The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-19
LIFE'S GOOD, WHEN CHILD LAUGHS

BY ARCH STEINEL

Il EATG ~ IL ~ SS(
BY ARCH STEINEL
DDJA see me Tuesday after
+ ~ noon? Wasn't I riot
Why don't you remember, Little
Girl in section G, the polka-dot
/ garbed clown who shook hands with
YOU, that made funny mugs at
you, during the afternoons per-
/ fOrnlance Of Ringling brothers and
/ Barnum & Baileys circus, tnat
+ was me.
Do you remember the clown with
the red blazer coat that took a roly-
poly fall out of the front seat OF
the breakup auto with the spouting
water tank-that was me.
There not a laugh in half-pint
of me in "ciVvies,' but Tuesday
afternoon. Little Girl in G., you
laughed at me when they made me
a full-hedged "greaseball' III a half
hours time.
And chickens do come home to
roost, Little Girl in G, for back a
few years ago my first city ed
itor remarked on my bobble of a
story, "As a newspaper man, you're
a good clown"
So, Monday I tried clowning.
They took me into the brown can
vas dressing room, into Clown
alley-and I met Felix Adler, world
noted clown and for seventeen years
the funster Of Ringlings.
The show Was late getting started.
Nerves in Clown alley were edgy.
IF you have wondered, Little Girl
4 in G, about the expression of "he
who gets slapped" as repeated by
your mother and father, you have
tie answer, for I got slapped-as
Felix slapped my face hurriedly with
makeup.
Between blinking deadwhite eye
lids, I saw Clown alley in all its
swift circus pace, getting ready for
the grand entry into the "big top"
Sl-oes that looked like the trained
s1a lions fippers, hoopskirts, bus
ties, lay about the alley or were
being put on Dwarfs and nlidgets
| peneciled eyes.
AS Felix deftly black-penciled on
red paint the laugh lines in my face,
! he praised, you're a good mugger.
You know how to make faces"
swelled to pouter- pigeon pro-
portions. The huge pantaloons I
had on were too small for me.
"C'mon, get into these shoes,
we've got to get out on the tracks
(circus for the paradeway around
the big tops rings)
I got into them, but what shoes!
They felt like the webfeet of masto-
con on me. Ny toes were where
my heels should have been.
"XXTALK on your heels" called
w Felix after me. I did. And
fell on my heels.
Here, you're leading an ele-
/ phant-just behind me- And with
the blare of the snare drums 1 was
stumbling along. leading Dolly, a
4-year-old elephant by the ear
I was the elephant and Dolly
was leading me and keeping time
with the music Then it happened.
I don't know whether it was because
Dolly was oUtbesting me as a show
man or just that the music, the
spangles and glitter of that deadly
virus circus life" had first touched
me-but I bowed "mugged" to
shouting, laughing children.
The floppy, uncomfortable shoes
were forgotten.
Yes, Little Girl in G, was the
funny man that kicked at the man
they blew up and then punctured
with sword, in the hands Of Jules
Tournor. the Oldest clown in the
business.
Now in this next number there's
little danger. You sit in the
front seat with me in a breakup
auto ordered Felix.
"Yeah watch yourself when you
get dumped out" echoed Charles
Weber, Is, the youngest clown, "for
you can get some nasty bumps"
q Il
THE car chugged noisily as Felix
i shouted into my ear, Keep
your feet lstill with the big f1ippers
on) clear or the exhaust and roll
away from the car. Here we go"
Baml and of I rolled like a
maiden aunt in a nightmare. Over
and over into the straw, I heard
nothing, saw nothing, but straw.
Straw in the windpipe-straw ev-
erywhere. I picked myself up and
they-you Little Girl In G-and
hundreds of others were laughing
at me
A few minutes later in Clown
Alley there were shouts of appro-
baton at the fall I'd done.
You've been q clown before?"
Felix accused.
No. Felix, but thanks for the
comp" You did mean it-didn' t
you? And you know that today as
you play Columbus, O., there's the
heart of a "like-to-be" clown a-jok-
ing with you, a-hearing the horse
shoes game scores with you in
Clown alley, a-smiling at the alley S
rough pranks between acts.
And Little Girl in G, you did
mean your laughs for me, didn't
you2 You did!
Good! For I know now why Felix.
Jules and Jack are in Clown alley.
Why my heart is there.
Because a child laughed at us.
SS' PUP SAVE