Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-05-18
CHAPTER Iv-fContinueal

five haacgi how some church folks
 feels towards us circus people. sir.
 an jes wanted you to know tEat
 there uin't tiper families or better
 mothers or fathers or grandfathcrs or
 grandmoshers anywhere than among us. Why, that girfs mother rode the
 horses afore her. an her mother afore
 that. an her grandmother an grand father afore that an there ain't no-
 body what's cared more for their good
 name an their children's good name an her people has. You see. sir. cir
 GUS folks is all like that. They's jes'
 like one big family. They tends to their business m takes good care of theirselves. They has to or they couldn't do their work. It's cause I'm
 leavin' her with you that I'm sayin'
 all thls," the old man apologiZed.
 I'm glad ycu told me. Toby" Douy- ias answered kindly. "Iye never known much about circus folss." 'I guess I'd better te gcin." Toby faltprrd as his eyes roved hungrily to- ward the stairway.
 "I'li send you our route. an mebbe you'll he lettin' us know how she is."
 ''Indeed. will.- Douglas assured him heartily.
 ''Ycu mi"ht tell her we'll write ever day CT so.'' he added.
 "Fll tell her" Douglas promised ear. nestly
 "Gocd niehtr' The cid man hesitat- ed. unwilling to go. but unable to find further pretest fer staying.
 '.Gocd night. Toby" Douglas ex- tended his hnnd toward the bent figure that was about to shuffie past him. The withered hand of the white faced clown rested In the strong rrasp of the nastor. and his pale little eyes sought the face cf the stalwart man before him. A numb desolation was growing in his heart. The object for which be had gone on day by day was being left behind. ard he must stumble forth into the nirht alone.
 "lt's hard to leave her" he num- bicd. but the show has got to go, ,on." The door shut out the bent. old fig ubFs bVu-iAS lW cOihS tAiIS where Toby had left him. still think Ing of his prophetic words. His rev erie was broken by the sounds of the departing wagons. the low muttered curses of the, drivers. the shrieking and roaring of the animals. as the cir GUS train moved up the distant hill. "The show has got to go on." he re- peated as he crossed to his study table and seated himself for work in the dim light of the old fashioned lamp. He put out one hand to draw the sheets of his interrupted sermon to- ward him. but instead it fell upon q small saiicr hat. He twisted the hat absent'y in his fingers, not yet realiz- ing the new order of things that was coming into his life. Mandy tiptoed softly down the stairs. She placed one pudgy foretinger on her lips and relied her large eyes skyward. Dat sure am an angel chile straight from heb ben" she whispered. She done got face jes' like Il little flower" Straight from heaven" Douglas re- peated as she crossed softly to the ta- ble and picked up the satchel and coat You can leave the lamp, Mandy. must finish tomorrow's sermon" She turned at the threshold and shook her head rather sadly as she saw the imprint of the days cares on the young pastors face.
 "YO' mus be pow'ful tired" she said.
 No. no; not at all. Good night. Mandy" She closed the door behind her, and Douglas was alone. He gaZed absent ly at the pages of his untiished sei-
 mon ns he tapped his idle pen on the desk. "rhe show has got to go on," he repeated. md far up the hillside with the slow moving wagons Jim and Toby looked with unseeing eyes into the dim. starlit distance and echoed the thought, ''The show has got to go on"