Page 35 - Demo

33we peered down into an empty, rectangular, concrete water tank. %u201cThat%u2019s where we kept War Baby,%u201d Ed answered. How the massive creature was able to turn around in it, we couldn%u2019t fathom.As John began taking photos, Ed showed me a stable, opposite the big-cat cages, where Rowdy had been kept. %u201cI made her a fancy harness from discards left behind by Cole Brothers. I used to ride her down the highway%u2019s shoulder when it was more-orless a 2-lane country road,%u201d he smiled.Heading back toward the entrance door, I picked up an unused ticket lying in a pile of debris. %u201cCole Brother%u2019s Circus, 42 cents plus 8 cents sales tax,%u201d I read aloud, then stashed it in my pocket%u2014but only after Ed said I could keep it.As we neared the other barn, Ed pointed to the roof. Glancing upward, we spied elephant silhouettes mounted atop galvanized-steel ventilators. Inside, I questioned Ed about the heavy steel rings imbedded in the concrete floor. He said they were for chaining the elephants. %u201cThey used to eat the ceiling,%u201d he chuckled, %u201cand I repaired it by getting up on an elephant%u2019s back.%u201d Almost as an afterthought he added, %u201cThat upper space was where seamstresses made the banners they wore.%u201d Following Ed, we made our way through a wide passageway into a 2-story addition where various acts had once rehearsed, then down a hallway with small rooms along one side. %u201cThese were the staterooms, where some of the performers lived, %u201c Ed told us. %u201cThis one here was mine, and that one was Mom and Dad%u2019s.%u201d Next, we entered a dormitory where single men had once slept on bunks three-high. We ended up in the circus kitchen where food was prepared daily for both man and beast.After a quick exploration of a rambling, cage-filled addition, we again emerged into the sunlight. There, we found the pitiful remains of several iron-barred circus wagons. Remnants of the wheels%u2019 fancifully carved-and-painted wooden spokes hinted at a once-glorious past.With our tour over, we headed back toward the Kelly home. On the way, Ed shared that quite a few of the animals had been buried on the property. %u201cMost of the graves were left unmarked, but Dad put markers on the 14 elephants%u2019 graves. The markers were all stolen,%u201d he said shaking his head. %u201cHard to believe, but some people even tried to dig up the bones.%u201d As we prepared to depart, we were asked to sign the Kellys%u2019 guest book, which we did, most gratefully.