' The Sioux County
lOTTRMA!.'
HAKKISOX, NEBRASKA THUJlSDAV, OCTOBER 8, 1800.
NUMBER 5. ,
GOING TO TH CIRCUS.!
Ony time Ioti nml I were hoeing pota
toes, when we saw u man in blue uni
form coming down the road. Iu whs
my older brother, and lie didn't 11 k to
hoe potatoes any better than I did, but
he could dissemble better. Twice that
hot August morning In 1st 54 he had left
me to tread the wine press alone I re
gard that simile as a heap pleassntor
than Is the fact while he pretended to
fix something on the shady side of the
barn. lie eiplained each time when he
came bark that he much regretted the
necessity of leaving this nice, easy
work In the potato field for such un
pleasant tasks at the barn, and I grew
quite sorry for him. I offered to go
next time In his place, but he was tiie
most self-abnegating fellow you ever
saw. and Insisted on this systematic
martyrdom.
When the mnn In the blue uniform
came down the road we stopped hoeing
long enough to look at him mid wonder
who he wan. We had Mopped several
times Is-fore, but that wm nor to won
der who the travelers were. We knew
who they were. We even knew where
they were going. We knew they were
neighbors going to the circus at the
county seat the circus that hud been
advertised with tremendous osters
and Intemperate print for just four
weeks. We knew in a general way
people did go to such places, but we
thought about It as almost as distant
as the battle with which the uniform
ed man was associated. A circus was
not for us. We must hoe potatoes.
The man In blue uniform turned In at
our house and sat there In the shade of
the locust trees while mother rinsed the
milk palls and set them In the sun.
Presently he came out In the field ond
hook hands with us. Wo retm-mls-red
him as a hired man who had formerly
worked for tisan excellent fellow, as
you shall nee. lle'waa something far
removed (runt potato hot-lug. lie tud
een big battles, and we believed we
had found his portrait In a colored
print of the times, which showed a col
umn of even-stepping heroes rushing to
conflict as to a carnival. We were a
little embarrassed In his presence, and
scarcely asked him aliout the weapons
ho wielded and the foemen he had slain.
Ourlihrary contained some lxoks which
treated of conflict In those rarer times
when men went single-handed into the
ranks of an enemy and swept down
swaths of weaklings those rarer times
before a rifle bullet made one man us
good as another.
John asked iyt how the cattle were
getting along, and something tijiout the
neighborhood gossips, and then march
ed away very straight, ns If he were
under rhe eye of n drillmaster. Another
neighbor came along and John signaled
him.
"I guess I'll go to the circus, too," he
said to us, laughingly, over his shoul
der. Oh! soldiers could do anything. This
proved t. lien who could suddenly
think of something desirable, something
wonderful, and who could Instantly tie
. clde they wanted It and so have It
these were the favored anion men.
As to the circus! Why, I would have
given anything everything, discounted
hope' and Itonded the future for the
plain privilege of "going to the show."
You cannot know the heart hunger felt
for the circus by a country Isiy In war
time. It was an expected, an Illimit
able, an Inexhaustible case of wonders.
John ran to the fence, placed his
hands on the top rail and vaulted over,
as became a soldier home on furlough,
while the people In the wagonthey
were dressed In the very flower of gain
attire pushed forward to shake' hands
with him. Then they callel across to
us:
"Ain't yon going to the circus'" Mifl
so went on. t'ate was a despot. We did
not question the decree, though we
could very freely understand the charm
that was crouched in that om- jihwse
"Going to the circus!"
We had hoed out the row when moth
er calbfl to us, and we went to the
house. It was not nearly noon, but
there was n luncheon of bread ami but
ter, of milk and of warm currant pie
on the little table In' the vine-shaded
porch. The spread astonished us. Moth
er was getting at her spinning wheel.
io you want to go to the circus?"
she asked.
Of course that meant permission. No
mother can taunt her child. John had
aid he would pay for our tickets If
he would let us go. He wanted to do
that much for the sake of old times, be
said. And, dressed In the best those
trying war times afforded, we started
on foot for the county neat.
