Show THE OLD CIRCUS MAN I T Tells ells of Mishaps That Finally Led the Giant to Cut CutOut CutOut CutOut Out the Walking Stilt-Walking Act Oh yes e said the old circus man we we tried the giant As s a matter o of f fact his walking stilt-walking was Wag as one of the g greatest things h ho he did but hut rOt for nU all that h ho o did It only one one- season on account o of f the he risk to the giant slant ol In Involved d In ItOC It Of OC course the stilt bu business lne was tas an o outdoor act and as far as that goes t there here wasn't always loom room for fOl It even there here t that Is where we wanted to give i It t. t The giants giant's walking stilt was commonly com corn done In our circus parade before t the he beginning of or the show sho the giant marching at the head Of C the procession Whether he could do that or not nol de depended depended de- de e- e on how the trees were ere along theline the theine theline l line ine of m marchIll march Ill never for forget et the scare scam we had o once nce In a town towa of oC Western Vestern Ohio when t the he giant slant was walking In the parade over o a run runaway way along the line of march a a a. pair pall of horse horsey hooked to aarm a f farm arm wagon wason This farmer had got ot his t team eam as plenty more had for tor that matter matter matter mat mat- ter hauled up at of the street t to o see se the parade go 0 by and tho the horses were all right and they'd ha hll stayed all right If It hadn't Just so 80 happened that the steam calliope man started up a tune on the calliope just as he came abreast of them That made all the horses around there cavort more or less leE but tt It sC seemed to throw those two tuo old plough nags nab I plumb off ort their and before beCore you ou could think they wore were off ot on the dead Jump along the street toward the head of oC the line with the old f farmer sawing on cm em As is s hard as he ho could hut but without an any sort Eort of effect and away the they went ent two wll wild horses with a aarm farm arm wagon swinging and bobbing bobbinS around behind hind them and occupying pretty prett much the hol eholt road bearing straight don down on the great giant walkIng walkIng walk- walk I Ing nh ahead ad there on his stilts Did the giant get set lost In ex ex- Not for tor a minute Just one look look back when he heard the datter clatter and what do you he did Wh Why he lie didn't even tr try to get out of or the wa way He lie Just spread his hla feet teet or rather his stilts apart so o that the foot of one wa was wai In the foot of oC the other Inthe inthe In Inthe the gutter on n the other and let the runaway runaway run run- awa away team go under him between them But slick and easy as the great plant giant hi had hd 1 come cOlne out but of or this danger the I old man was all wrought rou hl up over ver what wha might have happened from It and he said rl tight hl then th that thit t one lne more mere straw and wed we'd wed cut cut out ut the stilt act net for tor good Funn Funny but hut p we got that str straw w th the thery very ery next day clay In this town It was lear clear sailing for giant all along the route except at just JuM one Inc point where two old trees with hanging low branches made the street impassable for him But with only this one Impediment we thought well wed let him go so It he could step tep around that He lie came alan along down that street towering u up ui on his stilts tilts to the amaze amare- as as usual of all beholders erS till he come caine to this place where he had to turn out There was here hen at this point a broad stretched of paved erl sidewalk this being In front of ot the town hall hail As he lie stepped stepp d a up on that brick sidewalk one of ot his stilts slipped d on the bricks bricks and and the first thing thins you ou know b by s ra gravy there was th the giant with his stilts sliding sliding slid slid- ing aro around on that smooth pavement and be weaving aroun around l up there In the theair theair theall air all snaking making a desperate effort to recover himself It all came In a but there he hewa was wa now falling fallinI apparently and heaven only knew what hat harm hed he'd do himself when he went down But the great giant didn't go o down or not Ina ina in ina a wn way no to hurt himself This Thill town n hall hail wasa kind of an old- old fashioned colonial sort of a building with a balustrade alon along the thc front of the roof root Just back of the eaves and no now when the stilts had slid and he found he couldn't r over o himself the giant threw the stilts stilt away way from him and made a jump for the top rail of that balustrade along along- the edge ede of oC the root roof i He tnt Intended to hang on by that for minute and then drop to the ground as a boy would drop from a a. fence an anIn and andin In fact that drop railing along the roof of ot this building would have bt been n Just about the same thing for the giant as the boys boy's dropping from a fence wo would wold ld be for Cor him Well Vell ell sir he landed with his hands handson on th the railing all right and himself down the front of or the building buildIng building build build- ing and was Just about to let go when the railing pave gave ave way way under his wel weight hl It It was old and anil rotten and and punk and th the first thing you ou know the giant slant dro dropped pd with that balustrade coming a a toppling down over his head bead after him But the giant landed ri square quare and true on his f feet et quite unharmed that thal rotten old wooden railing clearing him all right and going solnA to o smash on th the tho pavement pa six or eight feet behind him One of ot the stilts had gone one through h a window of the town hall hail and the other had killer killed a horse hors but we were grateful grateful grateful grate grate- ful th thy they y hadn't either of them killed some ome human being and with the giant unhurt and the entire damage to the town hall ball not more than 7 73 7 or atthe atthe at atthe the outside we f felt lt that we could afford afford af af- af- af ford Cord to f feel el pretty prett well ell ta Falsified ed But th the old aId man said no more CoolInS' CoolInS foolIng fooling fool fool- Ing InS with the giant lant it might bea be bea a great a act t and all that and drew the people but bute we e couldn't afford to take any rl risk k at atall all with the great And so that ended up the great giants giant's stilt New New York Sun |