Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-30
1TGSfC As A NEf: VINE,
Efscc: of a Wrong Tune and Es,.d
brandy.
From the st. Louis Reru5i lean.

From the st. Louis Republican.
Now, I'll tell you" said the circus man.
'when music is nerve tonic and necessity.
that is to the rope and wire men who learn the
business by music beats. One. two three; tum,
tum ii fiddle. and you drop. see.'
''Circus people wouldn't think of going into
the ring without fid lies and trcInbones Why,
just think of doing all that climbing and swing
Ing in md-air to a dead silence. 1t amt natu-
raj it amt The funniest pant of it is that we
have to have the same music year in and year
out Folks say. Lord. why don't they get new
tunes: I'm dead tired of that old trapeZe
waltz But if they knew the reason they
wouldn't Nothing breaks man all up like
new music. It's worse than getting a strange
partner on tie lar. I've had enough OF it anyway.
Feel this ainn under my shirt Well. that's a
broken collar-bone along o not having my reg
ular show tune. | shan't forget it in hurry.
lt laid me up in Albuquerque. n. NJ. better'n
two months last year, and cost ne all the rocks
| had put bt for rainy weather A chap as did
the brother act with me through Texas once.
mighty nigh got away with me- out of spite
and that settled il so far as the brother act
and me was concerned. But last year the man
aGer got 1t into his head that ought to have a
woman on the sofa with me. it would draw bet
ter, and all that. | reared about it awhile and
give in, when he fetched in pale knock knecd
little woman with one glass eye She was as
pretty piece of wOmankind IN figure as YOU
ever SAN. but ugly as homemade sin. \ cow hoy
had murdered her husband in Denver. and her
name was RnNaifa Coleman but she billed
as Mile. Ctmar~o. the Queen of the Air
Queen OF nothing. She was the clumsest
mortal | ever struck but l worked with her
Ike horse. getting her in harness.
she was rs shaky at the last rehearsal as
cat with st. Nitus dance. That settled me- and
began to PASS in brandy. The wcrst YOU ever
tackled. More br'ndy is generally my rule when
| set in. and the tumblcrs and Bill Reddy the
ringmaSter. took me to one side about Cole
mans little one-eyed widow. But lust had to
have mOre-t!iat was all there was to it. Here
Is where tine music comes in lively. fellow
goes by the tune and knows at a certain note
how to change hands 60 backward &c When
the cymbals clash you drop head down and
scare all the women plumb into connipton fits.
He's all o. n. with the old tune. YOU see but
new ones make him wild and panicky. I'd have
been all right myself | reckon. but | had to
watch RoXana. and size was as crazy as bed
bug at the sight of that house, packed, cow
boys. Indians. and greasers yelling like devils
AS for me. the lights all tiared together there
was birthstone over the whole show. Reddys
voice sounded like a tog horn. | went up the
rope to the bar like creased lightning, kicking
oil my saWGust mOccasins as ROXie came up
hand over fist.
That Internal band began to play the music
Tor Nine. Daltons n9enGge act with four white
horses. 1t knocked Inc off my box entirely
RoXana saw how fumbled at and missed every
trick, and she screamed in my ear: Look out,
jim. don't drop me for the Lords Sake You'll
murder me right here if you do
Il came tarnal nigh rot catching her feet as
she dropped between mine Themusic whanged
away, ana could see the tour white horses with
pink eyes and wavy tails cavOrtng round the
ring. RONana seemed stuffed doll in red
trunks and spanyled fringe. | quit counting
and listened to the horse tune, grabbing the
widow Coleman anywhere that came handy. |
fancied r2"p" were shouting to me from be-
low. ana BIZ stood aghast. RoXana's heart
beat time with the drum | could hear it all at
once, ana that tickled me. | knew she was
praying when she slid down nv BODY and fell,
locking her feet in mine. the Old flash trick.
There's place. yen know, where in this double
act both performers let 90 from opposite sides
OF tie bar. when the cynbals clash and catch in
the kncc-sGckct or the bar | was as happy as
Il negro III a feather bed | forgot to lock nv
knees over ami down went the Queen Of the
Air with loud shrek. me after her Well. sir
II funny how EtSt Il man can think when he's
falling. | remember that smiled as thought
OF HOW the willow s glass eye would be stove up
Then quit thinking ut all tor about six weeks
1t seemed t" me. You see to get even with me-
the first vio!Gnccllo got on a spree and ran away
with my ttGpeZe music. | mauled him tor it in
Frisco tli, summer
but the Queen of the Air. what became Of
her.: asked the reporter, breathiessly.
Who: FoNana; All, YOU can't Kill halt
breed hcNIcal woman. She got another eye
and had her ankles both tinkered up She rave
up the business. though. Lost confidence i'm it,
somehow. The last time | heard of RoXana she
Wa doing the HindCO Princess. feeding snakes
ana juggling with b0as in dime museum She's
dead gone on the show business. but not the
trapeZe- ! carry my little old tune in nv grip
sack now. you can bet; don't do any more
funny business on the trapeze to horse music
not for jim | haven't got moren half INV
share of collar bones left