Beadle's Dime Library, No. 406 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ene ae Se ie Re = ne Se a ae EE WS ve _— eS Tee. Y Oe w=” wv Sell » a 7 Le . i : _ Noble, in the same tone, “ } ’ Old Pop Hicks, Showman. unless you wish to have a difficulty. If you do, | Stone frowned, as he answered impatiently: ‘* Hind fault? Of course not. Will you put shim on to-day?” QL ‘*T should smile,” replied Onion George. <9;Why, the parade’s forming now. It’s a clean peat. But say—” He suddenly stopped, as a quiet gentleman of medium size, with a handsome, resolute face, came out of the hotel from behind Stone, and said to the manager: “Excuse me, Mr. Bownsse. If you’re not busy, [d like a word with you.” .yefptone looked at the quiet gentleman, and epcognized, to his surprise, Noble, the lion- tamer.; He held out his hand at once, smiling: ‘““Mr. Noble, I believe. Happy tosee you. I didn’t know you were here.” Nobile smiled and bowed, but pretended not to see the offered hand, saying: ‘‘T came in on the midnight Express from Pittsville station, sir. Will you excuse us a moment, while we talk?” Stone looked at Onion George meaningly, and the manager, after a moment’s hesitation, said awkwardly: “I declare, I beg your pardon. Mr. Noble, Mr. Stone, my partner. You can say anything before him, Charley.” Noble showed no surprise, but spoke out at once to the point: ‘** Mr. Bownsse, you known the terms of our engagement. It was made with you, and I hold you responsible for it; no one else. I con- tracted with you alone.” Bownsse wiped his forehead, and smiled in his blandest manner. ‘“Why, certainly, Charley, that’s all right. I’m good for it, ain’t I?” **T hope so, sir. One of our points was this: I was to be the principal card of the show, and no other ee men were to be engaged. Is that so?” Bownsse hesitated and began: ‘* Now, Charley, don’t be unreasonable. *re safe enough for your money—” ‘*Pardon me; that’s not the question,” Noble interrupted him unceremoniously. ‘* Business is business, George. Here I find that you’ve gone and stolen Elephant Jim from Mr. Hicks’s show, and are going to put him on to-day. Is that so?” Here Stone—very injudiciously—spoke: . ** But what of that, sir, as long as you get your pay, Saturdays? That’s all you gentlemen are after, isn’t it?” Noble turned his calm, resolute face on him, with the fixed stare he used in his lion cage, and Stone positively quailed before it, brave as he was. Fe My dear sir,” said the lion-tamer, in a pecu- liar, low tone, never moving his eyes, ‘‘ my en- gagement is with Mr. Bownsse; I am talking to r. Bownsse; when I wish to converse with YU, Vil oer you.” tone colored high, and ste back a pace his hand instinctively falling Epis hip- sokat, but Noble never so much as noticed him, and turned again to the manager, resuming: ‘* Have you enga Perkins or not?” Bownsse drew a deep breath. gm: yes, I mae, om as ‘Are you aware of what he di i ’ ** No, [’'m not.” mak nighsP This was only half true, but not all a lie: for Elephant Jim had not been sober enough to tell a straight story yet. ‘Tl tell you then. He got budgy* in show hours, let his beast loose when he knew it was Teady to run amuck, and very nearly raised a pane among the guys. I happened to be there. 4 went to see a friend—” “Oh!” interrupted Stone again, ‘‘to see a friend in the other show, hey? I suppose you call that honorable conduct? Want to sell out, I suppose?” He had recovered his presence of mind, and felt mortified that he had let a man look him down so easily as he had. Lion Charley turned round on him and fa- ‘vored him with another glance that he had great culty in sustaining. * Look here, my friend,” he said, very sweet- ly, ““you seem very anxious to get into trouble | eta. Is it your wish to have a difficulty or Stone looked down on him from a difference Pees inches, for he was a six-footer, and ‘“Upon my word, sir, 1 Sake F about it. Eve aright to speak, Tho? ‘harley Noble smiled j inc . answered: ed in a singular way, as he “1 suppose you have, sir. I don’t wish difficulty with you, The best thing you cate do is to shake hands and let us part friends. Put it there!” Stone looked down on him with still more hauteur, answering: **Thank you. I don’t shake hands with every man I meet.” ‘But you'll shake hands with me,” returned not moving his eyes from their steady unwinking stare. ‘ That is, ee *Budgy.”’ Show term for drunk. You- o- ~ se 0 CE a aaa aaa aaa assassin eee ee eee eee say so.” And, somehow, Stone put out his hand, his | glance falling before the lion-tamer’s eyes, spite | of himself, as he said, awkwardly: ‘‘Of course I don’t wish trouble with any | man, sir; especially when we are to be in the same show. There, take it, if you want to.” Lion Charley instantly grasped the extended hand, when Stone turned as white as a sheet | and clinched his teeth hard to repress a scream. The grip of the shorter man was like a vise, and | fairly cringed with | agony before the enormous strength displayed | the stalwart six-footer by the other, as Lion Charley said slowly: ““Of course not, sir; of course not. peacea ble—peaceable man; and have no time— no time—for quarrels—with men. I keep my | fight for—my lions, my lions.” With each emphasized word he squeezel | harder, till Stone fairly broke down, and ut- tered a cry of pain, trying to pull back his hand from the terrible grip. 3 Lion Charley smiled and relaxed his hold | slightly, but retained the hand, as he went on blandly: ‘* Let me offer you a piece of advice, sir. Never run up against a man, before you know what he is made of; and never interfere in con- versation between gentlemen. That’s al!.” He flung away the palsied hand, and continued to Bownsse: ‘* Elephant Jim and I don’t stay in tle same | show. You’ve broken your contract and I’m | free. I take my cages away to-day. If he’sa better card than I, keep him. Good-day!” Bownsse, in dismay, called out: ‘* But, Charley, for God’s sake, don’t be so hasty. You don’t know—” Lion Charley turned on him sternly: ‘*l do know. I join the Hicks show at once. If you want war, you shall have it, and to spare!” And he walked away, leaving the two con- federates staring blankly after him, till Stone said with a curse: ‘*Let him go. We've the miners yet to de- pend on, for a riot.” CHAPTER XVI. COALVILLE. THE town of Coalville was full of music and bright colors, as the two shows made their parade that day, before noon. They had exchanged attractions; and the change, aka singh to Stones expectations, had been all in Pop Hicks’s favor. Elephant Jim was still shaky from his last night’s spree and lacked his usual spirit, while King Philip was so full of vice that he had to be chained on all four legs, with his head tied down, before he was safe to be allowed to walk in the procession on any terms. They had to give him a free space of nearly a hundred feet, for fear he would strike at the horses in the parade, and he frightened the spec- tators on the sidewalks, more tian he attracted them, by his enormous size. Even to Elephant Jim he began to display sullenness, and his trainer foresaw that be would probably be obliged to take him off work and ‘give him a lesson,” unless he got milder. As a matter of fact, King Philip was ap- proaching one of those periodical fits of savage mania to which bull-elephants are liable, and it was a question whether the fit would come on at Coalville, or hold off for another day or two. Stone and Leonard, in their dashing four-in- hand (Leonard’s by the way, but generally driven by Stone, the owner not feeling confident of his abilities as a whip), took the pains to ride at the head of the Bownsse parade, to impress on the people that they were the friends of that establishment; but they could not conceal from themselves that the elephant on whose capture they had built such hopes, was an injury more than a benefit to their cause, if they wished to hurt Pop Hicks. And in the other parade, right at the head of everything, strode a figure that drew crowds ey ag it went and attracted thunders of ap- plause. Lion Charley had joined Pop’s show, cages and all,and instead of riding in the open car with his lion, had put a collar and chain on the beast, and led it along like a dog, while the lion behaved so quietly that the people had to be frequently warned not to press too close on him. Lion Charley was the great feature of the show, and it was easy enough for him to keep his animal from the familiarity which breeds contempt, by occasionally inciting the beast to growl fiercely and utter one of his tremendous roars. Sultan, as he was named taken when full-grown in Africa, had been had a grand voice, and was said to be the handsomest lion in the business, though he was about twenty years old, with some of his teeth gone. tract every one’s notice, and Lion Charley had him in perfect control. When the parades were over, and the people were having dinner, Bownsse came to