livelihood.

Then the bugle blew for everybody to get up and go to the show lot, and
put up the tents for the first show of the season. When we got out of
the sleeper we asked where we were, and a man told pa we were at Peoria,
Ill., and he wanted pa to give him a complimentary ticket for telling
what town we were in, but pa looked fierce at the man and asked what
kind of an easy mark he took him for, and the man slunk away. You
wouldn't think they could unload those two trains of cars, about 80 in
all, in a week, but when we got out the horses were hitched on the
wagons, and in 15 minutes they were loaded and on the way to the lot,
and pa and I got on the first wagon.

Talk about system. The surveyors were there ahead of us, and had
measured off the lot and pushed wire stakes in the ground where the grub
tent was to be, and when the first wagon of the grub outfit arrived,
which contained a big range, big enough to cook for a thousand men,
stove pipes were put on, which telescoped up into the air, and in two
minutes a fire was built and bacon and potatoes and coffee were cooking,
local bread wagons were unloading bread on the grass, 50 men put up
poles and spread the tent on, and others set up tables in the tent, and
in half an hour breakfast was served to the first 500 men. Pa and I drew
up to the first table, but there was a yell to "put 'em out," and we
found we had sat down to the table of the negro canvasmen, and they
struck because they would not associate on an equality with white trash.

Gee, but pa was mad. He said he was as good as any nigger, and that made
them mad and they threw boiled potatoes and scrambled eggs at pa, and we
had to retire, but when pa complained to the boss canvasman, he told pa
to go and eat with the freaks and try and keep in his place.