Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-11-24
A CIRCUS CHEETAH
By lola FORESTER
Copyright, i0i0 by Associated Literary Press. :.

jumped at him and chewed his shout
der. Then this youngster went after
1t, but It had tasted blood and was
feeling mighty airy. 1t only cufted
at the boy, but It laid him out, and.
all at once Glover heard the row and
ran out of her tent and down the
street after 1t. And say, she had her
belt little elastic business with
pretty buckle on it-you know the
kind girls wear--and she put that
around his neck and led 1t back to it's
wagon. How's that7 Plucky? yes.
While the boys we're hanging back
with pitchforks and nets and hot
irons"
Another time it had toothache and
they got a dentist in, and she made
him give it an anaesthetic. Little
things, but they made that heather
cheetah animal love the girl as If 1t
had been pet cat.
Pop was thinking of selling out
along this time, and the prospective
buyer came on from Kansas City to
look the show over. Instead, he
looked Glover over, and spoke to Pop.
Intentions? l don't know anything
about them, son. If he had any good
ones he certainly kept them out OF
sight. But he made Glover the bonus
in the business deal and he bought
the outfit that night. Long about
1880 he comes out of Pops quarters
and makes for Glover. She hadn't
gone to bed. She was over at the
cheetah's wagon talking to 1t and to
the kid. It was moonlight, those
nights In August when the moon
comes up like a great hame-colored
blossom, and they were In Kentucky,
near the Ohio border. The kid was
playing on a mouth organ, real soft
and decent, when the big chap came
over, took hold of Clover's arm and
told her what the deal was.
when Glover screamed Pop him
self came out and tried to reason with
her. She was to go on that night to
Kansas City and marry the fellow
there and then back to the show. Pop
said he was sick and tired of the
whole show business and was going
abroad to seek a long-deserved rest
from his labors. And he struck her
with one Of those short whips they
use on the animals when they lift
their upper lips and growl."
There was a brief silence. The
train was speeding along at fifty
miles an hour. Sammy stared out of
| the smoker window contentedly, In
terestedly, and watched the landscape
Of New Jersey take wings to itself
and roll up like the scroll Of a parch-
| ment
Then what?" he said finally.
"The kid let the cheetah loose"
said Murray slowly. And when the
two of them grabbed her and tried to
carry her off 1t leaped on their backs.
That's about all 1 know. Pop left the
hospital five months later with scars
that he'll bear all his life and the
other fellow lost one arm. That chez
tab was a discriminating animal. 1t
| died from a bullet Pop managed to
land right finally; but It had done its
work well. And the other two skipped
out that night, the kid and Glover.
always thought they made for where
her mothers folks lived, In Indiana
somewhere"
That's just what they did" broke
in Sammy happily. And the folks
down there was good to them. They
let the kid work around the farm, and
Glover got we'll and pretty, Instead of
looking like wax candle most of the
time. They lived there up to year
ago. 1t was pretty good farm. You
haven't seen Mrs. Clancy, have you
Mrs. Sammy Clancy? No? 1 thought
not. She's going to meet us in PhiisI
delphia tonight. She still likes the
business, somehow. I guess It's just
because she's Glover, and I'm that kid
that looked after. the cheetah."