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Show THE OLp COUNtRV ciftcisa., . EIow dear to my heart Is theBhowof myehH hood. The old country circus my boyhood day knew! In these days of three rings, of hippodromes, railroads. How fond recollection presents the to viw! For weeks, while the posters on fences and church sheds Portrayed to my young eyes the scenes that should be, No soft thrill of love, no throb of ambition. Has since equaled the bliss I gained dreaming dream-ing of theel The old country circus, the shabby old circus. The wand'ring old circus my boyhood days knew. How faithful I worked In the ways that presented pre-sented To gain the few pennies my ticket should buyl No toil was so sweetened no reward so stupendous stu-pendous No miser e'er cherished his hoard as did L How fair shone the sua on the glad day appointed! ap-pointed! How rife with strange buBtle th sleepy oid townl Axid when o'er the hill came the rumble of wagons The bound of my heart said, "The circus baa come!" The old country circus, the faded old circus. The one horse old circus my boyhood days . knew. What pageant of now can that "grand ontry" compass? What wit of today like those jokes of the ring? And those divans of pine boards such ease oriental No reserved, cushioned chairs of the present oan bring. One elephant only, satisfying, majestic. Not Jumbo nor sacred, neither painted nor them all, and the whole dizzy, triple bill programme. For a single return of that old time delight, The old oounfcry circus, the tawdry old circus. The perfeot old circus my boyhood days knew. Philadelphia Call. |