, and he has al
ready got old Barnum beat a block
|