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Show Bgp Daddy's Eveiii Fairy Tale yWY GRAHAM EOWER. c. COnGrt I IT VllIUN rtmrMI UNjON - BABY BISON "Oh," said Mother Bison, "the people peo-ple are all coming to see my child and so they should for she is a beautiful little bison. "She is famous, too, for she la a granddaughter of Black Diamond, the well-known American bison or buffalo whose head was reproduced upon the five-cent piece or nickel which is so often used. "Mr mate was the son of Black Diamond, Dia-mond, and he is considered a splendid animal. In fact my mate Is supposed to be one of the finest members of the American Bison family to be seen in any zoo. "My mate is named Toby and he often is a ferocious creature. Sometimes Some-times he has broken down the iron bars of his yard, but I, too, can be wild If I want to be. I will tell you now that I am intensely Jealous of my daughter and If anyone should try to harm her I would be wild with rage. "My name Is Mary. Yes, my name Is Mary Bison. "The Bison family has an Interesting Interest-ing family history. We used to be famous in the West and when the first railroads were built in those parts they made use of members of our family for meat. "In the old days Indians had said there was great value in buffalo skins and meat and then the white people came along and they found our family was a tremendous help to them, for they were building far away from where there were provisions and they lived upon us. "Of course that was necessary. Railroads Rail-roads had to be built and the people who built them had to live and yet It was almost impossible to get food In new parts had It not been for us. "And they did what was right. Only it was never right when later on people peo-ple shot at members of our family for what they called 'sport.' But good people came to our rescue. They said there would be no more Bison family If this continued. "We are so well looked after and protected in zoos. There are four of us here and in another zoo In this city there are forty. We are the only American representative, It is said, of the Oxen family. The men in our family fam-ily are very strong and they can fight wolves or bears. "When a buffalo herd gets started on the 'go' there is nothing that can stop them. We have a very keen sense of smell and we can scent things from afar. Then, too, we are strong. We have never become pets, and though we may live for forty years or more we will not be pets. "I'm shedding at present because I always like to shed at this time of the year. "My little darling seems so small beside be-side her mother. Many have come to the zoo and have taken our pictures. I "A Thing of Loveliness" have always stood in the background for I knew my baby was the one they wanted to photograph. "And yet I have stayed fairly near tor I want to be sure that no harm comes to my baby. She has such a sweet expression on her little bison baby face ! "And to think she is the granddaughter grand-daughter of the famous bison whose head is shown on the nickel which every one uses ! Oh, yes, she has a family history of" which she can very well boast, but she will not boast of it for she says others have already done that for her. "They've been taking other pictures of animals lately from other zoos a secretary bird with quills behind his ears, a young zebra, a Kaffir crane and a pair of African hornbllls have all had their photographs In the paper, it seems. But our pictures have been In almost every paper In the city and people have come to see us. "A Kaffir crane Is a curious-looking creature, so are African hornbills. so is a secretary bird and so Is a zebra, but a baby bison Is a thing of loveliness! I think so at any rate, and I should know. I'm the baby's mother. And what will her name be? I haven't decided de-cided that as yet, but for the present I'm calling her Baby Bison. That' such a cunning way of speaking of a cunning little darling!" |