G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"Your honor, I swear that this clown did not make me laugh. Not even once. And that is criminal!"
Sideshow Passage of the Day
- Thread starter G. S. Carnivals
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G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
Could the Clown Party really be any worse than the Whigs were? The lack of greasepaint expresses fiscal responsibility.
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"I could hear the freaks wailing and babbling down by the animal cages, as I threaded my way between the deserted sideshow tents and ticket booths which filled all the dismal acres between Sally's tent and the west side of the concession. The moon was hidden behind heavy clouds, and the stars looked very cold and remote as I moved through the thick darkness toward Jim Dickson's tent.
There was a light in Jim's tent. The canvas was illumined just a little on the outside. A spectral, dully glowing cone it was, in the darkness. I pulled back the flap and stepped inside."
There was a light in Jim's tent. The canvas was illumined just a little on the outside. A spectral, dully glowing cone it was, in the darkness. I pulled back the flap and stepped inside."
Frank Belknap Long - "Carnival of Crawling Doom"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"The tents were all black and glossy and shaped not like tents but like hard-boiled eggs standing on end. They started at the sidewalk and stretched back the finite length of the field, little pennants of heat boiling off the top of each. No popstands were in sight. No balloon peddlers. No noisemakers. No hay. No smell of elephants. No roustabouts washing themselves in battered buckets. No faded women frying hot dogs in fly-blown eating stands. No tent pegs springing up under one's feet every ninth step.
A few people stood desultorily about; a few more wafted in and around the rows of tents. But the tent doors all were closed; cocoon-like they secreted their mysterious pupae; and the sun beat down on the circus grounds of Abalone, Arizona.
Then a gong clanged and brazenly shattered the hot silence. Its metallic screams rolled out in waves of irritating sound. Heat waves scorched the skin. Dust waves seared the eyes. Sound waves blasted the ears. The gong clanged and banged and rang; and one of the tents opened and a platform was thrust out and a Chinaman hopped on the platform and the gong's noise stopped and the man started to harangue the people; and the circus of Doctor Lao was on:
'This is the circus of Doctor Lao.
We show you things that you don't know.
We tell you of places you'll never go.
We've searched the world both high and low
To capture the beasts for this marvelous show
From mountains where maddened winds did blow
To islands where zephyrs breathed sweet and slow.
Oh, we've spared no pains and we've spared no dough;
And we've dug at the secrets of long ago;
And we've risen to Heaven and plunged Below,
For we wanted to make it one hell of a show.
And the things you'll see in your brains will glow
Long past the time when the winter snow
Has frozen the summer's furbelow.
For this is the circus of Doctor Lao.
And youth may come and age may go;
But no more circuses like this show!'"
A few people stood desultorily about; a few more wafted in and around the rows of tents. But the tent doors all were closed; cocoon-like they secreted their mysterious pupae; and the sun beat down on the circus grounds of Abalone, Arizona.
Then a gong clanged and brazenly shattered the hot silence. Its metallic screams rolled out in waves of irritating sound. Heat waves scorched the skin. Dust waves seared the eyes. Sound waves blasted the ears. The gong clanged and banged and rang; and one of the tents opened and a platform was thrust out and a Chinaman hopped on the platform and the gong's noise stopped and the man started to harangue the people; and the circus of Doctor Lao was on:
'This is the circus of Doctor Lao.
We show you things that you don't know.
We tell you of places you'll never go.
We've searched the world both high and low
To capture the beasts for this marvelous show
From mountains where maddened winds did blow
To islands where zephyrs breathed sweet and slow.
Oh, we've spared no pains and we've spared no dough;
And we've dug at the secrets of long ago;
And we've risen to Heaven and plunged Below,
For we wanted to make it one hell of a show.
And the things you'll see in your brains will glow
Long past the time when the winter snow
Has frozen the summer's furbelow.
For this is the circus of Doctor Lao.
And youth may come and age may go;
But no more circuses like this show!'"
Charles G. Finney - "The Circus of Dr. Lao"
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G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"'In this tent to my left, good people, is one of those startling women, a medusa. One look out of her eyes and you turn to stone.'
The doctor opened the tent door behind him and revealed a stone figure.
