Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-11-21

smile. Tell the story, then; If you
were an Odyssey, you couldn't be too
long"
"The first thing I remember is wax
ing up to feel the car jerked, or
stopped. or started and seeing lights
flash past the windows-lanterns of
the brakemen, or lamps of some town,
dancing along the track. The sleeping
car was home-the only home l knew.
All night long there was the g~roaning
of the wheels, the letting off of steam,
ers had their private train, and moth
er and l lived In our Pullman car. Aft
er a while l knew that folks stared at
us because we were different from 9TH
ers. We were show-people. Then the
thing was to look like you didn't know,
or didn't care. how much people
stared. After that. I found out that l
had no father: he'd deserted mother,
and her uncle had turned her out of
doors for marrying against his wishes,
and she'd have starved IL 1t hadn't
been for the s~how-people."
Dear Franz" whispered Abbott ten
derby.
Mother had gone to Chicago, hoping
for a position in some respectable Of
fee, but they didn't want a typewriter
who wasn't a stenographer. 1t was
winter-and mother had mel was so
little and badl . In a cheap
lodging house. mother got to know La
GArfuotkf nnd chn Aar1sn6nd nathan
to wait with her for the season to open
up, then go with Bounder Brothers;
they were wintering In Chicago. 1t
was such a kind of life as mother had
never dreamed of, but 1t was more
convenient than starving, and she
thought it would give her a chance to
find father-that travelling, all over the
country. La Confetti was a lion
tanner, and that's what mother learned,
and those two were the ones who
could go inside Samson's cage. The
life was awfully hard, but she got to
like it, and everybody was kind to US,
and money came pouring in, and she
was always hoping to run across q clue
to my father-and never did"
She paused, but at the pressure of
Abbott's sympathetic hand, she went
on with renewed courage:
when l vas big enough, l wore a
tiny black skirt, and a red coat with
shiny buttons, and I beat the drum
in the carnival band. You ought to
have seen me-so little. . Abb
bolt, you can't imagine how little |
was! We had about a dozen small
shows in our company, fortune-tellers,
Ministries, magic wonders, and all that
-and the band had to march from one
tent to the next, and stand out in front
and play. to get the crowd in a bunch,
SO the free exhibition could work on
their nerves. And I'd beat away, in
my red coat and there were
always the strange faces, staring. star
ing-but / was sc littlel Sometimes
they would smile at me, but mother
had taught me never to speak to any
one, but to YEA a glazed look like
this
How frightfully coldl" Abbott
shivered. Then he laughed, and go die
Fran. They had entered Littleburg
He added wickedly: And how dread
fully near we are getting to your
home"
Fran gurgled. wouldn't Grace Noil
just die if she could see us!"
That sobered Abbott; considering
his official position, it seemed high
time for reflection.
Fran resumed abruptly. But I new
err really liked it because what l want
ed was a home-to belong to some
body. Then | got to hating the bold
stare of peoples eyes, and their fool
ish gaping mouths, I hated being al
ways on exhibition with every gesture
watched, as If I'd been one of the
trained dogs. / hated the public. ]
wanted to get away from the world
clear away from everybody
like | am now -. with you. Isn't
1t greatl"
Mammoth" Abbott declared, wa
tering her words with liberal magma
ton.
II must talk fast, or the Gregory
house will be looming up at us
Mother taught me all she knew, though
she hated books; she made herself
think she was only in the show life
till she could make a little more-al
ways just a little more-she really
loved it, you see. But I loved the
books-study-anything that WASH
the show. 1t was kind of friendly
when l began feeding Samson"
Poor little Nonpareili" murmuret
Abbott wistfully.
"And often when the show was be
ing unloaded, I'd be stretched out In
MMngM