Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-24
RED LETTER DAY..
circus Day One Of the Important
Events Of the Year.
Al Mnds and Descriptions Of People elocked
TO Capital City.

augusta devotes one day every vea
- the circus, when all business of .
serious nature is suspended ana ~
town is given over to brass h.rds
steam caliopes, prancinr steeds = -,
ecahuts' and when Augusta goes in fo
awning she goes in out of sight. an,
i"St thursday was no exception to tn,
, rule. ''''
Long before the festive lark had fin
Ehed his morning toilet, the crowd hat
commenced to come. Some in tatters
So'he with Jags and some with gor
Seous gowns, and before noon tho 70.
serve was all in and the back countr,
Tor miles was deserted.
women with cart loads of h,hi..
farmers boys, dust begrimmed and
roasting and smile like a crack in q
watermelon. both pockets bullying out
70 bursting with peanuts and ginger.
bread, and all the fans and circus bills
'heif Ands could hold: the farme,
taxing a welcome days rest from his
WORK; the hired man with his Sun.
DAY clothes and his partner, the bux-
ON country lass with her spandy white
dress and straw hat, and faces ali
Wteathcd in smiles, were all in look
ms for the circus.
me smaller boy whose sleep has
been broken for the past month with
horrible dreams of the man eating
tiger dining off bad boys. while the
Ole clown in his funny clothes danced
When the ringmastcr cracked his whip
end the petit lady in the scanty ward
robe jumps through paper banners.
lhey were all here long before sunrise
to sec all they could for the money.
Fakirs galore. The fellow with the
steam calliopc voice waking I'D the
echoes Of the town. selling those large
double Jointed peanuts. only five a
bag" like whiskcrs. red ones ten.
The lemonade vender who was dis
pensing that mysterious beverage
known from Maine to Texas as circus
lemonade; Il beverage that has puz-
lied more scientific men to discover
its ingredients than the discovery of
perpetual motion: the balloon man with
his globes Of inflated rubber. was do
ing a land office business, while the
gentleman from southern Italy was
peddling "bananS' to beat the band.
The striking machine man and the
gentleman with the gaudy waistcoat
who manipulated the blowing machine
formed a close corporation in the
square. believing in that old adagc:
on must catch suckers while they
run" ON the road leading to the circus
grounds booths had been erected
where refreshments. both dry and
liquid. were served.
The pies looked Il little frost-bittcn
in places and the Crusts looked as
though they had been stitched on 4
machine. but they went all the same.
EouChnutS the size OF a ChildS teeth
ing ring, up to large fiat ones that re-
minded one OF the hind wheel on a
haby's cart; turnovcrS the dimensions
Of a bolster on a cot bed. warranted to
upset tn" stomach of an ostrich or a
Ward ) goat Down near the entrances
the living skeleton was hraiuing its
legs and tying inself into hard knots
i"r the benefit Of the gaping crowd,
while the fat woman was trying to
palm herself off as little Eva.
From way UP where the angels are
supposed to dwell the girl with the
Z
through space. This was the only cir
Gus that ever came to town that did
not advertise itself the greatest show
on earth" mistake evidently of the
printer.
Inside the canvas was where you
got your moneys worth. and for
small consideration one was permitted
to sit on the soft side of hcmloCk
plank and watch the tleeting show.
Animals of all ages. some evidently
from the stceragc in the ark down to
the wild man of Borneo from Sabat-
tus. and as the bills say. natures
most eccentric freaks" but it failed to
tell us whether they We're in cages or
among the audience.
The two rings and a platform are
delusion and "A snare. A man that is
moderately quick can keep his eye on
two all right. one eye apiece. but when
il comes to three he is losing just
eight and a third cents worth of the
show.
The old story Of the man who had
but one optic and wanted to so in for
half price. claiming he could only see
one-haIf of the show. could be sadly
left in q three ring circus ana get buh-
coed out of just eight and third
cents.
The clown was funnicr than one of
the Rev. Joseph Cooks lectures on
theology, and kept the audience guess
ing when to laugh. The elephant, that
hairless beast that the countrymen
could not tell whether he was going or
coming as he had tail at both ga
hIss his trunk with peanuts and other
;ngrodionts and like the ambulance,
took in everything that come.
Every dcvisable scheme to divorce