'This is what is left of a person in the last town where we showed. He would not heed my warning to look only at the medusa's reflection in a mirror. Instead he sneaked behind the canvas guardrail and stared her straight in the face. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what is left of him. He doesn't make a very good statue, does he? Let me implore you, ladies and gentlemen, when you go into that tent, for your own good, look at her only in the mirror. It is very distressing for us always to have one or two customers turned to stone at every performance, besides being very difficult to explain to the police. So, once again, I ask you to look only at the medusa's reflection, not at the lady herself.'"
The doctor opened the tent door behind him and revealed a stone figure.
'This is what is left of a person in the last town where we showed. He would not heed my warning to look only at the medusa's reflection in a mirror. Instead he sneaked behind the canvas guardrail and stared her straight in the face. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what is left of him. He doesn't make a very good statue, does he? Let me implore you, ladies and gentlemen, when you go into that tent, for your own good, look at her only in the mirror. It is very distressing for us always to have one or two customers turned to stone at every performance, besides being very difficult to explain to the police. So, once again, I ask you to look only at the medusa's reflection, not at the lady herself.'"
Charles G. Finney -"The Circus of Dr. Lao"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"'Possibly the strangest of all the animals in this menagerie, and certainly one which none of you should miss seeing, is that most unique of all beasts, the hound of the hedges. Evolved among the hedgerows and grassplots of North China this animal is the living, breathing symbol of greenness, of fecund, perennial plant life, of the transitional stage between vegetable and animal. The greatest scientists of the world have studied this hound and cannot decide whether he is fauna or flora. Your guess, ladies and gentlemen, is as good as the next. When you examine him, you will notice that, although his form is that of the usual dog, his various bodily parts are those of plants. His teeth, for instance, are stiff, thick thorns; his tail is a plait of ferns; his fur is grass; his claws are burrs; his blood is chlorophyll. Surely this is the weirdest beast under the casual canopy of heaven. We feed him hedge apples and green walnuts. Sometimes, too, though not often, he will eat persimmons. Let me advise you, good people, to see the hound of the hedges even though you must forgo seeing the mermaid or the werewolf. The hound is unique.'"
Charles G. Finney - "The Circus of Dr. Lao"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"Edna Rogers tugged at her mother.
'Mother, have him do something we like,' she pouted.
'Do you care for flowers?' asked Apollonius.
'A little,' said Edna.
'Naw, we don't like 'em,' said Willie.
'Oh, yes, make some flowers for the children,' said Mrs. Rogers.
The thaumaturge made passes in the air, and pink rose petals fell all about the family and on their shabby shoulders. He made more passes, and violets grew about their feet. Black flowers, yellow edged, climbed the sides of the tent. Mauve flowers with fuzzy tops and thin green leaves sprang up among the violets. A great grey flower on a hairy stalk floated over their heads. It had a beard like a goat. Spikes and spines clustered the edges of its uneven petals.
Apollonius regarded the big blossom in wonderment. 'Goodness,' he said, 'I never made a flower like that one before in all my life. I wonder what kind it could be. Do you know, mister?'
'Naw,' said the plumber. 'I don't know a whole lot of flowers. Just the common kinds like dandelions and all.'
'Well,' said Apollonius, 'it's a big brute, whatever it is.'
'I think you do the cleverest tricks,' said Mrs. Rogers. 'Don't you, children?'
Touched to the quick, the mage said: 'Oh, these aren't tricks, madam. Tricks are things that fool people. In the last analysis tricks are lies. But these are real flowers, and that was real wine, and that was a real pig. I don't do tricks. I do magic. I create; I transpose; I color; I transubstantiate; I break up; I recombine; but I never trick.'"
'Mother, have him do something we like,' she pouted.
'Do you care for flowers?' asked Apollonius.
'A little,' said Edna.
'Naw, we don't like 'em,' said Willie.
'Oh, yes, make some flowers for the children,' said Mrs. Rogers.
The thaumaturge made passes in the air, and pink rose petals fell all about the family and on their shabby shoulders. He made more passes, and violets grew about their feet. Black flowers, yellow edged, climbed the sides of the tent. Mauve flowers with fuzzy tops and thin green leaves sprang up among the violets. A great grey flower on a hairy stalk floated over their heads. It had a beard like a goat. Spikes and spines clustered the edges of its uneven petals.
Apollonius regarded the big blossom in wonderment. 'Goodness,' he said, 'I never made a flower like that one before in all my life. I wonder what kind it could be. Do you know, mister?'
'Naw,' said the plumber. 'I don't know a whole lot of flowers. Just the common kinds like dandelions and all.'
