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Show ; THE ANNUAL FAIR. 1' I- 'HARVEST TIME FOR THE UBIQUITOUS W FAKIRS. Olebrltles of tlie Cfiunty Hint l'latn Folk l From (lie Ifarin Meet Once a Tear for Clonil Time. TUc annual county fair, Is ona of the Institutions of this country. Tho N. T. Bun recently described the sidelights of these gatherings as follows: In the meantlms tho numerous fakirs had set up their stands, thawed out their tbroats.ond begun shouting for business. A fair without fakirs would be like a circus without clowns. They entertain , TUB CAM". FAKIR. "" ' and Instruct simultaneously. Tho alios blacking man was tho first heard. lie rnado one or two desultory remarks which caused n crowd to collect, when ho began to exhort them on tho quality of his ware, and lo provo his state Juents by putting a dizzy polish on an old lcgloss boot, ilo wns a red-faced man, whoso efforts affected his complexion com-plexion Immensely. "Gentlemen, why profane this hallowed hal-lowed grouud with tboso unsightly boots you wear, when for Ave cents you could havo a shlno that would dazzlo j the eyea,and uiako the green-eyed demon of Jealousy gnaw at tho heart of an aristocrntt" bo bogau. "Any boot, no matter how coarso tho lcatbor (or tho wearer) will tako n brilliant polish. And tbe blacking Is only five cents a box. THH OLD rAUURIt TRIES TJ1E. 0A1IE, Have some respect for yourtolves, gentlemen, gen-tlemen, buy n box and shine thoso rusty shoes of yours." The burning desire to mako monoy in Rimes of chance, for which the farmers have long bocn famous, was thoroughly i demonstrated by tbe way they surrounded surround-ed tho swinging ball machine. Tho women folks gathered, too, and often tirgod tho mon to play, assuring them that they could win If Ihoy kept coo). "If you knock tho plu down on tho rebound of tho ball you got a dollar.and It only costs you ton cents to play," tho backer shouted. "Bo gosh I kin do It," muttered an old farmer. "Tnln't hard, and I don't know an easier way to rauko n dollar." The old mau laid down his ton cents, took the ball In both hands, and, after .groat deliberation, lot It swing. Tho ball cut tho air on ono side of tho pin, to-turned to-turned nud cut It on the other. Tho aid pnnn looked rather surprised. I "Try It again. You may get it this lime." I "DurneJ If I don't. Taint no uo a-fcivlu' a-fcivlu' up the first time. It only costs 10 .- a isssB cents, and If I kin ouly hit that" wooden pes I'll got a dollar." I Again tho old farmer swung tho ball, and again It passed by tho pin. lie was undecided what to do ucxt. Ho was moro than half Inclined to drop out. But tho fakir read his mlnd.and soothed 1dm by snylny : "I'll ,0w vou uow l0 do It." Taking tho brill ho let it swing. It Just cleared tho pin going by, and knocked it dowti on Ilia rebound, of course. "The secrot of success lu this game," tho fnklr explained, "Is lo aim closo to tho pin when vou swing. If you do that you enn't help hut knock it down. I tell you this buoauso I want vou all to make a dollar with 10 cents. I get your 10 cents ami you got my dollar. dol-lar. That's fair, nln'i It!" Tho old man thought It was, and Kuessod ho would try just onco more. Ilo laid down ills dime, took the ball, ( aimed long and deliberately, and then let It swing. The crowd prossed close to seo. Tho bull cleared the plu and ro-turucd ro-turucd as If It would clear the plu again, - L THE FAKIIl I.09F.S. but It dlUn't. Tho fakir realized that this play was tho turning point In tho tide of tho old man's mind, and ho bent tho frame bo that tho ball would knock down the pin, and tho old farmer wns 1 charmed. lie had played three times and won a dollar; consequently, bo was seventy cents ahead of tho game. But be must bavo more. lis swore ho wouldn't slop until ho had every dollar that the fakir had to spare. The fakir told him not to, and whispered the information in-formation that ho had more than bo knew what