The Side-Show 199 



humourous, being himself unconscious that he is 

 atlbrding amusement to others. One day a man 

 came into our office, and observed in the course of 

 conversation that he was about to take a little holi- 

 day : " My brother-in-law," he added, " is a mighty 

 sick man, and the doctors are going to operate 

 on him. It will kill the poor fellow sure." My 

 brother, to whom he was speaking, looked sympa- 

 thetic, but the man seemed to enjoy discussing de- 

 tails. In conclusion he casually observed : " Well, 

 I'm not making this trip for ^pleasure only. I 

 hope to ring in a little business." The story would 

 be funnier if one substituted mother-in-law for 

 brother-in-law, but I have told the tale without 

 embellishment. 



Alphonse Daudet (I think) said that he had 

 attended many amusing funerals, and doubtless he 

 was alluding to the side-shows. In the West — as 

 I have already pointed out — the funeral has often 

 the characteristics of the wake. I remember at- 

 tending an imposing function which had been en- 

 trusted to the Knight Templars, of which exalted 

 order the departed had been a member in good 

 standing. The Sir Knights attended in full uni- 

 form, and the exercises — as they are called — took 

 place in the double parlours of a large hotel. The 

 relations and intimate friends of the dead man 

 occupied the inner parlour; the rest of us sat in 

 the outer. At a certain stage in the proceedings 

 the officiating minister invited those of us who 

 wished "to view the remains" to walk into the 

 inner room : a detestable custom that still prevails 

 in many parts of America. A pair of female ghouls 