'Well,' said Apollonius, 'it's a big brute, whatever it is.'
'I think you do the cleverest tricks,' said Mrs. Rogers. 'Don't you, children?'
Touched to the quick, the mage said: 'Oh, these aren't tricks, madam. Tricks are things that fool people. In the last analysis tricks are lies. But these are real flowers, and that was real wine, and that was a real pig. I don't do tricks. I do magic. I create; I transpose; I color; I transubstantiate; I break up; I recombine; but I never trick.'"
Charles G. Finney - "The Circus of Dr. Lao"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"Every crowd has a silver lining."
--P. T. Barnum
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"Some more people came crowding into the tent, Doctor Lao following them.
'Uh, Apollonius,' whispered the doctor, 'I promised these folks you would resurrect a man from the dead for them. You'll do it, won't you? They all expressed themselves as being very much interested in watching you at it.'
'Why, certainly,' the wizard whispered back. 'But, doctor, have we got a corpse?'
'I'll go and see,' said the old Chinaman.
The crowd of people milled around on the flowers and frightened the turtle so that it pulled its heads back into its shell again. A big fat woman stepped on it. She looked down to see what was under her foot.
'Good God Almighty, Luther, there's a turtle in here!' she screeched.
'Where? Where?' asked Luther nervously. 'Where the hell is it, Kate?'
'Right under my feet,' sobbed Kate.
'It won't hurt you,' said Mr. Rogers. 'It's a real tame turtle, I think.'
Luther pulled Kate aside and stared down at the chelonian. 'It don't look tame to me.'
'It's got two heads; hasn't it, mother?' said Willie.
'By God, I knew there was something queer about it,' said Luther.
Doctor Lao came back in the tent with a big bundle in his arms.
'I got one,' he whispered to Apollonius.
'Now stand back, all you people, around the edges of the tent,' directed the doctor. 'Apollonius of Tyana is about to perform the greatest piece of magic in several centuries. Before your very eyes he will restore life to a lifeless corpse. Before your very eyes the dead will become quick again. At no further cost to you than what you paid to enter this tent. Stand aside, ladies and gentlemen; stand aside, please! Give the man all the room he needs.'
Apollonius stooped over and unrolled the bundle. A little shrivelled dead man, one who had been a laborer of some sort, was disclosed. He had on overalls, old worn army shoes with leather laces in them, a blue hickory shirt, and an old worn-out cowboy hat. In the leather sweat band of the hat were the initials 'R.K.' floridly delineated in indelible pencil. One of the leather shoestrings in the man's old worn-out army shoes had been broken and retied in several places. The knots looked as if they might have been done by a seafaring man.
Apollonius placed the cadaver on its side, drawing the arms up above the head. He bent the knees and slightly spread the legs. The corpse looked as if it was sleeping in a very uncomfortable position.
Apollonius began to pray a low, thick prayer. His eyeballs turned dead green; thin, hazy stuff floated out of his ears. He prayed and prayed and prayed. To the subtle spirit of life he sent his terrible invocation.
Then all of a sudden, when everyone was most expecting it, the dead man came to life, sat up, coughed, and rubbed his eyes.
'Where the devil am I?' he wanted to know.
'You're at the circus,' said the doctor.
'Well, lemme outa here,' said the man. 'I got business to attend to.'
He got to his feet and started off with a slight limp.
Luther caught his arm as he made for the door. 'Listen, mister,' he asked, 'was you really dead?'
'Deader than hell, brother,' said the man and hurried on out of the tent."
'Uh, Apollonius,' whispered the doctor, 'I promised these folks you would resurrect a man from the dead for them. You'll do it, won't you? They all expressed themselves as being very much interested in watching you at it.'
'Why, certainly,' the wizard whispered back. 'But, doctor, have we got a corpse?'
'I'll go and see,' said the old Chinaman.
The crowd of people milled around on the flowers and frightened the turtle so that it pulled its heads back into its shell again. A big fat woman stepped on it. She looked down to see what was under her foot.
'Good God Almighty, Luther, there's a turtle in here!' she screeched.
'Where? Where?' asked Luther nervously. 'Where the hell is it, Kate?'
'Right under my feet,' sobbed Kate.
'It won't hurt you,' said Mr. Rogers. 'It's a real tame turtle, I think.'
