Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-12
BARREN DAYS FOR BANKERS
Sad-Faced Spieler at Coney Sighk for
the Good Old Tent show
Times.

The barker I liked much the best at
Coney was one I discovered in front of
THE Fall of Pompeii." He was a smooth
faced, sad, cadaverous looking young man
who seemed to regard the calling of which
he was excellent an example as a terri
BILE bore. 1t seemed to make but little diff
ference what show he happened to rep
resent, and doubt If he had ever seen any
Of them. His methods varied greatly, but
most of his effects were produced with a
huge paper megaphone and pointer such
as are used in school rooms. He would
wait until a party had passed him, and
would then bring his pointer down with a
resounding whack on the megaphone and
cry aloud. Look. look" The noise sounded
exactly like a rife shot and the party would
invariably start to run and eventually turn
to find the sad-faced young man pointing
at the entrance to his show. Sometimes he
would run behind people and bark like a
dog or growl like carnvorous animal, but
having once thoroughly frightened his prey
he always returned to complete silence and
the same interested pose The second time
left The FAN OF Pompeii'' and was selling
tickets from high stand in front of 1.-The
Canals of Venice" He had, however. not
completely lost the love of his old calling.
and during an occasional hull in business
would once more attract attention to him
self and the show by his unique methods
When l inquired why he had left "Pompeii''
the erstwhie barker leaned over his stand
and sighed deeply.
There's nothin' dom over there and
tried so hard to get 'em in lost nv voice
talked fifteen hours a day in front of
that show and stlll they wouldn't come
So they gave me a chance over here sellin'
hard tickets. but the boss won't let me
work any short change games, and all the
graft l get is the change the men leave
when they're in a hurry"
How about the change the women
leave?" I inquired
The barker grew reflective and gazed for
long across the park. Il can't remember
case now Of a woman ever leavin
change"
And you have been In the business a
| long time?''
Twenty years" he sighed THE men
left four-thirty today. but that isn't cigar
money to me, Why. | had the ticket priv
| ilege every other day with a circus last
summer. The ticket wagon was supposed
| to open every night at 7, but kept II closed
Till about seven-twenty. BY that time there
n
a rube came along with a girl and would
hand me a big bill just, to show of ]
would sive him short change. You see the
crowd back Of him would push him on. and
he generally didn't set up his holler till
he was about twenty feet away. Then he
would run for cop that was standln' just
opposite my window and want TO have me
arrested. But the cop he was a partner OF
mine lust dressed I'D like and we divided
the graft. Some times the partner would
only tell the rube to shut up, and some
times he would beat him insensible Just as
| occasion required"
The barker gazed upward At the white
lights that blaEed down upon him and his
open stand and the little bunch OF tickets
he held In his hand.
ITS little too respectable for me down
here, l guess" he sighed. "Four-thirty a
day amt enough for a good grafter-nexi
summer it's me for the white tents and the
red wagon. and where you can change
money under an old kerosene lamp. Outing