Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-14
All LEE BUNG SEES THE CIRCUS

ella Thorne added her pretty laugh to the
others; but Tommy Oliver was not so easy.
"The funny thing about clowns, he said,
us that they can go along 50 many years
and pick up so little stuff. When | was two
years old and Father took me to my first
circus, there was clown doing that dyna-
mite trick, just like the person out there.
Everything in the circus is enterprlsing ex-
cept the clowns. Circus men go all over the
world picking up novelties in wire walkers,
tumblers, equestrians. They even discover
new animals for the menagerie. But the
clowns stand pat on the same old stunts,
forty years without a change OF costume.
No wonder SO many of EN- drink
"You dear old grouch!" said Cecilia hope
fully. "Don't give up yet. Maybe the
clowns will spring a surprise on us this time.
ooh, don't worry A troop of clowns
wouldn't know surprise if it bounced at
them right in the middle of the ring. If a
real comedian should jump in and"
RIM-BAM! With shrek and clatter
= and a jabber of strange dialects, two
grotesque figures crawled under the grand
stand seats and galloped into the ring, in
wonderfully realistic, yet undeniably comic,
game of tag The man ahead, yellow faced
and staring eyed, was dressed in laughable
approximation of white mans clothes; while
the man in pursuit, who waddled comically
as he ran, was large and fat and CARRIED 50
like a Chinaman you could not tell him from
the real thing Here was, indeed, a novelty
in Glowing! And the audience was not
chary of appreciation. An inextinguishable
gale of laughter filled the main tent as the
little man. running straight into the midst OF
the conventional clowns, stumbled over the
box labeled dynamite attempted to re-
cover his balance, but went down again as
his adversary, armed with convenient slap
stick, swung like an executioner and landed
the blade noisily on the back of the little
mans neck loud laughter.)
3Sang. fol, mee-ah ting goo!' protested the
small comedian, lying prone on the sawdust.
thunderously. rounds of unrestrained
mirth)
"Gee those fellers can initiate Chinks.'
spluttered a fat enthusiast just behind
Tommy Oliver.
All this occurred in trivial space of time,
the mysterious comedians now rolling over
and over in hand to hand struggle, while
the audience screamed and held its collective
sides. Here was the Clown Act Beautiful,
the novelty a circus going public had been
waiting for these many generations. The
more they jabbered, struggled, and tore each
others clothing the more the audience
laughed. Outshone by the splendid exhibit
ton, the old-fashioned clowns moped to one
side. unnoticed.
The comedy fight in the center ring was
now reaching a ridiculous climax. Suddenly
the larger of the two, he who wore the
Chinese makeup, seized the little one by
the coattails and forcefully peeled the coat
and waistcoat from off his back. The little
one sought to escape; but his punishment
was not yet complete With yell of tri-
umph the victor grasped the victim by the
neckband Of his shirt and shook him till the
all too generous garment slipped over his
head and he fell out of it, much as shaken
pillow falls out of pillowcase. With howl
of well simulated rage and pain the smaller
man, withered and yellow in his semi
denuded condition, fed and escaped under
the reserved seats, whence he came. He did
not respond to an encore, although the audi
ence clamored, peal on peal
The able comedian in the Chinese garb
hardened not to the salvos. He stood awhile