by A. Vimar
4
CLOWN AT THE CIRCUS
However, as he reached the edge of the wood, the rain grew lessviolent. Night was coming on but among the trees he could see brightlights shining.
Drawing nearer, Clown made out some kind of a big camp; carriages andclosed wagons and tents stood out against the background of the forest.At last he saw people and animals coming and going in all directions.
Clown with Marie in front of a mirror]
When he was quite close to this busy scene, Clown stopped, breathlessand anxious, sniffing the air, listening keenly to the slightest sound.
He was not quite satisfied, and in his doubt he thought of goingfarther on the chance of finding other shelter. But he was more tiredthan he was afraid. Plucking up his courage, poor Clown crept slowlytoward the larger of the two lighted vans that stood on the edge of thewoods.
Clown finds a big camp]
Just at this moment the curtain that closed the rear of one of thesevans opened and a young girl came out and stood on the doorstep. Shewore a gleaming costume of spangles, with a very short, fluffy skirt,covered with shiny stones, and she had little satin slippers on herfeet, and the daintiest of pink stockings. A plaid shawl hung from hershoulders.
Clown in front of a doorstep]
Clown was dumbfounded. Never had he seen his dear mistress in such adress. While he was gazing in astonishment at her, the girl stretchedout her hand to see if it was still raining. As she looked down shecaught sight of our poor little doggie, who, squatting in front of her,wet through and muddy, raised imploring eyes, waiting till she shouldtake pity on him.
"What's this? A lost dog?" and, bending toward him, she coaxed himnearer, saying:
"Poor doggie, poor little thing."
Clown went forward at once, trembling, anxious to please but stillhalf afraid. He let this strange girl pet him, and made himself soagreeable, so eager and so interesting, that ten minutes later she hadhim all cleaned, combed and brushed.
Clown on a pile of blankets]
Having won the favor of this kind-hearted girl, Clown became once morehis old handsome self.
On a soft pile of blankets he passed an excellent night. Now and againstrange noises troubled his ears, but completely worn out, and drowsyfrom so much fresh air, he fell asleep again and dreamed golden dreams.
The next morning the sky was clear again and the air was fresh andbalmy.
Clown visits the animals of the circus]
Clown was awakened at dawn by the sound of people rushing about,packing up, just as though they were moving house. Without leavinghis bed, his eyes still half-closed, he listened closely, and finallyunderstood with what kind of people he had to deal. Then were explainedthe low growls which had so puzzled and frightened him during thenight. The carriages, the cages, were the dwelling places of strangeand terrifying animals, such as he remembered having seen at thefair of Neuilly, whither his dear mistress, Bertha, had taken him oneevening when he was still a baby.
Clown watches boxes]
He had, then, fallen in with an immense traveling circus which,constantly on the move, gave performances in the principal cities ofthe world. Just now it was headed, by gentle stages, for the center ofFrance. Clown was quite comforted and happy at the thought of one dayor another reaching Paris. Then--then--then he would manage somehow tosee her again, her for whom he yearned, her whom he loved with all hisfaithful little heart.
Traveling this way was much nicer than running along the highroad. Hewas a sturdy fellow, but, all the same, that one day of walking undersuch conditions had made him somewhat thin. In short, he had had enoughof it, especially when he remembered that he hadn't the least idea howto get to Paris.
Clown at the lions' cages]
Slipping cautiously under the tents which sheltered the cages, Clowntook a good look around the place.
The stables, huge affairs, contained no less than one hundred andfifty horses of all kinds and colors. He saw, too, three monstrouselephants, dromedaries, giraffes, zebras, donkeys, and even pigs.
A polar bear]
Then came the turn of the menagerie--a fine collection of lions,tigers, panthers, jaguars, foxes, hyenas, boars. What didn't he see?Boxes full of snakes, crocodiles, monkeys in cages--a chimpanzee whowas walking about all alone gave him a terrible fright.
Parrots of every hue swayed on swinging perches, uttering, for noreason that Clown could see, harsh discordant cries.
Elephants]
Thus he passed slowly through the whole menagerie, seeing all theanimals. He even grew bold enough to lap freely at a large lake ofmilk, put there, he thought, for the snakes and monkeys, who are veryfond of it. After this light breakfast he felt stronger and morelight-hearted. He spent some time visiting and making much of his newmistress, and then went on to finish his visit with the animals sohappily begun.
Passing close to the elephants, he noticed their small intelligenteyes, contrasting so queerly with their huge size. While he waswondering about them, Clown, who was by nature very curious, drewnearer, wanting to sniff more closely at those long noses which swayedso slowly and calmly from side to side. He succeeded in getting closeenough to touch them, but at the slightest movement of the trunk heleaped back, his tail between his legs, although he just had to return.
Suddenly, without being in the least hurt, he felt himself lifted likea feather, and cleverly drawn into the elephant-house. Now it was theelephants' turn to sniff at him. One blew upon his nose until he couldscarcely breathe, while another gently pinched his hind-quarters, andthey all laughed at the figure he cut. I can tell you, Clown did notenjoy all this one bit. He did not even dare to show his teeth, he wasso afraid of being torn to pieces if he made the slightest movement.Those five minutes in the air seemed to him very long and terrible.
