Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1921-06-17
A Circus Brahnin
By WILL T. AMES

Jane Dray had been with the ALL
American circus for 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 own act and the troupe
of five bulls" that constituted it. He
was fair, but somehow gave the i'm
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 inconsplcuous hand
signals.
"Not 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. She had
not liked him from the first day, when
she encountered him In the perform
ers' entrance and his yelled eyes
searched her figure till she drew the
folds Of her ring robe closely about
her and shivered.
The other mans name Jane did not
know. He was a 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, too, Jane had first noticed
because he had consplcuously noticed
her-but in way very different from
the way Of Snyder.
Caste dominates the circus-and
Jane was circus Brahmln. Born to
the sawdust and canvas top, the
daughter Of far-famed aerial acrobats,
she herself belonged to the top stratum
Of headline stars. Her sole trapeze
act was one of the five great features
of the All-Americans.
When, therefore, It fell to the roust-
about. on the occasion Of James first
performance, to tend the slack guy on
which she slid to the ground at the
end Of her act, she was quite unpre-
pared to have the Jack smile frankly
into her eyes as she finished her de-
scent
In the circus or out Of 1t, enthroned
womanhood asserts its reputation of
presumptuous familiarity with wide
eyes and brief, unfriendly stare. "Par-
don," said the man In voice curious
ly out Of accord with the red coat, II
was anxious, II is a dangerous act
for a woman"
Jane ignored the man and his apol-
Ogy. But she could not forget him.
Hers was lonely life. She was Brah-
min-and but two years from the
school she had left when the terrible
news came of the circus train wreck
that had doubly orphaned her; If there
was companionship for such as she
among the women Of the great troupe
she had not found It,
So perhaps 1t was only natural that
Jane caught herself wondering, often,
how 1t came that slight, almost mid
dle-aged man whose speech denoted
education should be holding her climb
ing rope-and treating her with a re-
spect perfect in itself and yet, she
shrewdly told herself, carrying with 1t
no sense whatever of personal iDferi-
ority.
Perhaps the attitude of the rousta-
bout assumed a greater Importance
from the circumstance that never,
since that first afternoon, had the ele-
plant man failed to seek to put him
self In her way. There was something
about this fellow that rasped her
nerves that awakened curious sensi-
bllity Of secret power In the man, a
power tinctured with immense ruth
lessness and that radlated from him
toward whoever or whatever he made
the object Of his purpose.
Jane was beginning to feel that she
knew, now, why his elephants obeyed
him. She was conscious, too, that Sny-
der was deliberately bending his will
upon her. "DOes the brute think he
can hypnotic me as he does his stupid
bullsT" she asked herself Indignantly.
She had no fear; she was fearless
always. But somehow she found a
curious satisfaction, just the same, In
the humble II unfiattering admiration
she now felt sure she had excited In
the repressed personality of the cul-
tured roustabOut.
1t was late June. The show was
playing in a big college town. The
tent was packed. James daring and
unique act on trapeze swung from a
spar bolted to the center pole was pro-
grammed simultaneously with Snyder's
act in Ring 1.
As the girl stood at the curtain
awaiting her signal Snyder stepped
through the curtained opening. He
spoke rapidly in an undertone: II get
what want or something happens, al
ways I want you. I shall have you
or the something will happen. An
swer. II will be too late afterward"
For weeks Jane had been almost |
afraid of this man. Now his cheap |
melodrama suddenly made him seem
ridiculous. She looked him boldly in
the face and laughed. did you ever
want the moon2" she asked. Then |
quick anger came to her and she add
ed, "You-you Jackal in VOLTS skin I"
Just then her call came and she ran
out and mounted her trapeze in blithe
contempt Of the elephant mans threat.
Some featherbraln threw lighted
flrecracker from the seats into the
midst Of Snyder's elephants. Another