Evening star., 1924-03-09

phant superintendent and a worried
appearing Mr.. Greer gathered in con-
ference.
THAT bulls sick" said the ele-
phant man.
Mr.. Greer looked suddenly over his
glasses. ,s
"sick?' he asked. you mean
sick?'
"Yeh-sick or somethin'. He amt
right. Ever notice-he don't take
no interest in nothing. Amt got no
appetite. Ain'tg got no pep. Amt got
no get-up an go about him. He amt
right, I'm teIlin''you--he ain't right"
Gould it be"-Mr. Greer was hop
ing against hope-"that he's just
lonesome"
Eyes. it could, but it ain't. Nope.
It's somethin' else. In the first place,
there amt no reason for him bein'
lonesome. Over there he was tn
only bull there was. Here he's got
a whole flock o. bulls to keep him
company. Besides, If he was lone
some he'd kick on me handlin' him,
wouldn't he? Want his old trainer
or somethin' like that. But he don't
kick on nothin'; don't get interested
enough in nothin' t. make a row
about it. Just th',~- -trouble-don't
take no interest in his food, don't
take no interest in tn rest o. tn
bulls, don't take no interest in tn
crowd or nobody, Th' worst OF it is,
he's fallin' off, That bulls lost a
couple O. hundred pounds"
Huh? How much?"
Couple o. hundred-maybe three.
I don't know. But he's losin' weight
-droppin' it off by tn armload. Look
it-see there? He's saggin'."
Mr.. Greer admitted it against his
will. The leathery hide was loose
and overlapping. There were about
him the faint appearances of gaunt-
ness. Mr.. Greer moistened his lips.
"Have-have you tried medicine on
him?"
Not yet. Just been figurin' t, feed
him up, but it don't work. Guess I'll
have t. begin dosin' him.
"Yes-yes, think 1 would" Mr..
Greer managed to find a dollar
bill and passed It forth. yes. I'd
dose him up-a tonic or something.
Plenty Of it,
I.
The bull-man yelped for. his as
sistants. A bugle had sounded in the
distance. In ten minutes more Beel-
gle, attired in a crown Of cut glass
and ostrich plumes and red plush
howdah-"howdy," it's called in the
circus-would bear the Queen of
Sheba around the hippodrome track
at the head Of the tournament, or
opening entry. The head bull tender
passed on with Mr.. Greer's ten dol
lars. Mr.. Greer passed on with his
SORROWS, public and secret. Beelgie
remained behind to grieve alone.
EOR Beelgie wasn't his old self at
all. He had no appetite. How
was he to know that what he wanted
was exercise? How was he to reason
that when an elephant has put in the
best years of his youth In dragging
a circus from one town to another,
pushing wagons, carrying poles and
a few dozen other things. he simply
can't fade out Of the picture without
suffering the consequences?
Now he did nothing but shambIe
around the hipprodrome track with
the Queen of Sheba sitting up there
in the howdy and showing her gold
teeth, or trotting a few steps to the
cars each night, after the show was
over.
Mr.. Greer had seen the elephant
only while on exhibition. He knew
nothing of Beelgie's private life. He
therefore had brought no information
with his gigantic purchase. All he
could do waste stand, by and watch
the head pullman pour castor Oil by
the gallon down Beelgie's rapidly
thinning throat.
Besides, Mr.. Greer wasn't exactly at
his best these days. His letter writ
ing had not been without it's mis-
fortunes. After a week or so of fruit
less watching at the post office Mr..
Greer found that he had plenty of
time to throw his every effort into