The Monticellonian., 1908-05-21
(copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles)

When the staring and flaring cir GUS advertisements first made their appearance on the dingy bill-boards in the neighboring towns. there was i'm mediately great excitement in the community, and much talk about who was going with who, and what the girls were going to wear. There was quite as much heartburning among the girls as there would be at any fancy-dress ball at Newport, and the amount of crisp sarcasm indulged in blythe girls was as is usual in such cases made and provided. If the boys were short of money, there was the usual scramble to get some, and any chance to get out and do little extra work was always snapped up in a hurry.
 Circuses were always long ways off, at some one of the larger towns, but such an event drew on the neigh borhoods for 30 miles around. Those who went from the smaller towns usu- ally could go by rail, but the main body of the circus goers went in buggies.
 As we had seen a tiger or two in our time. these events did not excite us beyond our control, but we rather lost caste, I imagine, by our staying away from where the monarch Of the jungle' and the corrugated-hided rhinoceros disported themselves, and the bareback riders contorted. long line of buggies, with a joyous ly anticipatory couple in each vehicle would pass the house in the early dawn. and fl we happen to be up, w. would be greeted always with "aint you going to the circus?" A liberal spender" among the swains was sure to make a hit. as 1t was supposed line" could be gotten on his liberal ity as a husband in that way. Red lemonade, peanuts. taffy, the concert after the show, dinner, the flying dutchman," the side-shows, the for tune tellers-well. there were several ways in which the .nimble shilling could be induced to change hands. and along about midnight the rigs would come trooping back, an occasional yell from some jolly Lothario notify. ing us of the passing of home-bound couple.
 The band concerts were always given at the towns where they boast ed of town band; and they were at tended by the boys and girls for miles around. Those in our section were held invariably on Saturday af tie plank pavilion on one side of the public square opposite the courthouse, and there discouFsed sweet music from about eight to ten D. m. The rural swains came In great droves. buggy laden. and from all points of the coun- ty. They bought the girls supper at the hotels or restaurants, ice cream at the drug stores, and lemonade, pea nuts and popcorn wherever these necessities could be found. There was visiting among the various neigh borhoods, and pernlcious amount of reckless driving about at racing speed around the dusty streets and corners of the town.
 Sometimes boy who had been biz ten with a desire to be "a bad man" would get into an argument with the police force, one in number, and be escorted to the town jail, there to ruminate until the next Monday morn ing, but usually there was very little trouble at the concerts. The music was the best they had, and if you did not like it. you could go home. We attended at least one band concert that remember. The music was of the "catch-as catch-can'' order, Queens bury rules, classic holds barred, and every fellow for himself until the finale, when they were all supposed to unite for the end of the piece.
 At the country dances the swains appeared in full force. dancing until daybreak, and with their best "bibs and fuckers" The dances were the most important of all rural functions, and by the time q fellow began to take girl regularly to these events, there was no doubt but that he had been hooked. played and landed" and that there was something shortly to be heard of in the matrimonial line And yet, as everywhere, the course of true love went awry, and we would see some one of the boys driving swiftly past with a new girl on the seat beside him, and the girl he used to drive with appearing in public with another cavalier, and by these presents" knew that the silken cord had been loosed" and that Cupid had received another back set''
 The fish fries" were where old and young congregated. but the boys and girls never missed these exciting oc. casions. They were usually held in some grove near river or lake, and the men went early to catch enough fish to supply the dinner for all The women brought huge baskets loaded down with everything possible in the way of good things to eat, and some- times an organ would be brought along, a platform built. and to the music of fiddle and organ a dance would wind up the entertainment. All boats in the vicinity would be pressed into service, and the woods would :ng with the good times the folks were having. Impromptu swings would be installed, and the shrieks of the gtrls who were being hoisted heav.