The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-27
NUMBER H/9
Playing Circus.


The circus came through our town
three weeks ago, and me and Tom Nc
Ginnis went to it We didn't go to-
gether, for l went with father, and Tom
helped the circus men wafer the horses,
and they let him in for nothing. Father
said that circuses were dreadfully de-
moralizing, unless they were mixed
with wild animals, and that the reason
WIN ho took me to this particular circus
.iere were elephants in it, and
,At - ,jhant is Scripture animal, Jim
my, and it can not help but improve
your mind to see him. I agreed with
father. Ii my mind had to be improved.
thought going to the circus would be
a good way to do it.
We had just an elegant time. rode
on the elephant, but lit WASH mush fun.
for they wouldn't let me drive him The
trapeze was better than anything else,
though the Central African Chariot
Ra es and the Queen of the Arena, who
rode on one foot, were gorgeous. The
trapeze performan es were done by the
Patagonian Brothers, and you'd think
every minute they were going to break
their neeks. Father said it was most
revolving sight and do sit down and
keep still Jimmy or / can't see what's
going on. think father had pretty
good time, and improved his mind a
good deal, for he was just as nice as he
could be, and gave me whole pint of
peanuts.
Mr.. Travers says that the Patagonian
Brothers live on their trapezes, and nev-
er come down to the ground except
when performance is going to begin.
They hook their legs around it at night,
and sleep hanging with their. heads
down, Just like the bats, and they take
their meals and study their lessons sit
ting on the bar, without anything to
lean against / don't believe it; for
how could they get their food brought
up tc themp and it's ridi ulous to SUPP
pose that they have to study lessons. It
GROVES me very much to say SO, but I
am beginning to think that Mr.. Travers
doesn't always tell the truth What did
he mean by telling Spe the other night
that he loved cats, and that her cat was
perfectly beautiful. and then when she
went into the other room he slung the
cat out of the window, clear over into
the asparagus bed. and said get out you
brute? We can not be too careful about
always telling the truth, and never do
ing anything wrong.
Tom and talked about the circus all
the next day, and we agreed we'd have
circus of our own, and travel all over
the country, and make heaps of money.
We said we wouldn't let any of the 9TH
er boys belong to it, but we would do
everything ourselves, except the ele-
plants. So we began to practice in Mr..
MctIinnis's barn, every afternoon alter
school I was the Queen of the Arena,
and dressed up in one OF Sues skirts,
and won't she be mad when she finds
that cut the bottom off of itl-only
certainly meant to get her new one
with the very first money l made, =
wore an old umbre la under the skirt,
which made it stick out beautifully,
and 1 know should have looked splen-
| did standing on Mr.. McGinnis,s old
horse, only he was so slippery that l
I couldn't stand on him without falling
off and sticking all the umbrella ribs
| into me.
Tom and I were the Madagascar
Brothers, and we were going to do
| everything that the Patagonian Broth
ers did. We practiced standing on each
| others head hours at time, and did it
| pretty well. only Tom he slipped once
| when he was standing on my head. and
sat down on it so hard that L don't
much believe that my hair will ever
| grow any more.
| The barn floor was most too hard to
| practice on, so last Saturday Tom said
we 90 into the parlor, where there
| was soft carpet, and we'd put some
pillows on the tioor besides. All Toms
olks had gone out, and there wasn't
anybody in the house except the g ri in
he kitchen. So we went into the par
lor, and put about dozen pillows and
r eather-bed on the floor. 1t was ele-
CANT fun turning somersaults backward
rom the top of the table; but say it
ought to be, spelled summersets, though
Sue says the other way is right
We tried balancing things on our feet
while we lad on'our back on the floor.
| Tom balanced the musical box for ever
| 50 long before it fell; but / don't think
it was hurt much. for nothing except
| two or three little wheels were smashed.
And balanced the water pitcher, and
| | shouldn't have broken it if Tom
hadn't spoken to me at the wrong
| minute.
We were getting tired, when thought
| how nice it would be to do the trapeze
performance on the chandeliers. There
was one in the front parlor and one in
| the back parlor, and L meant to swing
on one of them, aud let go and catch
| the other. swung beautifully on the
| tront-parlor chandelier, when, Just as /
was going to let 90 of it, down it came
with an awful crash, and that parlor
was Just filed with broken glass, and
the gas began to smell dreadfully.
As it was about supper-time, and
| Toms folks were expected home, I
thought L would say good-by to Tom,
and not practice any more that day. So
we shut the parlor doors, and 1 went
home, wondering what would become
OF Tom, and whether had done alto
gether right in practicing with him in
his parlor There was an awful smell
of gas in the house that night. and when
Mr.. McGinnis opened the parlor door
he found what was the matter. He
| found the cat, too. She was lying on
the floor. just as dead as she could be.
Pm going to see Mr.. McGinnis to-day
and tell him broke the chandelier. I
suppose he viii tell father. and then shall
wish that every body had never been
born; but did break that chandelier,
though didn't mean to, and I've got
to tell about it." Jimmy BrOaOn, )" in
HGfper's Young People.