Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-03-03


out stories about the old farm where
she had spent her happy. free girlhood.
Ted theard about the old house with its
pent-roof and gables; the well by its
side, with its long sweep, which
moved with a mournful, musical creak
when the bucket was lowered He
was used to lions and tigers. and there
was satisfaction in the descriptions of
the soft-eyed oxen and cows-all the
tender. patient creatures of the farm,
besides the fierce turkey gobblers,
hens and fuffy'downy chickens Close
by the farm ran a little river, where
the geese and ducks padded. and on the
other side was the wood, where there
were always rustles and murmurs,
where nuts battered down in the au-
tumn, and squirrels whisked their tails
and chartered in defiance of the in
truders who poached on their winter
stores. The garden and the orchard,
too, were something to hear about
Ted knew every flower which grew in
the borders, and his mouth watered at
the account of the apples, white and
red. which ripened on the hillside. It
is great deal to know as much about
the world as Ted did, so he used to tell
old Benny about the farm which was
to him such wonderful fairy tale.
''Pity, now. your mother couldn't go
home and take you to see her folks, :"
said Benny.
go home and take me?" said Ted.
"Why, could she?"
"Why not?" said Benny.
This new and startling idea dawning
On Ted's mind took his breath away.
Mother" he cried, running to her,
''Why don't you take me down to see
grandfather and grandmother and the
flowers and the apples:"
"Ah. why not?" burst out the home
sick woman, with bitter cry. BE
cause 1 gave that all up when l ran
away with your father. Because they
wouldn't speak to me; no, not if went
down on my knees to them"
''Why wouldn't they speak to you?"
said Ted, aghast.
Because 1 belong to circus" she
replied.
Ted comprehended the pain behind
his mothers words, although he did not
understand the words themselves. He
was, indeed, really amazed that any
body should not be proud to know the
distinguished people he was used to.
But he realized now that the reason
that his mother sighed sometimes was
that she felt shut out from the old para
disc, and he began to sigh too. Per-
haps he was tired; perhaps he had, in
his young energy, gone little beyond
his childish strength, but he began to
feel fretted by the noise of the circus
and a curious Inconsistencies grew in
him for the whisper of the forest the
early morning rush of the birds. and
sight of animals not trained and kept
in cages, but playing about the fields.
He longed to climb the hill and meet
the wind ready to buffet him when he
reached the top, and to dabble his
feet in the cool stream where his
mothers brothers used to swim on
summer afternoons The season was
hot, and on nights when the animals
were restless, when the lions roared
and dashed the bars with their tails
and the tigers. snarling. paced their
cages, and the hyenas yelled, and the
elephants trumpeted, and the horses,
frightened, snorted and stamped in
their stalls, Ted could not sleep There
was no air to breathe and the many
scents made him long for the fields of
clover and the garden with its bed of
mignonette.
Mother" he burst out, why don't
they like the circus?'
''Who?" said his mother, startled
She sat late on her sewing as usual;
but she had supposed the boy was fast
asleep.
:"Why, gran dfather and grandmother
and the rest of them
'"Some people don't like circus,
Ted" she said, gently. Its just a
feeling"
But it's the greatest show on earth. -
81 know it's a great thing in its
way" said Mrs. Llewellen, ''but you
see, Ted, my family are quiet people
and their way is different. I suppose
it is partly the tights and the spangles
and the crowns, the gaudy make-be-
lieve, which made father feel that moth
ing is modest and honest and real about
any body who belongs to circus. But
if father knew old Benny, if he knew
him as you and do, he would say he
was a good man. And if he knew how
every body had to work. to GO over
every part again and again, he would
see that no good performers could be
dissipated or lazy"
1t was just at this time that Ted was
learning inc ring Crlck, ana certain
~ there was plenty of hard work about
that 1t was, as we have said, the first
thing that Ted did not take to by
natural instin ct, as a duck to water.
Never before had he shrunk back from
what he was hidden to do, giving way
to fit of trem bling. AS old Benny
said, the new trick was no harder than
the trapeze, and Ted liked of all things
to go flying from rope to rope to the
| topmost ring. loving the idea that the
hearts of the spectators sank into their
boots at the conviction that he was in
danger. Now he suffered nameless ter
| rors; he felt clumsy. he had lost faith
| in himself. The truth was, up to the
present he had gone on doing every
| thing that came in his way without a
| thought of what might have happened
| if he failed. Now he was like som.
nam bulist who awakens to find himself
! in a position of danger. 1t was as il
| he had to learn his tricks all over again,
gaining again piece by piece by hard
trial and proof instead of heretofore
| swiftly and unerringly by instinct Old
Benny was patient and tender with the
| little fellow.
"Al you have to do is to catch hold
of the ring and turn round on it." said