The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-05-05

tho soft-eyed oxen and cows--all The
tender. patient creatures Of the farm,
besides the fierce turkey gobblcrs
hens and fluffy downy chickens Gloss
by the farm ran little river. whers
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 al
the account Of the apples, white land
red. which ripencd on the hillside. II
is great deal to know as much aboui
/ tina world as Ted did, SO he used to tel
old Benny about the farm which was
TO him such wonderful fairy tale.
PITY, now. your mother couldn't ge
home and take you TO see her folks,
tEaid Benny.
GO home and take me?r said Ted
Why, could she?'
ssWhy not?r said Benny.
This new and startling idea dawnine
on Ted's mind took his breath away.
Mother, he cried, running to her
"Why don't You take met down to Sc.
grandfather and grandmother and the
flowers and the apples?"
'Ah. why=Bot?s burst out the home
sick woman, with bitter cry. BE
cause ] gave that all up when ! rar
FHgay with your father. Because they
wouldn't speak to me; no, not If l wen
down on my knees to them"
why wouldn't they speak to your
ssid Fed, aghast .
'Because / belong to a circus" sht
rer'ied ~
Ted comprehended the pain behint
his tnother's words, although he did no
ufd arstand the words themselves. n,
wes, indeed, really amazed that any
belly should not be proud to know tn,
distinguished people he was used to
But he realized now that the reason
thst his mother sighed sometimes AVA.
that she felt shut out from the old para
disr and he began to sigh too Per
|
his Young energy, gone little beyond
his childish strength, but he began t.
feel fretted by the noise Of the .circu.
and n curious homesicliness grew il
.llehim for the whisper of the forest, tho
earlc morning rush of the birds, ap(
sigh. of animals not trained and KEEP
t i'm cssyrs, but playing about the fields
He.lorged to climb the hill and NEE
the wind ready to buffet him when Ii,
feet in the cool stream where hi,
/ mothers brothers used to swim OIL
SUMMER afternoons The season was
!. hot, and on nights when the animals
were restless, when the lions roaret
and dashed the bars with their tail.
and the tigers, snarling, paced theii
cages, and the hyenas yelled a i'd the
elephants trumpeted, and the horses
frightened. snorted and stamped il
their stalls, Ted could not sleep. Their,
was no air to breathe and the many
scents made him long for the fields O
clover and the garden with its bed 0.
mignonette.
Mother" he burst out, why dom
1 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 d father and grandmother
and the rest of them
Some people don't like a circus
Ted" she said, gently. its just a
feeling"
But it's the greatest show on earth. y
81 know it's great thing in its
way" said Mrs Llewellen, but you
see, Ted, my family are quiet people
and their way is different l suppose
it is partly the tights and the spangIes
and the crowns, the gaudy make-be
, lieve, which made father feel that moth
ing is modest and honest and real a bout
anybody who belongs to circus. But
/ if father knew old Benny, if he knew
him as you and do, he would say he
was 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 YVES just at this time that Ted was
learning the ring trick" and certain
ly there was plenty of hard work about
! that 1t was, as we have said, the first
thing that Ted did not take to by
natura, instinct, as duck to water.
| Never before had he shrunk back from
what he was hidden to do, giving way
| to fit of milling 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
J hearts of the spectators sank into their
boots ct 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.
nambulist who awakens to find himself
10 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.
"All you have to do is to catch hold
tof the ring and turn round on it," said
he! You know all the while there is
cushion underneath you and that il
you We're to fall you would not be
hurt"
II shan't fall" said Ted, "but don't
likc L.
You have not got used to it, and it's
there the fun comes in" said Benny.
You never had stumble yet, not
even a balk; you're like bird"
Ted hung his head and confessed to
himself that he no longer felt like a
bird He was SO weary. There was a
gray haze over all this narrow little