Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-10-19
THE OLDuIRCUS MAN.
HIS TlykK ABOUT THE FIRST eouVg. NRs GIVEN BY SHOW PEOPLE,

 being given ont in the show business, y said the old circus man, Eve gave away in our ahow at the time we had the big IS foot giraffe. We never had an at traction that beat the big giraffe. The people were just carried away with him. There wasn't anything about him but what sslteaagted them, even the slightest little things Cn clear days, when we were where we could do 1t and the sun was right faH us, we used to get the giraffe out in front of the entrance of the main tent and have him stand there like O greatsentrY. People used to stop and look up at him. ard then the first thing you know sometedy'd dis cover his shaddar. Anybody'd cast a long shadder ct that hour of the day, of course, but the giTaffe's sbadder reached as far as you couId see. And as soon as one man begun to look at t 10 others did, and then you'd see 'em. I've seen 1000 people at time line up long tha5 shadder and just stand along the edge of 1t down past the main tent and tho sideshow tents, just standing there loozin at it. The giraffe was great, but his shadder fairly staggered em. And there they'd stand till the sun dropped down under the edge of the earth, and the first thing they kna8 thero wasn't any shadder. Then they'd stare at each other for a minute, and then all bunch up together again and leok at the giraffe till we took him in.
 We used to have a line on the pro gramme saying that at o'clock and at O. clock the great giraffe would hand araund ice water. That's where tho sea- Yenirs come in. We used to give away the glasses the water was in, The glasses were marked, Souvenir of the Great Giraffe, and whoever got 'em could keep 'em. The seats in eur circus were divided into four sections We used to give away four dozen tumbIers it every performance, one in each section When the time come we'd march the giraffe around the edge of the ring, and in front of each section his keeper would hand him wire holder holding a dozen glasses, which he would take by the handle in his mouth. Tall as he waA, he could reach easy to the highest back seats. It's astonishing how people used to grab for those glasses, IL seems as though the whole section would stand up on the seats and all grab for the holder when 1t come near 'em. They'd spill the water and get wet and have the greatest time you ever heard of, but nobody got hurt, and so VIC just let her buzz along. But finally something dld happen.
 At one evening entertainment when he was serving out the souvenirs, when we come to one of the sections, there was s man sitting on the fourth tier from the top who picked up his boy, bright looking youngster about 10 years old, who was sitting alongside of him, and sat him up on his shoulder. The giraffe lifted the holder up and swept 1t along the seats with the people grabbing, and when 1t come near this man with the boy on his shoulder the man just lifted him up so that the boy could stand on his shoulders. He was going to get one anyway, and when the holder came along the boy made a grab for it. There was only one glass left in it then, but the boy got it. He upset it lifting it out of the holder and scattered the water all over everybody, but that didn't count, He got the glass and was com- ing down with it when his father, in~ stead of feeling him jounce down on his shoulder felt his weight growing light, CT, and the next minute he and every body else saw the boy suspended in the air. When the giraffe saw the last glass go, he lifted the holder, the way he al ways did, to clear the people before swinging 1t around and down to Che keeper. This time when he lifted it the buttons on the outside of the cuff of the boys ja0ket got ca1gh Al the wires. They were seWed on tho way mothers sew on buttons, and they held the youngsters weight easily, and when the giraffe lifted the holder ap he lifted the boy with #.
 Then there was 0 scene. We knew Che giraffe wouldna hurt a fly, but it looked to the people as though be had the boy in his teeth and was going to sling him through the other end of no. where. The whole audience rose up and stood leaning forrard, watnhin and never say s1 boo, but tho giraffe swung his neck around as gentle and easy as the arm of crane and lowered ta8 holder and the boy hanging to 1t safe into the arms of the keeper in the ring. The boy hadn't even dropped the tum- bier.
 Then the people did holler. and 4he giraffe walked off as stately 8a you