Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-27

the green chariot drove out of the exit
declare, the woman in it was laughing
Slivvers suddenly sat up straight and
looked out of his makeup suspiciously
DO you believe itp' he asked anxiously.
He was told that while the tale was exciting
as he recouuted IL it was above doubt, as
coming from him
VERY we'll" he said relapsing into a
contemplation Of his wig then I'll tell you
another
''I was going down South with an outfit
that never got a cent ou' of aud that never
made any money that I could see, when we
came to a little town ia Mississippi, where
we were booked TO show one night.
Maybe the people thereabouts didn't
approve of circuses, or maybe they didnt
have the few cents We charged to get in
but III give you my word that things didn't
look promising an hour before opening time
Across a couple of fields there we're the de-
cayed ruins Of a show that had been absu'
doned there a week before, and that didn't
cheer US any. either
When it came time, nothing had showed
up but a few pickauiuuies, who stood out
in the shadows as if they we're afraid of us.
Say, you can pretty near sec IL was a blue
night for us, looking for the price of
square meal to drift in. The boss went
back to the band and called for a tune,
hoping to attract something by that 1t
was a last try, aud it did attract something.
While they we're playing, some one out
side let out a yell, and the band stopped
like it was shot. And in through the door
of the main tent came little old lame aea-
bitten circus mule from that abandoned out
it across the fields, who'd heard the music
and thought il sounded like home. Take
my word for it, maybe we didu't have much
to offer, but that lonely audience of one got
the best there was that night
The big band outside was playing a crash
ing gallop that most of the waiting per-
formers we're whistling softly
Hear that tuue2" inquired Slivvers,
beating time with one two-foot long shoe.
They played that the night when Danny
Innis got killed. No, Danny wasn't very
we'll known, clown who died too soon to
get out of the little shows into the big ones.
The night they played that-well. you
know the old act-it's the classic of the
ring guess--where the troupe jumps the
elephants from the springboard? There
were three of US clowns, we came down the
board last Danny behind the whole bunch.
somehow he tripped on the take off and in
the air he tried to twist straight, but it was
no go. He landed on the back of his neck
aud the crowd roared, / will say he did
look funny but then the house didn't know
what we knew for we saw his face as he
rolled off the mats. The other clown and
whispered for 'em to go on with the act,
and FHa chou THaet rf~t ID
Danny up between as and started out
There's one motto that sticks through
everything in our business: The people
in front mustn't know Aud while we
we're carrying him from the ring, and
know he was dead even then, we burlesqued
the thing. so that the people in front
wouldn't know. And the house laughed
II was a terrible business, but the house
laughed more when we took poor old Danny
off that night than It had ever laughed az
him before"
The electric bell high above buzzed
again, and Slivvers slid from the chariot
'I'm on here, ," he said, dragging on his
wig and becoming at once complete afro
city. He glanced toward the big door and
caught the anxious eye Of a little girl in
spangles and violet tights. Slvvers smiled
deprecatingly.
Il suppose she's wondering what I've
been chiuuiug so long about, he said, flush
ing a little under the white paint II GER
taiuly have been at it, haven't I? But re-
member with a sudden anxetY--"it's all
true. Don't forget that
He glanced toward the door and made
telegraphic signs.
Say" he said frankly, lingering for
last moment, tits good it's not a woman
reporter I've been talking to all this while.
If it was"
With an engul6ng grimace of alarm he
took to his heels. And as he joined the
rest and ran out through big yswniug doors,
the way that the little girl in spaugles aud
violet smiled took something from the utter
absurdity of his appearance.