The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-06-01
DAVID GOES TO THE.
CIRKIS
AkIT COME along to time when 1
BY Edward Noyes westcott.

was lWlSI Is an IL. Inc was d
cirkis billed to show down here in
bonneville, an ev'ry barn an shed fer
miles around had pictures stuck onto
'em of ELEPHANTS, an rhinoceroses, an
ev'ry animal that went into the ark;
an girls ridin' bareback an jumpin'
through hoops, an fellers' ridin' bare
back an turnin' summersets, an doin'
turnovers on swings; an clowns gettin'
whipped, an ev'ry kind of a thing
that could be pictered out; an how
the was to be grand procession at
ten o'clock, 18th golden chariots, an
scripteral allegories, an the hull
bus'nis an the gran performance at
two o'clock; admission, 25 cents: chill
dren under II, at cetery; an so forth.
Wa'al, l hadn't no more idee o goin' to
that cirkis n / had O flynn to the moon,
but the night before the show somethin
walked me bout IL o'clock. L don't
know how twas. I'd ben helpin' mend
fence all day, an gen'ally L never
knowed nothin' after my head struck
the bed till mornin'; but that night,
ANYHOW, somethin' walked me, an L
went an looked out the windo', an
there was the hull thing goin' by the
house. The was more or less moon, an
I see the ELEPHANT, an the big wagins-
the drivers kind O. noddin' over the
dashboards-an' the chariots with can
vas covers-I don't know how many
of 'em--an' the cages of the tigers an
lions, an all. Wa'al, l got up the next
mornin' at sun-up an done my chores;
an after breakfast l set Off fer the
ten-acre lot where | was mendin' fence.
The ten-acre was the farthest off of
any, bonneville way, an 1 had my dim
ner pail soft l needn't lose no time goin'
home at noon, an, as luck would have
it, the want nobody with me that
mornin'. Wa'al, got down to the lot
nm set to work; but somehow l couldn't
git that show out o my head nohow.
AS l said, hadn't no more notion of
goin' to that cirkis n l had of kingdom
come. I'd never had two shillin' of my
own in my hull life. But the more !
thought ont the uneasier got. Some
thin seemed pullin' an haulin' at me.
an fin1y l gin in. l allowed I'd see
that percession anyway if it took leg,
an mebbe l cd git back ithout nobody
missin' me. "Tany rate, I'd take the
chances of lickin' jest once-fer that's
what it meant-an' up an put fer the
village lickity-cut. 1 done them four
mile lively, I en- tell We, an the stun
bruises never hurt me once.
when ! got down to the village it
seemed to me as if the hull population
of Freeland county was there. I'd
never seen so many folks together in
my life, an fer spellitseemed to me as if
everybody was a-lookin' at me an sayin':
That's old Harum's boy Dave playin'
hockey an / sneaked round dreadin'
somebody'd give me away; but l tin'ly
found that nobody want payin any at
tention 10 me-they were there to see
the show. an one red-headed boy more
or less want no partic'ler account.
Wa'al, putty soon the procession hove
in sight, an the was reg'lar STAN
pede among the boys, an when it got
by, run an ketched up with it agih,
an walked alongside the ELEPHANT, tin
pail an all. till they fetched up inside
the tent. Then went off to one side
it must "a ben about 'leven or half-past,
an eat my dinner-I had devourin' APP
petite-an thought I'd jest walk round
n spell, an then light out fer home.
But the was so many things to see an
hear-all the side-show pictures of fat
women, an livin' skeletons; an wild
women of Madagascar, an wild men
of Borneo; an snakes windin' round
womens necks. hand-orgins, fellers
that played the Gordon, an mouth
pipes an drum an cymbals all at once,
an such like-that L forgot all about
the time an the ten-acre lot, an the
stun fence, an fust / knowed the folks
was maxim fer the ticket wagin, an
the band began to play inside the tent.
Be | taXin' your patience over the linn
it? said David, breaking off in his
story and addressing Mrs. Cullom more
directly.
NO, l guess not" she replied. 81
was jest thinllin' of circus l went to
once" she added, with an audible sigh.
'Wa'al," said David, taking last
farewell of the end of his cigar, which
he threw into the CRATE, ''mebbe what's
comm II intrest We moren the rest
ont has. was standin' gawpin' round,
Ist'nin' to the band an watchin' the
folks git their tickets, when all of a
suddin l felt twitch at my hair-it
had way of workin' out of the holes
in my old chip straw hat-an' somebody
says TO me: 'Wa'al, sonny, what you
thinkin' of?' he says. l looked up, an
who do you s'pose it was? 1t was Billy
p. Cullom! l knowed who he was,
fer I'd seen him before, but, Of course,
he didn't know me. Yes, ma am, it was
Billy p. an wq'n't he rugged out to
KILL"
The speaker paused and looked into
the fire. smiling. The woman started
forward facing him, and clasping her
hands, cried: MY husband! What'd
nc have on?"
"Wa'al," said David, slowly and rem
iniscently, "near's l en- remember, he