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Show SELECTED. The Village Circus. The premonitory symptoms of the circus break out upon the village fences in the form of huge placards, conveying convey-ing a temptation which is both appal-ingind appal-ingind irresi.-tible. It is at once evident evi-dent that the utmost ferocity in the wild beasts may be expected. The rhinoceros is a terrible creature. II;? horn, which is a yard long, glistens horribly in the sun while he tears through the jungles of the tent at an incalculable speed. As for the elephant, ele-phant, his huge legs, trunk ears and tail are ail flying in different directions as he rolls a brace of royal Bengal tigers ti-gers over and over, who frightfully gnash their teeth and glare upon Behemoth Behe-moth with a savageness that curdles the village blood in its veins. The African lion iu his native wilds is consuming con-suming three villagers and other men at one meal, and the polar bear lies under the ample shade of the glacier receiving a friendly visit from walruses and seals. If you can turn your eyes from these delightful horrors, there is the celebrated highly-trained animal Napoleon, the hor?e that waltzes to slow music. And here is Mademoiselle Mademoi-selle Eclair flying, and gracefully kissing kiss-ing her hand to admiring worlds as she flies through several miles of papered hoops. And the modern Hercules simultaneously catches oUO-pounders, with a smile, upon the nape of his neck and each elbow. La Petite Elise, aged five years, flutters iu the most an gelic manner, with tiny flags in her hands, over floating draperies. All is delight and grace aud happines, skill, ferocity aud surprise, in the premonitory premoni-tory symptoms. The younjr villager studies these great bills with inexpressible awe and expectation. He saw them last year, perhaps, and the year before. He has proved the quality of their veracity. He knows whether the rhinoceros really does plow up the elephant's belly, aud the elephant's flying leaps has he not seen ? But who knows not the magic of the play-bill? Yes, and of a dinner-bin dinner-bin ? The . first blue-bird iu spring does not more surely foretell a summer that shall not be than the bill of fare in the dingiest cellar smelling of beer insinuates the delicate vision of a dinner din-ner beyond Uelmonico. Then is there not the Grand Entree of the whole company? the bund, comfortably sitting sit-ting in Cleopatra's barge, playing lively tunes with an overpowering proportion of bass drum? the dusky, du-ty elephants, ele-phants, slowly following, flapping their huge ears like punkahs, and stoically restraining that promised tendency of lugs, trunk, and tail tu ily abroad? and the camels, Bactrian and other, come lounging along; aud the boys instantly lose themselves in a learned labyrinth of debate whether it is the camel that has two humps and the dromedary one. Then roll in solemn silence all the red vans, in which we know, with feelings not to be described, that zebras aud gnus, and leopards and jaguars, and lions and tigers, are passing, although invisible. If there is a hoarse growl, a sullen rumble, a snail, a scratch Oh joy! that iu these caees is something some-thing that doth live I Editor ) Easy Chair, iu Harper's Magazine for October. |