YOUNG COVILLE’S CIRCUS.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 715, 4 October 1876, Page 3

YOUNG COVILLE’S CIRCUS.

There was a time of it at Mr Coville’s place recently. Young Coville had a circus. We don’t exactly understand the source of the impression, but every boy who starts a circus does it in the firm belief that there is profit as well as fame in the operation. Young Coville is no exception to the rule. He had his ideas of this circus. It was to be a big affair, and it was to be a profitable investment., He associated with him five other boys. He intended to run it alone, but he found that every performer must necessarily be a partner, and so there were five of them. Not the original five, of course. In fact, by no means. Young Coville found he must change his draft several times, because of inherent jealousies, and from that laudable, but extremely impracticable, desire born in every boy, to be either the ticket-seller or the clown, if not the ring-master. It was Young Coville’s ambition to jbe the manager or the ticket-seller. This enabled him to wear his hat on the back of his head and scowl at outsiders. As the circus was to be in his yard the office was easily managed. But this position of importance was not all he desired. To frown at the outside world was a good deal in itself, but no boy of ordinary ambition could be content to forego the plaudits of the inside masses even at this price. So Young Coville, by a masterpiece of strategy, relieved the contest of the bulk of its acidity by assuming also the role of ringmaster himself. He wanted to be the clown, too, but this was a loss of dignity ; beside, was rendered impossible by that peculiar economy in shows, which calls for the presence of ringmaster and clown both at the same time. Another boy was appointed clown, greatly to the disgust of still another, but the matter was subsequently and satisfactorily settled back of the Methodist church sheds. The tent was put up on the morning of Friday, and was quite an event in the neighbourhood, besides being quite an institution of itself. Young Coville was in a state of excitement that was simply marvellous. In addition to the honorable! position which he held as pro • prietor of the grounds, he was also the business manager, and everything pertaining to the arrangement from the placing of a stick to the adjudication of a claim was submitted to him. Twice he was called to one side to knock over two particularly obstinate contributors to the general stock. He, himself, furnished two lengths of carpet and three sheets; the other performers brought in their respective shares. Then outside donations were solicited with the alluring temptation of a free pass, and several youths succumbed. The circus was finally erected. Seats were provided, and the hour came for the opening of the door. The audience flocked in. Twenty pins was the general admission, with an addition of five pins for reserved seats. The reserved seats consisted of a board mounted on two tubs, which elevation gave 'the occupants a decided advantage over the rest of the audience who were seated on cord wood laid on the ground. Young Covill was kept busy at the door, counting the pins, which task he very much facilitated by crossing his eyes on his nose. Once in a* while he was obliged to descend from his perch to settle the matter with somebody who had given him nineteen pins and contumaciously assert that he had passed up the right number. But these little difficulties were finally over, and the performance began. There was to be for the first piece the advent of a performing horse, which character was to be taken by a young man named Sparks. After sundry antics, under the spur of the ringmaster’s lash, he was to be ridden twice round the ring by the clown. This was to be a very fine piece, indeed, and much was anticipated from it not only by the audience but also by the circus performers.

At a signal from young Coville, who stood in the ring, the orcehstra gave a roll on his drum, the audience grew breathless, the bit of carpet which hung like a tantalizing veil over the hidden glories of the dressing-room was lifted, and the performing horse came dashing down the avenue to the ring, a distance of about four feet. Young Coville was too full for utterance. He swung his whip above his head and let drive for a terrific * snap.’ Immediately the performing horse arose to its hind feet, and hotly observed—‘Don’t you do that ag’in, Bill Coville,’ at the same time moving one of its forward legs around back of itself. The audience jeered. Master Coville’s face became scarlet ‘ Get down,’ he hissed.

