The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-12
a.. na,gh,,;rhood Of the Indian Terri

IN the ne!ghborhood Of the Indian Terri
,@rv living ten, fifteen, twenty or moro
H. from the nearest town, Is cia4SS on
,,,~onle the barrenneas OF whose Dve5 "ouiu
he nitifuI II from their phlegmanc dlsposi-
- they did not seem almost Incapable OF
feeling-a primitive sort OK people nVns
mon the products OF their iands, oo,aIn-
inc the few other necessarles required oy
exchange aud almost moneyiess from year
end 20 years end.
THO day the circus arrives in the nearest
49,, IA one Of wild dissipation for them
pv : o'clock in the morning they begin TO
a--iye in heavy farm wagons, some with
o. and some without, but each and all
Jra,vn by team Of small western horses
- ,vell laden with human freight Life
- serions business with them, and each
,oce from that Of pateriamiiias down to
10 Youngest child, is rs solemn and as
,ac;turn az II the occasion was the celebra-
,;on III n family execution instead Of the
800 annual holiday. Men and women
18th are smoking clay pipes, and the latter
are ia calico gowns with beads protected
b., srnbonnets Of the same material away
Lsck iu the depths of which can be seen dull
60 set in leather colored faces The cbil
dren are dried up little mummies, who,
brt for their diminutive stature and long
,ontalets reaching 70 the boot tops, might
be any age.
Load after load comes jogging into town
n halting place is found in front Of the
sore or in some convenient lumber yard
the horses are uuhitched and fastened 10
the beck Of the wagon and the family
marty finds its way TO the circus grounds.
The hurry and hustle, the cries Of the ami
mails and the brilliant 'canvases are Of in
tense interest 70 them, and they take it all
In with q stoical earnestness. The open
ing Of the show is u matter OF indifference
10 them, for their widest dreams never
pctured 10 them the extravaganza Of see
Ing more than the outside Of that fascinat-
ing white tent; the inside they have never
seen and never think of seeing.
NoOntime takes them back to the wag
ons and seats the piles Of lumber, where
the inner man is shortly satisfied and
season of snuff dipping begins. 1t is prob
ably this and the tobacco habit, together
with malaria and quinine, that has given
these people skins Of the consistency Of
elephant hides. Snuff dipping is a more
sociable dissipation than smoking, for the
whole party gathers around one dish con-
tanning the snuff. Each is provided with
stick, one end Of which is dipped into the
receptacle and taken out with as much
snuff as viii cling TO 1.-THE teeth and
gums are well rubbed, and what then re-
mains is chewed out-dipping rubbing
aud chewing going on indefinitely until
the snuff is exhausted
After the snuff dipping the circus
grounds are in order again. To listen out
side 10 the exciting sOunds-the crack Of
the whip, tread OF many hoofs blowing
through the soft earth, the hoarse voice Of
the clown az it penetrates the walls Of the
tent and the roars Of laughter that sue
coed il are enough 70 satisfy them, and not
until the last pole is down and the grounds
deserted are father, mother, children, pan
talets. sunbonnets and all solemnly packed
into the wagons for the long drive home,
there 70 settle down for another year Of
drudgery. A. X. HORNER.