Luther pulled Kate aside and stared down at the chelonian. 'It don't look tame to me.'
'It's got two heads; hasn't it, mother?' said Willie.
'By God, I knew there was something queer about it,' said Luther.
Doctor Lao came back in the tent with a big bundle in his arms.
'I got one,' he whispered to Apollonius.
'Now stand back, all you people, around the edges of the tent,' directed the doctor. 'Apollonius of Tyana is about to perform the greatest piece of magic in several centuries. Before your very eyes he will restore life to a lifeless corpse. Before your very eyes the dead will become quick again. At no further cost to you than what you paid to enter this tent. Stand aside, ladies and gentlemen; stand aside, please! Give the man all the room he needs.'
Apollonius stooped over and unrolled the bundle. A little shrivelled dead man, one who had been a laborer of some sort, was disclosed. He had on overalls, old worn army shoes with leather laces in them, a blue hickory shirt, and an old worn-out cowboy hat. In the leather sweat band of the hat were the initials 'R.K.' floridly delineated in indelible pencil. One of the leather shoestrings in the man's old worn-out army shoes had been broken and retied in several places. The knots looked as if they might have been done by a seafaring man.
Apollonius placed the cadaver on its side, drawing the arms up above the head. He bent the knees and slightly spread the legs. The corpse looked as if it was sleeping in a very uncomfortable position.
Apollonius began to pray a low, thick prayer. His eyeballs turned dead green; thin, hazy stuff floated out of his ears. He prayed and prayed and prayed. To the subtle spirit of life he sent his terrible invocation.
Then all of a sudden, when everyone was most expecting it, the dead man came to life, sat up, coughed, and rubbed his eyes.
'Where the devil am I?' he wanted to know.
'You're at the circus,' said the doctor.
'Well, lemme outa here,' said the man. 'I got business to attend to.'
He got to his feet and started off with a slight limp.
Luther caught his arm as he made for the door. 'Listen, mister,' he asked, 'was you really dead?'
'Deader than hell, brother,' said the man and hurried on out of the tent."
Charles G. Finney - "The Circus of Dr. Lao"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
Who said clowns couldn't be amorous? Something tells me that the domino in the fourth image isn't the only thing that will be removed. And I don't mean the greasepaint, either... 
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
They went in the medusa tent. The interior was tinted a creamy yellow, and pale silver stars spangled the yellowness. A big mirror hung on the far wall. Before the mirror was a canvas cubicle, the interior of which was reflected in the mirror. One could not see into the cubicle unless one looked in the mirror. Mirror and cubicle both were roped off so that no one could approach very near to either.
Sitting on a couch in the cubicle was the medusa paring her nails. Her youth was surprising. Her beauty was startling. The grace of her limbs was arousing. The scantiness of her clothing was embarrassing. A lizard ran up the canvas side of her enclosure. One of the snakes on her head struck like a whiplash and seized it. The other snakes fought with the captor for the lizard. That was bewildering.
'What in the devil kind of a woman is that?' demanded the big fat ignorant-looking cop.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' said Doctor Lao, 'this is the medusa. She is a Sonoran medusa from Northern Mexico. Like her Gorgon sisters, she has the power to turn you into stone if you look her in the eye. Hence, we have this mirror arrangement to safeguard our customers. Let me beg of you, good people, to be satisfied with a reflected vision of her and not go peeking around the edge of the canvas at her. If anybody does that, I forecast lamentable results.
'First of all, however, look at her snakes. You will notice that most of them are tantillas, those little brown fellows with black rings about their necks. Towards the rear of her head, though, you can see some grey snakes with black spots on them. Those are night snakes, Hypsiglena ochrorhyncus, as they are called in Latin. And her bangs are faded snakes, Arizona elegans, no less. One of the faded snakes just now caught a lizard which some of you may have seen. Her night snakes also eat small lizards, but the tantillas eat nothing but grubs and similar small worms; the feeding of them is sometimes difficult in colder climes.'"
Sitting on a couch in the cubicle was the medusa paring her nails. Her youth was surprising. Her beauty was startling. The grace of her limbs was arousing. The scantiness of her clothing was embarrassing. A lizard ran up the canvas side of her enclosure. One of the snakes on her head struck like a whiplash and seized it. The other snakes fought with the captor for the lizard. That was bewildering.
