The Washington critic., 1889-05-13
THE TOWNS PHOTOGRAPH.

Washington has human canary bird
of no mean prctensions. Tht un-
feathercd songster (unless he has been
taiTed and feathcrcd by some other
community struts about the streets
with a piano wagon and chirps with
vocilerous energy, while the machine
grinds ont "The Mocking Bird" He
is an old man, apparently not less than
GO, but he Is quite active. When he
gives his musical exhibitions he throws
his head forward, puts his elbows to his
sides, extends his hands and walks up
and down the pavement, looking as
much like bird as Is possible with
human being. The similarity Is all
unprecedented, however, for Il Is evil
dent that he Is entirely wrapped up in
his performance. He twittcrs, trills
and carols like forest full Of bipeds
aud generally gets a liberal reward In
the way of pennies for his pains.
The piano-wagon is an institution
which is hailed by some with satisfac
ton and tolerated by others as IN un-
avoidablc evil 1t must be rather re.
muncrative enterprise, however, as al
most every wagon-and there are six or
seven of them about town--supports
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some side attraction.
One has the bird whistler and the
other has gaudily- dressed woman,
who can balance spinning tambourine
on her middle finger for an unlimited
length of time. Others have the usual
dark complexioned children, with big
pleading eyes. On warm summer
evening II Is common 10 see one of these
instruments drawn up to the curb and
play waltzcs and polkas by the yard,
while the children of the neighborhood
hold n dancing party on the asphalt
pavement,
A Washington man tells the follow.
ing story about Dan. Rice, the famous
circus clown and Snowman; Rice had
n show out in some of the wild Western
districts and he learned that there was
a conspiracy on foot to mob the circus
That used TO be one of the greatest
drawbacks to the circus business Every
once in while the roughs of commu
nifty would get together and make u
strenuous effort TO clean out the show.
| II is so to certain extent now, and this
is one cause for the army of apparently
superiluous people that circus carries
| with IT, Rice's people had opened the
| performance to good crowd of people,
| but il soon became evident that the at
tack was being organized. Dan. Rice
| cleared the ring and made speech
| Gentlemen, said he, 81 am here with
my show to entertain you. You know
what the price is and you dom have to
come If you don't want to. | under
stand that there is plan on foot to
mob my circus. Now, want to make
proposition to you. Pick out the
best man you've got. don't care who
he is, and all the rest of you keep of.
| III fight him If he is as big as a house,
and II don't whip him I'll give you
all your money back, and the rest OF
the show for nothing" He won the
| sympathy of the crowd who broke
into enthusiastic applause at this exhi-
bition of nerve Any riotous disposi-
,ion was promptly suppressed. The
boldness of the step, however, was
somewhat modified by the fact that
Dan Rice was one of the best rough
and tumble fighters in the country.
Nv
The beautiful Rock Creek valley wa
crowded all day yesterday by all kind,
and conditions of people, out for a coun
try airing, and the woods that are SC
quiet all the week resounded with
shouts and the merry laughter of chill
dren. There were any number of littl,
picnic parties, who got away from tn,
hot, dusty streets of the city and ram
bled about the woods all day, eating
lunch in some sequestered little glen
and returning home in the dusk of TIL,
day laden with wild flowers and MOSES
The small boy was in his glory ant
splashed about in the cool pools or lay
supinely in the sun on the hot sand
Family parties passing by looked TIL,
other way, and when the small hoy
caught sight of them he would leap into
the water with a splash like that of al
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