Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-12-02
SEEING THE
ELEPHANT
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M. QUAD

DEACON SlluS GoOunue was gO0u
man. You may say that all deacons
are good men, and such is the case up
to certain point
The good deacon lived two miles
from the village and his church, but
every Sunday he was there. Some
deacons wouldn't have set out for that
drive in blizzard or a thunderstorm,
but Deacon Goodhue never missed a
Sunday.
On this particular occasion, however,
much to his sorrow, the deacon found
himself Interested in the circus bills
posted up on the highway barns. He
resented his interest. He tried to chase
it away. He wrestled with it as he
hoed corn. He could have got the bet
ter of it but for one thing. The COM
ing circus had on exhibition an Afri-
can elephant weighing two tons. He
had lost an eye and one tusk, he had
killed five keepers, and it was expect
ed he would kill the sixth within a
month. There was something in this
statement to appeal and interest.
"What 1 want" he said, sis to see
that elephant. 1 want to look him
over for about half an hour, and then
1 shall be willing to drive back home"
Brother Goodhue," replied the min
ister, "as 1 understand it, there are
two tents. One is for the menagerie
and the other for the circus"
Eyes, that's So"
| "One ticket admits to both.'
at does"
"And the menagerie is the first tent
you enter"
81 CESS So"
"Well. the case seems to be right
here. Can you enter the first tent and
! gaze on the elephant and not long to
enter the second, where the circus is?
| 1t is surely no sin to gaze on an ele-
| plant, but when it comes to circus
| performance, deacon, that is different,
you know. You must fight this out
alone. You are a strong man, but the
| two ringed circus is an awful tempta-
ton"
He had a week to think it over
| Sometimes he was strong in his self
| confidence, and again his knees wab-
| bled. Why pay so cents to see the
| elephant alone when it would admit
| to all? Was it worth that sum to gaze
on even an elephant that had killed
| five men? 1t was decision and indeci-
sion for week, and then the minister
inquired if his mind was made up.
| Not skassly," was the reply.
"You doubt your strength"
| "Thats it. l do want to see the ele-
| plant, and 1 don't want to see them
gals in spangles, and Pm sweating
| over it."
"Then wouldn't it be wiser to give
up the idea?"
The deacon went home and wrestled
another day and then decided not to
| go near the behemoth. The circus
came, and his neighbors went, and a
| peddler came along the road and told
| him that 1t was the grandest aggrega-
| ton on the face of the known world,
and the words brought a lonely feel
| ing.
The good mans reward was at hand,
however. Just at sundown he heard
a great yelling down the road, and he
looked to see great cloud of dust. A
| haystack on wheels was coming his
way, pursued by men and dogs. The
| deacon was at the barnyard gate with
milk pail on his arm. AS the hay
| stack came nearer he murmured to
| himself:
"B'gosh, it's an elephant, and he's
broke away from the circus! He's the
/ tfrnn fnH fn nlaI
| there won't be no temptation about
| it."
Yes, the two tonner had broken
loose and was looking for summer
board. He was hiking straight ahead
when he caught sight of the deacon
| and the open gate and the cows in the
barnyard. He swerved aside and but
ted in. Brother Goodhue did not un-
derstand the situation until two Sec
onds too late. He was seized and
| thrown twenty feet high to come down
on the wagon shed with broken leg.
| Then the four cows were picked up
and toyed with. They were tossed over
| into the road or slammed against the
barn, and the deacon on the roof for
| got his pain as he gazed. His wagon
was smashed to bits and his hayrack
pulled apart, and the behemoth played
ball with a plow or two.
OF course the circus men were after
him all the time, but the two tonner
was out for fun, and he didn't sub
nit to bondage until he had had it.
His last act was to burst through the
| fence and walk up to the kitchen
of the farmhouse and pick up the well
curb and the old oaken bucket and
send them sky high among the limbs
of cherry tree. Then he gave in and
was led away looking as innocent as a
lamb. The circus proprietors agreed
to pay all damages, but as a matter of
fact not cent was ever had from
them. During his three months in
bed Deacon Goodhue had many callers.
Among them, as matter of course,
was his minister. AS he sat down by
| the bedside he asked: