The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-11-17


down, and We got separated, and the
sacred cow chased me up the church
steps, and Hennery and q monkey
were brought home by a policeman
about daylight the mex morning, that
time you were off fishing, and / never
told you about going tc the circus
when you were away. So we are cir
Gus prop"ietors, are We! Well, 1t
amt so bad" and ma went upstairs to
cry at our success, and pa and / went
out to walk off the effects of the break
ing the news to ma.
1 had long talk with pa about our
changed circumstances, and asked him
what ! would be expected to do
in the show, and he says
will fit in anywhere. He says that
a boy who knows as much abou.
everything as l think know. but
don't know a blamed thing about will
be invaluable about show, and that
going into new business Is like go-
ing to college as freshman, as all
the old circus men will haze us, and
we must not expect an easy life, but
one full Of excitement, sleepless nights,
ginger, the glare of the torchlights,
the races, the flying trapeze, the smell
of the sawdust and tanbark, the howl.
ing Of the wild beasts, and the plaudits
of the multitude of jays and jayesses,
and it will be like one grand circus
day spread all over the summer and
fall He says he wants me to learn
the circus business from the ground
up, from the currying of the hyenas
with currycomb and brush, to going
up into the roof of the tent on the
trapeze and falling into the net, while
the audience faints with excitement.
April n.-Ma and pa have had
several discussions about what kind
Of a position it is going to leave her
in, among the neighbors, for pa and
to go off with circus, and ma want
ed to withdraw from the church, and
board up the windows of the house,
and make folks think we had gone
to the seashore, but pa convinced her
that we would have preaching in the
main tent every Sunday, and he says
there is no more pious lot of people
on earth than those who travel with
a circus, and then ma wanted to go
along. She said she could do the
mending of the long socks that tina
women wear when they ride bare
backed, but we had to shut down on
mas going with the show, cause we
never could have any fun with wom-
an to look after. Pa says nowadays
the men and women who ride on bare
back horses in the ring dress in 1egu-
lar evening costume, the. women with
low-neck dresses, and long trains, and
the men with swallow-tail coats and
patent leather shoes. and they are 81
polite as dancing masters.
We have compromised with ma, and
she is to meet the show at Kalamazoo
and go with US to Kankakee and Keo-
kuk until she Is overcome by nervous
prostration, when we shall have her
go home. Pa thinks ma would last
about two days with the show, but
guess IL she took ascourse of treat
ment with peanuts and red lemonade
one afternoon and evening, she would
want to throw up her job, and go
back home in charge of stomach spe
cialist.
Well, pa showed up at the house in
his circus clothes, this afternoon. and
he certainly is peach. Pa has been
letting his chin whiskers grow for about
six weeks, and to-day he had them
hn
he had swallowed the backing brush,
and left the bunch of bristles outside
on his chin. He looks fierce. Then
he has got a new brand of silk hat
with wide, curling brim, and he has
had a vest made of black and blue
check goods, the checks as big as the
checks on checker board, and pail
of pants that look like a diamond.
back rattlesnake, and he has got an
imitation diamond stud In his white
shirt that looks like paper weight.
Ma wanted to know If there was
any law to compel pa to dress like
that, cause he looked as though he
was a gambler or a train robber. Pa
says that a circus proprietor has got
to look different from anybody else,
in order to inspire fear and respect on
the part of the hands around the
show, as well as the audiences that
flock to the arena, and he asked ma
if she didn't remember old Dan Rice,
and old John Robinson. Ma didn't re-
member them, but she remembered
Barnum. because Barnum lectured on
temperance, and she said she hoped
pa would emulate Barnum's example,
and pa said he would, and then he
took a watch chain with links as big
as a trace chain and spread it across
his checkered vest, from one pocket to
the other, with life-size gold elk
hanging down the middle, and ma al
most had a CONFUSION.
Gee, but II pa wears that rig in the
menagerie tent, the animals will paw
and below, like drove of cattle that
smell blood. Pa is going to wear
sack coat with his outfit, so as to look
tough, and he wouldn't hear to ma
when she tried to get him to wear
frock coat. He said frock coat was
all right in society or among the
crowned heads, but when you have
to mingle with lions and elephants
one minute, that would snatch the tail
on coat and chew It, and the next
. q