One day I whacked this leopard more than ushil, which elissited a remonstrance from a tall gentleman in spectacles, who said, "My good man, do not beat the poor caged animal.  Rather fondle him." "I'll fondle him with a club," I anserd, hitting him another whack. "I prythy desist," said the gentleman; "stand aside, and see the effeck of kindness.  I understand the idiosyncracies of these creeturs better than you do." With that he went up to the cage, and thrustin his face in between the iron bars, he said, soothinly, "Come hither, pretty creetur." The pretty creetur come-hithered rayther speedy, and seized the gentleman by the whiskers, which he tore off about enuff to stuff a small cushion with. He said, "You vagabone, I'll have you indicted for exhibitin dangerous and immoral animals." I replied, "Gentle Sir, there isn't a animal here that hasn't a beautiful moral, but you mustn't fondle 'em.  You mustn't meddle with their idiotsyncracies." The gentleman was a dramatic cricket, and he wrote a article for a paper, in which he said my entertainment was a decided failure. As regards Bears, you can teach 'em to do interesting things, but they're onreliable.  I had a very large grizzly bear once, who would dance, and larf, and lay down, and bow his head in grief, and give a mournful wale, etsetry.  But he often annoyed me.  It will be remembered that on the occasion of the first battle of Bull Run, it suddenly occurd to the Fed'ral soldiers that they had business in Washington which ought not to be neglected, and they all started for that beautiful and romantic city, maintaining a rate of speed durin the entire distance that would have done credit to the celebrated French steed "Gladiateur."  Very nat'rally our Gov'ment was deeply grieved at this defeat; and I said to my Bear, shortly after, as I was givin a exhibition in Ohio--I said, "Brewin, are you not sorry the National arms has sustained a defeat?"  His business was to wale dismal, and bow his head down, the band (a barrel organ and a wiolin) playin slow and melancholly moosic.  What did the grizzly old cuss do, however, but commence darncin and larfin in the most joyous manner?  I had a narrer escape from being imprisoned for disloyalty. I will relate another incident in the career of this retchid Bear.  I used to present what I called in the bills a Beautiful living Pictur--showing the Bear's fondness for his Master:  in which I'd lay down on a piece of carpeting, and the Bear would come and lay down beside me, restin his right paw on my breast, the Band playing "Home, Sweet Home," very soft and slow.  Altho' I say it, it was a tuchin thing to see.  I've seen Tax-Collectors weep over that performance.