Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-02-14
UP IN THE AIR.

Some few months back | was called il
Il am surgeon by profession--to at
tend Senior Tornados, who, despite hi,
name, was as true an Englishman, by
birth and parentage, as the parish o
Lambeth ever bred and reared. founC
him suffering from extreme debility ant
nervousness, brought on by the over
strained tension of the muscles and sin.
ews. He told me that he was rope
dancer, slack and tight; tumbler, stiff
and loose; and many other things which
have escaped my memory.
His family consisted of his wife-a
pale, sickly woman, somewhat older than
bimsef-and very handsome little girl.
Accustomed as | was to witness the de-
votion Of women by a sick bedside, and
the irritability of male patients, the self
sacrifice of Madame Tornado, and The
demonstrative gratitude of her husband
for each act of kindness, surprised me.
He was under my care for some months,
and as he recovered, grew talkative and
familiar. One evening, as he sat in an
easy chair, propped up by pillows, be
favored me with the following narrative
| purposely suppress any professional
technicaites and acrobatic drgot, which
would be unintelligible to the ordinary
reader.
"YOu see, sir" he began, my father
was a hawkeT over in Lambeth. Inev-
er knew my mother, for she died when
was quite young. l don't know how it
was learned tumbling. The first thing
| can remember was standing on my
head by Westminster Bridge, and a gen
tlemsn going by gave me shilling -.
Now, my boy the gentleman said, do
that again. which did. Now. said he /
spring = which / did, and came on my
feet again. That gentleman, sir, was
the great Mr.. Ducrow. Well, sir, of .
course, after such encouragement from
such a man, a tumber | became. /
spared neither pains nor trouble, and
practiced till | became master of my art,
and head of my profession,
About seven years ago-l was just
first met James Ranford
who was also in my line, and he proposed
that we should work together ] con-
scented, and we travelled about and ex-
hibited at town halls and assembly rooms,
and large rooms at inns but we did very
badly. Ranford had wife and child, so
it fell harder on him. ! was forced to
lend him what little ! could spare, for
could not see young woman and little
baby go without while had it, could
Well, sir, things got from bad to worse,
and my partner, being man OF violent !
temper, took TO drink-he was always
given that way--and, | sm sorry to say, l
he used to beat his wife. Sometimes my
blood has boiled, and l have walked I
aWsy for fear that should interfere
However, | used to cheer up the missus |
as well as | could, and nurse the little I
girl, and they both grew to like me very a
much. /
One night, at a place called Peddle-
thorpe, we had no audience at all. We e
we're without money, and we're asking e
each other what we should do, when the a
iquire's son and lot of young gentle d
men came in and asked US to perform for
hem, which we did; and they gave US
,ouple of sovereigns, and what was more
han that, asked US TO supper at the ho- l
ell. After supper the squire looked at a
me of our bills Of the day, and said, Il
Hollo why, l see you call yourselves n
Iessrs. j. Ranford and W. keer. No
Eonder you get no audiences. l suppose tC
hose are your real names We answer re
d that they were.
'0h, that'll never do he said. You 10
aust have an alias you mustn't let the re
ublic suppose that you are Englishmen. b.
/ is contrary to the rules of professional re
tiquette You must make it out that S
ou are foreigners al
Well, at that all the gentlemen began ca
} laugh but it was settled before we gl
roke up that night, that for the future fe
'e were to call ourselves The two Fos- tn
ar:--the spineless Siamese of Syria th
Well, sir, from that moment Ranford ca
nd | began to do well but am sorry an
} say that our good luck only caused
~ companion to drink the harder, and wi
consequence to behave more badly to re
is wife. His child be certainly was be
md Of partly, l think, because he had to'
My known her for a short time, for he an
as one of those men who liked new ta- he
rs. AS soon as he met a stranger, he
as all life and spirit, and he would do RI