Beadle's Dime Library, No. 406 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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28 Old Pop Hicks, Showman. ‘don’t ye'll never get yer stock back, and when ye do, they'll be a muss, you bet.” Tom waved his hand and galloped away, ‘while the piebald put on a good burst of trotting speed and took them for four good miles without a break. Then they saw Tom Fowler’s big gray, ‘that had been nearly a mile ahead, on the road, halted, by something dark that lay in the middle of the roadway. ‘‘By gosh!” muttered Jim, turning white, **he’s struck somethin’.” He did not say another word till they came o up, when he jumped out of the cart and ran Pe to inspect the dark mass. What it was, was hard to say at first, but they could distinguish a dead horse, a vehicle splintered to fragments, and the bodies of two men, all battered out of shape, in such a | ‘manner as to be utterly unrecognizable. . ‘*He has caught them,” said Lion Charley, w in alow tone. ‘‘I wonder who they are?” , Here Sally, who had come up. cried out: , ‘* Why they’re show people! Look! Good heavens, Jim, if you weren’t standing there I'd say it was your ring-dress.”’ mS Jim turned his eyes slowly on Lion _ Charley. " ‘The gal’s right,” he said. ‘‘It’s that “a snoozer Stone that wanted to drive elephants, He’s got it now, pore feller.” ; “Then this is Bownsse’s wagon and the ~~ other man’s Tom Pride,” said. Charley, nae musingly. ‘‘They’ve paid dear for their trick. But where’s King Philip?” > Tom Fowler’s voice was rather shaky as he _—s- answered: ha ‘*On ahead still, but 1 swear it’s an ugly job to hunt him up to-night.” . Lion Charley nodded. ** You're right, oe it is; but it’s got to be done, forall that. If you don’t like it, go back. I sha’n’t blame you.” — -——- ** But I shall,” interrupted Sally Hicks, her eyes flashing. ‘‘I came out to get my __ father’s horses and I’m not going back with- ‘outthem. Come, Flirt.” ‘yee So saying she galloped away straight down the road as hard as she could tear, and Lion Charley laid on his whip to follow, which he did for another four or five miles. -~ . Yom Fowler, ashamed of his hesitation, raced ahead with Sally, and when next they halted it was on the top of a hill, to come tearing back full speed. ‘*They’ve struck him,” said Jim, hurried- : ly. ‘Run on, if you don’t want to lose the art; turn him round ard let him go,” | Lion Charley Deeg wheeled round the cart, tied the reins to the dashboard so they could not trail, and leaped out on one side, while Elephant Jim followed his example on _ the other. | They had brought with them a long coil of _ Tope fo noose the elephant, and they had barely time to lug it out to a tree by the roadside, when King Philip came tearing «ver the hili in hot pursuit of the two teasers, and the elephant-catchers prepared for their ch 1 Presently Sally Hicks dashed past scream- ! Oe’ wrecked the other show! — Kill him!” Tom Fowler shouted excitedly: ~— ___ *Bownsse has gone to smash! Kill the ‘brute! kill him!” ‘They hardly caught more than the words “kill him,” when up ramped the monster, $ts head and fore-quarters streaming with bl where the lions had clawed it, trum- peting with a savage energy no one had ever sates from it before, and so blind in its fury that it never saw Noble or Perkins. _ The active tamers were able to rush out, one from each side of the road where big trees grew opposite, and had the nooses A: “round Philip's hind legs in a trice, made of - ‘tough wire-rope, strong enough to support - Many tons. - Down fel! Philip sprawling, and before he could rise, Jim was at one side of his head, _ Charley at the other. “The rest of the contest was but a more difficult and prolonged repetition of the fight _ in which the monster had once before been — subdued. When it was over, and King Philip lay stretched out and begging for mercy, the sun had risen, the men of several farm-houses _ round had gathered to see the fight, and one _ of them said in tones of great awe: | hi ’ ' BA e - 7) tn * : * Sa, ‘Golly, mister, you all’s terrible men to punish a beast like that, but if you go over the hill and see what he’s done, you'll