The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-05

dows. little cabinet with lock upon
the door. toilet articles in racks upon the
bulkheads, snowy, counterpanes-eve
thing, in fact. found In a well-appoint-
ed sleeping apartment in house.
The most mysterious spot %lclosed by
the circus tent Is the women's dressing
room. 1t is the only place not invaded by
a curious public. The fact that the wom-
en- OF the show look as If they had just
stepped out of hatboX as they trip into
the ring, smiling and bowling, would natu-
rally give rise to the thought that these
fairies had never experienced the scramb-
le, hustle, and worry incident to a toilet
in the regulation dressing room. Such
doubts would be quickly dispelled If you
could raise the sides of the dressing-room
tent of Ringing Brothers circus and peep
at the preparations going on there.
The tent is 80 by 10 feet in size The
top is rather low, with no visible opening
for ventilation. There is no hardwood
floor no yielding carpet, but cool mating
covers the raw grass or rank weeds ma
ture has placed there. II there is a heavy
rain this sanctuary is safe and as dry as
punk, for the canvas top is waterproof. In
olden times the Impression made upon a
visitor to such n scene was that he had
entered the habitation of a frontier fami-
ly. The walls of the tent gave rise to
such thought. 1t is not so now, howev-
er, for all the women vie in making their
respective little squares Of ground pic
turesque spots surrounded by portiers
with sparkling bits of color here and
there made by silk tights and skirts
stretched against them.
Lower down on the sides of the tent
and within reach but just outside Of this
eXtemporized dressing room. is the great
est diversity of articles useful for the
adornment of the women performers
Hats of every color and shape. bodices
trimmed with lace, ribbon, flowers, chif-
fons, and spangles; long skirts and abbre-
Waited skirts, and the ballet skirt of tar
letan. Almost every woman I'm the circus
wears stays-and tight, too. The only ex-
The bareback riders and the women who
swing in trapezes at dizzy height expe-
rience no Inconvenience from their stays,
and find them as Indispensable as any
other part of their wardrobe.
The circus clown has grown go in popu-
larity, and consequently in number, that
now a separate room is set apart for his
use. and here II is that the male perform
ers lounge and jest and gossip in the splr-
il of the greenroom % earlier theatre
days.
Lines are drawn taut from wall to wall
and upon these are suspended the highly
colored articles of raiment which give
them a grotesque appearance in their
arenic work. And talking about clowns
that goes back to time immemorial. Mon
archs Of olden time were glad to have him
at hand and depended more upon him than
on doctors for healthful spirits. Although
the clown still wears the motley dress
that characterized his costume in the days
OF royal favor. he has changed a whole
lot when II comes to detailed manner of
entertainment
Years ago it was between the rests of
the bareback riders that he cut up didos
with the ringmaster, and got a sharp
crack OF the whip for his good natured
foolery. Once In awhile he came on as a
dull looking countryman who had taken
more hard cider than was good for him
and undertook to ride a crazy-headed
pony. But now he Is loaded down with
accomplishments, and must not only be
able TO grimace and jest effectively, but
to tumble. jump. ride, and what not
Some appear as tramps, some as stage
Dutchmel, some as overgrown boys, some
as dudes, some as animal freaks, and
some go as far as to achieve bizarre eff
fects in the dress of the other sex.