The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1896-09-24
GOING TO THE CIRCUS

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when weeam to the courthouse square
ior rhere, Just beyond the temple OF Jus
tiee, In the vacant lots, was spread the
mighty tent. Sure those vacant lot,
had been doubled In size since last
sa" men, for no common space could
entertain an establishment SO vast a,
this. Why, there were walls of canvas
on the right hand and on the left hand
OF the mammoth tent, and there were
SUGGESTIONS Of smaller tents that
stretched away into bewildering vistas
ana before them all everywhere tugged
the great advertisements, wonderful in
picture, exotic In text. There was a
NOISE a hustle, hurry, a nervous ten
sion, unknown in the town. No man
had more time than sufficed for the
scantlest of greetings, unless accosted
by soldier, in which case he would
TAX unfortunately, or a sharper. in
which case he would invest disastrous
~. The only calm, contained men were
those law-detiers who looked with such
honest faces into the wavering eyes of
honest men and beguiled them to their
ruin. For there were three-card games
and "chuck-a-luck," popular among the
soldiers, and wheels Of fortune and
straight faro. Only the most beggarly
pretense of secreting all this crime was
maze. The short change" man, who
nourished in one place and disappeared
TO rise In another, was on the ground
and was remembered. There were as
slstant marshals with large stars, and
they walked in and out of all tents at
WILL But they saw nothing less than
quarreling men, and reused to activity
only to prevent fighting.
Just before noon the parade started
we watched the wonderful aggregation
OF marvels form into line. To youths
pred In an environment where some of
the odor of sanctlty might reach them
II seemed most shocking that so much
profanity was needed in assembling a
great moral aggregation. Furthermore.
there was a quality about that profan-
ity have never known equaled. 1t was
intense, incislve, terse, emphatic. sui
phurous, full Of murder and flashing
with the lightnings of blasphemy. I
have ridden behind mule whackers'
on the plains and have spent vacations
where the voice of the first mate of n
river packet could assail my ears. But
have found no man whose profanity
matched the splendid wickedness of the
circus employee In the old days of wagon
transportation.
The parade was thing to marvel at.
In the front was a carriage resplendent
above above anything in the town and
bearing the dusty human who was vet
more than mortal, for he owned "the
show"
Ihen came the band In golden char
lot that quite satisfied me. If anything
In my reading equaled that l could not
recall 1t. How many there were in the
band, what they played, or whether
they played well, these things did not
Impress me. For behind them came the
elephant. He walked alone, stately
or sore-footed, and how was l to know?
He swung like the rocking of a hay
stack In storm and his driver prodded
him. Then came the cars. Upon the
sides OF each were painted such pictures
as must have whetted the curiosity of
the unlearned. But two were opened.
In one was ''the massive and blood
sweating behemoth of holy writ"-a
htppopotamus! In the other a man sat
In safety with unclaimed lions on his
every hand.
What more there was In the parade,
how many ladies In remarkable skirts
and gentlemen In the armor of knights.
how many clowns and how many cages,
do not know. But 1t was magnificent
spectacle. 1t wound about those streets
that had always before been common
place, and it grew more wonderful as il
advanced. l know, for followed It,
And then 1t vanished into the spread
ing walls of the canvas city and was
lost. The beauty and the loneliness
would have vanished from the earth
but for the glare and flare and marvel
of that circus day.
John was in the line before the ticket
wagon, but his progress was slow for
time, and again he was pulled from his
place to give frantic greeting to some
one whose son or brother or father was
In the service. That was why soldiers
came home on furlough--to tell when
the war would end and to talk hope
fully to the friends Of the boys at the
front.
But finally he stood at the wonderful
door of the ticket wagon, where money
was leaping from the hand of the coun-
tryman In exchange for pleasure. In
stantly he was away again. The fat, hot
man that sold tickets cared nothing for
the blue uniform. He saw nothing that
Interested him beyond the bills laid
down. And these he whisked from sight
half savagely.
Our tickets were In our hands. We
had passed the insolent, broad awed
fellow at the gangway Of ropes, and
stood In the most amazing place In the
world. To the left were rows of Won
derful cages-now opened-and In each
was marvel Of animal life. l never
had seen them, but somewhat of natu-
raj history had been opened to me in
books, and could call them by name.
man may live thousand years and
win great honors, but he will never feel
SO keen Joy as thrills in the boy of 10
when he stands In the center Of an I'M
expected circus and menagerie.
Isought the elephant in vain, because
my little eyes had not been adjusted
to the huge dimensions Of the pachy-
derm. And l was touched by his trunk
before l gave him recognition. And
In the midst Of that wonder, but half