The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-03
A Talk with a Circus Wonder.
t. Nicholas for June.

A circus company has entered train ready to 60
to the next large town. Ike and Dolly, ten-years
old boy and his little sister, up and mount the
cars, hoping to catch sight of the wonderful per-
formers; eagerly watching them the children for
get the train starts and they are carried
Tho conductor led Ike and Dolly into the
passenger Car where the members of the troupe
were, and-oh, ioy!-the Knife-Swallower
made room for Ike to sit down beside him. He
looked astonishingly like an ordinary mana
big, burly fellow, with o good-natured face,
weather-beaten. like sailors. Ike was
amazed to see that his knife and snake swal-
lowing had not affected his appearance, any
more than education had affected the pigs.
Zach, his chum, had confded to Ike that the
man was made of gutta-percha inside; that
was why the knives and snakes didn't hurt
him; and Ike was devoured by curiosity to
know whether this were really SO, but he was
afraid it would not be polite to ask
the Fat Woman who conld not sit on an Or
dinary seat, but had one which was construct
ed expressly for her, motioned to Dolly to
come and sit on her foot-stool. Dolly felt lit
tie shy Of this mountain of flesh, with features
that were scarcely distinguishable, and a
gruff voice that reminded her of the big bears
in the story Of "Golden-hair." But, as the
car was full, and there was no other seat for
her, she obeyed.
"Have you lost your ma, dear?" said the
gruff voice in very kindly tone.
"We've lost Barbara, and she'll be so wor-
ried, and the pea-porridge isgetting cold, and
oh, dear!" and poor Dolly broke down, utter
ly overcome by her misfortunes.
"IIa! is the lOpSy- y-pOpSy going to cry? Don't
there's deary. You'll get back to Barbara
all right, and just think what privilege it is
to travel with such a show as this-Moral and
Intellectual, National and Transatlantic!-
though they amt genooyne, child; don't you
believe word of it! Not one of 'em S genoo-
yne but me an the Mites. Me an the Mites
is genooyne!"
"Genooyne' was too large a word for Dolly's
comprehension; but, by the Fat Woman's
mysterious air and tone, sshe knew that she
was telling her something very important.
"No bigger than common folks the Giant
amt, before he's built up and stuffed out" the
Fat Woman went on in a very low tone, and
with careful glance around, to sec that she
could not be overheard.
''Do you mean that he isn't ID truly giant?'
asked Dolly, with crushing sense of bewilder-
ment and disappointment.
"No more than you are. And as for tho
Bearded Woman, she takes it off aud puts it
in her pocket when nobody round. The Two
headed Girl, the greatest scientific wonder OF
the age, they call her on the bills-why, she's
two girls They're dreadful slim, and they
manage to stick 'em into one dress. The Talk
ing Giraffe-why, it's a man behind the scenes
that talks; ventrioqusm, you know! The man
that swallows knives and snales-that trick is
very well done, and folks is easy to take in,
and he is so quick that you cau't see where
the knives go to, if you're watching ever so
close. Swallow 'em, child OF course he
don't. He couldn't swallow 'em, no more'n
you could"
"Oh, dear! hope you won't tell Ike. He
would be so disappointed" said Dolly, feeling
keenly the hollowness of the world.
"But me and the Mites is genooynel There
amt a grain of-humbug about me, and the lit
tie teenty-tonty dears is just as the Lord made
'em!''