Show 0 side show side si jig h ts X V diverting chronicles of circus life I 1 I 1 I 1 by FRANCIS METCALFE i by IV G chapman THE LIONESS SKIRT DANCE AND THE inconsiderate PYTHON the coment conventional ional skirt dine dince 0 his long ceased to be a covelt on the biage asie but as it is per formed b L la a delle belle selica in the areni arena at the amusement parl park it holds the interest of that mot exacting audience a crowd ot of conca inland plea pleasure gure seekers it is not beca because us e selica is preeminent pre eminent among dancers but on account of 0 the unusual anti and dangerous stage setting for bho per forms in the largo large CN exhibition hibi tion cige cage ur rounded ba b a half dozen lion lionesses esles eich animal seated on oil a se separate idestal an one of the huge beasts could crush the dancer with nith i x single blow of a massive paw pam and the great jaws jas which snip snap Nicio at hei tina tin feet as she kicks hicks them before their faces are poN powerful erful to crush the shin bone of an ct ov so long as she is on her feet slid and agile enough to escape tile the swift stroke of a pai pa or tile the snapping jain jaws S she is sate safe for a lioness would not jump at her from a pedestal pe destil but there is alv always aa s ti tie e chance of a slip or EL a f false also step anil and then I 1 I 1 it happened once and caused a huspen lon ot of performance for two months during the list last big exposition for grace the largest li as on her before she could recover herself and it required reau ired the wolfs of the animal man mail cind and all of ills his assistants assi stints to licit belt bach the beasts nho mho were nere maddened ned by the sight arid and smell of blood and to rescue the unconscious woman noman from the cage they haie hae neer forgotten that mo ment of rebellion alch nas as so near I 1 successful and them the are eer n itch tul ful for another opportunity to aenne the mana man cuts ot of the training whip chich the in the course of their schooling but selica is also al so watchful Natch ful and although grace had lat terl done nothing particularly out of the wa ta the wonderful sixth sith sense chich trainers trainer alway ac quire warned varned her hei that the animal should be regarded nith suspicion the rhe beast had become nervous nerious 1 a I lit tie lie more sullen than usual ulten or I 1 r Y II 11 H 11 II 11 B f f ir lift Y 12 Z SHE IS apparently WIT WITHOUT HOUll F FEAR EAR OF THEM dered to loane her den for the exhibit lion cage and a trine trifle slow blow and re bel beulious lious when hen told to jump up on her allotted pedestal constant association the wild animals begets carelessness but selica with the scars of graces sharp claw claas s still visible on her back and shoulders was tas quick to notice the change and careful before opening the door from the den to the run runway Nay to look through the lion alon hole bole and male make sure that the lioness was not crouched tor for a spring grace had been particularly sullen in the after afternoon and ad she was vas growling ominously when selica went to set get her for tho the evening performance but when the domin sax saw tho the three little furr balls which were vere huddled in a corner of tho the den she understood nd ind forgave all the cubs were ere no larger than st bernard puppies but grace apparently considered them orth north fighting tor for and selica a dance nas as that night with only flo in the cage and tile the pro krietor told the stranger tranger ti tho the acason tor for the iho empty pedestal walt until after the performance and I 1 will nill take them out of the cage atrid nd show shou them to ou he said and the stranger remembering a aradi lion to the effect that robbing a lion ess of her cubs is a dangerous feat eat looked fo forward rard with ith a great deal of interest to the after piece tte XI e can cant t trust the rearing of tho he cubs to grace said the as lie stood in front of her cage ater after the audience had been dismissed the cloge cloe of the mothr ani nals in the arena and the curiosity of the thousands of 0 people who mho come hero every day would make her so crazy that sho she would destroy them to so I 1 must get them a foster mother I 1 have sent to ne new nea A york tor for a bitch with ith pu pupa PH and in a couple of das I 1 will ill show iou a happy family tho the cubs cube were va ere in the center of the cage and grace graca stood over them snarling and looking with blazing eyes at the group in front of it but selica is voice from the annay and a rattling ot of the door at the back distracted her it and as aa she sprang at th door the proprietor darted a hand be tw tween een the bars and seized one of the cubs dra drawing TIng it out a halt hall sec rec ond before the enraged mother land ed cd against the bars mith a force IN aich made them rattle the poor hoist beit ft as almost frantic but the same mancu er v vas as tv ice re pealed and in of her fierce at ticks o oi 01 i