Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-15
Copyright. 1917. western Newspaper Union.)

Copyright. 1877. western Newspaper Union.)
Gurdon Espey, ringmaster of Sill
ery's Great Circus, flecked the ear of
a water boy who had stumbled over a
rope with the tip of his long-lashed
whip, and gave the urchin a quarter
to mend his bawling. He caught a
stake man drinking out of a bottle,
seized the offending vessel and
smashed it against a plank.
you're discharged, no tippling
here p roared the neat and nifty king
of the sawdust circle.
fought to have known better" re-
marked a hustler to the culprit. Hes
dead down on the hard drink. They
say he goes clear around a block to
keep from passing a saloon, he hates
them so. Espey is a queer one-bet
he's had a history"
Yes, Gurdon Espey had a history,
and it had climaxed in making him
the odd makeup of humanity he was,
Strictness and severity were strangely
mixed with the most generous of in
stinets. And hen he would become
angry if the remotest reference was
made to these hayward impulses.
"Oh, mister! can we speak a word
with your hailed the ringmaster as
he came outside of the big tent, and
Espey turned, with his habitual scowl,
to be confronted by twelve boys rang
ing in age from eight to twelve years ;
their leader acting as spokesman.
"What is it?" he snapped out, al
ways on the suspicious alert for appli-
cations for free passes, runaways anx-
ious to join the circus, cut-rate nui-
sances, and the like.
"We want to know if we can hire
your CLOWN"
"Well, that's good !" decided the ring
master. what for now?"
sour circus"
"Ohl a rival in the field, hey?' rail-
lied Espey. "And where may this cir
Gus of yours be?"
ieIs house." was explained hurriedly,
and with a certain spice of pride. "You
see, mister, little Eva Daniels has been
sick for a long time. Now she's just
able to sit up. And we all love her
so much, and it's her birthday, and we
want to give her a surprise"
"She's a fairy !" piped up a little fell
low of eight.
mo, she's just an angel" supple
mented a companion.
"We've made a sawdust ring just
like yours, only a tiny one," went on
the spokesman of the party. We've
got quite a program. I swallow a
sword. Dick Brown does some somer-
saults. Ned Bates walks a clothesline
tight-rope. OF course, they're poor
stunts, so we want to hire your clown
for about an hour, to make Eva laugh
and feel good"
do you happen to know how much
q clown costs?" Intercepted the ring
master.
mo, sir, but we've got six dollars
and fifty cents among us. You see, we
all get fifty cents from our parents to
come to your circus tonight, and poor
little Eva can't be moved this far, so
we've put our money together to hire
the clown, and give Eva a real good
time"
Nothing doing" growled Espey,
starting to pass on his way, when out
of a side tent lodged a jolly-faced
lump of rotundity.
"Who says it?" rollicked the same.
"Sick girl, boy friends getting up a
show for the little lady? What time
does this greatest show on earth come
on the boards, kids?"
"Two o'clock, sir" explained the
spokesman of the group. "Oh, I hope
you a comet"
"Come? / wouldn't miss it for fifty
dollars! I'll be there in regular trim,
and my trick donkey, Napoleon Bona
parte, and my little girl-for I've got
one, bless her-in her gold chariot,
driving two milk-white ponies. I
should say It'll Don't worry, Espey,"
continued the clown, waving a reassur-
ing hand to the ringmaster. "It don't
cost you anything, and the stunt will
be a famous advertisement for our own
show. See?"
Mrs. Alice Daniels was one of the
poorest persons in the town, but every
body liked her and respected the mod
est, ladylike seamstress who had come
to the little village a few years pre-
vious. AS to little Eva, the Widows
child, she was one of those lovely be-
ings who weave themselves closely into
the hearts of, all on first sight. The
noble sacrifice of her boy friends evil
denced the power of witchery and love
which the little convalescent univer-
sally inspired.
Her mother had propped her up in a
chair looking out upon the open lawn
and the lot beyond, telling her that her
rare boy friends had got up a show
especially for her edification. Eva was
all excitement and expectancy. She
was kept busy bowling and smiling and