Sairey Snodgins goes to the Circus.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 12, 20 January 1894, Page 18

Sairey Snodgins goes to the Circus.

To begin with, let me tell you, Mr. Heditor, as I ’ave a sneekin’ regard for cirkus’s, an’ it gives me' a grate deel of plesure in recallin' my childish impreshuns of them, one of wich was that : the horses ..had sugar-coated-backs, an’that

the ladies;, as rode them must be hongels, or else when they jumped threw them burnin’ hoops they would ’ave been burnt. Well, I don’t meen to say as they iassinates me as much now as they did then, still they d!oes fassinate me, an’ when; Snodgins came home, an’ says, “ Sairey, my deer, would you like to goto Fillis’s cirkus ?"■ I did not reloose.

So ’avin’ had tea, I dressed myself in my white gown, with a yeller sworve. jacket (as was goin’ in the swell seets, an’ wanted to look nice) an* my best vielet bonnet, an’ Snodgins an’ I was soon wendin’ our Way to the reclamed land. "When we got to were the enormus tent was put hup, I was dasselled by the blaze of lite, the shootin’ gallery, ah’ the frute stalls, an’ a man was standin’. at - the entrance shoutin’ “ 2s this way to Fillis’s cirkus,” all of ' wich reminded me of. Sanger’s cirkus an’ menagary, as used to, delite my childhoods days when it pade a visit to our town. " . .

-Well, we accepts the man’s invitashun an’ warks in, an’ was surprised to find oursels face to face, with the beests of the forest, an’ a thril of terror ran strata down my backbone when I sees in a cage all by hisself the King of Beests, a lion, an’ on his cage was the name “ Pashier.” “ I hopes as they doesn’t bring that hanimal inter the ring, Snodgins,” I says. “ Not afrade, Sairey, are you ?” he says. “ Oh, no, Snodgins,” I says, but I confess to you, Mr. Heditor, as I didn't like the look of “ Pasher’s ” eye, as seemed to take a dislike to my sworve jacket. .So I moved away from “ Pasher ” as. quick as I could without letting. Snodgins see as I was afrade, an’ after looking at theponyies, as is the deerest little creeturs in the world, we crossed over to the other side to see the monkeys, tigers, helephants. an’ &c. After lookin’ at the helephants, aB 1 thinks the ridicalasest hanimals as ever I seen, with there long trunks an’fialppy ears, there little eyes an’ tales to match, wich a man, a. blackey-man,; asked me to ’ave a ride on, sayin’: “ No need for you to climb up onter his back, mem, he will lift you.hup hisself with his trunk, mem;" : “ No, thank ; you,’’ I saysj j‘‘ I prefers to stand : •We then-moved "on tocthe tigers cage, an’ Snodgins turns to me an’ says: .noi-1 . -J beleevejf Sairey,”ihei ■jlrJwui'i' cue-si bsticL s~tf '

of them tigers bit the face of his trainer, Cox, in Christchurch,” he says. “How dredful, Snodgins,” Isays, “ how. did it happen ?” I says. “He has a fite with the tiger,'” he says» “an* finishes hup by puttin’ his head inter its mouth,” he says. “ I almost feel inclined to say serve him rite, as seems to me to be a temptin’ of Provender,” Isays, “an’hopes as he'll not do it to-nite.”

“ Let’s hope not, Sairey, for your sake,” he says. We then moved on to the monkeys cage, as are old frends of mine, as ’ave seen many in Eastarn gardens an’ Newßriteon Winter Gardens, in Cheshire, an’ after lookin’ at them for a few minits I turned my back on the cage an’ says to Snodgins: “My deer,” I says. “ shall we go into the—"

“Grate Provender, perserve me," I egsclamed, as I felt somethink cluch hold of my best vielet bonnet, “ what’s hat?”

“ Only the monkey takin’ a fancy to your bonnet, Sairey,” Snodgins returns. '