doo doors s and bars the tor nho bo had acquired through his big lifetime association T ith the greit great its is as much of their quickness of 0 C mol movement ement us as it t is gh ghen en to mere man to learn reproved the three cubs i without receiving a scratch poor helpless little creat creature they IN were ere and it vas nas difficult to that the soon grove grov into beasts is as pox powerful erful as the ferocious hilti it more the terror of trainers nho was aas ans answering graces lamentations kith alth roars chich fairia fairl shook the building bom hs his cage on tho the other side oj of the arena that animal nas as bred in born arid and raised in our menagerie in england said the proprietor after he had placed the cubs in charge of one of the keepers 1 I suppose abit bit mikes makes him such a bad beggar to handle give me the jun lebbed lion to train ellry ume time for after tho the man handling and discomfort of his capture and transportation to the coast ba b batles he appreciates the lie cire care and humania hu manit of a civilized civilised civili sed trainer bonanini bonaitis Bona Niti iti the greatest trainer nho isho elor anent intha into a lion hae tino good arms today it dalti balt more lad had been born in the nubian desert instead of lit in manchester 1 I kemem oer er once lie said allen lien a gu gui named mernet and ma m self anere ere running a snake show in new lork that ve t pay tho rent because bee use tile the pipers papers ane us ana an although ne e hid had the finest collection of trigg lers thit that vas eer gotten together we nere ere run ning it on the dead leel nary a tike fake about it and 11 ferritt a lecture was highfi instructive and interesting and more than halt half true but me saw that n e could rit t iiii w in out at the game un less vo vie crooked it we were vere run ning so tar far behind that the onia thing which saved saied us in from a dispossess vias mas tho the fact act that chev couldn coulden t get a cou con stable who mho would could carry the snakes out to the sidewalk but merett was nas a resourceful cuss and I 1 felt confident that ho he t N figure out some scheme to win out jim sa davs s he its necessary for us to give era cm a sensation IN c ve tried to run this game us as a purely moral and instruct instructive he entertainment but we e need tho the money and I 1 reckon apte e got to spring i a cold deck on lem em I 1 guess bouvo ou N a got to stand for being attacked attick cd bl an untamable man eating pathon you can count me ma out on that sa davs s I 1 every in the city would size mo me up as a victim of the demon rum merritt Ier looked aged for a minute but his taco face bud denly II 11 lighted bitted up and I 1 knew he be had found a way nay jim says he if we only take halt half or of our usual allowance ce of firewater water tonight va ma TOIL hive enough cash to bu some paint now there s that big pithon tho the ixil pi elmen ever captured the tha fluid urn lac talis gigan sis sas he that fas as one trouble with mith Il Merrl erritt tt lied hod get so stuck on tho the language IN which lie manufactured that he leave iane it out olt even enen in our business and it used ur a lot of taule that polion is 19 th straight roods goods sas he but I 1 he doesn doean t catch their ea eves es so ill paint the blame anale red white and blur blue and christen him the anaconda ana condu fla flage gelum luril p e pluribus pluri bui unum and give ghe the high brows brains some thing to an work ork on sa davs s lie he that 11 work up the and SU set cra cm writing in the papers to prove that there isla t any such thing but weve got tho the answer to that tor for wo ue can cam show chow em one at twenty five cents per 1 I never could stand for him flimflam flam ming tile tho generous public but my men benl ticket was nag punched so full 0 holes that it looked like ilka a porous plaster and I 1 consented Men lit spent most lost or of the night I 1 decorating that python and in the morning it looked like the pennant ot of a man mail 0 war I 1 hid had to sit up and natch him lor for he hail had the artistic temperament and he nal so io carried away by his hia enthusiasm m that I 1 ac I 1 hadn haan t restrained him he would have put on tho tha coat of arms ot of the united states eagle motto and ill all now nonn sas lie he when he be bid fin fill ibid and stepped back to admire hla his work if i thit that blame snakes own onil mother would mould know him if she met him on the street I 1 ra a dutchman it if this don t mike make em sit up and take taka notice then ill go to night school to learn the show business how did the scheme work askel asked the prop proprietor rictor as the press agent paused to miep the grand hailing s sign ign of 0 dl distress tress to the baiter valter I 1 work hp he ans answered ered how does a fake always work ork in new nein the pathon pi thou N was as lo 10 0 o stuck on its new colors that it broke its neck turning around to admire stielf and el athing rt thing hing went