New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-22
Sawdust Impressions
By A. r. Ferguson

the sawdust 70 make 1t real esrs,,
And the barker in front Of the sideshow ~.
That's where you get the honest-to-goo6,..
,ut-and-out, back-to-the-old-town circus W.
hey don't even have a parade here in v.
York. What, may / ask, in the words Of A..
sterling patriot Cyrus Corntassel, is e,...
without a pee-rade, forming at Fourth a.
Main streets at 10 a. m. sharp, be sur. a.,
come early to get your places on the eurbsb,.
line of march down Main Street to the p0v
Office, twice around the square and M q.
turnpike to the fair grounds?
went up to Madison Square Garden a.
other evening to renew my early acquantap,.
with the sawdust ring, 10 see if couldn't s,a
something to remind me of the good old TIM,
when the audience was more part Of u.
show than the ringmaster himself Il VA,
hard looking.
Inside the arena the circus was going a,
The programmes had the same line Of thrillir,
remarks about the death-daring performape,
on the flying rings, the marvellous fests q,
the man-monkey and the monkey-man enter.
tanned in the intervening spaces, tell hsn
apart and you will be given one hve-cent cisr
upon application at the box Office. But il didn't
look the same in reality.
stood it as long as I could. Every tin.
started to yell some one in the adjoining boz
who looked like German spy, scowled a. ne
in a threatening manner 1t was no use. After
a while gave it up and went out To look for
something human.
It was very dark and very quiet down In Ii.
basement where they store the animals. Most
of them were asleep, there being no small chill.
dren present 10 feed them peanuts and tickle
their backs with straw when the guards weren't
looking. There were whole line Of elephants
standing stock still or picking up whiffs Of hay
with their trunks. Now, that is very unnatural
in elephants. OF course they should have been
swaying from side to side, and now and again
raising their trunks to emit blood-curdinr
below. Not even neigh came from the buck
ing broncos.
was about to give it up and go home when
I bethought me of the freaks. Their room vas
practically empty. In the corner was little
group in front of which two or three couples
stood with gaping mouths. They looked IN.
terested. | joined them.
The Fattest Man in the World THAT is, one
of the fattest-it seems there were two OF then
in the immediate vicinity was holding
checker board in his lap. while the Smallest
Man in the World, clothed in the Smallest
Dress Suit in the World, was sitting opposite
him in a very large chair. He was playing the
Smallest Game of Checkers in the Werd. You
could tell that from the fact that there were
onlv two of his men left on the board TO about
ten of his opponents.
Its your move" remarked the Fattest Man
in the World Chat is, one OF them) IN per-
fectly ordinary voice.
an get king, anyway" returned ms
Smallest Man in the World, just as you or
would say it, if we were getting beaten 70
fragile at checkers.
1t was sheer bravado. In two moves It was
all over, and the Fattest Man in the World zone
of them you know tumbled the board into ne
lap of the Smallest Man in the World WIN
laugh that didn't sound any different from NE
one you use when you rake in pot on SUNDAY
morning early.
The Smallest Man in the World climbed u
use the word advisedly) down from his pe''n
and the Fattest Man in the World 1.-THE twin Ol
the other one) put his feet up on 1t. "ne,V
upon the Smallest Man in the World pulled 'n'
chair out from under them. 1t was real cue
of him. Moreover, didn't think he coaia %
lit But he did.
Then he jumped around behind 'h'
Fattest Man in the World always rememue',
ing the existence of the other one) ana ucAi''
his thighs. 1t was great sport
By this time Lady Little, who was near,
lost in blue wrapper which would go aO0u'
half way around my two-year-old, haa COW
to the rescue. She rose to her full neisns y
eighteen inches beside the knee Of the glAn'
who covered her with an appealing hand :.
"You wouldn't let him hurt me, would you
he pleaded.
mot on your life" said she. ~,
/ don't see how any one could have res'"es
her. standing there on her doll-like feet css'
in tiny silk slippers with her pink cheeks svs.
ing like two holly berries underneath her g0os-
hair, arranged in the latest style bu' -
Smallest Man in the World refused 70 hs-,,
her. He gave the Fattest Man in the nv.
(who has only one counterparD JaO
place he couldn't reach on account OF MS s''s
and sent him plodding in an elephantins
toward the platform where the freaks 's'.
"Wel, it's about time for US to CLIMB w
the stage" said a deep rumbling voice '"-
nearly knocked the Smallest Colored Lazy
Earth off the camp stool at my side. Inc VII
I.l..4.0I 10 thn TnIlnst Man In EXlStenee =