The record-union., 1891-10-10
SANTA ROSA SOCIETY.
Everybody Goes to See the
Circus.
Sonoma County Bellies Visiting the
Metropolis-Nancy Would Not Pat
ronize the Elevator-Prospects of a
First Glass Funeral.


Didn't have to crawl under the tent, sell
my cook-stove, pawn my jewels nor re-
sort to any other of the extreme measures
| that the public is credited with, but
marched in at the grand entrance with
the greatest ecLat. When the circus fails
to draw its hundreds and tens of hun
dreds, the sun will have burned itself out
and the stars sunk helpless in their
orbits
In Santa Rosa everybody goes to the
circus, with and without excuses. We
are circus-going people. On no other
occasion do the suburban populace bring
their blankets and prepare to stay a
while, as they do on this auspieious day.
A rush for land at Guthrie is no where
then. We see all sorts and conditions of
4 men. There were disciples of Black
stone, tall and dignitied, and there were
expounders of the same text book not so
tall and not so dignifed. There was
chattering, blooming May and grey
bearded December, anxious InammaS with
| brood of little flowers clustered round,
the rural delegation in full force and Il
| Sprinkling OF the tour hundred. There
were sunbonnets and ginghams, and
here and there a diamond twinRled
against a dainty cheek.
was SO fortunate as to attend with my
friend Napoleon Bonaparte Jones Of Coon
Hollow. Now, Bony IS nothing if he is
not gallant, and on this day he over
reached himself. Could the Napoleon of
old be apprised of the honor conferred on
his name he would get too big for his
casket.
Bony is a nobleman from his seersucker
waistcoat to his sunburned strawcolored
| hair ana his Swagging limbs, which are,
from critical standpoint, about plea
and nonpareil too long. But the JOY he
can reap out Of his dollars worth of cir
Gus ticket is too numerous to mention.
| lie buys pink lemonade and popcorn
! balls till he breaks the supply; he buys
palm-leaf fans and song-books and never
| allows side-ShoW to languish for lack of
patronage. And the way he sasSeS the
| lemonade caterers is to be admired. He
does not propose to be imposed upon
He carried my parasol and poked the
animals and said funny things till
launched off into a spasmodic tit of hilar-
| ity and then he wisely said: Ssh folks
II think you're from the country" He
is ''the people, out where he resides.
He has been elected two consecutive
terms TO the office of Financial Secretary
in the Good Templar's Lodge, and makes
/ beautiful swans and other brutes with his
303 pen. The prodigality OF iiouriSheS be
lavishes on his signature is simply won
dertul. He has filled important posi-
tions of trust in his community, ranging
all the way from poundmaster to road
! overseer, and stands a right smart chance
of being elected Constable, if the next
/ Presidential election goes well. He is
| perfectly guileleSS OF the little insect
| known in common parlance as the fly.
| Bony always is the first to escort the
newest schoolma'am, and he is the life
| OF society at Coon Hollow. Why multi
ply idle words when with summing up
| three little ones we have it all
/ Bony+ is "A Daisy.
But the gentry who most studiously
enjoy the circus is Lo, the untutored.
They have not picked hops without an
eye TO the placarded fenceS-no, indeed
They huddle up in groups on the
benches and prepare TO enjoy themselves,
| the griZZle-headed old ''hombra," the
buXom young woman, gorgeous in yell
! low calico dress made invariably with
belt waist, red bandana over her hair,
the boy in "Store clothes" with his over
alls turned up, and the wailing pappoose
in its wicker straight jacket. Seemingly,
they are there as duty, for they exhibit
no signs Of approval or the reverse, but sit
like a row Of sphynX. The other member
Of the family present is the little yell
low cur dog. He is invariably little. vel
low, and q cur-the curriest kind of cur
but he is TO a group of the forest idlers
what the festive '.jag'' is to crowd Of
American bloods-he is apt to ''be there"
He sits like piece OF statuary, too, and
not muscle of his bob-tail or his cropped
ears indicates voluntarily that he is glad
he has come. He shows his teeth occa-
sioDally when some one encroaches on his
dignity, and that is all. He seems to be
silently solving the great problem Of life
trying TO offer an excuse for living. but
he never says a word. There is a close
knit bond between the Indian and his
Ifai bniY HI
in their adjuncts, the sportiye flea, but it
is there.
There 7 saw the color line drawn in
bands broad enough not TO be questioned
All above, below and around the gay
colored and as gayly-odored group was a
circle of empty seats. They sat alone in
silent state, but if you think for a mo-
ment that this severe osstracism blighted
their JOY you are laboring under a de-
lusion.
There was particular part Of the per-
formance that perhaps l alone, out of the
to appreciate, and that was the riding.
For l have tried to ride.
And to see rider spring from the
ground and light on his feet on the gal
loping steed reminded me of my expert
ence. Only / sprang the other way, and
didn't light on my feet either, oh no. The
dust in the kings highway was soft and
deep, and hear ye, made an impression.
My noble horse would stop when he
heard a dull, soft thud and a cloud of dust
rising like incense, and looking around
complacently at the wreck lying lowly at
his feet seemed to say: Chamber on and
try it again, idiot" 1t looks so easy, and
the animal moves so gracefully, but to
sustain hold on his broad back takes
all the amateurs best efforts. He seems
to be perpetual motion; he develops
joints, cogs, dips, angles, spurs, heredita-
mentS and appurtenances that you never
suspected the equine of holding in his
make up. You wish earnestly that he
could get over the ground with less mo-
ton, and grab around frantically for
something more than his name to hold
on to; leaving the reins slack in your
deep interest TO hang on, the steed goes
meandering off at his own sweet will on
dog trot. By this time your surcingle
disavows its intention of remaining in
tact longer and you surprise the bedrock
with hearty and unprecedented en-
brace. 1t has its allurements, however,
for me, but leave my nag to speak for
himself.
Among the festive throng that went to
the metropolis on recent excursion
were three of our fairest daughters who
had an experience. 1 give it in the
spokeswoman's own words unaided by
any embellishments of mine own:
You see, we didn't want to appear
country6ed, and were determined TO be-
lie our looks. Our party of dozen or
more stopped at one of the leading hotels.
We were waiting in large, brilliantly
lighted apartment to be shown to our re-
spective rooms To the bystanders and
retainers we must have given the inn
! preston that this hustle and confusion
was an everyday occurrence to us. where
as it was a sore temptation not to look
I flaa Of fNrr al. u