Wichita eagle., 1889-08-31
THEY co TO THE CIRCUS.
HOW THE RUSTIC MAN AND MAID
TOOK IN THE BIG SHOW.

|
In the year 49, Jonathan and Jemin1a
went to the circus
They had planned it for weeks, and iona
than had made great preparations he had
talked it with the boys and with Jemima,
and it had been settled. Jemima's folks had
allowed it, aud Jonathan had creased bis
| boots and bought new paper collar and a
| red tie, and had lust simply told Dad that he
| was goin'. Dad had said nothing, knowing
| that Jonathan was his own man now, and
had a right to be chirking up to the girls II
he wanted to.
On the bright July morning the sun was
not up so soon as Jonathan. He had washed
| the harness and got out the old top buggy.
| Then he goes in, finds his handkerchief with
perfumery on it, bought at the Corner,
and he is ready to drive awey. Who shall
| tell the idyl of the morningl Who remem-
bers how the sun burst and the birds sing
and the bees find the clover and the brooks
grow musical and the dewy morn, clad in
robes of gold, marches over the fieldss Who
knows what Jonathan and Jemima talk Of in
| that precious morning SO many years ago'
| The road to Lewiston is long and winding.
1t was in the years when first the circuses
|
there in time to see them unload the cages.
They unload the cages now just as they did
then, and never fail of an audience. 1t is
heaps of fun for Jonathan when the lion
roarS in bis cage and his fair companion
clutches him by the arm. That signifies to
| the swain that she feels that his is a spurtec-
TIM arm" and he is happy thereat. After
| they have supexintended the unloading of the
cages and have caught glimpse of the ele-
| plant crossing a back lot and have taken a
cold bite out Of the basket in the wagon, they
are surprised to find it only 3 o'clock in the
morning with a long and happy day still be-
fore them. They drive down town and Jona-
than stands in his horse and gives him some
Of the grass for a breakfast. He takes out
the whip and carries it the rest Of the day.
| Jemima gets a good woman near by to take
care of the bas.z et of food and they are ready
for business and pleasure. In this year Of
IS Jonathan went away by himself and had
his hair cut and his rnustache colored
After that they pursued the dream CT
weeks They had their pictures taken. They
were in tin types. He sat in a chair with his
head clutched in one OF the old fashioned iron
braces. Jenima, with a look Of despair
equaling the look of supreme and painful joy
that irradiated bis countenance, stood by hi:
side and rested her hand ON his shoulder
They got four of these for fifty cents, and he
had two and she two. The pictures are very
dear to both. In years after they are seen
by their eldest born when he is grown up and
he asks them what "jays" these are in the
picture and Mother Jemina says, ''They are
two wandering bluejays, my son, who were
happy because they couldn't help it." And
he sees the light in his dear old mothers eyes
and says no more.
Jemina marvels at the town in its circus
attire. She looks into the store windows
with open mouthed wonder With Jonathan
she wanders up to the circus grounds and sees
them put up the tents. What interests them
most is the man in the wagon announcing the
free show at the close Of the parade on the
grounds. They go to the grounds again. The
day is warm and Jonathan, who is used to
freedom, takes of his coat and Tugs it on his
arm, while JeRlima struggles on in tight
boots and perspiration. The free show is
over when they reach the grounds. 1t has
been very short. Jonathan buys red lemon
ade for two and follows it up by trying it
again for himself, his lady declining second
bumper. Everybody is shouting. Every
body induces them to TRY" something.
Everybody is polite. Jonathan trys the
striking machine and they charge their sys-
TENS with electricity.
TRY it, Sarah" says the man with the
battery There is no shock-only cheer
full flow of the current" Jonathan is sur
prised that it costs ten cents flow, but he
pays it and says nothing. They test their
lungs and try the flying horses Jemima's
boots hurt her still and her head aches, and it
is only II O'Clock
The side shows are open and they go in.
They talk with the freaks and would buy
pictures of them, but they have spent their
allowance on pictures. Everybody seems to
know them. One oily gentleman calls her
Jemima She wonders how he heard her
name-no5 thinking that Jonathan is an out
spoken young man. Jenima is tired and sits
down, while Jonathan wanders out to see
the sights. He is said to have tried to find
the card with the corner turned down, out
behind the mess tent, but nobody knows Ho
comes back rather silent and escorts Je-
NINA down town, where they commune with
''marms" victuals, and Jemima sort OF
wishes she was in her white dress out under
the porch piazza sewing and letting the wind
blow upon her.
OOQhlEIuS SSSIIts 10
pass from him. They return to the show
and are con1identially advised that they
ought, in justice TO themselves, to drink
heartily OF red lemonade before entering the
big tent because there will be no peddiing
on the seats This is lie, but they don'5
know it. They go in early. They pick the
highest seats, where the sun can flow IN on
their backs and blister their nechs. He gets
his coat of and lays it on his knee. She
holds his whip and uniaces her shoes. The
eoruucopia man presents her cornncopia
and she opens it Jonathan has to settle by
paying a quarter, and they both get pro-
voked. She said she supposed it was 5ifs
Then the lemonade man treads on their toea.
II there are three rings Jonathan calls her
attention from one to the other. II one ring
they are not getting their moneys worth.
he buys ticket to the concert because $40
is too baShful to say that she does not care to
stay. He also buys q history Of the animals
because she is looking at 1t when the man
comes after it.
His calfshin pocket book is getting hot
from the friction OF pulling 1t out OF LIS
pocket 50 much. he says be never see such
q darned swindle" as the whole show is.
They stop to see them feed the animals, and
Jenina, Ike every ether woman, stops 70
long before the monkey cage that Jonathan
gets angry and saTs an I1'polite thing, and
JeI1iIna's pink cambria haaves convuisiveiy,
and he is sorry &c said it
In going cut the price Of red Ien1onsde has
been reduced 10 rwo glasses for five, end he
goes it again. while the ooEg1ng mar treats
on an extra drink
They have confierces hogneward. he