Evening star., 1921-10-02

rade was to have old Leo on top of
his cage with Pink sitting in q chair
with one foot on his back. OF course.
the old lion was chained to a ring
stunt and made hit with the crowds.
THE day after Oily had done the
Androcles stunt the parade started
for town. Oily was cutting across
the show lot on some business or
other. and he passed near Leo's cage.
The moment Leo saw him he picked
up his ears and yowled. Oily stop
ped short and looked. of course, and
the next moment Leo made leap
for him. Pink shouted and struck
at the big cat with her bull-whip
lion did not mind her blow. for he
hurtled OFF the top Of the cage
toward Oily. He hurtled just exactly
the length Of the chain and stopped
with jerk and slammed back
against the side of the cage. hanging
ing to commit suicide by hanging.
He kicked and clawed and scratched.
Pink yelled, and some of us climbed
to the top of the cage and we all
pulled on the chain and hoisted Leo
! to the top of the cage again. For
| swallowed hard and painted, and then
| his gaze caught Oily's again, and
zipp! over the side of the cage he
| went again, clawing and scratching
and kicking.
Well, this time the chain broke!
Down the old cat went to the ground.
| tail first, and fell head over heels.
! He got up and shook himself, paved
| his neck where the collar had checked
! him. looked around for Oily, saw
him and started after Oily on the
| lope!
Run? Oily went in at one end Of
the menagerie tent and was out of
/ the far end of the dressing tent be-
fore Leo was fairly started. We saw
| him make for the fence at the far
side of the show grounds like a
scared rabbit and take 1t in one leap
and keep right on across a plowed
, field toward the tall timber in the
distance. Old Leo went after him like
Looping COW. not much for speed, but
prize winner for persistence. We
all started after Leo.
I'll say right here that I had as
mixed emotions as man ever had.
didn't know whether Leo would
catch Oily or not. and IL he did catch
him, didn't know whether he would
kill him or kiss him. l didn't know
whether Oily would be Androcles ii
or plain raw meat. Nobody knew.
He had lost all faith in that An
drocles business.
My gang of roughnecks found Leo
somewhere near the middle of the
patch of timber, sitting in the leaves
and looking puzzled and surprised.
When they led him away. he would
stop and look around and then walk
short distance reluctantly and stop
and look around again. He wanted
Oily.
The next we heard of Oily was on
a picture post card showing a view OF
the Davenport railway bridge but
mailed from Streator. Ill. Pink show
ed it to US. 1t said:
You can catch me at Hogan's
Lodging House, >3s Bowery, il you
want to, but nothing doing in that
cage business
Yours till death,
o. Jones.
Well, guess that's all. The next
season, Pink married a fellow named
Murphy and went into vaudeville
with her cats, and SO you might say
the story ends happily. but somehow
| wish Oily had hung around the cir
Gus lot that day until we knew
whether that old COTTONWOOD baabaa
of a lion was going to eat him or
love him. We talk about it a lot, but
we don't know yet whether that An
drocles stunt would work or not. I
guess We never will know.