Evening star., 1897-05-18

past nalf dozen years; but don't go to the
circus any more myself You see, I had a
whole lot Of circus once. and 1t came near
satisfying my appetite for the thing. 1t
happened seven years ago this coming
| summer. in the nice. lovable town of Chi
cago. 1 was a reporter on the Chicago
Inter-Ocean at the time. The big circus
came along. and. as l had the bad emf
| Ience around the office of being the SPELL
binder ard freak man of the outfit moth
ing would suit the city editor but that
should go around behind the show and
write him good story of circus life be-
hind the scenes. as he called 1t in giving
me the assignment. He was melted to i'm
pose this horrible job on one of his men
by Frank Perley. the press agent person.
who was acting as the 'rain-maker' for the
show at that time
''Perley took me around to the big dress
ing tent himself. and IL had known the job
he had put UP on me I'd have soaked him
then and there There were about a hun
dred or so of equestrians and acrobats and
1usgiers and contortionists and other folks
Of that sort making up in the tent for the
first Derformance-it was on the afternoon
of the first day of the shows appearance
Perley had 1t fixed that l was to make my
appearance in the grand professional that
preceded the big spectacle, The Fall of
Rome. ard he got Nero and Clio and
Cicero and Cato and few more of the
Roman emDerors and things, who took
leading parts In the show. to help me make
| up. They decided to put on as Per-
| sian prince and they robed me in about
S'so.UO worth Of duds and jewels to look
the part / never carried around so MANY
| clothes and so much glass in my life They
grcase-painted my phiz to make me look
fierce and warlike and then placed on my
mead a tall hat that was studded with
koh-i-Hoors from top to bottom. Then they
strapped on my murderous looking scim-
etar. handed me a jewel-crusted mace that
weighed about a tcn-and announced that
looked mt to fight for my life. They fur
a 7 - In't
dren under the tent into commissions, they'd
quit the circus business and take in plain
sewing for a living.
Now. my part in this professional would
nave been good deal of a snap If Perey
hadn't put up a job me. All had to do
was to lie stretched out on a big, gilded
palanquin. which was carried around the
circumference of the tent by twelve sRo
| man soldiers 1 liked the idea first rate
for a thinking part Just about suited me
| on my first and fiEal appearance In a cir
Gus So when the signal came for my pa
lanGuin to move into line, / stretched nv
self out with any amount of confidence
and was not even faxed a little bit when
| the bearers jolted 1t up in the air about
twenty feet.
When the Fun Began.
Wen, the thing went off so well for the
| first half of the tents circumference that
| I began to think was just born for circus
| life. and wondered why 1 hadn't listened to
! the promptings of my early youth and run
| away and Joined one Of 'em. Suddenly the
| procession came to standstill. My palan-
| quin halted so suddenly that it made my
teeth ache, and. as We were only half way
| round. couldn't make out what the mat
| ter was. Then heard yowl, followed by
! series of hoarse and hilarious hoots I
was lying Oh my right side. with my face
| to the audience. but. from modesty up to
this time / had kept my ewes closed I
| opened 'em when | heard the hoot. which