Beadle's Dime Library, No. 406 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

~ the cart out of the way. 16 ewe _ ~ °° Ob A eee ae oot to tame = Gon - — > — —_—— ~--= > oe —- — a job. If he ketches you, salt won't save | to stay where he was, and could not be coax- you, and if you run too fast he won't come | ed out of the cornfield. to the tree. He's got to be led to that tree, and close to it, somehow. first time, coax him on again. biz, to coax him to that tree.” ‘* And what's yours?” asked Stone, a little sarcastically. ‘‘ To look on?” Jim smiled as he answered: * You'll see. We've got to ketch him and tive him. and you kin take his’n, if you feel you kin do it.” ‘‘And what’s Billy’s job?” asked Stone, for he began to feel curious. ‘To put a rope around King Philip’s hind- leg as he passes, and get out of the way afore he gets killed,” was the composed answer. ‘*Do you want it?” Stone looked at Jim and shook his head. He began to realize that he had underrated these quiet circus men, but the way in which they went at their work spurred him to do his best. ‘* No,” he said, frankly, “I’m not able to do it, and 1 beg your pardon, Perkins, for my sneers. Ill do my best. Are you ready?” Jim held out his hand with a grim smile. ‘**Shake, pardner,” he said. ‘‘ No malice if you do your dooty like a man.” Bicdavier ved himself for the grip, with the memory of Lion Charley’s terrible paw; but he soon found that Jim, with all his big, bony frame, was by no means as strong as the terrible lion-tamer, besides which he had time to set his muscles to resist the pressure successfully. Then Jim turned to his helpers. ‘‘Come to the tree, boys. Bownsee, get The rest of you be ready, when he’s noosed, with the ropes and tackles. Now, Mr. Stone, go ior him and coax him out.” Brave to desperation, as Stone generally was, his heart beat more strogly than usual as he galloped down to meet King Philip. The elephant lifted his head the moment he saw him coming. CHAPTER XX. CATCHING AN ELEPHANT. SToNE rode on cautiously, crossing the first field, till he came to the gap inthe fence where King Philip had passed. He was, as usual, riding one of Leonard’s horses, the identical Gray Tom that the young millionaire had refused to lend in the morning. Gray Tom was a thousand-dollar animal, Kentucky bred, a steeple-chaser by training, and generally docile and quiet. As he neared the elephant, however, he began to exhibit restiveness, and Stone had difficulty in getting him into the last field. The gambler got angry, dashed his spurs savagely, and succeeded in getting Gray Tom within a hundred yards of King Philip, rearing, bolting and plunging all the way. The moment the elephant uttered a shrill seream of rage and charged, Gray Tom wheeled round, took the check of the curb between his teeth and bolted at full speed up _ the field, but away from the gap. Stone sawed at his head in vain, for the horse was frantic with terror. Hecould not even get Gray Tom’s head up before he came to the next fence. Consequently the horse chested the barrier, | give me a t He answered Billy’s yell with one of his If ye miss it the | shrill screams, but made no motion to leave That’s your the place, and Stone began to wonder what was to come of it all, when he heard the hoofs of a galloping horse on the road, and looked up, to see a well-known figure, on a | chestnut mare, coming down the road from silly Harkins will take your job, | ' ' Coalville. girl pull up as soon as she spied King Philip. Then Jim Perkins ran out, and Stone heard the elephant-trainer shout: ‘Sally! oh, Sally! Come here!” ‘* Who’s there?” called out the girl, in her clear, loud tones, ‘It’s me—Jim,” roared Perkins. ‘‘ We want a coaxer to get Philip out. Will you ride in and do it for us? Get him under the tree for us, that’s all.” Stone held his breath to catch her answer, and heard her scream: ‘You don’t deserve it, you Didn’t you let him near kill me?’ ‘‘Ah! don’t leave us, Sally,” called out Elephant Jim, pleadingly. ‘‘I was budgy. I didn’t know what I was doin’. I swear I didn’t. Do help us, that’s a good gal.” “Why don’t you get some of your own men, then?’ cried Sally, riding closer. ‘*You’re a healthy lot of guys, you are— can’t get a coaxer out of your own show. How do you expect to cut us out of our route if you can’t do any better than that? Why did you let him get out?” ‘‘l didn’t, Sally, 1 swear it,” protested Jim. ‘‘It was one of them solid guys out in Coalville thought he could manage the king, and tried to punish him afore I came. Lordy, you should ha’ seen him jest now, tryin’ to coax the elephant. The hoss jest sent him a-kitin’, I tell you, and he’s over in one of them fields, a-pickin’ up his own bones, I reckon.”’ Stone ground his teeth with shame and fury, as he heard himself thus frankly criti- cised, and sunk down in the long grass, hop- “7 be unseen, ut the quick-eyed circus men had seen him when he fell, and he heard Bill Harkins say: ‘‘There he is, Miss Celestine, over in the timothy, tryin’ to hide. He jest took as pretty a tumble as ever you see.” ‘Was the poor man hurt?” asked Sally, reprovingly. ‘‘You men ought to remem- ber that he ain’t trained, as we are.” «Then why did the guy want to be so darned fresh?” retorted Billy. ‘He put on more airs than a country stud-horse, and be gosh-blamed to him.” **But you'll help us, Sally, won’t ye?” Elephant Jim urged again. ‘*’Tain’t much for you. Flirt ain't afraid.” ‘* Flirt afraid?” echoed Sally, scornfully. ‘‘No, nor I, neither, and you know that, Jim. But look here, if I coax him for ye, Moone will just give you rats in the papers, after the way you left us in the lurch.” Jim seemed to be hesitating, and at last he said, openly: ‘Let him. I don't blame him. I'd orter b’en kicked