The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1905-12-15

heaven. l used to hope for the time
when l would get nerve enough TO
run away. and go with a circus. and
wear dirty shirt, and be around a
tent and wash OF the legs of a spotted
horse with CASTLE soap, and when peo-
pie gathered about me to watch the
proceedings, to look tough and tell
them in a hoarse voice way down my
throat. sort of husky from sleeping in
the wet straw with the spotted horse.
that they must go on about their
business. and not disturb the horse.
had thought If should run away
and go with a circus, some day, when
l got far enough away from ma, that
/ would up and swear, and be tough.
and when came home in the fall. and
the neighbor boys would come around
me. / would chew tobacco and tell
them OF the joys OF circus life. Well.
maybe I will some day, but at present
/ am sleepy all the time.
We have showed six times the last
week. and travelled thousand miles,
and il seems as though there is moth
ing doing but putting up and taking
down tents, and going to and from
the cars, and you can't be tough, cause
there is always some boss around to
tell you 10 look pleasant If you are
cross, and TO tell you to change your
shirt or get out of the show and if
you swear at anything you are called
down
Pa and | put in a good deal of time
during the afternoon and evening per-
in, hn in
the door leading TO the main tent.
That is the nearest TO being in an
insane asylum of any place l was ever
in The performers get ready for their
several acts, in punches or families.
all in one spot, and they act serious
and jaw each other, and each bunch
acts as though their act was all there
was TO the show, and If il was cut out
for any reason. the show would have
TO lay up for the season, when in fact
each one is only cog in the great
wheel. and if one cog should slip, the
wheel would turn just the same. These
people never smile before they go in
the ring. but just act as though too
much depended on them 10 crack a
smile. When a bunch is called to go
as though it was the parting of the
ways. and they clasp hands and go out
OF the dressing room as though walk
ing on eggs. When they get in the
ring they look around 10 see if all
eyes are upon them. and bow to peo-
pie who are looking at something go
ing on in another ring, and who don't
see them, and then they go through
their performance with everybody
looking somewhere else.
When the act is over the audience
seems glad. and clap hands because
they are polite and it don't cost any
thing to clap hands. and the perform
ers turn some more flip flaps. and go
running out to the dressing room, and
take a peek back into the big tent as
though expecting an encore, but the
audience has forgotten them and is
| looking for the next mess of perform
ers. and the ones who have just been
in 90 and lie down on straw and won
der If they can hit the treasurer for
! an advance on their salaries, so they
! can 20 TO a beer garden and forget
/ it all.
An average audience never gets its
| moneys worth unless some one is hurt
I doing some daring act. Pa suggested
Y that they have some one pretend TO be
hurt in every act, and have them
picked up and carried out on stretchers
! with doctors wearing red crosses on
their arms, in attendance, giving medi-
cine and restoratives. The show tried
it at Bucyrus, o., and had seven men
and two women injured so they had
TO be carried out. and the audience
went wild, and almost mobbed the
+ dressing room, TO see the doctors oper-
ate on the injured. 1t was such great
success that next week we are going
TO put in an automobile ambulance
and have an operating table In the
dressing room with gauze screen so
! the audiences can see us cut OIL legs
| like they do in a hospital. Maybe we
shall put in a dissecting room II the
people seem to demand it.