The Strong Man

[Bracketed words appear in small type]

1  
Where once a Belgian 
  Orchard Bloomed.

2
"Here's another Yankee 
letter for private Paul 
 Bergot! Where is he?"

3
"- Two days ago I saw
him in No-Man's Land!"

4
"Next time, Cootie, you'll
  keep your head down!"

5
 Then the Armistice,
  Peace and fleets
of liners laden with
immigrants seeking a
newer Rainbow in the
  Land of Promise.

6
Ellis Island, the Funnel 
     of America.

7
"Well, where's the 
     Company?"

8
"My company - I captured
    him in the war!"

9
"The Crown Prince gave 
     me this hat!"

10
"Take that! - and that! -
  and that! - and - -"

11
"I lift the heaviest weights 
  in the world, and when
  I shoot myself from a
   cannon to a trapeze
    it's a sensation!"

12
"I tell you I'm NOT
Mary Brown, and I
never wrote to any
   soldiers --"

13
"And if you don't stop
following me I'll turn
you over to a truant
      officer!"

14
"Pardon, Major, do you
  know a girl named
     Mary Brown?"

15
"Sure - she passes that 
  corner every day!"

16
"Sink that roll, Lily, there's
    a 'dick' trailing me!"

17
"Out of jail a week, and
   at it again, huh?"

18
"You were looking for 
  Mary Brown, were
      you not?"

19 
"Well, I'm [Little Mary."] 

20
"What's a nickel! I've got
     plenty of money."

21
"The Russell Apartments!"

22
"Hey, there! You can't
leave your women lying
  around like this!"

23
["Room three, upstairs."]

24
"You let me out of here 
   or I'll holler!"

25
"Don't let this leak out!"

26
"Where will I find the 
  studio of Madame 
      Browne?"

27
"In two days we open 
my new act in Cloverdale
and the loafer is late
   for the train!!"

28
Cloverdale had once 
been a peaceful little 
    border town.

29
   But over-night Cloverdale
     had changed - Certain
   interests found it ideally
located for a defiance of the law.

30
The Town Hall was re-named
"The Palace" - and the
profits ran into thousands.

31
"The Palace" and its
  attractions were
taking their toll from
   village homes.

32
"Come on, Sis, come
      on home."

33
"If my Dad was here -
   he'd fix you!"

34
Justice and decency 
had fled before the
 new law -- Money.

35
The only force left opposing
  "Mike" McDevitt, owner
of "The Palace", was Parson
         Brown.

36
"- It's useless to fight
me any longer. Money
talks louder than you! -"

37
"- Every man has his 
price! - Now what's 
      YOURS?"

38
"The House of God is
founded on a ROCK.
For the miseries you
have caused, The Master
 will destroy you!"

39
"Listen, fool! Continue
these demonstrations
against me and I'll give
you something real to
      pray for!"

40
  The church people of 
  the town, horrified
by conditions, rallied at
the call of their pastor.

41
"Bretheren, stand firm! The
Good Book says 'Faith can
   move mountains! - -"

42
"- For the Lord said unto
  Joshua 'March around
  the walls of Jericho
  seven days, and on the
  Seventh day the walls
     shall fall' - -"

43
"- This is the Sixth day 
  of marching around
OUR Jericho. Believe ye
and Behold! The Miracle
  shall be repeated!"

44
"Hymn 339 - 'Onward
Christian Soldiers'."

45
"Here comes 'Holy Joe'
playing Joshua again!"

46
Onward, Christian sol-diers,
   Marching as to war;

47
"I believe in this - and
 wish I'd led a cleaner 
        life."

48
"Aw, shut up! - pretty
soon you'll be washing 
     your neck!"

49
"'Holy Joe's' out there
again trying to sing the
shingles off the roof!"

50
"If that Psalm-singing
idiot bothers me much
more, I'll have his 
daughter in here as the 
  main attraction!"

51
A few hours later - -
  another meeting
 behind the church.

52
Mary Brown, the Parson's
   daughter, saw the
world through the eyes of
optimism - perhaps because 
    she was blind.

53
"Miss Mary; tell us that
story again about the
Belgian soldier who won 
      the war."

54
"Once there was a plain
little girl who dared to 
love a brave, handsome 
     soldier - -"

55
"- But when he wrote
that he was coming to 
America, she stopped
writing and hid -- for
she had never told him
  she was -- blind."

56
"Yes, this has been a 
dirty trip! Last night
I gave my boy a bath
     and - -"

57
"Say, what did you 
swallow? - A fish
      horn?"

58
"If you feel like you
  sound you need a 
      plumber."

59
"What's the time, 
     please?"

60
"One more germ out
of you and the Smith 
Brothers lose a good 
    customer!"

61
"My head's clear! - I'm
 beginning to smell!"

62
"Glad you're here, Big
Boy; the whole town's
 crazy to see your 
    Cannon Act!"

63
"Where do you get 
   the water?"

64
"Behind the church."

65
"Ask Mary Brown."

66
"WHO?"

67
"MARY BROWN."

68
"Are you Miss Brown? -
  Miss Mary Brown?"

69
"The little Mary Brown
who wrote such nice 
letters to a boy in
     Belgium?"

70
"- And now he's right 
  here in town - -"

71
"I'm him."

72
"Aren't you surprised 
    to see me?"

73
"-- And in that town
 there was only one
Mary Brown - and she
  was a Chinaman!"

74
"- And another one said
 ['I'm little Mary'."]

75
"They're howling for
you - do your stuff or
there'll be a riot!"

76
"If you want to get out
of town alive you'd
better please that gang
      out there!"

77
"Where's the Strong 
 Man? Show us the
     big Bum!"

78
"Do something -- the
longer they wait the
 tougher they get!"

79
"I paid for a Strong 
Man - and I'm going
   to have one!"

80
"Mister Zandow - I can't
 do the Cannon trick!"

81
"Bring on the Cannon 
       trick!"

82
"Come on! Get shot
out of that cannon!"

83
"We must be quiet --
There's a funeral!"

84
"The Kid's right! Let's
bow our heads and pray
for poor old 'Holy Joe'!"

85
"- And if 'Holy Joe' must
sing, get him a ukulele!"

86
"- And may we soon 
have the honor of enter-
taining Mary Brown in 
     our midst!"

87
"A--Men!"

88
"It's a riot! Lock the
doors and protect the
       money!"

89
"Drive the money
changers from us!"

90
Once again Cloverdale
tucked the bed covers
beneath its chin and
 slept in peace --

91
-- protected by the
majesty of the law.

92
"Run along home, honey,
I don't need any help!"

THE END