Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-02-26
awaited the final curtain.

q W dlLtu tlIe ll!dI TAIN.
Quite evident it was that the baby
was i'll. 1t walled that weird, weak
little half-stifled tremolo which seems
to be their nearest and best imitation
of regular grown-up sobbing
Perhaps it was the cold February
wind that blew through the canvas
home and threatened now and again
to eXtinguish the tiny oil lamp or pos
sibly it was because of the fact that
the nourishment had been too often
interrupted-the mother having to
share both her time and strength be~
tween her child and a clamoring pub
lic-at any rate the baby refused 10
be quieted
A PierrOt-Painted Fathers Love.
Although it was very evident that
the Pierrot tried his best to be re-
markable funny and entertaining, the
waiting crowd grew restless, and the
semi-occasional cheering was dasulto-
ry at best. Finally, the father-alwavs
with one ear toward the two at the
smoking oil Notwithstanding of hts
own ability to hold the audience that
meant dimes and nickels when the
real show started, left the stage and
again took the baby from the mothers
arms
1t all came to an end as stage per-
formances invariably do, the audience
was small and the most that the pub
lie gave lin return was an occasional
laugh at this man who had made a
fool of himself and comments re-
gardng the woman that were more
personal than generous.
As for the man, he hurried back
. the coal-oil stove fireside of his fam
lily and while the mother tried to
quiet the sick child, hurriedly pre-
pared the evening meal And they
had to hurry as the first evening per-
Torrance comes close on the heels IF
the last of late afternoon. Again the
two repeated the program, the only
difference being that the pickering
lights at night made the tears of the
Pierrot look even more garish and the
artificial smile of the mother more
hopelessly CHASTITY than had the twi-
light of February afternoon.
And to the very close of the final
performance, the baby shared with
the public the love and attentions of
a Pierrot father and a painted mother.
When Tragedy Stands in the Wings.
1t was several days later that the
newspaperman again visited the car
nival and once more looked for this
tiny home of very crude comedy with
very real tragedy waiting in the wings.
But the little canvas theatre was gone,
nor were the two-not to mention the
baby-to be found among any of the
other shows before which strong-lung-
ed "spielers' issued their noisy invi-
tations.
Whether the baby-who in no way
belonged to the public-or that same
tickle, variable public that refused 10
respond to the efforts of this strolling
Pierrot and painted Columbine, were
for the departure none
seemed to know. 1t happens that they
were strangers and had simply been
attracted to Americas by the an
nouncement of the carnival and the
hopedfor chance of strengthening a
family eXchequer which was evidently
with the needs of a sick
child.
Such is the story of one of but many
every day tragedies, replete with more
real dramatic possibilities than either
a Pinero or Belasco could invent,
that selected Americas for it's setting
only to again become lost in track
less trail that belongs to those who
make this profession their own.
Although there are some, who, had
they known, would have said that these
two having selected this kind of a life
must abide the consequences, happily,
such is not the case in Americas. But
this little family knew
Of the precedent established
by Americas, a precedent which may
be counted on to recognize the surrow
of even a Pierrot-painted father or
comfort the aching heart and relieve
the necessities of a loving mother and
child with surroundings no more at
tractive or conventional than those
found in the canvas home and oil-stoye
fireside that belong to life ION the
road"