Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-05-27
A Circus Brahnin
By WILL T. AMES

American circus for a month. YET
there were only two men with the
show whose personalities had im-
pressed her In the least.
One was Snyder, an elephant man.
who owned his own act and the troupe
Of i've 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 inconspicuOus hand
signals.
"Not a bit like any other elephant
man l 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 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 conspicuously noticed
her-but in way very different from
the way of Snyder.
Caste dominates the circus-and
Jane was a circus Brahmin 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 MS she finished her de-
scent.
In the circus or out of it, enthrOnet
womanhood asserts its reputation OF
presumptuous familiarity with wide
eyes and brief, unfriendly stare. Par
don," said the man In a voice curious
ly out of accord with the red coat, y
was anxious, it is a dangerous act
for 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 tn,
school she had left when the terrible
news came of the circus train wrecl
that had doubly orphaned he. If Their
was companiOnship for such as sh'
among the women of the great troupe
she had not found 1t.
So perhaps it was only natural tina
Jane caught herself wondering. often
how it came that slight. almost mid
dle-aged man whose speech denotes
education should be holding her climb
ing rope-and treating her with re
spect perfect in itself and yet, sh
shrewdly told herself, carrying with
no sense whatever of personal inferl
Ority.
Perhaps the attitude of the rousta
bout assumed a greater importanc
from the circumstance that never
since that first afternoon, had the eli
plant man failed to seek 10 put hin
self in her way. There was somethin
about this fellow that rasped he
nerves; that awakened curious sens
bility Of secret power In the man,
power tinctured with immense rutl
lessness and that radiated from hi
toward whoever or whatever he mad
the object Of his purpose.
Jane was beginning to feel that sf
knew, now, why his elephants obeye
hin She was conscious. too that Sn,
der was deliberately bending his wi
upon her. Does the brute think /
can hypnotize me as he does his stupl
bullsf" she asked herself indignant
She had no fear; she was fearle!
always. But somehow she found
curious satisfaction. just the same,
the humble II unfiattering admiratie
she now felt sure she had excited
the repressed personality OF the Gu
ttred roustabout.
II was late June. The show W,
playing in big college town. TT
tent was packed. James daring ar
unique act on a trapeze swung from
spar bolted to the center pole was pr
Rrammed simultaneously with Snyder
act In Ring !.
As the Cir stood at the curta
awaiting her signal Snyder stepp,
through the curtained opening. /
spoke rapidly in an undertone: II
what l want on something happens.
ways. want you. l shall have "
or the something will happen. A