My people were church member,
and we knew alstut miracles. Rut no
sun waiting the will of Joshua waa
ever more miraculous than this Instant
change In oir condition. Rut an hour
ago hoeing potatoes; now going to the
circus!
I had never seen a lion nor an ele
phant nor any of the curious beauts
from foreign hinds. I knew their pres
ence In the garden of Eden ami In the
ark. I knew that African travelers had
found thenr. Hut that was far away.
At the end of rhese little miles, Just be
yond thine business buildings, already
in sight, 1 should find "wild beasts of
the field," and should drink my fill of
marvels.
The season was right. Harvest was
over, corn needed no more plowing.
There was a midsummer lull In all ac
tivity. Even In a time when few men
remained at home, and when women
and Isijs did much of the farm work,
there was still time and Inclination to
visit "the show." The proportion of
men in blue uniform was greater than
It hud ever been. The army pervaded
everything. Meh home on furlough
were guests of honor and wore feted
royally they, too, had money and
could reciprocate, were that permitted.
They were sought continually. And
they told when the war would cease.
The circus was there. All lurking fear
that at the last something might hap
pen to dlsupMiint me was dispelled
when weciime to the courthouse square,
for there, Just beyond the temple of Jus
tice, In the vacant lots, was spread the
mighty tent. Sure those vacant lots
had been doubled In size since hist I
saw them, for no common space could
entertain an establishment so vast as
this. Why, there were walls of canvas
on the right hand and on the left hand
of the mammoth teut, and there were
successions of smaller tents that
stretched it way Into bewildering vistas,
and before them all everywhere tugged
the great advertisements, wonderful In
picture, exotic In text. There was a
noise, a bustle, a hurry, a nervous ten
sion, unknown In the town. No man
had more time than sufficed for, the
scantiest of greetings, unless accosted
by a soldier. In which case he would
talk Interminably, -or a sharper, In
watch case he would Invest disastrous
ly. The only calm, contained men were
those la w-deficrs who looked with such
honest faces Into the wavering eyes of
honest men and beguiled them to their
ruin. Tor there were three-card games
and "chuck-a-luck." popular among the
soldiers, and wheels of fortune and
straight faro. Only the most beggarly
pretense of accreting all this crime was
made. The "short change" man, who
flourished In fine place and disappeared
to rise In another, was on the irround
and was remembered. There were as
sistant iirnrshals with large stars, and
they walked In and out of all tents at
will. Hut they saw nothing less than
quarreling men, and roused to activity
only to prevent fighting.
Just before noon the parade started.
We watcheif the wonderful aggregation
of marvels form Into line. To youths
bred In nn environment where some of
the odor of sanctity might reach them
II seemed most shocking that so much
profanity was needed in assembling a
great moral aggregation. Furthermore,
there was a quality about that profan
Ity I have never known equaled. It was
Intense, incisive, terse, emphatic, sul
phurous, full of murder and flashing
with the lightnings of blasphemy. I
have ridden behind "mule whackers"
on the plains and have spent vacations
where the voice of the first mate of a
river packet. could assail my ears. Hut
I have found no man whose profanity
matched the splendid wickedness of the
circus employe lit the old d.-jys of wagon
transportation.
, The parade was a thllig to marvel at.
In the front was a carriage resplendent
above aliove anything In the town and
bearing the dusty human who was yet
more than mortal, for he owned "the
show."
Then came the band ln,a golden char
iot that quite satisfied me. If anything
lu my rending equaled that I could not
recall It. How many there were In the
band, wiiat they played, or 'whether
they played well, these things did not
Impress me. For behind them came the
elephant. He walked alone, stately
or sore-footed, and how wai I to know?
He swung like the rocking of a hay
stack In a storm and his driver prodded
him. Then came the cars. Vpon the
side of each were painted such picture
as must have whetted the curlosltv of
the n learned. Hut two wen' opened.
In one was "the massive and blood-
sweating behemoth of holy writ" a
hippopotamus! In the other a man wit
In safet w'lth unchained lions on his,
every 'hatjd. .