vent loela of course there was aas the usual howl from the who knew atall it all an ind d old subscriber citizen pro pono pub lico ind and the rest of 0 the bunch wrote arote columns column denouncing us as frauds you know how hov those things work everybody puts up an argument and then its up to the fellow who is mik mak ing tile bluff to hick back it up i alth an of fer to donate a sum of money to some charitable chin table institution it if he cant can t de liver the goods we ie ft ere veil uell ahead of tile tho game as a result of the ad advertising er and hid bid abut about two thousand thou to tho the good and mearitt got awful dies clies ty ile he had lied about that snake so much that he ha belle believed erl in it himself and it made me a little nervous ono one night when nhen lie he offered to donate two thousand dollars to the llo home me tor for decrepit side choin it if an rl one could produce another specimen like this one short of the head T v aters ot of the amazon I 1 anant selred so 60 much ba b tint that as by what I 1 feared he might ETI ai for I 1 knew them the couldn coulden t got get another it if they raked tile the universe erse with a fine toothed comb ind and suro sure enough lie he was carried awa axah hi ba ills his enthusiasm and offered to bet our en tire bink bank roll that the snake nale was na a genuine flag such as lad had never neter been exhibited in an adv counti it T v as just our luck that there IMS cas a half loaded tinhorn in the audience thit that night one ot of the tha kind that wears inears a vellow diamond and a clie checked cled suit nith a white stove stoie hat and the only part ot of the speech that he understood was as thit that wanted to make a bet that raised his sporting blood and lie he climbed up to the plat foint and pulled out a roll of ellow elcox boys that would choke a dog and peeled oft off twenty tient centuries 1 I don t knox know much about snaked v hica wont non t maa clia chase 3 themselves bicle to the i woods I 1 sa ll 11 lip as ai lie plinked plunked em down on oil tho the table 1 I ain t got 3 our gift of gab but money talks and I 1 ive ve got this pile to sav ai that aou ou cm can t tell the truth to save saie bour neck just stack up sour pile alongside of that and then trot out loui out clet I 1 was as feeling pretty sore on merritt tor for making suet i bluff but of course we ine had to make good and betiN between cen us no e cohered the bet we hid bid gliss glass cages full of snakes ull all around the platform but old glori was inas in a big chest with gilt figures and brass chains and fastened with ith a padlock menett wis mid mail clear through at haling his veracity vera cit questioned bill art s he looked pretty confident as he sauci slued the kea ke in the lock its a shamp to take the money ays he us as he eyed the gambler gim bler but theres an old saling about the men tal capaci capacity tv of a man tint that Is speedily separated from his bank roll and I 1 reckon aou ou were ava from homo home the tha last time the fool killer called the gambler just smiled and kept his ee on the stakes now noa I 1 sais he turning to the audience it if you 11 kindly agn agne e me 3 our attention ill show 3 ou one ot of the most ma relous melous mysteries ot of hatun it was procured by one of 0 our iipp lil agents at the head waters naters of 0 the ama amaan on at tremendous exzenie it is a unique represent atno ot of the rep famili and the sight ot of it should 1 arouse pride in the hearts ot of all patriotic 1 americans tor for as he tin unwinds ands his sinuous colls coils vou will ill observe that while his head bead and neck are blue the bod down to tho the tip ot of the tall tail Is marked with nith thirteen alternate alterm to stripes of red and white giving this ma minelous relous creature the appearance of 0 bing wrapped in that glorious em blem of liberty which waves oer the land of 0 the brave and ta home of the tree free I 1 merritt stops then throwing out ills his chest and sticking his hand into the bosom of his coat to wait for tho the customary applause from th the 0 galari to subside but instead of the bual glad hands he nas greeted v ith a roar of laughter and cat callb and when ho he turned to look at tile tho brit ac to be box there was old gloo cravo crawling ling out looking ot of for lie he was as as white ab the lay day he T was as born what happened 9 asked the proprietor as the press agent sighed XV well ell merritt aiwas alwa s hall had presence of mind and as the sport gathered up our hard earned lit h grab bed me b the arm and hurried me from the building ile ho knew fiat a bower boner audience wis was apt to follow catcalls cat calls with antique eggs arid and vegetables of last reasons Nin mintage in tige tage and five minutes later we re aare A ere trying to drown our sorrow jim eais merrill Merrl tt 11 1 I made a big bg mistake tor for I 1 should have hane tattooed min him ills ilia beauty was onia bosn drep deep and tho th blame snake shad Vs his akin |