Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-07-16
OLD
FAVORITES
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The Clowns Baby.

IL was out on the w eStern frontier
The miners, rugged and brown,
Were gathered around the postcrs
The circus had come to town!
The great tent shone in the darkness,
Like wonderful palace of light,
And rough men crowded the entrance
Shows didn't come every night!
Not a woman's face among them;
Many face that was bad,
And some that were only vacant,
And some that were very sad.
And behind a canvas curtain,
In corner of the place,
The clown, with chalk and vermillion,
Was making up" his face.
A weary-looking woman,
With a smile that still was sweet,
Sewed on a little garment,
With cradle at her feet.
Pantaloon stood ready and waiting;f
1t was time for the going on;
But the clown in vain searched wildly
The property baby" was gone.
He murmured, impatiently hunting,
ITS strange that l cannot find
There! I've looked in every corner;
1t must have been left behindw
The miners were stamping and shouting,
They were not very patient men;
The clown bent over the cradle
II must take you, little Ben"
The mother started and shivered,
But trouble and want were near;
She lifted her baby gantly;
You'll be very careful, dearT
Careful? You foolish darling
How tenderly it was said;
While smile shone through the chalk
and paint
81 love each hair of his headv'
The noise rose into an uproar,
Misrule for the time was king;
The clown, with a foolish chuckle,
Bottled into the ring.
But as, with a squeak and flourish,
The fddles closed their tune,
You'll hold him az If he was made of
glass!"
Said the clown to pantaloon.
The jovial fellow nodded;
"I've a couple myself" he said;
II know how to handle 'em, bless you!
Old fellow, go ahead"
The fun grew fast and furious,
And not one of all the crowd
Had guessed that the baby was alive,
When he suddenly laughed aloud.
Oh, that baby laugh! 1t was echoed
From the benches with a ring,
And the toughest customer there sprang
up
With, Boys, It's the real thing!'
The ring was jammed in a minute,
| Not a man that did not strive
| For "a shot at holding the baby
The baby that was "alivev'
| He was thronged by kneeling suitors
In the midst of the dusty ring,
And he held his court right royalty
The fair little baby king
Till one Of the shouting courtiers,
A man with a bold hard face,
The talk, for miles of the country,
And the terror Of the place,
Raised the little king to his shoulder,
And chuckled, Look at thatr'
! AS the chubby fingers clutched his hair,
Then, Boys, hand round the hiatt"
There never was such a hatful
OF silver, and gold, and notes;
People are not always penniless
Because they don't wear coats.
And then, "Three cheers for the baby!'
l tell you, those cheers were meant,
And the way in which they were given
Was enough to raise the tent
And then there was sudden silence,
And a gruff old miner said,
"Come, boys, enough of this rumpus!
It's time it was put to bed.'
So. looking little sheepish,
But with faces strangely bright,
The audience, somewhat lingering,
Flocked out into the night.
And the boldfaced leader chuckled.
"He wasn't bit afraid!
He's as game as he Is good-looking-
Boys, that was show that paidw
Margaret Vandegrift.