.What more there was In the parade,
how many ladles In remarkable skirts
and gentlemen In the armor of knights,
how many clowns and how many cages,
I do not know.' But It wm a maglflcent
spectacle. It wound about those streets
fhat had always before been common
place, and it grew more wonderful as it
advanced, I know, for I followed it, j
And then it vanished into the spread-,
Ing walls of the canvas city and was :
lost. The lx-auty and the loveliness
would have vanished from the earli
but for the glare and flare and marvel
of that circus dav. 1
John was in the line before the ticket
wagon, but his progress was slow foa
time, and again he was pulled from bis
place to give a frantic greeting to some-
one whose sou or brother or father was
in ine service, mat was wuy soiniere j
came home on furlough to tell when
the war would end and to talk hope
fully fo the friends of the boys at the
front.
Rut finally he stood at the wonderful
door of the ticket wagon, where money
was leaping from the hand of the coun
tryman in exchange for pleasure. In
stantly be was a way ngaln. The fat, hot
mnn that sold tickets cared nothing tor
the blue uniform. He saw nothing that
Interested him beyond the bills laid
down. And these ho Whisked from sight
half savagely.
Our tickets were In onr hands. We'
had passed the Insolent, broad-Jawed
fellow at the gangway of ropes, and
stood In the most amazing place In the
world. To the left were rows of won
derful cages now opened am !n each
was a marvel of animal life. I nerer
hod seen them, but somewhat of natu
ral history had been opeued to me In
)xMks, ami I could call them by name.
A man may live a thousand years apd
will great honors, but he will never feel'
so keen a Joy as thrills In the loy of 10
when he stands in the center of an yn-
expected circus and menagerie.
I sought the elephant i;i vain, because
my little eyes had not, been adjusted
to the huge dimensions of the pachy
derm. And I was touched by his trunk
before I gave him recognition. And
In the 'midst of that wonder, but half
filled with the charms of the animal
portion, I was dragged away to the
smaller etertalument of the ring.
The oM circus was near at hand, and
a single ring embraced the limit of It
possiblities. There was the band above
the place of entrance, and 'on each side
of It were the higher-priced seats. Our
tickets culled for but oommon sittings
and we, found place In a coatless, fan
ning, perspiring, but happy crowd. The
men were vociferous, the women broad
ly smiling. Oirjs giggled and Alushed
when the clown tossed kisses at tboin
and their escorts bought what t!-ey
called refreshments . and,.. tried ?.ic
prodigality to purcbase popularity.
There wan lmrehack riding and, be
ing old, I will say those later days have
taught us nothing In that. There was
the leaping through "balloons," which
seems to have come with the first cir
cus, and a trapeze performance which
was doubtless good. There was trick
riding and performers on a horizontal
bar. And then there .was a bout at 1x
Ing. Nothing could have been more timely.
No doubt amusement purveyors are the
same yesterday, to-day and forever,
and even before rural audiences, which
they hold In contempt, delight In mak
ing applause. Well, this sparring ex
hibition wiw no "frost." Very likely
that undertone combatlveness, which,
appealed to by drum and fife, set a na
tion at war, was Just sufficiently assert
ive to resismd to this matching of man
against mnn. For there was nothing of
the hippodrome alxiut the affair. The
men were fearfully, exhaustively in
earnest. Hut to me, who got even in
war time my first sight of human blood
drawn In anger, there was something so
horrible, ho heart-sickening, so lmKs-
sible, that I appealed with Uiith to
the man at my right to sbfp them, lie
was a jKiwerful fellow, but he laughed
at me.
The circus was almost over when
loud voices to the rlglit announced the
beginning of a 'quarrel. There were at
least ten years, beginning In lull, when
circus men counted themselves fortu
nate if they got out of a town without
a batth. They hired canvas met! who
were as good at fighting as at work.'
The whole corps of workers, was organ
ized and constantly prepared. And the'
towns In which they showed were sure j
to have "hard men." Fighting was the
order of the- day. The clscus simply
provided the occasion.