to do with. The old farmer then began his reckless play. Ho stuck to tho fakir with tho tenacity of a leech; I but Inslesd of bleeding tho fakir, lbs fakir bled him. At odd intervals bo was allowed to make a dollar, but for every dollar he won ho lost three. Wheu he bad lost all the haudy money that he had he quit ond ambled off to see bow bis fat hogs looltcd bcBlde those of a competitor. Ills place at tho ball was taken by a smooth-faced young f finer, who knockod the pin down the first time and skipped with tho dollar and a smile of satisfaction on bis face. He made the rounds of the other similar machines, and tbe last time the reporter saw him he had bought a bundto of children's toy whips and bad turned fakir himself, "Pop brought mo to the fair to-day," he said to tho reporter. "He gave mo a dollar forpsanuts, pop corn, and saria-parilla. saria-parilla. Ho will be bltchln' up tho old mare as soon as tho balloon goes up and a-Iookln' for mo to go homo with him; but ho won't find mo. I'm a sport This is a durned sight moro fun than a-plougbin' a-plougbin' a field whera the earth is all stone or a-huskln' corn. I'm going tcr follow fairs for a llvin' now. I'm jlst glttln' my hand In now. Ob, Lardy, there comes the old man," and tbe bucollo youth burled himself in tho crowd. r TUB WltlF Sni.LKIt. Tho cane max did a rushing business with tho young people Ho bad an exhibition ex-hibition of gddy canes aud a voI6e of great penetration and power. "Any cane you ring Is yours," ho shouted; "and If you put a ring over iho middle one I'll alvo you'a dollar besides. Try your luck, young men. Remember that you ain't in fashion unless you carry a cane. All young mon In the cities carry car-ry oanes when thoy ore out with their sweothcarts." Tboro was usually a consultation con-sultation between tho young man and his gill, after which he would pay flvo cents aud throw threo rings, his sweetheart directing him. Tho oboap Jewolry fakir, bowevcr.dld the groatest buslnoss. His flno lino of brass dazzled the cyo of the country beauties and caused tho young men to spend their monoy lavishly to mako a lasting impression on their sweethearts. Thoy bought. tho stuff in 'sober earnest TUB 1U-IND SAII.Oll AND HIS rATtTNEn. ' ami wcro delighted with their bargains. All tho girls carried their cotton gloves in ihelr hands so Mint they might show tho conquest of licnrls bound lolbcmby j llltlo hoops of brazen brass. From their i breasts, too, Hashed gaudy pins, wlilla dntigllug from Iho vesls of tho young j uicji were heavy chulus. I llBSlBSlBSlBSlBSlK Vf sssssssHb m "L -------"--''""--'-M-a--aW-Ta-V'-- The whip tnio catered to an older throng. lie was on his wagon and surrounded sur-rounded by whips that he made himself In Westerly, 11. I. Ho said: "I'vo sold you whips these many years, and overv year I soil a better olass of whips." And then bo would lash a wooden rail until tho splinters flew In all directions. The whips stood the severo test aud the farmers bought them as fast as the whip man could deal thorn out without Interfering Inter-fering with his talk. But Iho institution institu-tion that furnished the youus- farmers endowed wilh lots of ginger tho greatest satisfaction for tho money nss the "Great Afrloan Dodrjer." who stuck his woolly betid through a rent In a sheet and lot any ono throw lisae balls at him at tbe rate of "threo balls for a nickel." All day long a crowd Jostled against tho ropes endeavoring to (tet a show. Balls went whizzing through tbe brief Intervening Inter-vening space at a terrific rato of speed and hit tho bellying sheet, but none of them hit the dodger's head. A few came dangorously near, but were prevented pre-vented from hitting the mark for which they were aimed by a quick duck of the head. The dodger drovo his customers almost wild Willi his taunts and his faces, and ovary one tried to take tbe energy out of him by disfiguring his face. But It avatlod them naught. |