Evening star., 1914-01-25


his men, and lack, from the top OF potato
barrel. announced that everything was as
it should be- Wells & Howe were heading
their own parade in a skeleton buggy drawn
by two calico ponies. ducked through the
rear Of the store.
Sure those wheels arc fxed?" | asked the
negro driver Of the truck.
Boss. cf yo' breavcs ag inst dis yeah
wagon, she's jes' natchelly gwin ter bust
apart, he called down.
Then go ahead Turn sharp in front of
the storci Don't let anybody stop you!
Back against the curb and let her bust"
Its not often that any city, big or little,
gets a chance to see two circus cavalcades
in one dav Melrose and her unfricndly SIS
ter appreciated that this was bargain day;
for certainly there never before was SO big
a mob in either town. Our corner seemed
to be the center OF congestion when | rushed
out of the store. Over the heads of the
crowd, the top fringe of which was made up
of Youngsters held aloft by strong armed
elders, could see the not over clean plumes
of the horses drawing the band wagon, and
| struggled through the jam to get to the
edge If the main thoroughfare. Just as
reached it there came a ripping, cracking,
crunching sound, then thud. and knew
the driver had earned his pay.
Honestly, | never saw so many melons at
one time in my life. Few people have. How
they ever got on one truck | don't know.
Now they Uttered the street in every state
of luscious disclosure. Great rcd-meated
fellows, they smeared the pavement and
cutters, rolled good naturcdly between the
feet OF the popcorn-eating multitude, and
wabbled ludicrously in the two directions IN
which wabbling was possible, up and down
the parade street. One particularly juicy
one with a dripping red cash IN the side, a
veritable monster melon. struck the tore toot
of the off calico pony and may justly clam
credit for being the direct cause Of the sud
den halt of the highway procession OF the
Wells & Howe TranScontlnental Circus 4
international Congress OF Curios.
For halt it did. And down out of the skel-
eton buggy tunbled Messrs. Wells & Howe.
dispensers Of mild entertainment, infamous
lbes, and sulphurous blasphemy.
Hey. Chief! Whaddaya mean lettin'
that rube niger on this street with load o
melonso" yelled Wells to ol' man Halliday.
Wells appeared to be angry. and when he
got look at the wreck of the truck 1t was
easy to see that his appearance was not de-
ceiving.
"Whaddava irwin to run here, county
fair?~ he screamed. How do we get round
this melon patch' Oh, | see. Come on,
DcNS- 1tl III, bIil. 1iSIS w 81 ~ IiiS
right"
VIHEREUPON the band started to play
w again, the two showmen piled into
their carriage, and the parade started
through the crowd into the side street where
we had left that most beautiful of creatures,
Miss Dorothy McCann. That she was still
there was atteSted by the size and flavor Of
Wells language the moment the calico
ponies got through the jam. Stretching
from curb to curb was the big motorcar-
the streets are narrow in Melrosc. Texas.
In the drivers seat pretty Miss Dorothy
fused distractedly with the levers, while
the chauffeur. lying on his back in the dust,
poked viciously at the machinery with
handful Of tools. Dixon, his wife, and their
charming daughter peered anXiously over
the edge Of the tonneau. 1t was evident
that the car had broken down.
This undenablc fact. when it had pene-
trated the reinforced concrete of Wells
skull caused that already excited expert in
refined entertainments to burst into the
most extraordinary torrent Of picturesque
cusSing that | or any of the other auditors
ever heard. He swore by strange fish in the
sea, BY the mothers of Biblical characters of
note, and by the blinkety -blankcd offspring
Of the whole race Of CANNES that he had
never struck such misfit town.
Wait till he catches up with Petertonl'