The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-02-15
The Circus at Templeton.
. HERE was to be a circus in
}, the little town Of Templeton.
1 YOll can hQftpr gnnraciato ~ ,
BY j. L. Harbour.

significance of this state ,rant
when I tell you that never bef orn ,,od
there been q circus there. ~ ,,iu ho
possible for the boys VIII road th,a to
understand the fran ~ mind Into
Caverly and mysel' @vara IN
remenper = = well as If it had
happened yes >.trday how Lutte came
ruulMs % the cellar where l was
sortms over some potatoes that had
HguL to sprout.
lou don't know what they are
quitting up on the side of the old mill
down by Gopse Creeky he said, as he
stooa painting before me.
H was boy who affected exasper-
ating Indifference when other boys
sought to arouse my curiosity. and I
said, quietly:
TWell. I guess it isn't anything worth
working oneself into a fit of apoplexy
over"
1T is, tooy' retorted Lutte. "Any-
way. boys don't have apoplexy. You
wouldn't guess in a month Of Sundays
what 1t Is! All the boys are wild.
And you'll be when tell you. What
would you say If told you that there
were circus bills on the old millY
'They often put circus bills there
when there Is to be circus over in
Redmond"
"But this circus is not to be over
In Redmond. It Is to be right here
In Templeton!'
Honest Injun?'
sHope to die II It isn'tv'
"a real for-sure circus, Lutte Cav
erlyW
you'll think so when you see the
bills. They cover nearly the whole
side Of the mill, and they are putting
them up on other buildings in town!
If they have half the animals they
sfew on the bills. and do half the
th6ef they promise, it will be worth
the price of admission. Joe Trimpy
says that his brother Ed went to this
very same circus over in Keene two
weeks ago, and he says it is the best
one he ever went to In his life, and he
has been to more than dozen! Let's
run down to the mill and see the bills.
You'll find most Of the boys In town
there"
Indeed there was great crowd dis
cussing the gorgeous posters that had
been spread over the lower part Of the
mill. Nearly all the boys were talk
ing at once. and some were generously
holding up the little ones who could
not very well see over the heads of
che crowd.
II don't believe they've got three
elephants Or two hippopctan,usses"
Dan Ross was saying, his shrill voice
stitched several notes higher than the
voices Of the other boys.
They have. tool" screamed Joe
Trimpy. "Nfy brother Ed saw them!
He says they are the biggest hippo
potamusses he ever saw, and he's
been to eight circuses and animal
shows. And they've got an orang-
utan and two lady riders, just as the
bills say they have. And my brother
nd says the clowns will make you
die alaughing. And there is q lady
Jumps from a trapeze and turns two
somersaults. and lands on her feet in
a big net. Yes, sir! My brother Ed
saw It with his own eyes, And that
trick mule rears up just like 1t does
IN. the bills. and they give IS to any
one that can ride it three times around
the ringi I wouldn't miss this circus
for q $10-billr'
/ think that every boy In Templeton
had this feeling. and know that Lutte
ana took account Of our financial
condition on the way home from the
NM. faat
~You see, we will want considerable
more than just the fifty cents it will
cost US to get in," said Lutte. "There
win be two or three side-shows, and a
Grand concert after the regular per-
formance. Then We'll want to buy
some lemonade and peanuts and pop
corn and candy and maybe some cakes
of some kind to eat while the show is
going on. Well want a good dollar
and q half apiece. have thirty-six
cents now and ten cents coming to
me from old Mrs. Thayer for wedding
out her flower beds. How much have
you gotT'
lAEorty-scven cents and . quarter
more II I can catch the weasel that
is killing SO many Of Nancy Trents lit
tle chickens. That's seventy-two
cents"
ssphen you have Just double what l
have-when you get it. Wen have
to hustle and scare up dollar and a
half each IL we want to take In every
thing. And you know that as this Is
tie first circus that has ever come to
Tempieton, We ought to patronize 1t
all we can so it will come again"
aeothing but the circus was talked
about IN the village. The boys gath
cred In large numbers before the bills
every day. and as the day set for the
arfival Of the circus drew near. the In
terest and the excitement increased.
Lutte and l had hustled" a. he had
! said that we must, and the day before
H. circus found me ip the happy pos