The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-10
Going to the Circus

around and saw the stacks of ham
burgers in the glass cases, and the
long rows of red and yellow pop
in their blue bottles, and the piles
of cracker-jack packages (prize
and otherwise) our hearts gave
such a jump we almost lost them,
for we realized that we were really
going to the circus; in fact, we
could see the big tent just on
ahead.
OF course we had seen the pa
rade that morning, but that was
just tease. Now we were going
to the real thing.
See the httlest headed people
in all the world! Tiny heads, no
bigger that pinheads!" "And the
latest woman that was ever
scent" Watch the monkeys be-
fore the big show starts!"
Between the rows of side shows
whose managers were calling these
things we went gleefully on down
TO the big tent.
Aw-raw- a-ah-rah, came terrible
roar, and as we turned around to
see what had aroused the great
lion from Africa we just missed
getting a good soaking which the.
hippopotamus wanted to give us to
make US look at him. The idea Of
our standing in front Of his cage
and looking at the lions! The idea
was unthinkable! So he just
turned over. But that was enough
considering that his tank in the
beautiful red cage that belongs to
him has to be refilled after he has
turned over three times like that.
"He rolls like q weed!" said Mr..
Ellis, one of the men who has a
great deal to do with the show.
"Oh, he's young yet. Only twenty
five years old, and they live to be
a hundred"
He spoke highly of Mr.. Hippo's
good disposition, and said that
what he especially liked to eat
was bran and hay.
On and on around the animal
tent we went, seeing the lions and
leopards, who never eat anything
but meat, and the handsome Ben
gal Tigers (they know they are
handsome, too, they are so proud
and indifferent) who eat eighteen
pounds of meat at the only meal
they have a day.
The sacred COW of Egypt blinked
at us, too, as II to say, Il really
cannot talk to you. Just consider
my family if you please. Why, my
ancestors, thousands Of years ago
were the very same animals that
were sacrificed In the wonderful
temple in Jerusalem way back In
Old Testament times. Good after
noon"
But the little monkeys next door
to this aristocrat played on In the
same happy way. They are al
ways very democratic.
When Mr.. Ellis was asked what
the long necked, great eyed os-
triches ate, he laughed and an
swered, "Oh, they eat everything.
Nails, glass-but we usually feed
them hay and alfalfa. 1t Is funny
to see whole orange go wriggling
down their long threats"
The "Heinies" were funny too.
They were the little animals that
were brown with black stripes,
hat looked partly Like Zebras and
partly like burrows. They were
very fierce at first, but now are
anne enough to draw wagons In
he parade.
The shaggy old camels, chewing
heir hay back and forth, or rath-
n from side to side eyed us indif-
erently. "They can stand any
hing" Mr.. ELLIS said.
But best OF ALL and last came
he elephants, great awkward ele-
,hants, tapping their ears and
'egging for peanuts In a most hui
nan way. There was Snyder. the
eader of the herd, the worst and
he biggest, who led his herd out
( the tent and into the city at
ocean Park, California. upsetting a
,arber pole and having q very
God time, until his keeper caught
i'm. Then there were Missouri Q
nd Kansas, that are called mo"