Clown 'in the air']
At last he was gently put upon his feet again. He made one bound forliberty, a bound which brought him close to the giraffes. Here again hefelt a keen pang of fear, for one of them, suddenly stretching his longneck over the top of the box, touched him quite unexpectedly with hislong black tongue.
Clown and the giraffe]
After this Clown was much more watchful and did not come too close tothe animals in the boxes. Even the sound of a fly buzzing put him onhis guard, and this was a good thing for him, for he was in the midstof a horde not always pleasant and sometimes quite dangerous, whereall sorts of accidents might have happened to him. Fortunately he hadescaped harm, and these lessons made him very careful afterwards.
Ape ringing a bell]
A bell rang. Immediately commotion arose; people moved about in alldirections; the feeling of unrest showed more and more in the cages;the inmates turned and twisted. Clown wondered what could be thematter. The wild beasts roared, the horses whinnied; all the animalsclamored at once.
There was a medley of sounds that was simply deafening. It was feedingtime.
Barrows full of fresh meat, loaves of bread and bundles of forage,were passed around freely. Each animal was served in turn according tohis taste. After the first bite or two calm gradually returned, in thecages anyhow.
Clown was served apart and lunched with excellent appetite. His newmistress fairly stuffed him with dainties, feeding him out of her ownhand. Her kindness made Clown love her more and more.
When the animals were all fed and the men had finished their ownmeals, the whole circus got ready to move. By noon everything wasready, and at a given signal, the entire troupe set off.
Clown - eating]
As the country was flat, and they were to march until evening beforereaching their next stopping place, orders were given to leave theshutters of the cages open and to lead as many of the animals aspossible so that they might breathe in the fresh air and stretch theirlegs a bit. You can guess that the passing of such animals on the roadfrightened more than one good peasant as they went along, althougheveryone along the road was warned in time by the tamerand his helpers, who rode at the head
of the procession so as to avoidaccidents.
The circus on its way]
Elephants doing tricks]
It was in an elegant carriage, with good springs, drawn by two fineyoung horses, that Clown made the journey, seated beside his newmistress. The longing to go quickly, made him hang his tongue out ofhis mouth so that his white teeth showed under his black moustache,and his eyes, turning from his mistress to the splendid horses and backagain, spoke his impatience but at the same time his delight at theprogress they were making.
The lion's trick]
They went on and on, over miles of road bordered by poplars, on intothe golden dust, into the purple sunset.
A few miles more, and there lay Dijon.
A week before, the town had been prepared, by bright-colored posters,for the coming of the great, the marvelous circus. The walls and fenceswere simply covered with pictures of the wonderful performance.
Circus riding]
Performing horses, looking huge as elephants, clowns at their mostamusing tricks, gymnasts doing their most thrilling feats, all werepictured.
The tamer was there too, life-size, his head in the mouth of Sultan,the big black Persian lion, while Mademoiselle Reine, his charmingdaughter, Clown's new mistress, beneath a cloudless sky drove fourwhite does, scattering flowers as she went.
At last the travelers came to the first country houses, the vineyardsand finally the spires, the tower of St. John the Fearless and theother buildings of the capital of Burgundy standing out against theevening gloom.
Setting up everything at a new town]
Before they entered the town, a halt was called. Order was restored,the cages were shut, a moment's rest was taken; then the troupe set outagain, to encamp at last on a large piece of open ground near the gatesof the city.
While the tents were being set up and the cages placed--in short,the whole circus installed--a huge procession bearing torches wasorganized, which rode through Dijon, led by a band of music.
Knights in shining armor, mounted on magnificent horses, handed outbills telling of a big performance for the next evening and giving theprogram.
Circus parade]
The whole town was abroad to see and admire this strange sight. Men,women, children, all came out to meet them. It was a grand spectacle.Everybody wanted a program. Just imagine a procession of elephants,decked with gold and silver, a hundred and fifty horses, some riddenand some driven but all with magnificent harnesses, dromedaries, paradechariots shimmering with gold and gleaming with precious stones, andall these lighted up by flaring torches.
Clown had been dressed up for the occasion with yellow ribbons, acolor which suited his black coat to perfection. Seated beside his newmistress he was radiant upon a canopied chair of gold borne by fourzebras.
Zebras with palanquin]
After going through the principal streets the troupe at last came backto camp to rest for the night, still followed by a vast crowd who didnot think of sleep until long after the circus fires were all out.
The night was calm, but at daybreak, as on the preceding day, the noisein the camp started again, perhaps even a little louder this morning onaccount of the rehearsal which was to take place in preparation for theevening's performance.
Clown learning new trick]
Clown, always very curious, was present at all the rehearsals andenjoyed them thoroughly--so much, indeed, that he suddenly joined inand showed how well he could skip. Then he wanted to jump over andthrough everything. At last he got so excited that Reine made him takea nice hot sugar-drink with a little orange flower in it to calm him.
After this, Clown was considered one of the troupe.
Clown and an ape]
Always on the watch, our doggie learned at breakfast that three dayshence they were to go to Fontainebleau, where they were to give twoperformances, and after that they were to set off for Paris, so as toarrive in time for the opening of the big festival at Neuilly.
