The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-04-06

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the bars as though he was saying, in q
startling way, what you grave rob
hers bowling about? Can't you keep
still and let the car of all the animals
enjoy his after dinuersnap?" ..4
Just then the hyenas kicked what
vas left Of the hornets nest under the
bars into his side of the cage, and he
put his foot on it and. growled, and
about hundred hornets gave him his.
He gave an Abyssinian cough that
woke all the animals, and then the
hornets scattered and before I knew
it the zebras were :;ancing a snake
dance and all of them were bowling
as, though they were in the ark, hum.
CRY, and the ark had landed on Mount
A1arat.
Just then one of the assistant mana
gers beckoned to. me to lead in M
procession and we lighted the can
dles in our Chinese lanterns. I didn't
stop to see how the animals got along
with the hornets, but l couldn't help
thinking that if one hornets nest
could raise such row, what would s
hundred or so do when we got to going
III the other tent?
Oh, if I had only died when I wa:
young, l never would have witnessed
that sight. The band played, ''There'l'
be Hot Time in the Old Town To-
night" and pas crowl of white trash
marched around the big outside ring
shouting, Bryan! Bryan! What's the
matter with Bryant" and the audience
got up on it's hind legs and yelled
that is the white folks did-and then
We marched around tue other way, and
yelled, Teddy is the stuff! Teddy is
The stuff" and the negroes in the au-
dience yelled. Then my crowd met
pas crowd right by the middle ring.
where the elephants mad formed the
pyramid that closes their act, and the
Japanese jugglers wore in the right
hand ring, and a party of female tum-
Tiers, with lOW-neckel stockings were
standing at attention IN the left-han0
ring.
There was no intention of having a
riot, but when pa yelled, whats tha
matter with Bryan?" a negro in my
crowd yelled, That's what's the mat
ter with Bryan" and he hit pa over the
head with his Chinese lantern, loaded
with a warm hornets nest as big as
football, which had taken fire from
the candle. Pa dropped his lantern
and began to- fight. hornets, and then
all the white trash IN pas bunch
rushed up and began to whack my
poo" down-trodden negroes with their
Chinese lanterns. OF course, my fell
lows couldn't stand still and lie
mauled, and the candles had warmed
our hornets nests so the hornets were
crawling out to see what was the trou-
bic. Then every negro whacked a
white man with hornets nest and
the audience fairly went wild with ex-
citement.
The hornets got busy and went for
the elephants and the japanese jug.
glers, and they stampeded like they
never met a hornet before. ~ - ,
The female tumblers found hornets
on their stockings, and everywhere,
and they gave a female war whoop and
rushed for the dressing room. The
elephants got stung and they came
down off their pyramid and went out
to the menagerie tent trumpeting, and
switching their trunks. The negroes
and the white politicians were getting
into race war, so the circus hands
rushed in and separated them, and my
negroes found that the fetty I had
them rub on themselves did rot keep
the hornets from singing them, so
they stampeded.
Then the hornets began to go for the
audience, and the women yelled MUIR
der and pulled down their dresses to
cover. their shoes, and the men got
stung and the whole audience stam-
reded into the open air.
Then I met pa, and he was a sight,
and never got stung once. The man
ayers tried to get the band to play
some tune that would soothe and hold
tue audience till an explanation could
be made, but somebody had thrown a
hornets nest under the band seats and
The horn players got stung on the lips
SO they couldn't play, and the band all
lit out for a beer garden. Before J
realized it the show was over, and a
detective that detects for the show had
ME collared and brought me up before
a meeting of the managers. Pa was
the prosecuting attorney, and tod
them that didn't run my politics fair,
cause I had brought IN lot Of ring
ers. The managers asked me how the
hornets nests came 10 be in the Chi
nese lanterns. I told them they would
have to ask the negroes for how was
l to know what weapons they had con-
cealed about their persons, any more
than pa was responsible if his politi-
clans carried revolyers.
They said that, looked reasonable,
hut they believed I knew more about
it than anybody, but as we had to
pack up the show and: make the next
town they wouldn't lynch me till the
next day. Pa got me to put cod cream
on his stings, and then he said, Hen
merry, you are the limit"