"What you should have, is more
girly stuff
to bring in young guys, and maybe some beef cake too, for the ladies!
And
ya oughta' get rid of that tired, moth-eaten, old orchestra, and get
a rock band! Bring in teenagers, people my age! Oh! An' yeah! How come
ya
don't have more clowns? What's a circus without clowns? I like clowns!"
Nancy was on her favorite topic, telling her Uncle Frank, what was
wrong
with the circus, and how to improve it. At eighteen, his opinionated
niece thought she knew more than anybody else about most subjects,
including how to run a circus.
Ever since Nancy had joined her Uncle in traveling with the circus, two
months earlier, she had been lecturing him about the business he'd been
in for forty years.
"Well!" Her Uncle responded, wearily. "I have talked over some of your
ideas with
Greta, but she doesn't think it's a good idea to make too many changes!"
"TOO MANY? When did she ever make any? Same show it was fifty years
ago!
if her ideas are so hot, how come the show's barely breaking even? I
don't get it! You own fifty-one
percent of the circus, but she's the BOSS, and you take orders from
HER!"
"Well her family owned and ran the show for three generations! I
bought her
father's interest, but Greta was brought up with the Olson Circus, and
knows everything
about it! Anyway, it's hard to talk back to the circus strong-lady!
She's
over six feet tall and about two hundred pounds of solid muscle!"
"Yeah! Most of it between her ears!"
"Now, now, Nancy! I really wish you'd try to get along with
Greta! She's really a
wonderful person if you give her a chance!"
"Yeah, yeah! She's a Doll! Nobody should cross 'Dear Greta'!" Nancy
answered
sarcastically. "Cause the Big Moose might get mad!"
As Nancy left the trailer, her Uncle shook his head sadly.
Nancy wandered over to the main Circus Tent. The show was starting, as
the
teenager entered through the cast entrance, to watch. As
always,
the show opened with Greta Olson's strong-woman act.
Nancy almost gagged, as the crowd
'oohed,'
and 'aahed' at the truly
phenomenal strength of the tall, busty, blond woman.
When Greta charged her, snarling
furiously, Nancy was ready. She easily eluded the huge woman's
grasp. The audience was beginning to react to Greta's discomfiture with
titters and guffaws. The laughter fueled Greta's anger.
The vicious teen mercilessly
inflicted cruel agony on her less skillful opponent, but there was
little, or no, sympathy for the huge woman's suffering. Greta was
usually the crowd
favorite, but today the fickle mob deserted her, exhilarated at seeing
the tiny,
frail looking teenager skillfully destroying the huge, invincible
looking, strong-woman.
To the delight of the crowd, Nancy
pulled the groggy strong-woman to her feet, by a painful grip on one of
her braids.