'What in the devil kind of a woman is that?' demanded the big fat ignorant-looking cop.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' said Doctor Lao, 'this is the medusa. She is a Sonoran medusa from Northern Mexico. Like her Gorgon sisters, she has the power to turn you into stone if you look her in the eye. Hence, we have this mirror arrangement to safeguard our customers. Let me beg of you, good people, to be satisfied with a reflected vision of her and not go peeking around the edge of the canvas at her. If anybody does that, I forecast lamentable results.
'First of all, however, look at her snakes. You will notice that most of them are tantillas, those little brown fellows with black rings about their necks. Towards the rear of her head, though, you can see some grey snakes with black spots on them. Those are night snakes, Hypsiglena ochrorhyncus, as they are called in Latin. And her bangs are faded snakes, Arizona elegans, no less. One of the faded snakes just now caught a lizard which some of you may have seen. Her night snakes also eat small lizards, but the tantillas eat nothing but grubs and similar small worms; the feeding of them is sometimes difficult in colder climes.'"
Charles G. Finney - "The Circus of Dr. Lao"
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"They sent him closer to the group at the end of the pier, at the magazine-stand. He stood there quite silently and inconspicuously.
All around him was the noisy neon fantasy of humanity at play. Below the pier was an amusement park where roller-coasters swooped and soared and shuddered down; where papier-mâché monsters goggled in the glitter of torchlight; where fantastically-costumed clowns and freaks grimaced at the crowds. Weird architecture, crazy lighting, and exhortations of barkers blended into a complete illusion of unreality.
And here, too, in the Penny Arcade, where the machines clanged, the air of unreality persisted. Teenagers in their curious costumes, milled and thronged. Their speech-pattern was oddly filled with 'cool' and 'extremely George' and the later neologisms."
All around him was the noisy neon fantasy of humanity at play. Below the pier was an amusement park where roller-coasters swooped and soared and shuddered down; where papier-mâché monsters goggled in the glitter of torchlight; where fantastically-costumed clowns and freaks grimaced at the crowds. Weird architecture, crazy lighting, and exhortations of barkers blended into a complete illusion of unreality.
And here, too, in the Penny Arcade, where the machines clanged, the air of unreality persisted. Teenagers in their curious costumes, milled and thronged. Their speech-pattern was oddly filled with 'cool' and 'extremely George' and the later neologisms."
Robert Bloch - "The Proxy Head"
paeng
Grimscribe
Sorry for any reposts. I saw a copy of The Circus (published by Taschen) in a local store:
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/00331/facts.the_circus_1870_1950.htm
There's a feature that allows you to preview several pages.
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/00331/facts.the_circus_1870_1950.htm
There's a feature that allows you to preview several pages.
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"It was one of those tourist traps that have turned the coast of Florida into a glittering facade.They hide the naked sight of the hundreds of thousands of voracious cash registers behind the tinsel. That way the innocent tourists won't be stampeded into running for cover in fear for their wallets.
This place was was on the outskirts, on the tidelands, where acreage is cheap. It was a big, bristling, brawling take-off on the Disneyland idea out in Southern Cal. You might almost call it a steal.
It was owned and operated by an old carny man named Robert Cochrane, and he was a pretty canny Irishman. If Disney had a Jungle Ride, Cochrane had a Swamp Ride. The Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at Disneyland became the Tarzan House at Neverland. That was the name of the trap. Remember Peter Pan's fun-and-games island?
Like most of those places that are designed for the tourist who wanders around with money falling out of his pockets, it looked fine on top, impressive. Then you start scratching the surface and the dirt you find under your fingernails is the same grime you'll find in any clipjoint.
That's why I felt at home.
They had a regular old fashioned carnival attraction tucked behind a monstrosity called Dracula's Castle - where all kinds of wired spooks sprang at you with ear-splitting screams and where your girl's skirt was blown up around her ears so all the sailors and pimply-faced highschool dropouts could gawk at her panties. I made for it like a homing pigeon.
But something was wrong. It was like I'd walked into a familiar room and found that somebody had moved a couple pieces of furniture out of place.
They had the illusion show and the shooting gallery and the fat lady and the tattooed man and the stripshow. Everything was there but it was out of tune. The stripshow barker for example. He was as noisy and as flashy as he should be but he wasn't trying to turn his tip with that air of insistent urgency you usually expect to find in a sideshow. He seemed to be making a joke of it.
