The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-23

head swim, and the grounds were COW
cred with Peoria people who wanted
to see how it was done
Pa initiated the boss canvasman by
walking around the lot with his coat
over his arm, and dirty shirt on,
trying to look tough, and he bOSsed
the sightseerS about, and acted cross,
and told a man and woman with
baby wagon to get off the lot, but pa
was called down by the principal own
er of the show good and plenty.
Said the owner to pa: Remember,
the success of our show depends on
the friendship and good will of the
people who think enough of us to
come out to see us set up keeping
house, and that they are all our guests
and if they get in our way we should
go around them, and look pleasant.
We must not get the big head and show
that our hair pulls, and We are tired
and cross. This is a place of amuse-
ment, and all connected with the
show are expected to heal up sores
instead of causing bruises and if you
ever see an emplOye of this show
treating a visitor unkindly, send him
| to the ticket wagon to get his wages
and tell him to go away quick, and
stay away long"
You could have it a match to pas
| face, it was so red hot, but he learned
| a lesson, for / saw him holding a tired
mothers baby up on his shoulders, so
| it could see the drove of camels come
up to the lot from the train, soon
after. 1t was great to see all the tents
go up as if raised by machinery, and
after all We're erected, and the rings
were graded, and the animals in the
| menagerie tent all fed and watered,
and the performers in the dressing
| room ready for the afternoon per-
Torrance, pa was the proudest man
ever was. He walked all around, in
speeding everything, and kicking oc-
casionaIy at something that got balled
up, and when the crowd came to buy
tickets, he stood around the grand
entrance, looking wise, and was so
good natured that he bet ten dollars he
could guess which walnut s1ell a
bean was under, which a three-card
monte man was losing money at, and
pa lost his ten with a smile. He said
he wanted to be kind to the patrons OF
the show.
This was my first appearance in the
show business. | had to stand up be-
side the giant to show how little
was compared with him. 1t went all
right with the giant, because he was
so big | was afaid of him, but |
thought the midget was about my age
and needed protection, and when the
crowd surged around us | said: Don't
be afraid little fellow, | will see that
no one harms you" The look he gave
me was enough to freeze water.
When the crowd had gone into the
big show tent, what do you think,
that COMPOUNDED midget began to ask
me how | stood on the tariff question,
and he argued for free trade, what
ever that is, for half an hour, and
made me think of Bryan during a
campaign, and then he branched off
on the Monroe doctrine, which l sup
pose is something connected with a
rival show, and l guess he would be
talking yet only a big, husky fellow
came along, fellow about % years
old, and he stopped over and put his
hand on the midget's shoulder and
said: Hello, dad" and by gosh, the
midget introduced me to the big ga
loot as his youngest son. Wouldn't
that skin you?
The first day of the season was
great, only all the performers had
not got linibered up. One of the girls
on the flying trapeZe fell off into the
net from the roof of the tent and
broke her suspenders, so when they
got her down in the ring it seemed as
though everything she had on was
going to shuck loose, and leave her
with nothing but string of beads,
and pa went up to wrap his coat
around her. and she kicked his hat off
and ran into the dressing room. The
audience just yelled, and pa hlushed
scarlet, cause he saw it was put-up
job to make him ridiculous.
During the chariot races pa had TO
jump like a box car to keep from
being run over by a four-hOrse chariot
driven by a one-hOrse girl, and the
attendants dragged pa out from under
a bunch of horses being ridden bare
backed, like fury. Then two horses
hitched together with a strap were be-
ing ridden by q woman, the strap
broke and the horses spread apart,
and some one yelled that she had split
clear in two. Pa rushed in to help
carry one-half Of her into the dressing
room. but she wasn't hurt at all,
cause the peanut boy told me she was
q rubber woman, and you could
stretch her half way across the ring,
and she'd come together and eat
hearty meal. Gee but circus is
great place to study human nature.
In the evening performance at Peo-
ria there came up q Windstorm when
blew down the menagerie tent, where
the freaks were, and when the storm
was over, and the tent top was pulled
UP again. they found pa all right. He
started to crawl under the canvas,
and skip out for fear of the animals,
but the fat lady caught him and sat
down on him.