Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-01-26
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BY ELI D. AXE.
IRONTON. MISSOURI
THE CLOWNS BABY.

II was ont on the Western frontier
The miners, rugged and brown,
Were gathered around the posters;
The circus had come to town!
The great tent shone in the darkness,
Like wonderful palace OF light,
And rough men crowded the entrance
Shows didn't come every night.
Not a wonan's face among them;
Many Il face that was bad,
And some that were only vacant,
And some that we're very sad.
And behind Il canvas curtain,
In a corner OF the place,
The clown, with chalk and vermil1on,
Was making up" his face.
A weary looking woman,
With q smile that still was sweet,
Sewed on little garment,
With q cradle at her feet.
Pantaloon stood ready and waiting;
1t was time for the going on.
But the clown in vain searched wildly;
The property baby was gone!
He murmured, impatiently hunting;
Its strange that can not find
There. I've looked in every corner;
1t must have been left behindn'
The miners were stamping and shouting,
They were not patient men.
The clown bent over the cradle
" must take you, little Benz!
The mother started and shivered,
But trouble and want were near;
She lifted her baby gently;
" You'll be tery careful, dear"
Careful? You foolish darling
How tenderly it was said!
What a smile shone through the chalk and
paint
Ilove each hair of his headr'
The noise rose into an uproar,
Misrule for the time was king;
The clown, with a foolish chuckle,
Boted into the ring.
But as. with n squeak and flourish,
The fiddles closed their tune,
You'll hold him as if he was made OF glass:
said the clown to pantalOOn.
The jovial fellow nodded;
" I've a couple myself" he said,
know how to handle 'em, bless your
Old fellow, go aheadp'
The fun grew fast and furious,
Andnot one of all the crowd
Had guessed that the baby was alive,
when he suddenly laughed aloud.
oh, that baby laugh, 1t was echoed
From the benches with ring,
And the toughest customer there sprans up
With: Boys, it's the real thing"
The ring was TANNED in a minute,
Not a man that did not strive
Fore shot at holding the baby"
The baby that was aliyep'
He was thronged by kneeling suitors
In the midst of the dusty ring,
And he held his court right royalty
The fair little baby king
Till one of the shouting courtiers,
A man with a bold, hard face,
The talk, for miles, of the country,
And the terror of the place,
Raised the little king to his shoulder,
And chuckled: "LoOk at that"
As the chubby fingers cIutched his hair,
Then: Boys, hand round the hat"'
There never was such hatful
OF silr er, and gold. and notes;
People are not always penniess
Because they don't wear coats,
And then: "Three cheers for the baby~
l tell you, those cheers were meant,
And the way in which they were given
Was enough to raise the tent.
And then there was sudden silence,
And a gluff old miner said,
Come, bows, enough of this runpus,
It's time it was put to bed"
So, looking a little sheepish
But with faces strangely bright,
The audience somewhat lingeringly,
Floeked out into the night.
And the bold faced leader chuckled,
He wasn't q bit afraid
He's as game as he is good looking
Boys, that was a show that paid!'
Margaret Tdndegrift, in st. Nicholas.