The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-09-13
Ar THE ciHcus.
lpesroi. rree prsss.f

boy. In netAisg h tAis nese spparsns than circns- 1Ae psocessioa q former times was a roal necessiky. TAe circus cana day's journey from tho lasf soua where they exAibissd, and about . mile from their next skopping plnce hAlt vas called and things farhisAed ap . bit. The canvas xides were taken of the eilded band vAgoa and the musiciAns Jock their places. Foas os i've ~oUea ia loag riding hahiss got on theiT saeeds and tho closa got into a hale wagon drawn by the trick male. The ene hoa was shown through the baxs of the cage with brave man in tights sisting beside it. The two elepAaau-no circus in those days aspirsd to more shaa tro-- had their top-geaI fAsseped oa, and three camels, led by the down east Yaskse Arahs, got into their plaeex Thea the procession ras ready to come down on the expectan, village. All the barns in the county had been rainbowed with the circus announcements for weeks before, and the whole countryside tuned o0, in wagoas, "democran and bugeiss to sec the show. Us boys used to 10 down the road to form soTt of reception con- miflee to sscoss the distinguished visiscss sn- A circus thought ii did ies duty to the public in those days if t lavished all the splendor possible on the band wagoo. That elit,efed with gold and mirrors and vas always the center of as sdmising crowd until it vas covered with canvas again The putting up of the teas vas . great sight, and happy was the boy who vas commissioned to hold . rope, CT help cary someshing. We aa hoped to become circus followers in thoee days, but alas. human ambitioes are rarely realized Many ot us arc now merely lawyers, doctors, editon end such Gka.
 It was a very desinhle thing to gsa is under the canvax The outer canvas vnlls were well guarded, however, and to be caught vas to be slueged. knew boy once who used to take a pail of water and walk brazenly past the doos-keeper with great success. There were always plenty of pails lying around ard the door-keeper apparently thought he b. longed to the show. The ssrategeuss used to gain admittance were many, but unfortunately the rufiians who sauntesed around the tent were up tofthem all. A trick that sometimes worked was this The boy would go with the crowd tili he came to the ticket collector and then he would apparently struggle to ges out. The ticket tAker generally said:
 Where are you goings Whaa's the matter with you: -
 want to get out"
 Well, if you go out you can't come in again. Now don't stand there. Move one way Or another mighty quick"
 l TkA kN., l<&eh ... lf the ticket man did not notice him he asked for check and being refused-- We don't give no cheeks here, young un"-the boy would growl and drifi in with the crowd. A very inc scheme came to grief in our village once. 4 boy bought ticket which vas . much used red affair that it was supposed could be easily countcrieited. It was thought that mos, of the boys could be run in with the evening crowd when light was imperfect, but the ticket iiend detected the fraud at once by the mere feel of the ticket, and the unlucky originator of the scheme was flung out and roughly handled. He was not SO badly damaged but that he planned a more successful raid The boy who held the good ticket made an attempt at crawling under, and when the man caught him and was about to annihilate him he showed his ticke, and offered the villain ten cents if he would take him to the correct entrance The maa wslked part way round tho tent with him, and under cover of the discussion Six boys got in by the private entrance
 Circus gingerbread, cut in grea: squares al fve cents each, vas the most dehcious morsel l ever tasted. The papes CIT |" Look not on circus lemonade when i IS red" but little do the pampersd 10. poSteys know of the cool deiights o lemonade and ginsssbsesd is tAe kind they used to furnish when ve wszs boys.
 drunken man who staggered into thl ring from the audience. "Take thal man out" cried the eentiemanly ring. masaer, who snapped his pistol whip.
 4 He wants to side," said the clown After protests and all that soTt of thing almost versing oa . quarrel, the rAexed drunken man vas hung on horse, and away the brute veas with him. He hune on, and aker many antics thFev of hi1 old duds and stood resplendent ciscua man. We all knew what was comine but the transfosma4ioa soene was alwsys hailed with kses dsaieht Then ve sll kksd James Melville, fhe wosid-rsuowned bareback riAes. h those days evssy circus had Melville. All the oshss Mel. villes reze ffands asd t vas poos shew th2f didnt have . sanding oGsr o4 Sss,- 900 to any oss vho coulA pGovs thas thsis Melville vas net tAs Melville. Thss was no chariot race in those dAys, d. though they did have . spsrndid con- giomesarioa q stan, who had consented to sing at the coocest, juss afeG the per. Gogmasos, vhich, hdses asd esntemen, is not yef half svsE. Cesssseus perseaa viii now pass through fhs andiesce vish tieksfA vhicA ase fined q the Iow peice of tea oeuas each.S So the geuelemaa standing h the ring ialognsd us. h. seead q the cAaziot races - had ciovn