‘ I ain’t agoin’ to play any more if you hit like that,’protested the horse, still rubbing itself with the forward leg. ‘Yon won’t? ’ yelled the manager. ‘No, I won’t,’ said the horse, moving toward the dressing-room. Young Coville made a spring. The performing horse saw it, and dashed into the dressing-room, doing it so impetuously as to nearly carry the fabric with him. When the ring-master got there the performing horse was out in the yard, looking back with a nervous, apprehensive gaze. Young Coville felt it beneath his dignity to farther pursue the refractory animal, but he succeeded. through the medium of pantomime, in conveying to it a very clear idea of his future plans. To abate the cries of the audience, which were becoming so loud as to interfere with the discussion in the dressing room, the clown dashed out to sing a song. His appearance was hailed with cries of delight.. He had his clothes on wrong side out, and a spot of red chalk on each cheek and the forehead. He kicked up his legs, flipped his arms, and threw out his chest. The audience fairly screamed with pleasure, and the manager regained lus lost spirits. The clown then announced that he would now sing the famous song of ‘Vilkins and Dinah,’ and was [proceeding

with some prefatory remarks of a highly humorous nature, when a voice outside was heard calling his name. The clown immediately stopped in his address and uneasily whispered to master Coville that that was his ma. There was a pause. The name was again repeated close to, there was a movement of the tent, and the face of an enquiring female was thrust through an opening, ;; : - -

‘ Here, young man,’ she said, as her eye fell upon the clown, ‘you come home. I want you to go down street. * ■ <f I The face of the humorous gentleman blanched instantly. rtv.iH

‘ I’ll be there in a minute,’ he tremblingly responded. *,• ‘ You come here at once, young man, and take off that rig, or I’ll know the reason of it,’ she replied, the lines in her hard face growing still harder. 4 1 will—l will— ’ he began, but he didn’t say any more. He looked into the unflinching face, read it as if it had been a book, and then put up the painted little hands to his face and mixed the pigment with the tears.

4 Are you coming V cried the harsh voice:. He went.

Master Coville was nonplussed. For an instant he stared at the centre pole, as if strongly tempted to run against it head first, and dash out his brains. The audience had been kept still by a spirit of sympathy with the wronged clown, now felt the full power of the reflection that the show was not in any way their own, and began to grow uneasy, besides showing unmistakable signs of disapproval. Young Coville shot into the dressing-room, but was immediately called out again to confront a new trouble. Mrs Maginly, whose boy occupied a reserved seat in consideration of furnishing two sheets, was approaching in indignant pursuit; of those articles, being led thereto by the performing horse, who knew that young ; Maginley has surreptitiously possessed them. The vexed woman never paused to parley,' but began at once the removal of her property, which forming fully two-thirds of the sides to the tent, left that inati- » tution in a rather disastrous condition. The audience was very naturally excited * over this proceedure, especially those of them who occupied the reserved seats at an extra outlay of five pins. They jeered the woman, jeered the manager, ’ and laughed at his defeat, and groaned over their own disappointment; but the * overruling sentiment appeared to be in favor of the return of their pins. Young Coville was in such a strait that he did not know what to do. The dressing-room came down, and the performers rushed outj to see what was the trouble, and in the midst of the excitement the general manager and ringmaster forgot himself and sat down on the treasury. His yell of distress as he bounded up again was greeted with cries of delight, and a row was immediately precipitated. The kangaroo lost two of his teeth and got a black eye. tThe ‘graceful acrobat ’ was doubled up by a kick in the stomach—the only act he was permitted to perform ; while the J two supernumaries were each banged over the head with tent pins. Several of the audience had their noses bunged and their faces and clothes mutilated. Young Coville, at the very beginning of the row, detected the performing on the edge of the crowd, and tore out after him, pausing just long enough in the pursuit to give young Miginley a 4 swat ’ on the chin that caused that young gentleman to go down like a flash. Mr? Coville then made her appearance with a broom, and her commanding presence together with the length of the broom, very soon cleared the yard of the combatants. But they hovered about the fence for hours after, demanding back their pinsi.s calling each other names, and firing things .K. at the manager whenever he showed himself. The excitement is all over now, so far as the community is concerned, but I the performing horse has felt obliged to for- h sake his former haunts and routes, being l o( informed by good authority that young: : < Coville is ‘laying’ for him with a brass on knuckle. '