Excerpt
At the Joy Theater during intermission, they still turned on the house lights and played, Youll Never Walk Alone, and took up a collection for Arkansas Crippled Childrens Hospital. When the newsreels of the great polio epidemic were shown, I knew what it meant because I knew their plight. I had been there.
I understood a little when the newsman talked about American G. Is. They told how young men were being drafted, trained, and put on ships to be shipped overseas to a foreign country. I knew this because I had four uncles fighting in the war. Also, the newsmen explained how our boys were sent to all parts of the world, and they were now fighting in France, China, and Libya. They said that without the help of America that the Axis might overcome the Allies. My grandmother listened intently to every word.
However, I did not comprehend all of what the newsmen reported. But, I did understand when I heard my grandmother on bent knees praying to God to send her boys home safely. Yes, I did understand the meaning of: The four blue stars on the small Blue Star Flag hanging in the front parlor window. Each blue star was an uncle---Eugene, A. E. James, or Jack. At this time, my grandmother had two sons in Alaska, one in Germany, and one in Belgium. I knew that only one was left at home, and he would soon be draft age. My grandmother prayed that the terrible war would end.
Uncle Eugene wrote home from Alaska for A. E. and himself because his brother did not like to write letters. In one of Eugenes letters, he told how A. E. and he had stood knee deep in the freezing snow for over five hours waiting for a Hershey candy bar. When they reached the head of the line, the candy bars were gone. After reading Eugenes letter, I broke into my piggy bank. I removed ten cents from it. Using my crutches, I walked to the corner store where I bought two five-cent, Hershey candy bars. I ate both of them---one for Eugene and one for A. E. ---Ahh . . . how the mind of a little child works!
On hot summer days, I spent most of my time on the front porch. On one such morning, I was playing there. All at once, I heard a loud thunderous roar and felt the front porch shake. I was frightened!
I looked up and saw coming down the dusty road a parade. I had heard that the circus had arrived the night before, but little did I dream there would be a big parade. Leading it was an enormous, dusty gray elephant. I had seen elephants at picture shows, but this was the first real live breathing elephant that I had ever seen. I was thrilled as if electrified.
The lead elephant was huge. It was adorned in purple. From the harness on its head to the tassel on its tail, it displayed all shades of the vivid color purple. Its elephants saddle was made of lavender satin; the plume on its head was royal purple; the tassel on its tail was made purple, gold and silver at the end of twisted threads. The head: consisted of reins intermixed with brilliant purple, lavender, orchid, gold and silver. There were tassels and bright baubles hanging everywhere. Right in the center of its face rein hung a gigantic, amethyst stone. That purple elephant was a magnificent creature which attracted like a magnet.
Its rider, a lady, was dressed in lavender trimmed with gold and silver. She wore a see-through, thin gauzy, short skirt over satin panties. Her bra was gold and her headdress was made entirely of gold lame topped with a large purple plume. Many jewels shimmered and glimmered from her wrist and ankle bangles.
When the big lead elephant reached my house, it knelt down, extended its long trunk down, and the lady rider slid to the ground. She smiled as she walked towards my front porch because the traveling circus people had heard about the little girl who lived at the end of the street.
The beautiful ladys skirt swished as she walked up to my front porch steps. Straight to me she came and handed me two tickets to the circus. Then she turned around and back down the steps she went. I was so astonished that I could not say a word. Finally, I could talk. Thank you, I said.
When she got back to the lead elephant, it was still kneeling. The big elephant put down its long trunk one more time. As the lady leaned up against its trunk, it lifted the grand lady and gently placed her on its back.
With a roar and the beating of the drums the circus parade again started down the dusty street. Following the lead elephant were more elephants. The clowns came next, followed by tigers in cages carried by men. The monkeys, and many more interesting and exciting sights and tricks were last.
While the circus parade rounded the corner of the street, the neighborhood dogs decided to join the parade adding to the clamor their loud barking and yapping.
The kids in the neighborhood had flocked to my yard to watch the parade. They remarked that the only reason I got free circus tickets was that I could not walk without crutches. I did not even respond to their taunting and mean remarks. I just looked at them while holding the circus tickets close to my heart.
The whole circus experience was great and memorable. In fact, it was the greatest show on Earth to a six year old child. And, I still remember that elephant adorned in purple.
I fell in love with elephants and the color purple that day, and it was a love affair continued through-out my life and has never grown cold.
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