Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-03-12
UP IN THE AIR.

Some few months back was called n-I am
a surgeon by proiession-to attend Senior
TOrnados, who, despite his name. was as true
an Englshman, by birth and parentage, as the
parish of Lambeth bred and reared.
found him suffering from extreme debility
and nervousness, brought on by the over
strained tension of the muscles and sinews
He told me that he was a 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 himself
and very handsome little girl. Accustomed
as l was 10 witness the devotion OF women by
a sick bedside, and the irritability of male
patients, the self sacrifice of Madame lorna
dos, and the demonstrative gratitude of her
husband for each act of attention, surprised
me. He was under my care for some months,
and as he recovered, grew takatiye and IA
milia-- One evening, as he sat in easy
chair, propped up by pillows, he favored me
with the following narrative. | purposely
suppress any professional technicalilies and
acrObatic argof, which would be unnte Eligible
10 the ordinary reader.
''You see, sir, he began, ssmy father was
hawker over in Lam beth. | never knew nv
mother, because she died when | was quite
Young. | don't know how it was | learned
tumblng. The first thing | can remember
was standing on my head by Westminster
Bridge, and a gentleman going by gave me
shilling. 'Now my boy the gentleman said,
do that again. which l did. Now said he,
spring. which did, and came on my feet
again. That gentleman, sir, was the great
Mg. Ducrow. Well, sir, of course, after such
encouragement from such man, tumbler l
became. | spared neither pains nor trouble,
and practised till became master of my art,
and head OF my profession.
About seven years ago-I was Just twenty
E,,. g. ,r,t,.x
50 in my line and proposed that we should
work together. consented and we Il as elled
about and exhibited at town halls and assem-
bly, rooms, and large rooms at inns; but we
did very badly. Ranford had wife and child, |
50 it fell harder on him. l was forced 10 lend
hlm what little 1 could spare, TOR could not
SEE young woman and little baby go with |
ont Chile had it, could L,
Well sir, things got from bad to worse and
ry partner, being a man OF violent temper, |
took to drink-he was always given to that |
wey-and, | am sorry TO say, he nsed 10 peat
his wife Sometimes my blood has boiled, /
andI have walked away for fear that should |
interfere. However, used to cheer up the |
Fnissus as we'll as l could, and nurse the little
girl, and they both grew to like me very much.
One night at place called Peddlethorpe,
we had no audience at all. We were without |
money, and were asking each other what we
should do, when the squires son and lot OF |
yoDng gentlemen came in and asked us to
perform for them, which did /; and they
gave US couple OF sovereigns, and more than
that asked US to supper at the hotel. After
supper the squire looked at one of our bills
of the day, and said, sHollo !; why | see YOU
call yourself Messrs. J. Ranford and W. Keer
No wonder you get no audiences. / suppose
these are your real names? p We answered |
that they were.
sob, that'll never do he said sYou must
have an alias; you mustn't let the public sup
pose that you are Englismen. 1t is contrary
TO the rules OF professional etiquette. You
must make out that you foreigners"
Well, at that, all the gentlemen began to
laugh; but it was settled before we broke up
that night that, for the future, we were to call
ourselves "The two Foscari-the spineless
Siamese of Syria ~
Well, sir, from that moment Ranford and |
began to do well but am sorry to say that
our good luck only caused my partner to drink
the harder, and in consequence, to behave
more badly to his wife. His child he certainly
was very fond of, partly, think, because he
mad only known her for short time, for Ran
Iord was one OF those men who liked new ia
ees. As soon as he met a stranger he was all
He and spirit, and he would do anything or
go anywhere to oblige him but when he had
khown man for some time, he didn't care for
A'hl, but grew cross and contradictory.
At last we got an engagement at garden
near London, where there was grand gala
night every week ,on which balloon assembled.
Scraped acquaintance with the 8ronaut, and
ohe evening went up with him. The SEN
sallon was singular. l cannot describe it; but
Iiked it very much. The 8ronaut showed
He how he managed to steer through the air,
"hen to throw out the sand, and how to de-
Scend. AS we were sailing over London, he
said to me:
"You couldn't do the slack rope up here,
fo'eari, could your
why not ?'' said and as l spoke the
ia ,aea flashed upon me what splendid feature
" " the programme it would be "Perlous per-
''F'nsnee of the two Foscar Brothers, who