The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1920-11-12
A Circus Brahrnin
By WILL T. AMEs
ID. l92O. By Mcclure Newspaper syndieatel

20. 1920. by Mcclure Newspaper syndieate)
Jane Dray had been with the All
American circus for u month. Yet
there were only two men with the
show whose personalities had i'm
pressed her in the least.
One was Snyder, an elephant man,
who owned his W act and the troupe
of five bulls that constituted 1t. He
was fair, but somehow gave the iuI-
preston that he should have been
swarthy, sleek and smooth, yet con
veying the fantastic idea Of velvet over
jagged brass. He was utter master
of his quintet Of performing pachy-
derms. but Jane had noted terror in
the eyes Of the beasts as they obeyed
his soft voice and inconspicuOus hand
signals.
mot a bit like any other elephant
man | ever saw" reflected Jane.
Mostly they're like own brothers to
their beasts, This one has his scared
to death"
She did not like the man. Sue had
not liked him from the first day, when
she encountered him In the perform
ers entrance and his yelled eyes
searched her figure ill she drew the
folds of her ring robe closely about
her and shivefed.
The other mans name Jane did not
know. He was q circus nobody one
Of the Jacks who. IN fragrant red coats.
ran about with properties and, IN white
lead and motley. permitted nimbler
and funnier clowns to make footballs
Of them IN the second entr'act
This man, ION, Jane had first noticed
because he had c~onspicuously noticed
her--hut IN q way very different from
the way Of snyder.
Caste dominates the ctrcus-and
lane var a circus Brahmin. Born TO
the sawduSi and canva top, the
daughter ~ far-famed aerial acrobats,
she herself belonged 10 the top stratum
Of headline stars. Her sole trapeze
act was one IT the Ave great features
Of the Az Americans.
when. therefore. II fell TO the roust,
about. on The occasion of James first
performance 10 tend the slnck guy on
which she slid 70 The ground az tht
end of her net she was quite UMPIRE
narpd to have the lack smile frankly
into her eyes as SHE finished her de
scent.
In the circus or out of it, enthrOneC
w%Omanhood asserts its Reputation o
presmnptuous familiarity with wide
eyes and briei %unfriendly stare. Par
dom said the man in a voice curious
" out of accord with the red coat. !"
was anxious. II is Il dangerous act
for a woman"
Jane ignored the man and his apol
ogy. But she could not forget hin
Hers was o lonely life. She was Brah
mln-and but two years from tn
school she had left When the terribl
news came Of the circus train wrec.
that bad doubiy orphaned her II Their
was companionship for such as sh
among the women of the great troup
she had not found it.
SO perhaps il was only natural tina
Jane caught herself wondering, Otter
how Il came that a slight, almost mlt
dle-aged man whose speech denote
education should he holding her clint
, ing rope-and treating her with a r.
l spect perfect in itself and yet, sh
shrewdly told herself, carrying with
no sense whatever of personal infer
GRITTY.
Perhaps the attitude OF the rousti
: bout assumed a greater important
from the circumstance that neve
since that first afternoon, had the ell
I phant man failed TO seek to put hin
! self In her way. There was somethir
about this fellow that rasped HI
nerves; that awakened a curious sens
billy of secret power In the man,
2 power tinctured with immense rutl
! lessness and that radiated from hi
toward whoever or whatever he mat
; the object of his purpose.
Jane was beginning 10 feel that 81
knew, now, why his elephants obey'
! him. She was conscious, too. that Sn
s der was delibera,el bending his W
upon her. "Does the brute think
a hypnotic me as he does his stup
Z bulls?" she asked herself indignant
r She had no fear; she was fearle
always. but somehow she found
curious satisfaction. just the same<
+ the humble II m1attering admirati'
j. she now felt sure she had excited
nj the depressed personality Of the C
tured roustabout.
1t was late June. The show "
n playing in a big college town. 7
Il tent was packed. James daring a
unique act on a trapeze swung from
II spar boltcd TO the center pole was pI
n grammed simultaneously with snyde
act in Ring l..
AS the girl stood at the curtis
awaiting her signal Snyder stepp
through the curtained opening.
10 spoke rapidly in an undertone: ] {
: what / want or something happens,