Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-10-09

ingly, "You'Il take me to the circus
won't you, Gran'pa ?" and all he said il
answer to her was very doubtful an
reluctant, perhaps"
But they did go for all that for. from
morning tiU night, Sunbeam talked O
nothing els&but the circus; and whel
the circus did come. and they marched
through the town, Sile Chase was dow
in the,village with the child in his arms
to see the free pageant ofthe pretty spot
ed horses, much handsomer than th'
old mare in the stable up at the Ridge
and the long line of gorgeously painted
cages were captivating in the child!
eyes, that were wide open at the novel
and enhancing scenes. The three Bands
never played sweeter strains than or
that pleasant morning, and the Dutch
mems moustaches stuck out so straight
that old Sile, at firstsight, mistook them
for Louis Napoleons, so proud did they
look leading the music.
Sunbeam knew Mr.. O'Brien, too, he
looked so much like his picture on the
bills; and there was no mistaking Jerry
Hooper and Will Stowe, with their fierce
moustaches; and the tall gentleman
who sat upright in his seat and held the
reins over magnificent horse, could be
no one else than Davenport, the greatest
horseman the world ever knew, and who
was to ride the steeds led by the grooms,
and upon whose blanket was inscribed
'Black Bess," a mare fully as beautiful
and fleet of foot as the one that bore Dick
Turpin in his flight to York
The comical appearance of the droves
of camels made the boys by the road
side shout, and caused the mules to prick
up their ears and to trot the more smart
ly.
But the best of all, the most amusing
and exciting was to be seen and heard
inside of the great tent which which
served every purpose of building.
| No Kaleidoscope ever revealed one
half the beauties that the afternoon per-
formaDce did to the Sunbeam of the
Ridge, and none applauded more heart
lily than did the little one and old Sile
Chase-and for wonderland every one
remarked it. Sile Chase laughed quite
as loud and clapped his hands as brisky
as any of them. And how could he
help it with three clowns in the ring
the vocal Hopper, the genial Stowe and
the versatile Ward?
When Davenport rode the six flying
steeds at full speed about the ring, and
threw score of somersaults in success.
sion upon the back of a running horse,
Sile shouted "Whew!" at the top of his
voice and waved his hat.
Sunbeam never forgot that day-the
happiest one of her child life-and more
beautiful far than any fairy tale painted
in Araby's flowery tongue, was the peer
less "Queen of the air." the dark-eyed
Spanish beauty. Millie Marcellus, who
seemed as much at home floating on the
slender trapeze bar, away up in the air,
as other folks would standing upon the
ground below.
And then, to render the performance
still more complete, lady, elegantly at
irej, all smiles and radiant with beauty,
dashed into the ring-it was Mile De
Coursey, "the pride of the ARENA" the
bills said, and so astonishing were her
gracefully performed feats, that the peo-
pie seemed to hold their breath until
horse and rider fairly flew out of the
ring. And the people were so pleased
| for they had never seen the like before
that the fair artistic was recalled to re-
ceive the plaudits of the people.
The terrific feats of the LeClaire
| Brothers would have frightened the
Sunbeam, had not old Sile assured her
| that there was no danger-not the slight
est-and that the contortionists were not
going to turn themselves inside out. i
Did any one ever know of such horses
as were seen under that tent ?-how
quickly they minded their riders, and
how hateful the old mare up at the
Ridge did look in comparison with the
splendid trained horse performed by the
| ring-master, and the little one would
| have been delighted TO have hugged the
whole company-ponies, tent and all.
| Oh a joyful day indeed was that for
| the little Sunbeam, and we cannot tell
here one half of what she saw and heard
within that charmed and charming cir
Gle.
A streak of generosity came over Sile
Chase-for the circus had put him in
better humor with himself than he had
been for many and many day.
Before he went home he bought pic
ture book for the Sunbeam, Illuminated
with pretty pictures and great letters;
and, more than that, he bought the
cunningest little bonnet you ever saw
in all your life, and you can't imagine
how pretty the Sunbeam looked with
her ringlets ofgold falling from beneath
its delicate white lace and ribbons of
blue.
When the grandchild sank to sleep in
her grandpa's arms that night she did
so to dream of glittering pageants in the
street, golden chariots, sweet music, and
gaily uniformed musicians, of horses of
which king might well be proud, and
little ponies, the smallest and handsom-
est ever seen of the bright-eyed beauty
upon the flying trapeze, lovely women
in the arena, and daring men rivaling
each in the sports of the athletes, and a
half hundred dens of forest fiends.
AcS 10 L
one in his lap, and thought how little it
took to add to ones pleasure, his mem
ory travelled back and forth years gone
forever; and before he laid the Sunbeam
away in her crib, the tears came thick
and fast, and chased each other down
his sunburnt face. What makes him,
as the summer wears away, look so often
down the lane toward the village, and
of night place lighted candle in the
window, as if to guide some ones steps
| to the farmhouse at the Ridge.
| Winter came with its blasts and SHOWS
to keep Sunbeam and Farmer Chase in
the old house. But invariably, as the
night shade fell upon it, the light at the
window burned as beacon, and often
time of an evening, when the grand
child played upon the carpet with the
toys which had been another little girls
playthings in days gone by, in that self
same room, the tears came unbidden to
the old mans eyes, and he snuffed the
candle in the window that threw the
light down the lane, silently inviting
the wanderers return to the old home
at the Ridge.
One night there ragged about the house
at the Ridge, a terrible gale, the severity
of which had no precedent in the mem
ory OF Farmer Chase. and the wind made
the house rock and creak and creak a.
gain, frightening the Sunbeam on the
knee OF her grandfather. The candle in
the window burnt dimly and far down
into the socket, the pointers of the old
clock on the mantle pointed at almost
twelve. The Sunbeam slept undisturb-
ed by the tempest without, and her
grandfather's chin hung upon his breast,
and his half-closed eyelids plainly told
that he, too, was dropping off to sleep.
"Tap" came a gentle knocking on
the door; light and uncertain was the
| fOuch b,1t SiIo Choco hoord arI IL,