“ Only," I says, as I put hup my hand to my head, an’ felt the bonnet gone, sure enuff —“ an’ what do you perpose I shud do now, Sam’el Snodgins ?” I. says, as don t like to he laffed at. “Oh, you must grin an’ bare it, Sairey,” he says, “ an’ go inter the cirkus as you are, an’ people will think as you is in evenin’ dress,” he says. “ I spose that is all I can do," I says, savage, as glancin’ at the wreoh as stole my bonnet I saw him dividin’ the spile an’one had the nbbins am’another the Hour, while he had the shape stuck on his hugly head, an’ was makin’ the most horful nises as I spose he called laffin’, in wich the silly bystanders jined. “Come along, Snodgins,” I says, “as ’ave no wish to be the laffin' stock of this crowd,” I says. So heerin’ the band strike hup a serlecshun of mocsic we hurried inside an’ took our seets, an’ I notissed as I was the only one without a bonnet. Of course the usual thing was gone threw—clown bissness an’ a clever lady on a bare-backed horse, then a hacrobatic performance by the clever Feeley family, as must ’ave been made of erlastic, specially the little boy an’ girl, as seemed to be able to do anythink at all, the boy turnin’ a double summersalt from the shoulders of one man to another. Then came Mr. Fillis hisself, as did some dashin’ devil-may-care ridin’, finishin’ hup with his great feat of jumpin’onter.the bare back of his horse while it was runnin' full speed an’ litin’ on his feet. Then the Feeley childeren came out an’ was histed up the ceelin’ neerly onter what is, I ■ beleeve, called a trap-ease, then they spred a fishinVnet under them,, an’ soon after they started, there manoovers, the little, girl fell,, an* set my hart a thumpin’ an made ine so, egscited as I did’nt know what I'ms doin, an’ I called out,, “ Dont let her go hup that ere agen, you mite as well make a man-of-war other at aace.” ‘ turned' to 100k 1 at inis, ah’

Snodgins pulled me onter my chair agen,; sayin’ “Sairey, don’t get so egsited, the' child isn’t hurt," he says. . V “ But, oh Snodgins," I says, “ isn’t it a dreadful way to get a livin,”T says, “ as these poor people when they starts there performance never knows whether ; they will wark home dead or alive, ’‘ I; says, “ and the ; pity of it is that if they' dosn’t do somethink outrageus and dan- ' gerus they don’t seem to be happre-‘ sheated,” I says. • l- 1 “ That’s so, Sairey," he says, “ an’such is the poplar publick taste, but try not to get so egsited, Sairey, you is too ermoshunal, my deer,’’ he r says, “but 1 see, here comes the helefants; so try to keep carm, Sairey.” : ■ Well, I did try, Mr. Heditor, but when L I seen the trainer put his head in one ofthe helefant’s mouth my hart stud still. I put my hand to my eyes—l lisaen—l heer ’somethink fall. Grate Hevens! it is his head —I looks hup egspeotin’. tov seethe hedless .trunk of a man, but no!. 1 there stud the man, with, his hed on, smilin, “ Thank Heaven” I egsolaimed, “ he’s safe.” •

“ Who’s safe, Sairey ?” says Snodgins.; “Why the trainer, of coorse,” I says,, “as thort I heerd his hed fall to the ; ground.” “Poor old girl," he says, “ p’raps.wehad better go home now, Sairey, as you seems a bithupset, an’ they mite bring the lions out,” he says, “ an’ more than that they might bring that blessed tiger out, thehanimal that put its teeth through.' trainer Cox’s cheek m Christchurch, an’ nearly bit his hed off ?” “ Then come, Snodgins,” I saysj “ for I ’ave suffered with my nerve-strings this blessed nite,” I says “as thinks I am gettin’ too old for this kind of thing,” I says. “ Oh, that little girl falling, upset you, Sairey. You’ll be all rite when you get outside,"he says. •• So we went out, an’ just to the rite where the hanimals is, I saw lyin’ on the ground what I thort was a fur cloke, ’an I moved away a bit from Snodgins an’ stooped to pick it hup, when the fur cloke gets hup, an’ Heven perserve me 11 stood face to face with a big brown bare. I stood petrifide. I could not mover-1 could not speek—till seein’ it advanoe on its hind legs, an’ its fore legs open ready to hug me, I gave a feerful screech, an’ ' fell faintin’ to the ground, an’ remembered no more till I found myself lyin’ on my own bed, an’ Snodgins stancun’ by me. “ How do you feel now, Sairey ?” he says. . / ; “ The bare 1 where is the bare ?’’ I says, shudderin’. “ Oh, he’s all rite, as when we heerdyou screemj” he says, “me an” one or two, others threw him down, dragged you away, an’ got you inter a cab, an’ kare you is safe an’ sound, Sairey,” he says, u * “ Yes, thanks to your bravery, Sam’el, : my deer,” I says, “as mite ’aye been a; sorrowin’widderer now,” ; I says, All’s.weU as ends weU»’ Shakes-; peer sayis,;Sairey, my deer,* he vaysj jtjcu nowget he. ;?.v r -I<r. 'rrj <4% g*CV»'.

tbinkin' how neer you were made a widderer, an’, hojv all theFAin. P|^X 4 staff mite ’aye! been attmdih’^tho| funereal™