The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-13


strap to me if 1 ever took me eyes off Miss
Fannie when she was riding. Dat job is
special.
''You are valet for Mr.. Paul." says
Duchess.
''He has Jap valet of his own" says /.
''But you order his boots" says Duchess.
you get him ready, if he's only going
somewhere for a weekend"
Oats because de Jap orders riding boots
for yachting: and if he gets him ready for
a trip. he never knows where he'll land"
Dose is poor excuses says Duchess.
''De odder soivans would tink more proper
of you if you done only second mans woik."
"rll tink about dat, | says, when de
odder soivants pays me wages. What's on
your mind. woman?" / says Its not me
job dat's bordering you. Sing your song,
and dance your dance, and let me see where
you're at"
you is de real director of de soicus and
/ have no part in It," says Duchess, and dat
shows me where her little bootees was
pinching.
We was getting up a soicus-a amatoor
soicus-for de benefit of yacht sailors or
phans; what dere amt any of EN- nearer
come from But dat made no difference;
dere had to be benefit. and yacht sailors
orphans had a romantic sound, al Willy
Wildly said, so dat went; and our folks said
de soicus might be held on our lawn, cause
we had de most conveniences for sowing
tea.
Dat put il up to Mr.. Paul to be director,
and he being too strong to woik hard, puts
1t next TO me.
Dere was n swell comes over to take
charge of de riding turns, and I gets up
some comics for de laugh side of de show,
and takes charge of the woikmen getting
up de tents and seats; and looks after de
places where refreshments was to be set
IN: and gets de band, teaches de clown how
TO do a comic fall. practices up few tum-
bling tricks of me own, learns our kiddie-
little Duke-to do rngmaster turn for lit
tie Miss Fannie and almost had something
to do.
Soon as she heard dat dere was to be
soicus Duchess was croisy to be part of de
show. Dere's a whole bunch of tricks she
can do. but none of EN- is in de soicus line,
and had 70 pretend dat ] wasn't on to
what she wanted. II dat goil didn't have
T never did see a woman who liked TO be in
de lime light more dan Duchess. And she's
all right when she's dere. for she amt a lit
tie bit shy az a good locker: but she belongs
to de modern school, and thinks dat to be a
good locker Is all dere Is in de game, and
she won't study no part. I've tried her in
de theatricas we has ev'ry winter in de
soivants' hall.
But dat dug me subway wit her; she was
bound to be in de soicus, and when L could
not see it. de way she found places where
was a mile off from being ii was wonder.
OF course a man dat wants to, can beat
a woman wit hammer; but If a hammer
isn't in de game, de easiest way to do, il
you've got to beat her, is not to. So 1
hustled to find job in de soicus dat
Duchess could hold down, and l got it.
had to.
I had turn | was rehoising little Miss
Fannie and our kiddie and de bull pup.
Little Miss Fannie was TO put de pup
trough his tricks, while kiddie was ring
master De pup done noble in all his
tricks except dat he was no dead sure
proposition on going trough de hoop every
time. Mostly when de Little One held de
hoop after we'd covered it wild paper, de
pup would balk, till he'd run around be-
hind it to make sure dat Little One had