for gittin’ budgy, and Pop Hicks is the best man I ever was with. Darned if I ain’t sorry I ever left him, and I wouidn’t ha’ done it if it hadn’t b’en for that crooked guy over there in the hay-field. He 10usand dollars to break my con- great brute. broke several rails, and came over on his tract, and I don’t care a darn who knows it. head, throwing his rider, cutting his own I’m a fool, and deserve to ketch it. knees, scrambling up wild with terror, and galloping away with a shrill neigh. The only redeeming point of his rush was tanced King Philip, who gave up the chase in disgust and returned to his cornfield to re- sume his meal. | Let the little guy say what he wants. Only you help me to-day, Sally, and you'll find out Jim Perkins ain’t as bad as some folks thinks he that it was made with such speed that it dis- | is.” Sally turned her horse instantly. ‘“Very well,” she said; ‘I'll coax him for you; and, mind you, Elephant Jim, I'll For some moments Stone lay where he had hold you to your promise some day if ever fallen, too stunned to move. the angry elephant. Then he lifted his head and found himself to-da alone, with a single fence between him and _ | earnest reply; He nad had enough of it for one day, and jai began to crawl away, when he heard a loud burst of ironical yelling from the cireus men, | you let King Philip sturt a muss as he did “You shall, Sally—you shall,” was the and with that the little woman alloped boldly toward the field where King hilip was still feeding. Stone felt his heart beating again like a under the tree, and saw Billy Harkins run- | trip-hammer, ning out, waving a red cloth and screaming to | a the elephant to another charge. A girl was going to execute a task in which he had nearly lost his life and failed igno- ut King Philip seemed entirely willing miniously. Old Pop Hicks, Showman. 2 SEES Le ee SS RED SS a And she went about it as coolly as if she were doing her act in the ring. She jumped Flirt over the gap in the fence, and cantered straight toward the ele- phant, calling out loudly to the beast. King Philip went on feeding as if he did not notice her till Flirt came within less than fifty yards, when he suddenly wheeled round and came at her, open- mouthed, roar- , Ing savagely. It was Sally Hicks out fora ride to give | | Flirt a little exercise, and he saw the little } In the same moment Flirt wheeled and galloped away, seeming in no particular hur- ‘ry, while Philip strained every nerve to catch her. The little mare had dodged his trunk too many times to fear him. Sally kept looking back and pulling at her horse, till Stone felt sick at his stomaeh at the frightful peril, as it seemed to him, of the girl. The extended trunk of King Philip seem- ed to be almost touching Flirt’s tail as they neared the gap, and the monster chased the mare fiercely right under the appk-tree, where the circus men were now crouching, Stone saw King Philip pass the tree—saw -~ man dart out and come close to the beast’s hind leg, which he seemed to clutch with both arms as he ran. The next instant the man jumped back. Stone saw a black line, that stretched from the elephant’s hind leg to the fcot of the tree, and then there was a crashing and shaking of foliage, as the great tree bent over under the tremendous strain. And then—King Philip sprawled on the ground with a crash, and a dozen men set on him at once. With a desperate i. and skill that amazed the gambler, they flung themselves on the struggling beast and noosed leg after leg, then ran away with the lines to the old trees that studded the pasture-field, and had King Philip stretched out, flat on all-fours, in less than half an hour of vigorous and wonderfully skillful work And in all the affair little Sally and Flirt kept playing in front of Philip, coaxing him to exert himself and stretch his own cords tighter, till the great beast lay helpless as a log. Then Jim Perkins, whose one hand had been busy all through the affair, called out to Stone: ‘* Come on here, Mr. Stone. You want to know how’to punish a crazy elephant. Ele- phant Jim’s the boy to show you, and don’t you forget it, nuther. Come on. No one won't hurt ye. You did as well as ye knowed how, and no man can’t do no more.”’ ‘*Come on,” called Billy Harkins. ‘‘ May as well learn how to do things, if you’re goin’ to b’long to our show, mister.” And finally little Sally rode up, in her free and independent manner, to say: , ‘Come on, stranger. He's tied now and no harm done. He'll be quiet enough when Jim gets through with him. Don’t be afraid. I'll take care of you.” Stone had had, in the course of his life, many mortifying episodes, like most men, but he never had felt so utterly sick with anger and shame as when he heard himself addressed in this patronizing tone, by this little girl who looked on him with a certain pitying scorn that cut him to the heart, in his vanity. ‘‘No, thank you,” he answered, stiffly. ‘*T’ve no wish to see it. Good-day.” And he turned to walk away, when Sally called after him in her slangy way: “Ta, ta! Leave us a lock of your hair before you go. What a masher you would be if you bile knew how to ride.” CHAPTER XXI, KING PHILIP BEGS. Tue mortified gambler had not very far to go across the fields before he found Gray Tom, who had recovered from his panic when he no longer saw the elephant, feeding quietly in a cornfield, where the tall green stalks hid him from view from the road. The sight was a welcome one to Stone, who had no wish to add to his many mortifica- tions that of entering Coalville on foot, when he had left it mounted. He approached the horse cautiously and succeeded in getting hold of the bridle, when he examined Gray Tom. The horse was bleeding from a i" in the _ } COMMU OO) $ x * . = a P Pi 4 = [| ——.