Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-11-27

| ried In to save her three important
seats.
"Hush. Jimmyr' objected BlaCAie
reaching down to buy a handful Of
balloons. Il don't care for business
unless l can combine pleasure with it.
I'm glad we're here. want to go to
the circus. want to be an Innocent
youth again and short change rube"
"Thats what You were doing the first
time ! met you" mused Walllngford,
smiling at the look Of perplexity in the
blue eyes Of Violet Warden. Since
these two careless and jovlal soldiers
Of fortune had undertaken to get back
the millions which had been stolen
from the Warden orphans Violet and
Fannie had been In constant state
Of bewilderment over their new
friends. you were the finest shell
worker, Blackle, that ever cleaned up
county fair. Run away, Miss Violet.
Here comes Bogger.'
There was mad scramble when the
dinner bell rang, but Wallingford and
Blackle found seats waiting for them,
three tilted chairs being held firmly by
the hands of Fannie Warden. They
sat down. leaving the middle chair va
cant. Fannie, keeping sharp eye on
the door, ran to meet Elias the minute
he came In, led him to the vacant chair
and seated him trlumphantly,
Elias was n spare man, considerably
past middle age, whose leathery face,
In its queer pattern OF bronze cheeks
and white jowls, betrayed that his now
natty goatee had but recently been
whiskers. His sparse, long top hair
was combed carefully over the spot
which had tendency to become bald,
and his neck moved about SO uncom.
fortably In his high collar that 1t was
certain he had not long endured the
things,
Fine day for the circus" he said TO
Walllngford in hasty, little high
pitched voice, having inspected all the
ladies In the room.
Wallingford, laying back to study
Bogger, left the conversation to
Blackie,
Back in eighty-four, ON July II, to
be more exact, we had Just such anoth-
er day for circus as this, and none
since until now" Blackie stated.
you don't sayp' exclaimed Elias,
very much impressed by Blackie's &C,
curacy. "You must be an old circus
man. Is this your circus, maybep
mot this one" explained Blackie
'apologetically, paying no attention to
Wallingford's frown; ut belongs to my
friend, p. Il. Barnes" and he waved
his hand suavely in the direction Of
Walllngford. j. Rufus bowed In re.
luctant acknowledgment as one bored
to be known Of strangers. Mr.. Bogger
Inspected him with becoming awe.
Must be lot of money in circus"
suggested Mr.. Bogger with u question.
Ing glance at Wallingford.
"Moneyp said Blackie, with wide.
ly expressive wave of his hand, and
then he lowered his voice to an ex.
tremely confidential tone. "Clrcuses
make so much money" he went on,
that over twenty years ago 1t was
found necessary to form the circus
trust, not to make more money, but to
keep circuses from taking all the mon.
ey out Of circulation Now nobody Is
allowed to start new circus. There
are only twenty-five, large and small
permitted in the United States, and the
only way to get one Is to buy one"
"They must cost lot" guessed the
other man.
well, no." returned Blackle. "The
price Is standardized. CIrcuses run
from $4,000 to $5000,000. This one
for Instance, Is a $4,000 one, being
known In the business as a Class @
show, and Mr.. Barnes would lay him.
self open to severe penalties IL he ask. |
ed more for It."
Walllngford looked properly gloomy,
He was really So
"There's so much money IN the bust. |
ness that no man is permitted to own
q circus longer than ten years"
Blackle went ON. even IL he hasn't |
made enough to suit him by that time
he Is compelled to sell out and give
some one else chance"
"Yon don't sayp exclaimed Elias,
thoughtfully stroklng the whlskers
which were not there, and he gazed at
Blackle quite earnestly for some mo.
ments. Then he went on with his
neal
I'D like to buy circus" said he to
Blackle after awhile.
"Can you furnish Al credentlals?"
demanded Mr. Daw, with trace OF
severity And now he saw that Wal.
lngford was listening with eager
thoughtfulness.
Everybody around here knows ELIAS
Bogger,' returned the other between
bites Of pie. 'l'ye got the money, too
hat IL, to buy Il Glass O circus. My
wife died last winter, and sold the
farm l made little money on rail-
road deal, too,' and his eyes narrowed
-"Sl0,000w
IL see" said Blackle, with glance
It Walllngford. "What you want IL
business that Is safe, makes an enor-
nous profit and lets you have a lot OF
'un all at the same time. You're n sly
I'D dog, can see that"
mot 80 very old" quickly protested