Then I got it. It was all a joke, a part of the facade. The carny attraction was only there for atmosphere. So Ma could turn to Pa and say, 'Why it's just like a regular sideshow, ain't it, Elmo?' Just good wholesome fun. Something else Cochrane had learned from Mr. Disney."
This place was was on the outskirts, on the tidelands, where acreage is cheap. It was a big, bristling, brawling take-off on the Disneyland idea out in Southern Cal. You might almost call it a steal.
It was owned and operated by an old carny man named Robert Cochrane, and he was a pretty canny Irishman. If Disney had a Jungle Ride, Cochrane had a Swamp Ride. The Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at Disneyland became the Tarzan House at Neverland. That was the name of the trap. Remember Peter Pan's fun-and-games island?
Like most of those places that are designed for the tourist who wanders around with money falling out of his pockets, it looked fine on top, impressive. Then you start scratching the surface and the dirt you find under your fingernails is the same grime you'll find in any clipjoint.
That's why I felt at home.
They had a regular old fashioned carnival attraction tucked behind a monstrosity called Dracula's Castle - where all kinds of wired spooks sprang at you with ear-splitting screams and where your girl's skirt was blown up around her ears so all the sailors and pimply-faced highschool dropouts could gawk at her panties. I made for it like a homing pigeon.
But something was wrong. It was like I'd walked into a familiar room and found that somebody had moved a couple pieces of furniture out of place.
They had the illusion show and the shooting gallery and the fat lady and the tattooed man and the stripshow. Everything was there but it was out of tune. The stripshow barker for example. He was as noisy and as flashy as he should be but he wasn't trying to turn his tip with that air of insistent urgency you usually expect to find in a sideshow. He seemed to be making a joke of it.
Then I got it. It was all a joke, a part of the facade. The carny attraction was only there for atmosphere. So Ma could turn to Pa and say, 'Why it's just like a regular sideshow, ain't it, Elmo?' Just good wholesome fun. Something else Cochrane had learned from Mr. Disney."
Robert Edmond Alter - Carny Kill
G. S. Carnivals
Our Temporary Supervisor
"I was down on the amusement pier riding on the shoot-the-shoot when the turntable motor went off. The turntable is up at the top. The gondolas come up the ramp on an endless chain which puts them on the turntable. Then the bird at the top throws the lever and the table turns the gondola round so it points head-first. Then he pulls another lever and the table tilts and slides the gondola down to the water plunge.
When the motor kicked dead, we were on the turntable. The bird started pulling the lever and fussing until the people began to get leery.
A girl started to get out, but the fellow said, 'Retain your seats, please. Do not climb from the car.'
He said it like he was a talking machine or a kid saying something he'd learned.
Another fellow ran up the ramp, and said the same thing. He said, 'Retain your seats, please.'
But the girl started to get out. She was scared. Then the man said, 'You will descend by the staircase, please. Your money will be refunded at the ticket office.'
They are always polite like that in California.
I got out and watched the fellow fiddling with the motor. He was pulling on the lead wires as if they were loose. You could see they were bolted in all right. It was just a simple motor, twenty-horse.
I said, 'Let me get there.'
All it was, was dirt on the carbons. I shut off the switch and fixed it in two minutes. Then I threw on the switch.
'There she goes,' I said. 'Put her in gear.'
He slid her in gear and the gondola-table turned. Both the guys looked as pleased as if they'd invented electricity."
When the motor kicked dead, we were on the turntable. The bird started pulling the lever and fussing until the people began to get leery.
A girl started to get out, but the fellow said, 'Retain your seats, please. Do not climb from the car.'
He said it like he was a talking machine or a kid saying something he'd learned.
Another fellow ran up the ramp, and said the same thing. He said, 'Retain your seats, please.'
But the girl started to get out. She was scared. Then the man said, 'You will descend by the staircase, please. Your money will be refunded at the ticket office.'
They are always polite like that in California.
I got out and watched the fellow fiddling with the motor. He was pulling on the lead wires as if they were loose. You could see they were bolted in all right. It was just a simple motor, twenty-horse.
I said, 'Let me get there.'
All it was, was dirt on the carbons. I shut off the switch and fixed it in two minutes. Then I threw on the switch.
'There she goes,' I said. 'Put her in gear.'
He slid her in gear and the gondola-table turned. Both the guys looked as pleased as if they'd invented electricity."
Richard Hallas - You Play the Black and the Red Comes Up