This made him so happy that for the moment he quite forgot to eat.Then, hope in his soul and joy in his heart, he made up his mind todo his very best at the next performance. He wanted to make all thepeople admire him, to do something that would repay Reine and herfather for their kindness. Perhaps, too, he hoped that by acting inthis way he might get talked about and get his name into the papers.Man is vain and even a dog has his pride. His fame might perhaps reachBertha, his dear, tender, much-regretted mistress. All this made himvery serious when at last the time for the performance arrived.
Clown thinks about Bertha]
Beneath an immense tent, brilliantly lighted, decorated with garlandsof foliage and flowers, the orchestra struck up a joyous march.
Immediately the doors were flung open, and to the sound of the music agreat crowd poured into the huge tent and took seats.
The menagerie]
For about an hour and a half the menagerie held the floor. Then theanimals were put back into their cages. The wild beasts were obedientand rebellious in turn; whips sounded continuously. The noise ofsquibs, firecrackers, and growls almost drowned the orchestra.
Clown is being prepared for his performance]
Three times did the tamer put his head into Sultan's great mouth. Theexcitement of the audience was tremendous. They really thought he wasdone for.
"Enough, enough," was heard on all sides, and amid a thunder ofapplause, the first part of the performance came to an end.
Then came an interval of ten minutes.
Clown performing together with a clown]
Soon the second part was announced by a cheerful burst of music andthe mad entrance of the clowns. Our Clown only waited for this momentto show off his talents, those already known and those nobody had everseen before. He entered barking, in a series of wild leaps exactlylike those of his companions. It was then that an artist in the troupe,astonished and enthusiastic, took off his clown's collar, and then andthere put it round the neck of the poodle, naming him the "Dog-Clown."
Clown the dog-clown]
So, for the second time, although until then they had not known what tocall him, he received the name of Clown--"Dog-Clown."
During the first number, Clown set to work to copy all the fun-makingtricks of the other clowns, and succeeded wonderfully well. Jumpingthrough hoops and over barrels, he gave himself up to the pleasure ofthe thing; pleasing everyone so well that they clapped and clappeduntil he came back several times.
Horse performance]
When the second number was called, there appeared on the scene a veryhandsome horse led by a groom dressed in the latest fashion. No soonerhad they entered than they were followed by Clown, who, as he had seendone at the rehearsal, leaped with one bound into the saddle. They hadgreat difficulty in coaxing him down. He could not see that this wasnot the place for him. Reine, beautifully dressed in a blue spangledgown, was placed with her father, in the saddle and set off at agallop, to the sound of music and the gay cracking of the whip.
Clown's horse performance]
Clown with pipe]
A clown joined the groom and Dog-Clown, who in spite of everything hadremained on the scene, began to limp along behind them, to the greatamusement of the spectators.
He was the success of the evening. He even, it is said, caused somejealousy among the artists of the troupe. Thus from the very beginningClown felt the thrill of stage life and became a privileged actor.
Petted and adored by the public, he became so important that he hardlyever appeared on the scene until the end of the first and secondnumbers, a place reserved always for the stars of the troupe.
Clown is balancing on a big ball]
As was fitting, Dog-Clown had the place of honor on the circus posters.Sometimes he was a groom, sometimes a clown, but he did not stopthere. He succeeded in showing that he was a mimic, and in a littleplay written for him by the manager, he made a huge success. Reine, whointroduced Clown, shared the applause with her favorite.
One of Clown's tricks]
Clown and his dressmaker]
When the circus left Dijon, the people of that town were heart-broken.The mayor himself even begged that the manager give a few moreperformances. In vain. The manager was sorry, but time pressed; he hadmade arrangements for a certain date at Fountainebleau.
When Dog-Clown appeared for the first time in public in this town, evenbefore he began he received such a welcome that he was moved to tears.The people had heard all about him and were wild to see him. In amoment the stage was covered with a mass of good things, thrown to himfrom all parts of the house, from the nearest seats to the farthest.Some threw sugar, some cakes; the clown even picked up cigars andoranges.
Dog-Clown, by way of thanks, gave such a performance as even he hadnever given before. His success was almost unbelievable. At last sogreat did his fame become that the Paris papers took it up, giving longaccounts of this wonderful dog.
Clown was glad to be on the road again, for each move brought him thatmuch closer to Paris. Besides, now that he was an important member ofthe company he always rode in state beside Reine, with velvet cushionsto nap on if he chose.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached Fountainebleau, so noperformance was given till next day, and the animals had a needed rest.Clown spent his time in thinking up new tricks with which to surprisethe people who came to see him.
Clown is trying new tricks]
I must tell you that, as soon as Clown had shown what an artist hewas, and how wonderfully he could adorn a collarette, the managementhad attached to his person a dressmaker who made for him all sorts ofquaint costumes.
Soon he had a rich and thoroughly equipped wardrobe, from a frock-coatto a bull's skin and horns, a costume which he wore to act the bull ina mock bullfight in which young dwarfs figured as matadors and teasedhim.
Clown in a bull costume]
