Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-06-02
A CLOWNS WORK.

/
vate family as valet. Not successful in
this role, he ran away with madame's
pet femme de chambre and later turned
up at the Nouveau Cirque as clown.
Chocolat is the blacklist interpreta-
tion of a negro on record, the darkest.
jolliest translation of laughter extant.
He is the most famous black clown in
Christendom and the only one | know
whose face is made up for him by Prov
idence without the addition of accen
tuated lines of exaggerated paint.
There are two ChocoIats--in the ring
and out In, he is got up in white duck
or flannel, ridiculously cut IN exagger
ated parody Of the latest fashion, with
white cotton gloves, every finger Of
which is stretched wide apart from it's
fellow and used as means OF express
ing the most ridiculous sentiments in
the most unheard of way. He does not
do the funny clown who antics eternal
| " and whom we all so we'll know. On
tho contrary, his role is to pretend to
be fearfully awkward and stumble over
everything in and out of sight exhaust
| lively, to the uproarious delight Of all
the small and large boys in the delight.
ed audience
Out of the ring he is the successful
negro, full of mischief and jokes and
dandyism and vanity and Ingenious
ness 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
| the betting stalls, with cigar between
| his lips and benign smile for his ad &.
mirers
Then there is Foottit, famous for in
venting new situations and conducting
them from the old standpoint, which
admits Of bad French q J nglais, bad
! jokes ad libitum and he. Sc play, with a
round up of sometime reilly clever.
! Somersaults with Foottit have develop
ed into things of beauty and infinite re-
dundancy forever and with his little
red eyes and his long nose and his
clown S get up, with its grotesque but
tons and short wasted opportunities
fully lived up to, he is as delicious as
his little cardboard prototypes in the
| shop windows.
In private life 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 fled the town with a
lady who jumped through rings for a
livelihood, which probably explained
her carelessness as TO the necessity of a
ring in private life.
Then there is Medrano. He is ring
master at present Raised from the
ranks of ticket seller and general facto-
tum, he cracks jokes nightly in public
with Chocolat and Foottit.
His fame fell in this wise: The Baron
de Reinach of Panama fame, who was
noted for his affection for circus riders
and coryphees, 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 a
fairy scene. Electric light and flowers
and money and human nature filled up
the gap made 10y those who refuse to
| be present for reasons which were OBJ
vious. ="
The ball was over. Shepherdesses
( and Marie Antoinettes and German Off
GERS and vivand;eres and queens and
] gypsies, one and all had removed their
masks and were striving to cool off in
the giant Conservatives, whose foun.
4 tains played perfumed water, when a
clown sprapg into the room. But such a
! clown-flashing with dazzling jewels,
clothed in cloth of gold and brocade,
J stiffened with magnificent embroidery
and precious stones. but masked; q
J dream of clown, who leaped and
whirled and turned gigantic somersaults
and stole innumerable kisses, then off
! again, in and out between the flowers
and the electric lights, into the shadow
! again, with diabolical gestures Of exag-
! gerated Importance and little fine sug-
! gestions of understandable charm and
| grace, lodging here and there until they
! all went mad over him, and, like a
/ flock of varicolored sheep, followed him
! from room to room, begging him to re-
move his mask, but he would not. He
eluded them again and again, and final
1 ly, when they were reused to frenzy
of excitement and curiosity, he led them
to the flower twisted staircase, upon
which the tapestried walls frowned, 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 vitiated air. disappeared.
Later, as they sat down to supper, he
! appeared among them without his mask.
! lt was the Baron de Reinach.
Later still all Paris rang with the
news of his suicide, which Panama dis
closures induced, and then Medrano re-
marked TO friend: There were two
Of us that night. | was the clown who
executed the pirouettes He went in aft
erward. He hired two costumes exactly
alike and gave me my orders. Twas
my last appearance in that capacity. IL
he had paid me by check, instead of III
bank notes, who knows, mon Dieu, but
|, too, might have become involved in
Panama. "-Exchange.