They don't know what you mean,
and they don't know whether to get huffy or not. Well, I suppose
it had to be that the Funny Old Clown with all his songs, and quips,
and conundrums, and comical remarks should disappear. Perhaps he
"didn't pay."
I can't see that the rest of the show has changed so very much.
Perhaps the trapeze performances are more marvelous and
breath-suspending than they used to be. But they were far and
far beyond what we could dream of then, and to go still farther as
little impresses us as to be told that people live still even
westerly of Idaho. The trapeze performers are up-to-date in one
respect. The fellow that comes down with his arms folded, one leg
stuck out and the other twined around the big rope, revolving
slowly, slowly - well, the band plays the Intermezzo from "Cavalleria
Rusticana" nowadays when he does that. It used to play: "O Thou,
Sweet Spirit, Hear my Prayer!" But the lady in the riding-habit
still smiles as if it hurt her when her horse walks on its hind legs;
the bareback rider does the very same fancy steps as the horse goes
round the ring in a rocking-chair lope; the attendants still slant
the hurdles almost flat for the horse to jump; they still snake the
banners under the rider's feet as he gives a little hop up, and
they still bang him on the head with the paper-covered hoop to
.
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