Sitting up there In our lofty place, we
could hear that premonitory speech In
an ominous lull of other sounds, could
feel, as sentient humans always do, the
gathering of human muscle and the
hardening of human hearts. And ihea
we could see a little rush, for the word
hud ceased, and the fight was on" I
don't remember the "Hey, Hubo!" ex
clamation, which later years have told
me Is the showman's slogan; lmj I
know that a great wave of horror rolled
over the hearts of ,thot who did not
love a tight, and the soul of -shutghter
leaped up In those who scened lmttle
afar off, and hastened to join In It.
Who began It, what It was aliout,
how many were Unit, and who finally
triumphed are matters of 'small con
cern. I birye nn Idea none of the com
batants Is still living, so It does not
matter, Rut I do know the seats were
overturned", law officers .were defied,
bleeding men surged, across Jhe ring
chasing other blcctllng men before
them, and worn chaserl back In turn.
And at last It waa all over. Someone
said the combatant bad transferred
the field of tbejr activities "up town,"
and we avoided that amrter on our
way home.
There were many neighbors from be
yond our farm, but the battle separ
ated us from them, and we walked back
to the farm. Just as we came to our
meadow gate the first wagon of that
show came along, driving already for
the next town, thirty miles away. The
driver was asleep, his horses taking the
J way of their own free will. A man
' ahead on horseback seemed, although
half a mile away, to mark out the line
of march. The irreat eolden chariot.
housed In dull trappings to keep off Che
dust and the rain and the sun, rolled
heavily past, and the gaudy men who
rode so proudly by day slept in it mis
erably by night and blessed their stars
they could find the solace of even so
meager a repose. Chicago Chronicle.
Napoleon's Last Official Act.
Next day Napoleon performed his last
official act, which was one of great
courage, Ixith physical and moral. The
national guard in Farts bad been reor
ganized, but Its officers had never been
thoroughly loyal to the Empire, many
or mem being royalists, and some radl
cal Republicans. Their disaffection had
lieen heightened by recent events, but
they were nevertheless sumoned to the
Tullerlew; the risk was doubled by the
fact that they came armed. Drawn up
in the great chamber known ns that of
the marshals, they stood expectant; the
great doors were thrown open, and
there entered the Emperor, accom
panied only by his consort and their
child In the arms of his governess,
Mine, de Montesquieu. Napoleon an
nounced simply that he was hoping, by
the aid of (tod and the valor of his
troops, to drive the enemy beyond the
frontiers. There was silence. Then tak
ing in onr, hand that of the Empress,
and leading forward his child by the
other, lie continued, "I intrust the Em
press and tse King of Rome to the
courage of the national guard." Still
silence. After a moment, with sup
pressed emotion, he concluded, "My
wife and my son." No generous-heart
ed Frenchman could wlthstund such an
appeal; breaking ranks by a spoiitane
ous impulse, the officers started for
ward In a mass, and shook the very
walls with their cry, "Long live the
Euiperer!" Many shed tears as they
withdrew in respectful silence, and
Chat night, on the eve of his departure,
the Emperor received a ifumerously
signed address from the very .men
Whose loyalty he had hitherto had Just
reason jco suspect. Century.,
i " ' '. JL
lA Hung Chang's Liberal Vicys.
n Is claimed that, notwithstanding
LI Hung Chang has shown some liber
ality of views toward modern improve
ments and education, lie Is at heart a
hater of foreigners, and has an abid
ing faith In Chinese institutions and
methods of government. lie is, It is
true, a great admirer of the Confucian
philosophy, and remembering the eti
durlng history of his people we can
hardly wonder at his devotion to the ln
Ktltutlous which have made that his
tory possible. Wheii we call to mind
the experience China fins had with cer
tain Western nations, if might not be
considered strange If his attachment
to foreigners was not very ardent ; but
In all his public life his conduct shows
that he feels the need of foreign aid,
and Is disponed to give It proper wel
come, and of all Chinese statesmen he
Is the most liberal minded and free
from prejudice. He Is far from claim
ing that tin; present system of govern
ment Is perfect. He has, In fact, urged
upon tiie aulhorltlets at Peking two
Important changes which look to a re
form of the most serious defects in the
system; to wit. the withdrawal from
the viceroys of provinces of powers
which should be exercised only by the
imperial government, and such a
change In the method of admission to
the 'public service ns will liberalize
the, examinations, and make fitness
rather than scholarship the test. There
are other changes which he would glad
ly bring about If he had the power; but,
as he confessed to Marquis Ho, "China
Is hampered by antiquated customs
which prevent desirable reforms."