be sorry ye didn’t kill him.” “Why, what’s there?” asked Jim, wiping his brow, all traces of drunkenness gone. ‘*Come and see,” said the farmer. They followed him to the top of the hill and beheld a scene of devastation, compared to which the destruction effected in the Hicks show was a “‘ flea-bite,” so to speak. It was evident that the elephant in his maniacal rage, with the diabolical malignity which distinguishes his kind in such fits, had surprised the caravan in full march on the road, had rushed at and upset van after van with his tusks, and had then turned on the helpless teams and had trampled them, one by one, into a shapeless mass of gory flesh, destroying the vans and wagons with almost human ingenuity and spite. Horrified at the scene, the two tamers turned and went back, and nothing was said till they got near the prostrate elephant that had done the mischief. Then Elephant Jim said in a gloomy kind of way: ‘*T suppose he’s got to be killed, Charley,’ Charley looked at King Philip closely and shook his head, saying: ‘‘No. This settles the matter between Pop and Bownsse for good and all. I told you once that I never went out with a show ut what it ended the season with a full treasury. That’s Lion Charley’s luck, and it’s never failed me yet.” Lion Charley’s words proved true. The os by which Stone had hoped to ruin the licks show had proved the cause of his own death and the complete destruction of the Bownsse concern, with the financial collapse, utter and final, of Onion George. Bownsse himself and most of his people escaped uninjured from the attack of the elephant, which confined its rage to the horses and vans, but the show was in no condition for further service, and had to disband. Pop Hicks, on the contrary, repaired his broken vans, recovered his horses, and was able to show again within three days, at the end of which time litthe Moone made his ap- pearance, much the worse for wear, having been kept a prisoner in the Kanawha moun- tains by a party of thick-skulled moonshiners with revolvers, who were so persuaded he was a revenue detective, that only his small size and obvious inoffensiveness induced them finally to believe his story and release him. From that time forward the show was a tremendous success, and King Philip, the hero of so many ferocious memories, became the greatest card after Lion Charley. When a show succeeds, there is no way of making money so fascinating and delightful, and from that day forth Pop Hicks’s show was crammed at every town, and had to make two-day stands at places that had for- merly been thought unsafe for one day. At the end of the season Pop came in with a handsome balance to his credit, and went into winter-quarters with all hands as ‘*‘ happy as clams at high water,” as he said. When “ Pop Hicks’s Great Show ” started out next spring, it had the road all to itself, and the reader may be interested in seeing a list of its principal attractions as stated on the bills for the day, which ran as follows: Messrs. Hicks AND Moone Mr. C. H. MOOnNE..............4.5. Advance Manager. PROFESSOR RABBETTS..........6-.-++ 055 MR. TOM FOWLER, Premiere Bareback Rider. MRS. TOM FOWLER (nce M’lle Hippolyte), Premiere Lady Rider. MR. CHARLES NOBLE AND MRS. CHARLES NOBLE (nee Miss Sally Hicks), In their unparalleled act entitled ‘‘ The Lords of Creation,” introducing a den of trained lions and tigers. MR. JAMES PERKINS (Flephant Jim), with his magnificent E'ephant, KING PH'LIP, | —Pop having retired on his money, and little | Ey SS — —__—__- -.$_ Tae LArGrest ELEPHANT IN THE WORLD as tame-as a dog. eee ee 7 With a host of other attractions too numerous to mention. EIEIO 5 i chico ndccics aPanmanttice bres 50 cents, Children half-price. Children in arms free. That show prospered so well that next year the firm name was ‘‘ Moone and Hicks ” Moone makes money now. Onion George went into the museum busi- ness and failed. THE END. BEADLE AND ADAMS’ STANDARD DIME PUBLICATIONS Speakers. 1 : Each volume contains 100 large pages, printed from clear, open type, comprising the best collec- tion of Dialogues, Dramas and Recitations. 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