Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-04-26
BLIND KIDS
see" CIRCUS
In Chicago They Feel the Elephants
Owned by Ringing Brothers and
Guess How Big They Are
GROUP ALSO WONDER
AT OTHER MARVELS
Only When the Band Plays Do the
Little Folks Come Into Their
Own
(Chicago Daily News)

=
girls and little blind boys. They
jumped up and down on the sidewalk
outside the Coliseum. They we're go
ing to the circus. They laughed and
clutched at their bags Of peanuts.
They were going to feed the ele'
plants. The teachers from the Eel
senthal, Erickson and jain public
schools called:
"sh-h, you'll nurt yourselves, chill
dren."
The doors were opened and the
blind "kids" walked eagerly into the
sawdust covered arena. They drew
in their breath with quick, happy
smiles. They leaned over and felt
the sawdust with tender, sensitive
fingers. Then they felt the rings"
and laughed. George Che with the
UldCh SldooSo " P1ONOA1 AOc@uhSA001
cried, "Oh!" and listened. A faint
echo came back.
"It's big place." he said and Stun
bled over one of the guy ropes. He
stood up laughing, feeling the rope
eagerly. The circus man led the
blind urchins into the menagerie.
Elephants" Fritz cried.
The circus man brought out three
elephants, great big, hulking beasts.
TrembIe at Things Unseen
Why couldn't they see the ele-
plants, or the camels, or the clowns,
or the lovely women who sat on the
sleek black horses. The little blind
kids stood trembling before the things
they couldn't see. They shivered and
laughed, and then great big ele-
phant came forward
There was something curious about
Nellie, the great big elephant. Her
little, beady eyes stared this way and
that at the visitors. She swung her
trunk. The tip of her trunk touched
Harry's coat. Harry shivered. Harry
is ten. Harry has been blind
since the day he was born. The great
big elephant touched Harry's coat with
the tip of her trunk and reached for
his hand. Maybe this elephant was
browsing for peanuts. Maybe she felt
there was something odd about
Harry. Elephants are strange beasts.
Anyway this elephant started to cir
Gle Harry with her trunk and the cir
Gus man said:
"She wants to lift you UP and give
you ride"
And she did. And there sat Harry,
the elephant turning her head to look
at him, and Harry feeling Industrious
ly of the brutes back with his sensi-
tive eager fingers.
They Feel the Elephants
Soon all the little blind "kids" were
feeling the elephants with their fin
gers, running them over the beasts
eyes and trunks and ears. One OF
them, Billy, could only reach as high
as the middle of the elephants leg.
Here his fingers stopped and a look OF
amazement came over his face.
'Is he bigger'n a house?" inquired
Billy.
"Is he bigger'n a horse?" inquired
Sadie.
"Is he old? His skins all wrinkled. -
inquired Bess.
Harry, on top of the great big ele-
plants back, laughed down upon the
ether blind kids.
"Way up! Way up!" he cried.
Then the midgets came out The
blind kids felt their features and mar
veled. And another marvel was that
they guessed the ages of the midgets
within a year or two each time. Then
the lovely lady on the horse dismount-
ed and the blind kids felt her fea.
lures. And Sadie drew in her breath
and whispered:
"Oh, what lovely, lady and what
nice clothes"
Then the band played and the blind
kids clapped their hands and laughed
laughed until even Ringing Broth
ers' clowns turned away and wiped
fhnir ayes