The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-06-11

But he only bristles back at me
and flashes slip of paper Where's
your husband?' he says. This cheek
is phony! He better make it good
or I'll get him. he says. was scared
to death, but 1 didn't let Cohn see it.
| He's not here l told him If You
want him, go find him.! And | shut
the door in his face and crawled back
into bed, shaking like l had fit.
didn't have any idea what the fracas
was all about, so when Freddy came in
lookin' sort of rumpled and blear-eyed,
about three A. NJ, l asked him about
it. But he only twisted his mouth
around with nasty grin he'd been
displayin' lately, and said it was a
shame that person Of his tempera-
ment was forced to associate with
such low-brow scum as Coin and old
Pat Dixon; but of course, seeing it
was for my sake, he could manage to
overlook it, although it panied his
sensitive nature. He growled about
having to get up at four, too, claiming
it was injuring his health not to get
his proper rest, never thinkin' about
me havin' to do five turns every show,
not countin' the parade.
mister, 1 must have been lot
meeker than I am now, for l never
said a word, but listened to Freddy's
complaints until the clerk banged on
the door, and we had to dress and
drag down to the lot in the cold fog
and dark We rode on an extra seat
in seat wagon, and at the bad hills
everybody was supposed to get off and
walk to rest the horses. But Freddy
wouldn't walk. He always stuck to his
seat, payin no attention to the drivers
insultin' remarks about carryin' statu-
airy and set pieces, though I was
ashamed, and slid down and footed il
through the mud
Coin up one hill, found myself
walkin aling side Cohn, and the way
he cut his eye around at me, l knew
he was still mad. When a man is
mean he's poison, so I decided I'd
better try to square things for fear
something unpleasant might happen
to Freddy Bell. So looks at him real
friendly, and asks him, How much is
that check wrote for, Cohni
| HE gives me mean look and says
it's for enough to put that little cutey
of mine where no dust wont mar his
appearance if he don't cover it might
| quick! l asked him how he happened
to have it and he give me pityin'
look, like he thought l was an awful
fool, and says that Freddy paid it to
him on debt, but that it had been
protested, and it wasn't squared there
would be nineteen kinds of trouble!
Finally he let me see the check ana
discovered that it was signed r. M.
Hawkins which is Freddy's father!
Even then l didn't see any light, mis-
ter! l only dug down in my poor,
emaciated crouch bag and fshed out
twelve dollars and sixty cents to
square it with Cohn, and folded up
the check with forty cents had left
"That day it rained.
Now, a rainy day never stops work
for circus people 1t only makes work
harder and cuts the money short, and
naturally everybody gets crouch and
snarls at everybody else. Before the
top was up and the seats laid out, old
Pat Dixon was nappin' around like Il
famished crocodile, and all the rough
necks was scuttlin' around like scared
rats We made parade in the drizzie
with two cages closed, and the dago's
wife ridin' white mare with slicker
on and droppin' garlicky cuss words
every twenty feet, and then we come
back to find the cook-tent ropes sagged
in the mud and the canvas hanging
down on the stove so they was no din
ner ready, and the cook was swearin'
blue blazes. By the time they got 1t
frightened up it was time to make up,
so we had to work a matinee to l5
passes and three muddy farmers on an
empty stomach.
81 was feelin' bum, anyway, on &C
count of bein' kept awake all night
and having no dinner and every time
l would do a back fall over COINS
shoulders, he would give me that
nasty, one-sided grin of his, until |
was so edgy wanted to scream. Then
suddenly, as l was standing on nv
hands on top of the family pyramid.
who should l see sauntering into the
reserve but old r. M. Hawkins.
Freddy's father!
81 gave one gasp and forgot where
/ was, and about that time the La
Reur family turned three double f1ips
to the ground, leavin' the ham-and-egg
member suspended in the air. | come
down with a thud. My leg doubled
under me with a crunch, and red-hot
pains shot clear to the top of my head.
| though was all broke up, but when
they pulled me up out of the sawdusr,
alxr NV