The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-22


M@ #8M size, and his son, just out from college,
#A 4&M came into the ownership Young Spey-
III SEkS encroft did not know enough to qualify
MS as Candy Butcher. He able to recog-
WGM nize his own ignorance, however, and
%a noting the ability of Bender, careful
I'D man who had been identified with all his
fathers interests, allowed him to remain
IN charge Between them they struggled to conserve
and to disspate the profits Bender had to do with the
first clause of this arrangement, and the show made
its d-tes amid anxiety.
Young Speyencroft possessed many faults, the worst
of which finally showed in lack of respect for his
own peop1e-those upon whose fahfulness and energy
the existence OF the business depended This large
family was composed of many smaller ones, and of
these component parts the most important was Joes
Though the "Aeria1 Autons" really mixed bunch
of Smiths and Johnsons and one of the Cenaur Sis
ters simply Murphey Joe plain Joe all the time
and no one ever referred his little group save as
Toes family" It was all his own, and when the
grease paint washed off and the spangles and scar
let folded in the costume chests Joe's family re-
NAMED intact, while the others became Murpheys and
Johnsons and what not
The "farnily" not so large as it had been on a
time Before the opening of this chapter Joes W1fe
had been put of the business by the swapping OF
acutch during sack-wire turn and after period
I'M the hospital oe seeing tragedy in approach
ing telegraph boy) she left the care of the family to
hin-hat the telegraph boy eventually arrived
and Toe spoiled his makeup IN violent weeping
OF the family remaining Minnie and Cesar and
Bill. Minnie Joe's daughter, and she had puny
start in the world when compared with other girls AT
of the telegraph boys Sne Doe11
sixteen with her mothers yellow hair and blue eyes
promising vaguely what she would be like some day
And now that years had passed the hair had
ripened to rudder gold and the eyes were darker
and in much she splendid reproduction OF the
woman who had been.
Cesar and Bill were the two solemn mouse-colored
Joe had adopted before his entering the show
business. He acquired them during futile twelve
month spent in prospecting and the stod-look-
ing creatures waggng their long epecant ears IN the
same way fitted the act in sawdust ring as well as
they had packed his grub across Arizona Following
head to tall grave procession, they were perfect
fcn for a clown
That was Joes part. He was only clown. But
the white mbecility of him at the ringside thoroughly
disguised the real joe the head of the family, who
would walk the fields Sunday mornings carry
ing wild flowers when the tall girl could find any to
pluck This family Joe was a mId-hearted, simple
man with humorous wrinkles pickering about tired
ewes vet man of astonishing ninbleness despite the
age his gray hair proclaimed. Now with the powder
rubbed and splash of red paint daubng his nose
(vhere tried balance the feather), he was the
clown alive capering, laughing vacant of all
save n1irt Young Speyencroft had noticed him dur
ING performances and had remarked that he was a
good Clown He had walked over the fields with
the real joe
The second uncomfortable epoch in Joe's life was
kprz1ded bv no telegraph boy and when Minnie
disappeared He learned after seepiess night that
she had gone off with young Speyencroft. Somehow
on other Joe corId view this happening others
did Spgencroft rich-wty he owned complete
Guilt and they had always said Joes Minnie would
ID measure such worldly things. They said he could
soon be manager, if he would, and have his
the bf1ls, too doubt Joe said nothing. His had
been ehlds belief in his and himself, and one
cannot injure the dignity of child without arousing
hat which forces the Such sudden growth in a
child clown, is bad. Joe scarcely listened to the
aood-nat1red comment A clown has made SO much of
ruifth of nothing at all he grows suspicious of
rood fortune. And a matter of fact, except for
che brief little note announcing Mnnies decision to
hfna ne had not heard from her.
Young Speyencroft did the show. The
Anxs drifted away, and Bender continued to
are It no doubted that he received orders by mail
from the owner off somewhere other.
Zoe resented being left out of the equation. He
brooded over this for quite some time during which
his ace 4otceably suffered Then night, when the
last curious folk had left the lot long after he had
washed I'D and could have been IN bed, he seen
Foitering about. There light in the managers
little tent and Joe knew that Bender would be there
balancing days receipts perhaps writing
kfnf Meanwhile Joe making up his clowns mind.
Ven little bufoonery showed in him when he strobe
auicly of the dark and stood at the tents flap.
The manager looked up to serious face, the lines
of it drawn and aged the wrinkles around Joes
having no htarnor left in their Fuckers. He did
smile greeting, but said, in of fat determine
ton:
sr've come over TO have talk with you, Bender.
Now there were few people Of the show who pre-