Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-15
A FRENCH CLOWN.

ChUcUiat came from Haiti one fine
morning and made his debut in private
family rs valet. Not successful in this
roe, he ran away with madame S pct fen rIie
dc chambre and later turned up u he
Nouveau Cirque rs a clown.
Chocolat is the BLACKLIST Interpretation
of negro on record, the darkest, jollicst
translation of laughter cXtant He is tho
most nous black clown in ChristeLIum
and tho only one 1 know whose face is
made up for him by Providence without
the addition of accentuated lines of exag
geratod paint.
There are two Chocolats-in the ring and
out. In he is got up in white duck or
flannel, ridiculously cut in exaggerated
parody of the latest fashion, with white
cotton gloves, every finger of which is
stretched wide apart, from its fellow and
used as means of expressing the most
ridiculous sentiments in the most unhcard
of way. He does not do the funny clown
who antics cter Tally, and whom we all SO
well know. On the contrary, his role is to
pretend to be fcaIfully awkward and STUN
BILE over everything in and out of sight CX-
haustivCly, to the uproarious delight of nj
the small and large boys in the delighted
audience.
Out of the ring he is the successful ne
gro, full Of mischief and jokes and dandy
ism and vanity and ingenuousncss and
good nature. He puts his hat on the back
Of his head at the races, like any other
man, and, his thumbs in his armpits
struts from the tribune to tho betting
stalls, with a cigar between his lips and a
benign smile for his admirers.
Then there is Foottit, famous for in
venting new situations and conducting
them from the old standpoint, which adj
mits of bad French "a l'anglais, bad jokes
adj libitum and horse play, with round
up of something really clever. Somer-
saults with Foottit have developed into
things OF beauty and infinite redundancy
forever, and with his little red eyes and
his long nose, and his clowns getup, with
its grotGsque buttons and short WASTED
opportunities fully lived up to, he is as
delicious as his little cardboard prototypes
in the shop windows.
In private lifo Mr.. Foottit is noted for
his weakness for his friends wives plus
his own; but regrettable though it may
be, this trait Of his thus far has only served
to augment his fame.
Last summer he fed the town with a
lady who jumped through rings for live
lihood, which probably explained her care
lessnoss as to the necessity of a ring in
private life.
Then there is Medrano. lie is ring mas
ter at present. Ra"od from the ranks Of
ticket seller and general factotum, he
cracks jokes nightly in public with Chooo
lat and FoOttit.
His fame fell in this wise The Baron
de Roinach of Panama fame, who was
noted for his affection for circus riders ana
coryphoes, used him at fancy ball oddly
enough. The ball in question was given
at one Of the most elaborate fin de steele
houses in Paris. 1t was fairy scene.
Electric light and flowers and money and
human nature filled up the gap made by
those who refused to be present for rea-
sons which were obvious.
The ball was over. Shepherdesscs and
Marie Antoincttes and German officers and
vivandieres and queens and EypsiCs, one
and all had removed their masks and were
striving to cool of in the giant conserva-
tories, whose fountains played perfumCd
water, when clown sprGng into the
room, but such a Clownl Flashing with
dazzling jewels, clothed in cloth of gold
and brCcadc, stiffcned with magnificent
masked. y dream of clown, who leapcd
and whirlcd and turned gigantic somer.
saults and stole innumerahle kisses, then
off again, in and out between the flower
and the electric lights, into the shadow
again, with diabolical gestures Of c%agg"r.
atcd Importance and little fine suggestions
of indescribable charm and grace, lodged
here and there until they all went mad
e L.,
sheep, followed him from room 20 roum
begging him to remove his mask, but he
would not. He eluded them again and
again, and finally, when they were reused
to frenzy of excitement and curiosity, he
led them to the flower twisted staircase
upon which the tapestried walls frowncd
and just as they had their arms about his
neck and were asking riotously: who are
you? Oh, who are you, pretty clOWn?' he
once more slipped from their grasp, and
with flashing leap through the Initiated
air disappeared. Later, as they sat down
to supper, he appeared among them with
oat his mask. twas the Baron dc Rel
mach.
Later still all Paris rung with tho news
of his suicide, which Panama disclosures
induced, and then Modrano remarked to "A
friend: "ThcTe were two of us that night
1 was the clown who executed the pirou
cites. He went in afterward. He hired
two costumes exactly alike and gave me
my orders. Twas my last appearance in
that capacity. If he had paid me by check,
instead of in bank notes, who knows, Mon
Dieu, but l, too, might have become in.
volved in Panama. STANLEY Clark in
San Francisco Argonaut.