Century.
Napoleon's Army In 181:1.
In order to arm and equip the men
raised by conscription, Napoleon had
recourse to his private treasure, draw
ing 55,(100,000 francs from the vaults
of the" Tulleries for that purpose. The
remaining ten were transferred at In
tervals to Blols. Hut all his treasure
could not buy what did not exist. The
best, military stores were In the heart
of Europe; Ihe French arsenals could
afford only antiquated and almost use
less supplies. The recruits were arm
ed sometimes with old muskets, the
use of which they did not know; they
wore for the most jsirt bonnets, blous
es, and sabots. There were not half
enough horses for the scanty artillery
and cavalry. Worse than all, there
was no time for instruction In the
manual and tactics. On one occasion
a boy conscrlit was found standing In
active under a fierce musketry fire;
with artless intrepidity he remarked
that he believed he could aim as well
as anybody If he ottly knew how to
load his gun. Century., t
In an argument the average man
dues not listen to what the. other. fellow
la saying, but spends the time formu
lating a 'eply.
LESSONS
ECONOMY.
IIILE tiie avenues for wage-
earning by women have
wonderfully increased In the
Inst years and in numerous instances
financial enterprises are successfully
carried on by women, it yet remains
true, and ever will, tliat a large class
Of wives, not to mention daughters,
handle very little money. For these
women are not supposed to be needy;
they are generally placed in comfort
able homes, with tasteful wardrobes,
bountifully spread table, and. to the
casual observer, no apparent lack in
their surroundings. But the house
mother knows how many times she
reckons over the houshold supplies to
see what article can be left unbought.
It Is little money which causes so many
women to haunt the bargain counter, to
the derision of husbands, who are sub
limely unconscious of their wives' slen
ner purses. It gives interminable shop
ping In the swell from store to store to
Pud the best article for scanty means.
And these vexations are not the worst
which come to her with little money.
She must liear with what grace she
can Imputations upon her taste when
she selects perforce some cheap com
mon thing lu preference to tiie more ele
gant one which a beauty-loving nature
may cry out for. She must often curb
witn a stern naiuj tier-natural gener
osity of spirit, and forbear giving to the
friend or cause she loves, or at most
strive to content herself with a meager,
almost shabby token. "I never have
had enough money with which to run
my household comfortably. I have bad
to plan and contrive In order to' get
something out of every cent In the dol
lar," said one, considered a fine house
wife and manager (and she was), who
lived In fine style in a handsome man
sion. It brings lines all too soon to
women's faces, and gives to many eyes
on all too wistful expression. But it
also helps to develop valuable qualities
which In a state of mose abundance
some women would never have shown.
It sharpens Invention, Ingenuity and
carefulness, and, like many a disagree
able thing in life, teaches patience and
self-denial.
To Mrs. Jessie Brace Weber belongs
the honor of being the first woman to
break a political slate lu Missouri. At
the recent Democratic convention In
Jefferson City her father, Judge Theo
dore Brace, was renominated for the
Snpreme Court agalust very strong
opposition, and chiefly through the ef-
SIRS. Jl'.BSIB BRACK WtfBF.R.
forts of his daughter. Although one of
the most prominent Jurists who ever
sat upon a western bench, It seeined
that Judge Brace was going to be de
feated, because he and Frank Pitts,
the unopposed candidate for tbe nomi
nation as State Treasurer, came from
the same county. To put two men
from the same county on one ticket was
something unheard of. None of the
wise geographers ever supposed It could
be done; but It 'was done, Mrs. Jessie
Brace Weber was the handsome teach
er who taught the politicians the lesson.
Mrs. Weber took charge of her fa flier's
campaign from the start, and her wide
State acquaintanceship made her a
most valuable manage! A few clays
before the convention she opened head
quarters at the Madison House hud
flung her father's banner to the breesfe.
