The Green Forest tribune., 1910-11-25
A CIRCUS CHEETAH
By IZOLA FORESTER
Copyright. 1910, by Associated Literary Press.

show where he bought 1t down at Coney Island. He wasn't good for anything around the show, but he had that animal like tame kitten around him. He and Clover had all the care Of 1t, for the old fellow was asleen most of the time. One day 1t got loose. 1 heard about it from a nal of mine who stayed on for the sea- son. It was about two, as the show was breaking up for new town. and the eheetah got out and calmly strolled down the main street in the moonlight. It seemed amused and h. terested, but when a principal citizen got busy with a shooting iron it Jumped at him and chewed his shoul- der. Then this youngster went after It, but it had tasted blood and was feeling mighty airy It only cuffed at the boy, but it laid him out, and all at once Clover 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 a pretty buckle on it-you know the kind girls wear-and she put that around his neck and led it back to it's wagon. Hows that? Plueky? yes. While the boys were hanging back with pitchforks and nets and hot irons"
 Another time 1t had toothache and they got dentist In, and she made him give it an anaesthetic. Little things, but they made that heather cheetah animal love the girl as If it had been a 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? I don't know anything about them, son. If he had any good ones he certainly kept them out of sight. But he made Clover the bonus in the business deal and he bought the outfit that night. Long about 12.30 he comes out of Pops quarters and makes for Clover. 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 great f1ame-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 Clover screamed Pop him. self came out and tried to reason with 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 it leaped on their backs. That's about all I 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 chee- tah was a discriminating animal It died from 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 Clover I 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 Clover got well and pretty, instead of looking like wax candle most of the time. They lived there up to a year ago. It was a pretty good farm. You haven't seen Mrs. Clancy, have you Mrs. Sammy Clancy? No? I thought not. She's going to meet us in Phila- delphia tonight. She still likes the business, somehow. I guess its just because she's Clover, and I'm that kid that looked after the cheetah."