The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-03-05

and 1t 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 then he would become
angry If the remotest reference was
made to these Maynard impulses.
"Oh, mister can we speak 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.
ave want to know if we can hire
your clown?"
swell, that's good! !" decided tne ring
master. ''What for nowT"
"Our circus"
"Ohl rival in the field, hey?'' raj
lied Espey. "And where may this cir
Gus of yours be?"
"Down in a lot, next to Mrs. Dan
iePs house." was explained hurriedly,
and with 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
10 criu ,rfe
"She's fairyw piped up 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 tiny one" went on
the spokesman of the party. "We've
got quite a program. l swallow a
sword. Dick Brown does some sOmer-
saults Ned Bates walks 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
a 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 side tent lodged a iolly-faced
lump of rotundity.
"Who says itY rollicked the same.
"Sick girl, boy friends getting up a
show for the little lady? What time
on the boards, kids?'
"Two o'clock, sir" explained the
spokesman of the group. "Oh, hope
you can comet"
Come? l wouldn't miss it for fifty
dollarsl 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.
should say it! Don't worry, Espey,"
continued the clown. waving a reassur-
ing hand to the ringmaster. sit don't
cost you anything. and the stunt will
be 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 show
especially for her edificatiOn. Eva was
all excitement and expectancy. She
was kept busy bowling and smiling and
throwing kisses as "the actors" finally
came into the ring. She clapped her
little hands in the fullness of innocent
spontaneous delight as "the star per-
formers of the group went through
their amateur stunts.
Then Eva seemed translated into
fairyland. The clown had kept his
wcrd. More than that, he had added
the feature of music to the enter
tainment, for just as the lads had
performed their share of the function,
two members of the circus band, play
ing comets, appeared on the scene,
and, keeping march time to the march
they delivered, the clowns daughter,
all radiant with tulle and tinsel, drove
slowly into the ring, seated in her
gilded chariot, white ribbon lines
guiding the two snowy ponies.
/ And then, the wonder of wonders for
/ Eva, into the ring bounded the clown.
Oh, but he was funnyl and oh, the
rapturous delight of Eva and the out
side audience, as Napoleon Bonaparte
/
mule who chased his master in a cir
Gle, toppled him over the ropes, threw
him off his back and danced about
him on his own hind feetl
Never was so much delight crowded
into the space of a single hour, and
the child wonder of the white ponies
came into the room where Eva was,
and kissed her, and presented her
with great overlooking bag of pea
nuts, pop corn and candy, and the
clown made speech to Eva's actor
friends, and the air rang with the &C
carnations of the Juvenile group.
$50 you're back from your grand
philanthropic excursion, are your
hailed the ringmaster, as the clown
reappeared on the circus grounds.
eyes, what's your interest, EspeyP
challenged the clown keenly. "Say
you're not by any means the gruff ole
bear you pretend to be, and If you hac
seen all the good a little attention tC
the poor and lowly has worked out
you'd come out of that close shell OF
yours. Look here, I've given a pass
to that odd dozen amateur actors fol
tomorrow night. See that it's hon
ored, will your"