West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-08-24


right around the riug without break.
IL sing lar what power o. good a stiff
bit VIII do some men now and then
holds EN- right up TO their work and
seems to give EN- new backbone. Zack
was that kind OF a crit:er. Before he
ielt his brother behind 10 brace him up.
he was always down at the heel-neyer
gettin' along well, and 'fraider of the
sheriff than a trick mule of the ring
master. But from that time on he was
a ten-horse team with no dummies in
the band-wagon, and when his process
sion went through town, with stream
ers and banners hyin', lion loose on
the top of his cage, an elephant that had
killed his man, an monkeys that looked
most smart enough TO be perfessers i'm
colleges, ridin' in little carriage. 10
say nothin' of music that would make a
woman fight like an Irish soldier-he
jest took the crowds bv storm. and raked
up every stray half dollar in the burg.
Why, I've seen "a many as two preachers
and three old wimmen come TO bring one
little boy TO see the animals. Animals
is awful drawin' in the show business.
They give things a moral tone. and
when mixed up with a fair circus are
the most interestin' part of creation.
None of 'em comes for the circus alone.
but have noticed that they never git
through studyin' the animals till the
reg lar performance closes-and / have
knowd good many nice-lookin' people
TO git in dark C rner, and stay through
the niger show at night-to observe the
habits of different species in their sleep
AS Old Iack used TO say, with "A wink.
But the old man is gone, now. sir;
he's jumped through his last hoop; rode
his last mule, and turn, his last somer.
set. Yes, sir, old Zack has made his
last appearance. His canvas has been
took down for the last time, and the
grand combination, of which he was
boss, has been scattered and divided TO
all parts OF the country. 1t happened
IN this very town we're coming To now.
and i wouldn't wonder if there amt
people in this car who was there at the
time. You see il was the Fourth of
July. The town was jammed with folks,
and the tent was crowded long before
time for the performance TO commence.
The old man was on the top bench of
his glory, circulatin' round among the
performer, tellin' every one TO do their
very purtiest, and swearin' he would
give the people the best show they ever
saw. Everything went off beautiful till
the closih' act. The show was to end
with the ringn1aster's wife goin' into
the cage and performing with the Nu-
indian lion She was not very old
hand at the business, and never felt ex-
aetly comfortable till she got back i'm
her dressin' room, but as she allus had
come of safe, and got rousin' good
salary-it was a drawin' oard-she was
nj oil lu s.,i L. =
and gainin' confidence But on this
day she had very bad neuralgia, and
felt terrible nervous. She had asked
old Zack to let her off this time. but he
wouldn't hear TO it, seein' that they had
sech a stavin' house, an he declared
that before the crowd should be disap-
pointed he would get in the cage him
self. She said she would 20, and to
make her feel easy the old man said he
would stand at the cage and see that
she didn't get hurt The band struck
up. She danced out in her spangles.
kissin' her hand to the crowd, and
skipped to the cage. The beast seemed
to know that she didn't feel well, and
acted surly from the first. She noticed
IT, and felt her heart leavin' her Old
Zack was on guard watching every
move of the brute.
Jest AS she fetched him a keen cut
with her rawhide to make him mind,
the animal gave a roar and sprung at
her, quick as lightnin'. She screamed as
nobody buta woman kin holler. and all
the other wimmin lined in chorus. II
was enough TO make the stOutest man
trimble and lose hi' grit, but old Tack
had seen many sech n scene, and never
once lost his balance. The lion had lust
knocked the woman down, and grabbed
her by the shoulder, when the old man
had the cage door open, and was in At
him, pOundin' him like all smoke over
the head with a bar Of iron. He soon
cowed the animal back, and the men
managed TO git her out before she was
much hurt. But the lion had his mad
up, and didn't intend TO knock under
without fight. And the old man was
jest bilin'; the way he cussed that
beast and sailed in with his crow-bar
was never seen in any show on earth.
and don't you b'leeve there was actly
people there who thought it was a part
OF the reg'la biZness, and commenced
to cheer the old man. Yes, sir; nat raj
born fools, OF course, and don't s'pose
they found out the difference till the
old man was dragged out all mangled
aud bloody. We all done our level best
n save him, but twas no go. We had
the very best doctors TO be had, but they
shook their heads solemn-like and said
twas no use, they couldn't do nothing
for him. He fingered along for three
or four days. Sensible at times. for
minute or two, then he would ask about
the wOman--was she hurt2 and then he
would wander off into n delirium and
talk about the show bzness. and the ups
and downs he'd seen in it, sometimes
tryin' to gIt of bits Of song he used 10
sing in his airly days when he was
clown. The show people would come and
see him, and when they saw how hone
less IL was for him, and how white and
pitiful he looked, they would shed bit
ter tears for the old man, and say how
sad it was for him 10 be cut down in his
prime-fOr you see he had been good ~
tls, and though he had his faults, of
course, we loved him, and mOurned him
like a brother and father Old Nose
had him taken 20 the country church
yard and buried beside his wife and
child. The show was kept on the road
for short time, but from that time ON
a shadow seemed 10 hang over it The
company was dispirited, and seemed
without bead Old Nose lost his in-
terest in II, and 80 he sold it out and