The Circus Agent Foiled

Yesterday afternoon, a dapper httle man, with a two-ounce cane and a lalf-póupd cluster diamond, carne into he Chranicle oflBce and asked if the imusement reporter was in. When he man he soughtwas pointed out,the stranger grasped him warnily by the íand, remarking: "Delighted to meet vou, reaüy I am, l've heard of rou at every place L've stopped on my vvay from New York. I had such a curiosity to see you that I got off at lleno and took a run up. lint really I lad expected tofind a mucholder man, consideriiií; the magnificent reputaion your dramatic and circus critiisins liave ven you. All of our )oys ttId me to be sure and see you, f Ï didn't get aboard of snything else m the town." "Ab," said the reporter, blushlng in iis, "I'm glad to see you. Miííli, i iuquire your nameï" "Well, here's niy rard,"said the little man, handing outa picceof pasteboard about five inches square. "You may :iave beard of me before - Clarence De Lacy Slocum. agent oí the Sebastian Van Buena Viste circus and menagerie. Tliis is by far tbe hugest combination of gigantic circuses ever put on the road. We started out about fiye years ago in a small way, with not over 400.000 feet of canvas, only 9 tents and scarcely 1500 animáis, but wagradually absorbed all the small fry-shows. They'd go into bankruptcy along the route and we would buy their outflts. Sebastian, our owner, is the most sympathetic man on eartb. He'd buy their little shows and pay doublé price, juat tohelpthti poordevils along. Money is of no account to him. Ile's traveling simply for pleasure and a desire to see tbe great West." 'Til like to know hito," remarked tbe reporter. "Oh be knows you- that is, by reputation. He has your picture set in a trame that cost him over $100. He was saying to me onenight that whenever 'iishu'ss was dull he just took a look at that phiz of yoursand it always made him fee] as happy as if be was obliged to turn 500 people away at the door." "IIow carne lie to get hold of my picture 't" "Oh. he begged it of Di Murska or Modjeska, or Clara Morris- I forgot which. 8he hated like thunder to part with it, but you see he liad loaned the great actress $10,000 once to buy a wanlrobe and some jewelry for a nevv piece, and as the debt was never cancelled she couldn't very well refuse But I just carne iu to give you a little information about our show. I always like to givea man all the points when I kn.ow he possesses the talent to handle them in the vight style. Some fellows down at lleno and Carson tried to pump me, but I didn'fc propose to let a descúntipnof iv show be tnangled ud I)V ;,C1 (rO llliiciX ui.üiuWi i3tíUtlHan telegraphed me í'rom New York last night not to let anybody but you get aboard of the first grand description. Just mention f our miles of cages containing wild beasts, with 12 new varieties -of elephants, and a recently dis covered monster from África callee the Jabberwock, which weighs i!,00 pounds." 'Indeed!" "Yes, sir! and a man like you, w th fine descriptive ability and inexnuistible command of language, which nis made you famous in two continents - " "IIow many columns do yovi want?" "Oh, as many as you please." "When will the show be here ?" "Perhaps not for two months; it akessuch a long time to move the mimáis that our progress across the itry is slow." "Just so. Well, our figures for big hows like yours are $150 a column, cash down and 30 per cent. of the gross receipts if the show is a success." The circus agent seemed greatly af'ected "Isn't that ratlier steep I" said ie. 'It would be, peihaps, for a small irovincial journal like the New York Sun or even tlie London Timen, but we circuíate such a mammolh edition ;hat the price is coniparatively trilling. Fourteen freight cara come up every day with paper for our edHion, which s worked off on live big water presses ightning geared. Our expenses for steam alone sir, are $2.000 a day. We have more carriers than you could pack into your large tent. Our eastrn circulation has been increasing at the rate of athousand a day for the last two years. By simply cutting lown the si.e of the paper au eighth if an incli, our proprietor has saved enough myney to build' four schoolhousea worth $20,000 each and endowed an orphan asylum in each county in the state. He doesn't run the paper for money, but just simply for his bealth and because he likes the country Our mailing and folding inachinery would remind you of the Risdon iron works." "Is it in this building?" "Oh, no ; this is simply the braneh oflice - the places where we write ii] clrcuses. Our principal establishment- -" The circus agent groaned as if in agony and lied from the oflice.