It was a campaign of smiles. The dele
gate, called, was charmed and before he
left the smiling campaigner had In an
artless way'conxed a promise that he
would vote for father. No Missouri
man not even a politician ever broke
his promise when given to a -Missouri
woman, and the nomination of Judge
Brace, In a storm of enthuslaam, was
the feature of the convention. If Mrs.
Wcler cried a little over her victory,
Miat was her privilege as a woman. It
does not.ln the least alter the fact that
he Is a shrewd political manager, and
tnat her charming smile and the wom
anly wisdom which daught her how to
manage men won, a victory over the
moat clever polltlca managers In the
SUte. '
Wielding a Fun Correctly.
The average oian or woman, coming
In from a walk or matching a few
minutes' reat from some exertion, will
seize a fan and ply It with frantic. fore.
IN
ine very effort makes the last stat
worse than the first, and the constant
breeze blowing on the face causes. If
anything, a heat more disagreeable
than the first flush of discomfort. Fana
ere as old as history, and tff ancient
Egyptians well knew their use, ut V it
not impossible to Imagine those stately
queens of ancient days permitting la
their presence anything so vigorously,
undignified as the modern method of
fanning. Languor, ease, grace and
moderation not only make a woman
fanning herself a pleasing sight to
look upon, but they alone give the fair
fanner an appreciable eense of com
fort, '
Miss 1 area ret ReliJ.
Miss Margaret Reld is one of the
pretty young American women who
have made a warm friend of the British
public. She has'had a successful reign
at the Covent Garden Theater during
MISS MA1IGAKET ItKID.
the London "season" thla'year as prints;
donna in grand opera. Her first appear!
ance at the Covent Garden was In that
part of Nedda In "Pagllaccl." Her pow
ers of acting were not quite equal to)
the rather difficult role, but she morel
than atoned for that. In the opinion on
the critics, -by the jrea'ArMl w" charm'
YwTffl w-hicft Slte'ma"isMilau,Bfr
music. During the season Miss Redd
sang with great success at many pri
vate concerts and musical, at homes.'
This Is her first visit ito London, and
the warmth of the reception, public and
private, that has been' given her will
be a guarantee of many returns to the
big city. Her last operatic success was
In Mine. Tattl's great part of Zerllna'ln
"Don (ilovanirl.'! 'She threatens to
make England her future home.
First Choaen Woman Elector.
Mrs. Sarah Malloy, of . Cheyenne,
Wyo., has been chosen a Presidential
Elector by the Republicans of Wyom
ing, being the first woman In the Uni
ted States to attain that high. position.
This is the most pronounced1 victory for
the cause of woman's suffrage so far
recorded, and marks an era in the polit
ical progress Of the female sex. It reaJJ
lz( the wildest dreams of Mrs. Susan
B. Anthony and -the other pronounced
advocates of woman's rights. From
this nomination to the choice of a wom
an for Governor of a State is now only
a step, and the possibility of a female
President seated in the White House
at Washington looms up with startling
clearness. That Wyoming should have
been the first to break down the bars
that kept woman out of the Electoral
College wfls to,have been expected. It
was here tht the political equality pf
WMF, SARAH MALl.OV.
the sexes was first recognized. Mrsi
Malloy has been activte In politics ever
since Wyoming adopted woman auf
frage. She was one of the first workera
in the cause in the West, and helped)
materially to secure the adoption by tha , ,
Legislature of what waia then the Terrl'j
tory of Wyoming of the law giving
woman the franchise. "If we are good
enough," she argued, "to raise and'
train the boys who are to go up to the
polls and vote, then we ought eertnlnljr
to be good enough to vote ourselves."
Ihe surface of the sea Is estimated at
150,000,000 square miles, taking the
whole surface of the globe, at 197,000,
000, and Its greatest depth supposedly'
equals tbe height of the highest moun
tain, or four miles. Tbe Pacific ocean
covers 78,000,000 square miles,-the At
lantic 28,000,000, tbe Mediterranean J
000,000.
f
