There was one boy with a sort of rough rider hat on, and buckskin fringe
on his pants, and everybody said he was a senator's son, but the other
boys had rather be acquainted with me, because I belonged to the show,
and I took pity on the senator's son and let him talk to me, without
looking cross at him, or snubbing him, as I do most boys who try to butt
in on me. I got to liking the senator's son and had him come in the
tent, and we put in the afternoon looking at the animals.
The elephants were chewing hay and looking fierce, and the senator's boy
said elephants were the greatest cowards on earth, and I said, "Not on
your life; the giant in our show is the greatest coward, and the
behemoth of holy writ is next." The senator's son said elephants were
such cowards they were afraid of mice, and we could take a trap full of
mice and turn them loose in the ring and the elephants would stampede,
and he would bet five dollars on it. I excused myself for a moment and
told pa what the senator's son offered to bet, and pa said: "Here's $50,
and you can take all the bets you can get. Why, this herd of elephants
would walk on mice, and rats, too. You bet with him and tell him to
bring along all the rats and mice he can find in the white house, and
you can turn them into the ring Monday afternoon when the elephants do
their turn, and if an elephant bats an eye I will eat his ears for
mushrooms.
Pages:
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140