The Wichita daily eagle., 1898-01-02
THE CTRCUs ARRIVES.

stock.
THE CIRCUS ARRIVES.
The small boy, of course, predominateS
He has secured the loftiest perch with
in the range OF his inventive genius.
Suddenly, from the dizzy height Of the
tallest telegraph pole he shouts, 'Here
she cones!' The cry is taken UP below.
Half a mile away, around a curve, a
column Of smoke is seen, trailing away
toward the horizon and a few minutes
later the powerful locomotive, snortins
and putting like a spirited horse, comes
into view. Behind it is a long string
OF yellow cars, and far off, at the rear
end, glimmer the lgths of the caboose,
which have not yet been extinguiShed.
Then comes the unloading Of the more
prosaic paraphernalia-the huge tent
POLES, the acres Of canvas, and all the
other homely objects which are quite
essential in the rapid transforma tion so
soon to follow. Gangs of men scurry
hitber and thither, apparently all get
ting into each others way, but really
working like the one great machine OF
which each man is really a part.
Wagon after wagon comes eff the
train with military precision. Two. four
and even ten horse teams are coming
from the direction of the stock cars, all
ready TO start for the show grounds.
The townspeople are agape. When Oba-
diah Jones new threshing machine had
arrived few days before it mad taken
almost an entire day to unload it from
the train be gosh! If they mad under
n
would have taken them week.
FARMERS COME TO TOWN.
Meantime, away out on the prairie,
toward the east, a faint cloud of dust
has arisen. Toward the south similar
cloud is seen, and toward the west are
others. The thrifty farmers. coming
from far distant points, many Of them
having been enroute all night, begin 10
come in and look for suitable camping
places for their families and their teams.
The dust cloud grows heavier and heav-
Ter as each moment passes. until by the
time the warning whistle OF the locomo-
tive drawing the second train is heard
gray streaks line out toward the horizon
in every direction.
Two trains have been unI0aded and
the eyes Of the multitudinous small boy
are fairly bulging from their sockets
Where viii it all end? A third train
comes putting in. and on this is the men
agerie. The small boy is now in a state
bordering on nervous frenzy. 1t is
doubtful IL ne knows his own name.
off toward the show grounds goes the
morning crowd. Surely they viii be in
- oil
has nit the last train just come in? To
their surprise, however, the menagerie
tent, with its six great center poless, IS
up and finished. The horse tent is in
position, the hangers are filed and the
horses are munching away at that break
fast which the tovnspeople forgot to
get. The cook tents. one large tent for
the worhingTnen and another Of similar
size for the performers. have been erect
e5 and the choicest OF steaks are br0!l-
Ing on the ranges. whilst the fumes of
steaminE coffee and hot biscuit waited
upon the morning breeze, smells sweet
and savory to the hungry throng now
filing the vacant spaces around the
tents TIE camp cooks have alreaiy
lighted tneir fires and the great cal
droas are sizzling upon the cranes This
means preparation FOR the midday meal.
vhici even now has all been arranged
and IS bound to De ready fc- every one
shortly after return from parade.
That flee glimpse q the enchanted
land behind the swelling canvas is given
a about ten O'Clock Who that has ever
seen il on a clear, western morning
can forget the gorgeous bands % music.
the cav3lcade of eQusstrians the open
cases oI Wild beasts. tle funny band OF
clown musicians, the general stmos- !
pheve Of a voluntary holiday. when every
boy mas money in his pocket. when rs
whole ooject in life Is 70 spend il?
But what OF the streets in town dur
Ing this interval? Excursion trains
have been coming in from every point
within fifty miles os the show town /
Every train mas been crowded 70 the
very STEPS with eager. eXpecjant people. /
Their tickets are in their nat ba-ds, /
Were they VIII remain Until the cor
iucto- demands them al night. scr who
has time % think of tickecs when there /
is a biz sAoT in coya? Thousands upon
thousands - farmers have come IN /
from the surrounding couEery Tier !
teams. unAitchei, line the side streets
upon every side Vacant lots are filed