Evening star., 1921-10-02

over at full length after that. I dare
say each was right from a personal
point of view. Pink couldn't see how
happiness could result from the mar
rage if Oily was always to be in NOR
tai fear of Leo. and she could not
think of giving up Leo. The old cot
tage cheese was almost like brother
to her, and ] couldn't blame her for
feeling as she did about the old
beast If she did as she intended and
took a farm in the mountains and
expected Leo to roam around the
place, Oily would have to get used to
/, the lion or lead an unhappy and prob
atay dismembered life.
As Pink looked at 1t, 1t was up 70
Oily to learn to love Leo and live in
harmony with him. AS Oily looked
at it the marriage in the rinE-cage
would be all right for Pink and min
lister: Pink was the lions chum, and
he would not hurt her; and the min
lister would be safe enough in the
cage because Leo would be so busy
rending Oily limb from limb that the
big beast would have no time to pay
attention to the minister. But Oily
felt he would have a disagreeable and
blood soaked time in that cage.
That year we had one clown with
ring name was Shivers. and we called
him Irish. and he had one act that
was a hummer. 1t was a clown
school. all pantomime, and he was
the teacher; it was SO good we gave
him the big stage for his act and
didn't run anything else at the same
time except the eight elephants IN
No. ring and the eight-stallion act
in ring 2. We had to keep the
clowns off the hippodrome track
while the stations were in the ring,
anyway. because the stations are bad
actors when the clowns are loose on
the track But Irish appreciated the
stage privilege Just the same. and he
did ali he could to build up his act
and make it good. At the start he
used any old property book in his
act, but as 1t grew he got particular
about properties, and he dug up an
old reading book to use in the act.
one day reading this book when Oily
"oiiy," Irish said, its a pity you
came from the Bowery instead OF
from the desert. You might have
pulled this stunt on old Leo
What stunt?" asked Oily.
what it says here about this old
tossed the book to Oily.
I suppose you know the Androcles
tale. He was an old Greek fellow,
and he went out into the desert, pick
ing cranberries, 1 suppose, and up came
lion with a thorn in It's foot. and
trotted the lion. Probably he forgot
all about 1t. for some years later he
turned Christian and was pulled for 1t
and the king said he had to be fed to
the big cats on whatever was the
Greek Fourth Of July. So all the
steady show-patrons crowded into the
big top, and Androcles was slung into
the arena. scared stiff, and the cage
was wheeled in and a big lion pried
out by the rough-necks. Mr.. Lion
gave one yowl and started for An
drocles. saying, Here's my breakfast
food, all served on a china plate!'
But just when Androcles shut his eyes
and got ready to be eaten In two bites
the lion stopped short. laughed a mer-
ry laugh and walked over and kissed
Androcles on both cheeks. 1t was the
lion Androcles had uniformed. or
course, they tried to make the lion
nibble Androcles. They got pepper and
to serve Androcles with powdered
sugar. No use! Lion wouldn't eat An
drocles.
I1JELL, Oily read the story three
w times, and then he tore out the
page and carried it away with him
and studied 1t. It made big hit with
him. He would sit across the tent
from Leo and read that tale and then
look at Leo and wonder how it would
work. Finally he came to me. He
gave me the tale to read and read it.
"what do you think Of It. Mack?'
well, oily" 1 said. II don't know!
It seems sort of phony to me. You
don't remember Bony Harger-he was
with us before your time; he was the
man that pulled the liberated tooth
for the black panther when we were
in winter quarters at De Soto. 1 never
in my life knew a beast to suffer as
that panther did with that tooth or to
feel better than that panther did after
the tooth was out. That should have
been a grateful panther-but the first
chance he got he reached out Of the
cage and clawed all the meat of Bony's
face"
"Leo is . naturally sood-natured
animal" safd Oily.
"Oh!'' said, getting the drift Of
his meaning. $50 that's 1t, Is It?
Well, Oily, to tell you the truth,