The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-04-25
A HIGH CALLING.

Gus and pat stop to it. Perhaps 1t
was dangerous, and perhaps government
was right to put stop to it. But
didn't like it then, for it was my bread,
ana meant five pounds week to me
and when it stopped, my profession was
ruined.
don like it now, for you see I've
made flesh, and am close on fifty; but
fifteen or twenty years ago. when | was
IN fleshings, | could have shown you such
a figure and such muscles as you would
II see every day Me and my brother
were regular pair, just the same height,
and wonderfully alike. 1t was Il bit of
CANNON but it took wonderfully In the
bills; and our manager said it would
be utter madness to announce ourselves
as Benjamin and Thomas Kitchens; 50
we used To be in blue letters all over Lon
don, Lies Ereres Proveneaux and the
people came to see us from all parts.
We were engaged, you see, at the Roy
al Conduit Gardens, and did the trapeZc
work. Now, dare say you'll find plen
ty Of people who will say it was known
long before but don't you believe 'em
I'm the man who invented the trapeZe-
at least, I'm the boy that is, | invented
it when | was u boy, an the swing in our
back garden, the one we made under the
old apple tree, Uut of mothers clothes
line, and rubbed till it broke all to bits,
and let Tom down SD heavy that he put
out his shoulder.
| You see it Was from experin enting on
that swing, hanging by my legs, by one
hand, by two hands, and upside down
I IN IN &C
derful trapeze exploits that have, as We
say in the bulls, "thrllled expectant audi
euces IN every nerve and fibre of their
| frames
| Tom turned very sulky after he put
| his shoulder out, and he wouldn't try any
more tricks, till he grew jealous of see
ing me get SO handy at them Che was a
queer fellow, was Tom, aud never could
bear Tor me to be ahead Of him, even in
taking incidence and then be set to
" hen | wasn't by, and worked 50 hard
that he got 10 shorten the rope, ard to
hang by one foot quite clever I hadn't
known anything about 1t, he'd been 50
secret about it, that l was quite took
aback one day when, after figuring about
my boyisa fashion upon the rope, be
snickered at me bit, and then, to my
great establishment, "Get down." be says
and he sets to, does all [ have done be.
fore and 3 great deal more, too, till he
ends by hanging by one leg, when, crashl
the rope snapped, and down came poor
Tom on his head and shoulder with y
most terrible bang
Up got Tom, and flew at me like ii
ger, b, cause was laugh ng-and L put
it 10 you, could help It?-and then we
mad regular stand up fight, which was
ended 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 be
promised he wouldn't fight any more
Tom d dn's keep his promise, for he was
terrible boy for fighting, and many's
the up and down set to we've had togeth
er. Woe betide any boy, though, who
touched me! 1t didn't matter how big
he was, Tom always took my part, aud
thrashed him.
From doing things on the rope, we
took TO tumbllng little on the ground,
tying ourselves IN knots, walking on our
hands and l shall never forget the day
that | first threw a somersault without
touching the ground with my hands That
day was a marked one for me; first because
OF the pride felt as ran in the field
and spun over second, because Tom was
So Jealous that he took run and jump,
and came down on his back, making il
SO stiff and bad that he couldn't move
hardly for week.
At last, having done all this for our
own amusement as boys, we had to give
up, for times got very bad at home
Poor father, who had only been jour.
neyman painter, fell i'll and died and
mother moved to London, where, after a
deal OF trying, we boys got job here
and a JOB there, at rough painting, for,
from helping father at home, We were
both pretty handy with the brush
Times, however, were very hard with
US, when one day we heard of a chance
| The Royal Conduit Gardens were being
done up IN hurry, the lessee having ia
kan them, as it were, at the eleventh
hour {; and being at big h rent, of course
ne wanted to get them open as soon as
possible. Redecoration was the order OF
the day, and every man who could han
Ole brush was taken on, painters being
scarce in the spring.
Well, we went, and were soon busy at
work, painting arbors and arches, and
touching up orchestra and artificial sky,
till the gardens were opened, when the
manager, who was very civil fellow,
gave Tom and your humble servant a
ticket for the opening day.
/ That was treat for as, for we were in
good spirits, having few shill1ngs In
our pockets. We saw the theatrioals,
heard the music, looked at this, looked
at that, and were thoroughly enjoying
yourselves, until we joined the circle
about to witness the DIT rformance of the