Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-03-21

I ancc Of the TantipalDiti family and
| there we stood for some time seeing
! them walk on their hands. tie them
/ selves in knots. and do = few clumsy
I somcrsaultS. Then Tom looked at me,
and looked at him. and we went away
/ laughing together nj what we had seen
| WHY. said Tom. at last. stopping
short, and giving himscfa tremendous
slap on the thigh, .if couldn't 10 that
| iv-ovcr better than any one there III
eat nv boots.
1T was poor, wasn't ii? said.
Poor !" echoed Tom 1T was shame
| fnl.'
We walked home that night in ST.
lcnCe but no sooner were W. in our
room than Iom whips OF his coat aud
waistcoat. and kicks away his boots.
and then goes through haif dozen Of
our old ,ricks-ra,hcr s,lly, but better
than anything we had seen
Have try. old boy. he said; and
| hal 4 trv. and the next day we near
lv frightened our IandIadv 10 death.
ami sent her Oh searching FOR hclp to
cnt Tom down, because he had hung
himself from hook in the ceiling
They got uscl - our antics ut last. AMI
took no notice of us. rs We trr,I hard
to get oil that Stiffness. for the same
idea had struck u- both, that we had
better take to tumbIng than paint aud
starvc.
III ~, YEnl nv a,tl fIA.,, ,f
gct rope and some cross bars liked
we can rather astonlsh some OF them
ANYHOW. wei sec.
| quite agreed with Tom; and
short time after. as bold a. brass. wr
applied 10 the manager of the Gardens
Tor an engagement. or course he
wanted TO see what We could 10 50 4
couple Of ropes were fitted up over tile
stage Of the little hall. a bar was tied
across Ike 4 SWING and on il we set
tp. turning over. hanging bv hand, ana
toes and backs Of heads. and pllyiu.
such daring pranks that we brought
down the housr-ihat /. t. say. the
lessee and his friends app!aulrl loud
lv; and | never fclt So happy il my
life a. when he engaged Us ON the spot
~ a salary.
For the whole Of that season we
were rs successful as could hr and
through constant practice we rot T. ~
very handy. AMI dii our tricks in
way which the newspapers called grace
ful but, - 4 matter Of course. there
were soon host Of imitltor> and AZ
tile beginning Of the next season. peo.
manager asked u, il we couldn't intro
duce something.
1T must be something wonderfully
exciting. YOU know. he sail. or else
it won't take. 'Inu'd think that was
strong enough fnr them he continued.
pointing 10 a balloon; 'hut. lor bless
Nou. they don't care nov for balloons,
Go think it over. For my part.
thought Of proposing trapcze at the
top Of the highest scahbld poles wc
can get.
started lit as he said that and
just then the balloon r,sc aud went
away swiftly and lightly ovcr the trees.
while | watched i. ihoughtfully. ior
hal got an idea into my heal.
The next morning talked il over
with Tom. who agreed 10 il Il min
ute and we shook hands over il slow
ly, for our minds were made up.
When the manager engaged Us first.
he SAID our names wouldn't do bit
The Tantipalnitis' name he said, was
BY rights Bodge. The consequence.
was, Gas have said,) we went in for
French SO the announcement ot the
'G.and Trapeze Act or Les Fercs
Proveneau was advertised all over
London.
How well ! remember that bright
June day, when. going forward in our
grand dresses, all tights. satin, ruff,
and spang.es, we were greeted with a
roar Of applause, and saw that the gar
den was cramincl with people, in the
middle Of whom vas the great balloon
ready filled. and swinging about rs it
tugged ut its ropes.
How do you feel. Tom said.
looking at him.
ID lht - nun. ~ 10y ilt SslN
stoutly. Its no more than doing it
twenty feet high
True, | said and it is ~ easy u
be drowned in sixty rs in six hundred
feet of water
The next minute we were holding
the trapeze bars close to the balloon,
waiting the signal for il 10 rise; and
now. for the first time felt a scnsa-
eiou OF fear, and I'll tell YOU what il
gave TO me-thc people. Instead of
cheering US as soon rs we began To
rise, kept perfectly sileut, and that
seemed to 90 right through me; f,r
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 without anything to save US
il we should make slip.
There WAS no time for fear though;
and the next minute we were doing it
all as coollv as could be, rs we rose
TO fifty. a hundred, thousand feet in
the air. and aoated ont of sight.
] don't recall that was so very
glad to get up into the car. for the ex-
citcment kept me from being afraid !;
l remember thinking, though, that
Tom looked rather pale; then we
wrapped up we'll. and enjoyed our
first hours ride ill we came down
right away in Kent.
We kept that on, time after time,
and people came TO see us IN mohs.
The manager said it was the greatest
take he had ever had and l must say
he behaved to MS handsomely, what
with raising our wages and making us
presents. But did not feel easy in
my own mind, for the idea was me
own invention, and thought ought
not to have exposed poor Tom to dan
ger likewise but all the sane-I dar-
sd not say word, for if ! had, l knew
how jealous he would have turned di.
rectly.
should think we had done this
about a mon3h; and all through that