Connecticut western news., 1872-03-08
A HIGH CALLING.

A HIGH CALLING.
 It was done away with long ago. Gov ernment took it up, said it was dangerous, and put stop to it. Perhaps it was dan gerous, and perhaps government was right to put. a stop to it. But didn't like it then. for it was my bread, and meat five pounds week to me !; and when it was stopped, my profession was ruined. F. I don't look like it now, for you see I've made flesh, and am close on fifty; but tif- . teen or twenty years ago, when was in :, my feshings, l could lave shown you such figure and such muscles as you wouldn't see every day. Me and my brother were a regular pair, just the same height, and wonderfully alike. 1t was bit of gam mon but it took wonderfully in the bills and our manager said it would be utter madness to announce ourselves as Benja- min and Thomas Hutchings; so we used ; to be in blue letters all over Londen, "Les Freres Proycncaux ;' and the people came to see us from all parts. < Q. It to. !. We were engaged, you see, at the Royal Conduit Gardens, and did the trapeze work. Now, dare say. you'll find plenty of people who will say it was known long before; but don't you believe lem. I'm the man who invented the trapeze-at least, I'm the boy ]; that is, invented it when l was boy, on the swing in our back gar den, the one we made under the old apple tree, out of -motAcr's elothes-line, and rubbed till it broke all to bits, and let Tom down that heavy that he put out his shoul- der. L..r.' You see it was from experimenting on that swing, hanging by-my-legs,-by one hand, by two hands, and upsidedown that I sowed the seeds of all those wonderful trapeze exploits that have, as we say in the bills thrilled expectant audiences in every nerve and fibre of their forms."
 Tom turned very sulky after he put his shoulder out, and he would't try any more tricks, till he grew jealous of seeing me get SO handy at them, Che was queer fellow, was Tom, and never could bear for me to be ahead of him. and then he set to when wasn't by, and worked so hard that he got to shorten the rope, and to bang by one foot, quite clever. 1 hadn't known anything about it, he'd been so sly ; 50 that 1 was quite took aback one day when, after figuring about my boyish fash ion upon the rope, he sheltered at me a bit, and then, to my great astonishment : "Get down." he says; and he sets to, does all 1 have done before, and great deal more too, till he ends by hanging by enc leg, when, crash! the rope snapped, and down came poor Tom on his head and shoulder with a most terrible bang. ,.
 Up got Tom, and flew at me like tiger because I was laughing-and 1 put it to you, could help it ?-and then we had . regular stand up fight, which was not end. ed until our Mary charged down on us with clothes-prop, and caught Tom by the throat with the big prong, so as she held him against the wall till he promised he wouldn't fight any more. Tom didn't keep his promise, for he was terrible boy for fighting, and,many's the up,and dowr set-to we have had together. Woe betide any boy, though, who touched me! II didn't matter how big he was, Tom al ways took my part, and thrashed him.
 From doing things on the rope, we took to tunlbling a little on the ground, tryins ourselves in knots, walking on our hands and I shall never forget the day that first threw sumersault without touching tn, ground with my hands. That day wat marked one for me; first because of tit pride felt as ran in the field and spun1 over; second, because Tom was so jealou, that he took a run and a jump, and cam, down on his back, making it so stiff ant bad that he couldn't move hardly for , week. cE
 At last, having done all this for ou own amusement as boys. we had to give i up, for times got very bad at home. Poo father who had only been a journeymal painter, fell i'll and died; and mothe moved t. London. After deal of trying we boys got a job here and job there a rough painting, for, from helping father a hon', we were both pretty handy with tn brush. ;rE Ez .-s---,ssg ! a,yT
 Times, however, were very hard wit us, when one day we heard of a chance The Royal Conduit Gardens were bein done up in hurry, the lessee having ta ken them, asit were atatheg eleventh hour and being at a high rent, of course b wanted to get them open as soon as possi ble. Redec2atioil was the order or rh day, and every man who, could handle
 brush was taken on, painters being scarc in the spring. s}sE F-eif1ti , .+-
 Vel, we went, and were soon busy a work, pa.-ting arbors, and arches, an touching up orchestra and artificial sky til the gardens were opened, when the mana ger who was very civil fellow. gave Tor and your humble servant ticket for tn opening day. y
 That was a treat for us, for we were il good spirits, having few shillings in ou pockets. We saw the theatrica!s, hear the music, looked at this. looked at that and were thoroughly enjoying ourselve: until we joined the circle about to witnes the performances of the Tantipalpiti fam fly :; and there we stood for some time see ing them walk on their hands, tie them selves in knots and do few clumsy somel saults. Then Tom looked at me, and
 looked at him, and went away laughing tt getherat what we had seen. = ..
 "Why," said Tom at last stopping shor and giving himself tremendous slap o the thigh ''if I couldn't do that fy-ove better than any one there I'd eat m boots.
 "It was poor, wasn't it p slid.
 "Poorw echoed Tom; ''it was shameful
 We walked home that night in silence but no sooner. were we in our room ths Tom whips of his coat and waistcoat, ar kicks away his boots, and then goes throus half dozen of our old tricks rather stil