The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-22

Her dress was neat enough, but tawdry, and she
carried a pretty babe In her arms, which could
not have been more than six months old. The
was well filed, but not well as she was.
Suddenly she removed a stony stare from fat
man in the corner, and endeavored to look OUT
of the window behind her, maintain the upright
and hold tine baby. simultaneously. .E
''Won'er where we aref' she said aloud,
guess we'll be late home baby. Do you hear,
mamma's fpet. Who cares Hoop-la! Every
thing goes don't it baby, hey27
Three or four whisky-aden kisses here at
tested the mothers affection. The ladies present
shuddered, the gentlemen scowled. and the
young man who was smoking q bad cigar on the
rear platform grnued, while newsboy engaged
in stealing rids peered through the glass and
tried to firt with the infant. For few mo-
ments the exhilarated female seemed lost in
thought, during which time the little was
only saved from descent to the floor by kind
ly-disposed neighbor Then she made sudden
dive for her pocket
"Hullo-ain't got my night-key. I say, baby.
what you think o. that2 We've lost the key.
Well. every thing goes, and I suppose we've got
to make racket to get in-whoop! Its all right.
anyhow, Amt it babyf Say, conductor
Here she glared at the with bad cigar,
and he stopped grinning and looked another
way.
bobtail-forgot all bout that-Ha! Ha! Well,
that's funny, too amt it. baby2 But everything
goes, SOS all right. Whoop! Say. Mister,
where's Houston street, wanter get off Hous-
ton street. This it-that's all right. Come along,
baby. Won'er where that keys gone. anyhow.
'Scuse me-"
Here she nearly sat down on the fat man. Tho
ladies present drew back she passed them,
and the men looked the other way. The man
with the bad cigar said, where yer gettin' to-
brace up," when she staggered against him and
nearly dropped the baby. The newsboy got off
the step. seized her arm ploted her to the curb,
whistled at the baby, and waited for the next
car.
Barnum is to open his circus here in March.
Robbins has his open now. Barnum doesn's
mean to let the New Yorkers forget Barnun,
through thinking altogether of Robbins.
Hence the Barnum boomers are hard at work
And he takes hand at it himself I was seat
ed in elevated train on the Sixth-avenue road
when stout, genial-looking old man boarded it.
There was something familiar about his face.
which struck nearly every occupant of the car
in which I was, eand he received considera-
BILE attention he made his way to
the center. He sat down of the
side seats. between two much smaller and
sliehter men, and sat there for q moment
with his brows creased. He seemed to be think
good humor about him, and he surveyed the
other occupants of the car with a
fatherly, patrouiZng air. 1t took some
T. Barnnm, and by that time the
train had reached the Twenty-third street
station on its way down town. Mr.. Barnum un-
diving his right hand into inside pocket, he
drew out "a big bundle of letters. There must
have been at least dozen in that one bundle,
and they were held together by a rubber ban6.
He pulled off the rubber and began to assort the
letters in his lap. arranging them in rows of
three in such a manner as to enable all the per-
sons in his immediate vicinity to the words
''P. T. Barnum" written in different styles Of
writing upon the envelopes. AZ the next station
the gentleman to the right of Mr.. Barnum got
up, and then Mr.. Barnum took all the letters
aud arranged them carefully on the now vacant
seat. Everybody in the car who conld at all soc
him had by this time become interested in his
operations. Two stations below the gentleman.
at the left got out and then the great Snowman
took another bundle of letters out of
another pocket. The rubber was removed from
this in the same calm. deliberate manner, and he
laid out the second batch of letters the seat
to his left in the same precise and careful way.
Then he took up one letter after another, and
carefully removed the envelope and deliberately,
spread the letter before him. so that everybody
could see again whom it was addressed to- -asss-:
for him to get through the two dozen letters,
and by this time the conductor, all the brake
mon, all the passengers of the first car and
some in the second car, were aware that the
n1ustrious Snowman was on the train. The en-
gine putting into the Park Place station
when Mr.. Barnum gathered up all the letters
deliberately as he had distributed them, and
carefully replaced them inside the rubber
bands, and again placed them back in his
pockets. Then he got up. stretched his legs
and buttored up his overcoat, and remarked
20 the conductor that it a fine day. The
conductor deferentially admitted that it was.
THAT was big fire up at Bridgeport while
ago." said Mr. Barnum
"Yes, it was," replied the conductor.
THAT Barnums great fellow" said Mr.. Bar
mum. II wonder what he is going to do now.
That's an awful large amount of money for one
man to lose. He had a, big show-the best show
/ ever saw think it was better than ever this
last season."
YES sir. SO it was" said the conductor try
ing to check his laughter.
All the occupants of the first and some in
the second craned their pecks again to listen to
the conversation, and smiles were general
at must have been q terrible sight, contin-
ued Mr.. Barnum, ito those snakes wind
themselves around lamp posts. and hyenas and
leopards bowling around the streets at mid
night"
''Whew! It must have been terrible" said
the conductor.
''Well, understand" said Mr.. Barnum, "thas
world already with their pockets lined with gold,
and checks, and green backs to pick up new Curl
osities, new attractions. Guess he'll have
bigger show than ever"
shouldn't wonder" assented the conductor
"Well, this is country where enterprise and
brains are recognized and paid for" said Mr..
Barnum. II think he'll succeed don't you?"
'Oh, yes" said the conductor. and then the
train steamed into South Ferry, and Mr.. Bar
mum with the rest of the passengers walked out
on the platform. AS Mr.. Barnum moved to-
ward the street, his smile was very broad.
CLARA BELLE