The Greeley tribune., 1908-07-08
BEHIND SCENES
TRIBUNE GIRLS SEE CIRCUS
FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Human Side Of the Folks in Trunks
and SpAngles-Really Charm
ing People to Meet
at Home

Say. We found somebody Friday
who may eat off'n our meal ticket
any time she likes. We're for her,
strong We mean all us Tribune
people whom the big man who was
running things for the Sells-Floto
circus piloted out to the women's
tent. three quarters of an hour be-
fore the show began that night.
II was just coming dark as We
stumbled along our Wy over the
tramp;ed grass and TIE miseeiian-
eous assortment of guy ropes and
the wind was breathing down cold
off the range. The great, grey tents
half in darkness. biliowed and sway
ed. Supper was over and il was still
tO early to dress for the show so
everywhere in the shadows lounged
the groups whom We had seen. by
daylight. only in trappings and rouge
with tne fanfare and the calliope:
and by night light, in tinesl and
tights. But, bless US. If seen as We
saw them at night, those things of
gorgeousness and mystery didn't
look just like any common. ordinary
everyday mortals. A little keener
of eye perhaps than the average and
none of them were carrying a super
fluous ounce OF weight: but their
splendid muscles rippled unseen be-
meath the most ordinary OF clothes,
and they had effaced. at least ex-
ternally, every hint of their profess
sion.
Do you remember woman in the
first act-she was in the ring to the
right-who did stunt with a chair?
The chair part was the least remark
able thing about the performance but
il serves as sort OF marker for the
act. Well We saw that woman a half
hour before she went on and what
do you suppose she was DOING
Wearing plain, almost tacky- shirt
waist and skirt, she sat in the dim
light embroidering like any little old
maid 1t was not a pose assumed
either. she could embroider all right:
the silk flowers fairly blossomed un-
der her long, brown hands. They
say that all circus people are do
mestic in their tastes and we can be-
lieve it, after that. That act a half
hour later was thriller
And speaking of her reminds US
of the woman We started in to eu-
logize. and her name is Mrs Carroll
We couldn't get over our interview
with her all the evening. Every time
she came on, and she was on four
times. We grabbed each other en-
I Enthusiastically and pointed her out.
There she is; that's our little lady:
she's the one" And very sweet she
looked in her black velvet suit rid
ing her fat. wise horse: and a neryy
cowgirl she made; but that wasn't
! anything to what she was when we
saw her.
To begin with. she was a beauty.
pink skinned. limpid eyed and SPLEEN
didly feminine; and then she was as
low-spoken and as genuinely both
cred at having bunch OF reporters
quiz her as any litt.e nome-stayjnR
girl could have been. And above ali
she was lady and never smiled once
at all the ridiculous questions we
asked. and it was she who took us
to the women's tent
The most striking thing about
this tent was the orderliness that
| reigned there. When a person rem
embers how hard 1t Is for Mary and
Sister Sue to both get ready for
party though they have the whole
top floor and subseryient family
at their disposal, ii seems impossible
for fifty women to makeup" in an
ordinary tent. But they were doing
II: We saw them. Down both sides
of the tent and along the cehter
stretched rows OF square. black
trunks, each transformed into a
dressing table and there all the
! grand ladies We're attiring them
selves. Some of them were old
and too worldly wise but by far the