CIRCUS DAYS 9 



have to do this again, I'll hit you." The larrikin 

 didn't come back. 



Charley's work at the ticket-wagon was to keep 

 the crowd moving. In front of the ticket-window 

 there was always stretched down a big sheet of 

 canvas covered with sawdust. When a man put 

 down his money for a ticket, the fellow in the wagon 

 passed him out a ticket for the cheapest seat and 

 charged him the highest price unless the man 

 showed that he knew exactly what seat he wanted ; 

 in that case, the ticket-seller shoved his change out 

 so that one or two coins slid off the counter into the 

 sawdust. If the man tried to stop and hunt in the 

 sawdust for his money, Charley pushed him along 

 to make room for the others who wanted to buy 

 tickets. After the crowd had passed into the tent, 

 Charley and his pal would take up the canvas and 

 sort out the money from the sawdust. 



I wasn't in on that "flam" system, but I had 

 another way of making money. As head property- 

 man, I stood near the entrance to the "big-top" and, 

 when people weren't satisfied with their seats, they 

 came to me. I sold them the privilege of taking 

 better seats. The sum acquired in this way was 

 known as "cross-over money" and it was supposed 

 to be turned over to the company. One day one of 

 the partners objected to this arrangement. He 

 decided that he would take the "cross-over money" 

 himself and have me collect tickets at the main 

 entrance. The other partner in the show would not 



