Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-29

1
us on the spot at salary.
For the whole of that season we were
as successful as could be; and through
constant practice we got TO be very
handy. and did our tricks in way which
the newspapers called graceful but as
matter of course, there were soon
a host of imitators; and al the beginning
of next season, people wanted something
new. and the manager asked us II We
couldn't introduce something. ut must
be wonderfully exciting, you know he
| said. ''or else il won't take. You'd think
that was strong enough for them, he
| continued, pointing to balloon; but,
| Tor bless you, they don't care now for bal
looms. Go and think it over. For my
part, thought OF proposing trapeze at
| the top OF the two highest scatfold poles
we can get"
started a bit as he said that; and just
| then the balloon rose and went away
| swiftly and lightly over the trees, while
| watched it thoughtfully, for | had got
an idea into my head.
The next morning talked it over with
Tom, who agreed to it in minute; and
we shook hands over it slowly, for our
minds were made up.
When the manager engaged us first, he
said our name wouldn't do bit. The
Tantipalpitis' name, he said, was by
rights Dodge The consequence was las
| have said, we went in for French; so
the announcement of the "Grand TrapeZe
Act" of Les Freres Provencaux" was
advertised all over London.
How well remember that bright June
day, when, going forward in our grand
dresses, all tights, satin, ruff and spangles,
we were greeted with roar of applause,
and saw that the Gardens were crammed
with people, in the middle of whom was
the great balloon ready filed, and swing
ing about as it tugged at its ropes.
"How do you feel, Tom 2" / said, look
"Braye as a lion, my boy" he says,
stoutly, it's no more than doing it TWEEN
ty feet high"
True" I said land it is as easy to
be drowned in sixty as in six hundred
feet of water"
The next minute we were holding the
trapeze bars, close to the balloon, waiting
the signal for il to rise and now, for the
first time, felt sensation Of fear, and
I'll tell you what gave it to me-the peo-
pie, instead of cheering US as soon as we
began to rise, kept perfectly silent, and
that sc med TO go right through me Tor
YOU must know that what we had been
advertised TO do was to perform our rope
and bar tricks right under the balloon,
twenty feet below the car, and that with
out anything TO save us if we should
make slip.
There was no time for fear, though;
and the next minute we were doing it all
as coolly as could be, as we rose fifty, a
hundred, thousand feet in the air, and
floatcd away out of sight.
] don't recall that was so very glad to
get up into the Car, for the excitement
kept me from feeling afraid remember
thinking, though, that Tom looked rather
pale Then we wrapped up well, and en-
joyed our first hours ride till we came
down right away in Kent.
We kept that on time after time, and
the people came to see us in mobs The
manager said it was the greatest take he
had ever had; and must say he behaved
to us very handsomely, what with raising
our wages and making us presents. But
did not feel easy in my own mind, for
the idea was my own invention. and
Thought ought not to have exposed poor
Tom to danger likewise; but all the same
dared not say word for if / had, |
knew how jealous he would have turned
directly
should think we had done this about
month; and all through that month
there was ringing in my ears the words of
| a woman who said out loud on the second
| time we went up: "Ah! they'll do that
once too often" Suppose, thought to
myself, we do do it once too often But
then there came the thought Of the
money and that drove away great deal
of my timiditY. as l told myself t That
man might play such antics for his whole
life and never fall. Well, as l said, we
had been doing it about month, when
one evening we took our places as usual.
II was an extra night, and the largest bal
loon was to ascend our rope, too, was to
be heightened to thirty feet and at that
distance below the car we were to swing
about as usual.
You may say we ought to have been
used to 1t by this time there are things,
though, which you never get used to, try
how you will; and this was one of them.
The bands were playing away their
best; the people were eagerly looking at
the half dozen aeronauts who were to
ascend the manager of the balloon was
there; the signal was given, and the peo-
PIC pOl Ill. ncU tic DdlfoOu WIS dlioWSu
to rise so high that our trapeze swung
clear when hung from it by my legs,
holding cross-bar in my hands, over
which Tom threw his legs, and hung head
downwards; and then away we went, up,
up through the soft evening air, SO slowly
that Toms hands touched the top Of one
of the elm-trecs as he waved about a
couple OF flags.
Our custom was to hang quite still till
we were up four or five hundred feet, and
then to begin our twining and twisting;
and 80 we did now, when Tom pitched
away the flags, and we went through our
tricks, rising higher and higher, with the
faces of the dense crowd getting mixed
into confused mass, and the strains of
the band growing fainter and fainter, till
all below was quite mingled in a faint
hum.
We had only one more trick TO do, and
that was TO cast loose the bar, and each
man swing by his own rope had loosen
ed my end, the perspiration streaming
down me the while, and Tom had done
the same, when, swinging round towards
me with horrible white face, he exclaim-
ed, "Ben, old man, I'm going to fall"
It's no use couldn't tell you what l
felt then, if tried ever SO much only that
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