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their animals, seems like everyone comes running in to try to shut the whole show down. If only they knew – these animals get treated better than most of the people working here!
    Anyway, I tried to get a few moments alone with Delilah before the last jump, but it didn’t happen. Then I keep wandering by her joint to get her attention, but she hasn’t seen me yet. Probably because her dad’s been keeping an eye on everything she’s been up to lately. Don’t know why. Maybe he thinks she’s not doing her job and that’s why the numbers are low for their show. Maybe if he worked the ticket box a bit more and didn’t spend so much time worrying about what she’s doing, it would be OK.
    Delilah’s family has had a show on this circuit for a couple of seasons. What I’m telling you is, this ain’t no seasonal fling, son! Why, Delilah and I used to be pretty tight before her dad put her to work on their show this time around. Guess he didn’t feel she was really old enough for the responsibility of taking the money before. Now, I’ve noticedthat their show has gotten a few more chumps hanging around it since she came to sit in the chair. Her momma used to, you know… sit in the chair and take tickets, I mean, but she passed on sometime between the end of last season and the beginning of this one. I guess that’s the other reason her dad is keeping her close at hand, too.
    I don’t know what they do in the off-season – and I’m not sure what happened to her momma, either. I guess I keep hoping she’ll tell me about it.
    After a bit, I’ll shove on over there and see if I can’t get her attention. Before I do that, though, I need to do my walk-through of the top and make sure everything is OK. Not that I think anything is wrong, mind you, I’m sure everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do. But, when someone new, like Frank, is on the payroll, I like to keep a close eye on what he’s doing. Especially after Sam’s accident.
    But he sure seems to know his stuff, does Frank. He didn’t waste any time gettingthe top up and the banner line going. It’s almost like he’s done it before – like he’s ‘with it’, you know? I guess it doesn’t matter because the bigger thing is that as soon as Frank was on deck, Charlie was nowhere to be found.
    Sure, I heard some grumbling from some of the others, especially Murphy – but I’m not too worried about it. Honestly, I’m more worried about trying to get some time with Delilah. So, if this guy Frank can help to make sure things get done the way they are supposed to pretty quickly – and I can get some time with my girl – that’s what I’m going to do.

CHAPTER 5
    You’ve seen me on the stage, gazoonie – I don’t worry about anything, do I? I can do a big escape stunt, then lay on a bed of nails, and still chat up all the girlies, too. Like I told you, they don’t call me the ‘Clown Prince of Sideshow’ for nothing, you know! I don’t worry about my own safety, right? Why should I worry about anything else? Honestly?
    I don’t like to think of myself as someone who worries. Worrying about things doesn’t do any good. Especially if you can’t do anything about whatever it is that’s wrong. It just uses up energy that could be turned to something else. Something more productive, maybe.
    Sometimes, though, things start to get to me. Not big things, mind you… just the little ones. Like today, for instance…
    After the shows the other night, I slept in a bit, right? Just like most of you do, too. That’s why Charlie says that the carnival is the greatest job in the world for lazy people – we get to sleep in all the time. I mean you and I know that isn’t always true – there are plenty of days we never get to sleep at all! Anyways, my thought was that I’d have a little walk around the lot first thing this morning – especially if it took me over by Delilah’s family camp on the back yard. But I don’t want to look like