Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-08

under the canvas and followed huhby
No. l, with the reporter on his trail
The pursuit grew interesting.
On-on-over tent ropes ana nay the
fleeing Shriners fleeted.
Suddenly, as the grub wagon upset,
the reporter discovered that both Shrin-
ers were on to him.
only the cleverest detective work
could now prevent his failure.
The night deepened.
ont of the chaos of rafting cans and
broken dishes the wearers of the fez
emerged. gazing furtively about them.
The reporter crouched back of hippo
potamus in time to avoid detection.
So far all was safe.
At that moment the strains of a
weird, wild, uncanny melody broke upon
the stiffness of the night. Some one
with a hoochie- -koocl1ie horn was fran
tically ripping off the Streets of Cairo"
Hol
The cat was out.
Slowly and with cautious steps, tip
toing among the animal cages and down
the red canvas walls of the side show
where the fat woman sat dreaming of
her girlhood days when she weighed
much less than a thousand; on down
the dark beaten trail that winds among
the pedestals where the snake charmer
and the wild man hold forth with the
tattooed wonders. the Shriners. breath
less and furtive. crept. Nor were they
even thinking of the women who stood
gazing at the camel and wondering If
it's hump was genuine
The reporter followed.
He had at last solved a mystery. The
grim, naked truth stood positively before
him. He could no longer be mistaken.
The last doubt was banished.
Toots SIRENS Soma
Suddenly the dark canvas at the rear
of the sideshow was lifted. The strains
of the enchanting music grew loud and
clear The hum of many voices-the
laughter of many men-fell distinctly
on the ears of the reporter
The latter followed them on into the
narrow room. 1t looked as though all
the Shrners and married men in Los
Angeles were gathered there.
A girl with a yellow dress was twist
ing her body to the tune of the Cairo
thoroughfares. Her dress came only to
her knees, vet she undoubtedly was not
a school girl Just what her peculiar
form of dancing was the reporter didn't
know, but all the men were grinning.
Some of them went so far as TO laugh
out real loudly, even though their wives
stood patiently awaiting their return.
It was risky (or risque). but no
thought of wife or family seemed to
disturb the assembly.
The reporter hii..-elf almost forgot to
take notes, and but for sudden i'm
pulse the facts in the case might never
have been recorded. The truth how
ever, is here given to the women for the
first time.
After the mysterious dancing per-
formance in the secret room at the rear
of the sideshow, the reporter ventured
quietly back to the menagerie There
he came near being set upon by that
formidable bantam rooster which daily
engages in a two-round bout with Sas-
saria.
Rooster Tackles Elephant
That's the most merciless fowl that
ever lived. that rooster. The way he
tries to lick a 160-pound man in the
circus ought to have taught the reporter
a lesson, but the latter actually crossed
his path in some way and thereupon the
bantam tackled him.
II the rooster hadn't Inst got through
chasing an elephant for a couple of
blocks the reporter might have been in
real danger, -bGf as it was the rooster
soon tired and gave up, convinced, no
doubt, khat reporters are invulnerable.
He WAS q game cuss, though, for a
few minutes later he was trying to
pick another quarrel out of the ele-
phant, but the big pachyderm took to
his heels and roared for the protection
of his trainer so loudly that the ban