Stone and Leonard, wiping his forehead in real agitation, exclaiming: lama}! —_——- For all that, he was imposing enough to at- 13 ‘*Confound the luck, gentlemen, ’m afraid we're going to have trouble.” “What with?’ asked Leonard, yawning. ** You know I said I'd make good any loss. You needn’t fret about that.” ‘* No, it ain’t that,” said the manager, in still more agitation; “‘but we’ve got to give King Philip a lesson, Jim says, and it'll spoil a whole day, and we'll have to shut up the show.” ‘*Shut up the show?” echoed Stone, angrily. ‘*Confound it, man, have you sold out too te this Hicks?” ownsse actually laughed at him. ‘‘ Well, Mr. Stone, excuse me, but you are green. How could I sell outto the man I’m trying to kill? No; but luck’s against us in this town. Here are the gangs all ready to pour in, to see the new card, and the beast turns contrary. What are we to do?” ‘*‘Cam’t you get him out of the way?” asked Leonard. Bownsse stared at him. ‘‘Get him out of the way? I wish to the heavens you'd tell me how to do that.” ‘* Why not? what’s the matter?’ asked Leon- ard, as innocently as before. ‘*Matter? Well, (ll tell you. King Philip’s on aregular tear. and they’ve got bim fast to a hickory-tree. He can’t tear that up: but it’s about the only thing in the neighborhood he can’t. He had to be coaxed there by Jim, while they tied him, and now he’s ramping like all possessed, and Jim says he can’t put off the les- son any longer. That’s why he can’t be moved.” ‘* But what do you mean by a lesson?” asked Leonard fretfully. ‘‘Confound it, sir, ’m not in the show business and I don’t understand you.” ‘‘T mean that he’s got to be set on by all the bands and punished till he begs,” said Bownsse. ‘‘ And that’s going to take all the afternoon te do it.” Stone, who had been gnawing his nails and saying nothing, put in: ‘*Then the quicker it’s done, the better. It will disturb the other show, won’t it?” Bownsse shook his head. ‘‘No; they’re smart. They’ve taken the cor- ner, way off, at tother end of the lot, to be out of the reach of his nose; and there's a white fence between them and him.” ‘* But won’t they smash any fence?” ** T should smile.” “Then what oeagg is that?” ‘* Well, it’s white. Elephants won’t face white if they can helpit. They’re safe, if he don’t break loose.” Stone leaned forward eagerly. ‘* But suppose he does break loose?” Bownsse looked scared. ‘Oh, my gocd heavens, sir, what you’re talking about. through anything in the way.” Stone put his hand on Leonard’s arm. ‘** George.” he said, ‘‘ we’ve got them.” Leonard looked stupid. ‘*Got whom?” ‘* These people. loose. If they want to catch the miners, (and they will in spite of your orders, if we don’t give them a show) let ’em bave them. We'll give King Philip his lesson while they’re at if, and if he happens to break loose, it’s not our fault.” Then he turned to Bownsse. ‘‘Isn’t there a way to entice him to charge in any particular direction?” wnsse, who was getting pale and nervous, ae about uneasily, and said: = GA, wouldn’t doatall. Of course, there are ways!” ‘* What are they?” demanded Stone. Bownsse twisted about again. ** Oh, well—for instance—if a man really was mean enough—” ‘* Well, what could he do?” ‘*He could instance. Philip hates ’em hke poison. at any horse; but if it’s a gray, he goes for him baldheaded.” -s Stone turned to Leonard coolly: ‘** You've got a gray saddle-horse, haven’t you? If you want to have this thing straight, you'll have to risk something.” Leonard looked uneasy. ‘* Confound it, Colden,” he said fretfully; “it’s costing more than it’s worth. Where’s that thousand dollars you ve the elephant man?” If a thousand dollar horse is to go the same way, and we get no more good out of it than we have out of the first, I don’t see why we mightn’t just as well stop right here.” Stone looked at him in incredulous amaze- ment. It was the first time the usually do- cile Leonard had to use a slang phrase, ‘* kicked ” against the expenditure of money. ‘* What are you afraid of?’ asked the older re- probate, scornfully. Leonard looked obstinate, “Tm not going to send Gray Tom to be smash- ou don’t know e’d run a muck ed up by that brute,” he said. ‘‘What am I to gain by it?” *“Oh! I see,” returned Stone, relieved, “TIL answer for it he don’t hurt the horse. We'll put one of Bownsse’s men on ela tell him to OMIIENDOOKS The elephant’s got to get my gocd heavens! gentlemen, that — ut a gray horse in the way, for Slaps . a ae . =r