, 1883-07-21
A NlalOn.

NlAAOh.
Business detained us at the office
until quite late Tuesday, and when
we climbed into our coat preparatory
to depart the brOoding angel of night
had spread her mystery sleep upon
the quiet city, and naught broke
upon the silence but the occasional
baying of a dog and the rusty voice
of stray cricket Our path home
led us past the dingy white tent of
the "GigantiC Nickel Plated Circus"
and as we circled around the huge
canvas, inClOsing the magic ring,
where all was as still and serene as a
business house that does not adver-
tise, we were suddenly almost
knocked off our feet by a crowd of
ghOstly phantOms that hung with
their skeleton fingers to the guy
ropes and gazed with their phosphor-
Gus eyes upon the surrounding OBJ
Jects. Our knees hung together
with an affectiOnate affection, our
teeth in spite of all efforts tried to
rattle themselves loose, our hair took
upon itself life and curled upward.
Just as we sufficiently recovered our
senses to fly one Of the ghOstly crew
raised his bOny finger and in a sepul-
chral voice babe us hold on. Gain
ing a little courage we stood still
and listened to the sounds emitted
from those toothless jaws. The first
one, wearing something on his front
like paste diamond as large a wash
board, in hollow voice said 81 am
the proprietor of the Greatest Show
in the World I pitched my tent
on the plains in front of Jerusalem
and Jew an Gentle fOcked to see
my 'Stupendous Aggregation
The dead walls of old Jerus have
scintillated with the paper annOunc-
ing the arrival of my Unparalleled
hippOdrOme,' and the children of
POntus PLATE and those of the COM
mon plebian have initiated my corps
Of 'Unsurpassable acrObatic artists
l am the first and only boss show
man, and all the fellows of the pres
ent day in the same line with one
hOss tly-by-nights are base imita-
tors" With hOrrid grin the head
of the prOfesh disappeared up the
guy rope. The next, with a mouth
like the opening to a box car and
copper Tiveted cheek bone, whisper
ed: 81 am the great inimitable
jester Back into the antediluvian
ages l have worn the same old
striped and spotted 'lOthing and
looked just as much of a fool as do
the chaps to-day who cannot hold
candle to my performances. He has
robbed me Of all my stock in trade
and by the improved leverage on
words trys to make the susceptible
public believe he is the inventor of
the clown racket. My friend, l am
the top man in that fake" And he
sighed and evapOrated. The best
riders, the best Jumpers, the best
tumhlerS each had his say, claiming
superiority over all others in the
wide, wide world, and we thought
the Galaxy, UnapprOaChable Art
lists, each one a Star" had deserted
us, when frightfully decrepit,
wOrn-Out, moss grown, rickety ghost
staggered up and clung to the rope
for support. He was little and aw-
full old and feeling capable of wrest-
ling with the spirit in its wretched
condition if it became necessary, we
plucked up courage to ask what
branch Of the profession he repre-
sented. In II weak and unsteady
voice he said "Gaze upon me fallen
as have from high and mighty
pinnacle. When was young Adam
and Eve were school children, the
formation Of the earth was slowly
beginning, that rocky hill was float
ing PARTICLES. Stranger, lam the joke
that the clowns of Circuses have been
handling for long ages" And as we
stopped down for club to rid the
earth of one great sorrow, the spec
tire with loud shrek spread out into
airy nOthingness.