The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-07-17
The CIRCUS RESCUE

on the Central, and that their train,
near Quelta, had run over big bugs
hired man. Now the average peon.
after absorbing all the visible supply
OF aguardiente, will hunt all over the
map for the most outre place in which
to sleep off his Alice-blue rabbits, and
nothing appeals to his sOrdid magma.
ton so much as a busy railroad track
When 1t comes to trundle beds. But
while the United States lines yearly
cause the battle of Gettysburg to blush
when it comes to boasting of carnage,
our little brunette brother beyond the
Rio Grande has a way of making it
uncomfortable for train crews when q
simple life is crushed out. 1t isn't
because a peon is highly priced as
bit of social bric-a-brac, but because, l
reckon, the train crews are usually
made up of, or bossed by, Americans.
THE alcalde admitted the defend
ants had no course to choose, except
to run over the man, but he added,
with a graceful flirt Of his hands: The
man is dead. What would you have?
The lesson must be taught He also
said that the three judges who sat on
the case, at first were of the inclina-
ton to let a line of barefooted riflemen
toy with the quartet behind 'dobe
wall. But he concluded, we are
merCiful-We are merciful.'
After kicking the hyena to stop his
bowling lib sac down by the bear
cage that night and thought steady for
ten minutes. Then he jolted his hat
over his right ear and began to
realize we were about to become fair
and merry knight-errants.
Billy, he declared, 1 could never
paint polka-dots on a greyhound and
believe he was a leopard if l left those
men to go to the country of saline
pursuits. Once we can get them out
OF Quelta it's a quick dash to the Rio
and farewell to the dons of the blue
Pacific
That was his poetry. Whenever he
was stung into radical action he al
ways talked in circus type. But he
had scheme back of it all that caused
my sapphire eyes to bulge out and
touch the walls of the tent l asked
him ii we were to invade lunatic
asylum that We must indulge in such
opera bOuffe. l even doubted if MUIR
Ply and his friends would submit to
being rescued by such legerdemain.
1--we thought it all over, and it's
4
tives Of the decedent would go without
firewater a week if those sons Of
Uncle Sam would only escape into the
open and give the bereaved family a
chance to shoot them up Why, look!
They are doing real work out of doors,
and l don't doubt but what their
guards are yearning for them to make
break for liberty. If they did they
would never get ten miles from
Quelta. So. my way is the only way,
my bosom the only haven of refuge
THE upshot Of it all was I hustled
back to Ell Paso, where we had some
green-room effects of new opera
stored, and as fleet-footed as possible
l hiked back to chihuahua, accompa-
MED by two big trunks. Meanwhile
Tib had sent our bill poster to Quelta
to hang up few valentines, advertis-
ing the coming of the show, and Incl
dentally to slip into Murphy's hand a
note Of minute instructions
This done, lib tried to get me to
go north and sit on the farther bank
of the Rio and await the last curtain.
Of course l wasn't for that, and he
blessed me and said we would proba.
bly, wind up as salt miners. Then he
directed me to throw some hardware
and cartridges into the cages, and on
Saturday morning, with two closed
animal wagons, we started for Quelta.
We had one man who could drive
chain-lightning, let alone the most
cratic Mexican mule, and. best Of all,
We could trust him. He had lived in
Mexico for years, but had never for
gotten he came from the land of great
ness and graft. He led the way, while
lib and l did the brake act on the
second tally-ho. The rest of the show
we left at Chihuahua.
1T took US day to cover the short
stretch over their rotten roads, but
at last we arrived at Quelta amid a
Toltec buzz of excitement, and pitched
the side-show tent, as if preparing for
the Sunday performance.
my plans are built like a watch,
and if it don't happen in five minutes
I've missed fire. groaned lib, as We
unlocked the covers to the carts.
Then it happened. First we heard
a yell: then half dozen champagne
bottles opened in quick succession, and
the little chapel bell began ding -dong-
ing eXcitedly,