Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-03-07

A HIGH CALLING.

|
gerous, and perhaps government was
right to put stop to it. But ! didn't like
| 1t then. for it was my bread, and meant
hve pounds week to me; and when 1t
was stopped, my profession was ruined.
| don't look like it now, for you see I've
made hesh, and am close on fifty but fif-
teen or twenty years ago, when l was in
my heshings, could have shown you
such figure and such muscles as YOU
wouldn't see every day. Me and my
brother were regular pair, just the same
hight, and wonderfully alike It was a
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, so we
used to be IN blue letters all over London,
lie F"eres Proveneaux :" and the people
came - see us from all parts.
| we were engaged, you see, at the Roy
al Conduit Gardens, and did the trapeze
work. Now. dare say. you'll find plen-
ty OF people who will say il was known
long before but don't you believe them.
I'm the man who invented the trapeze-
at least, I'm the boy (: that is, invented it
when was boy, on the swing in our
backIgarden, the one we made under the
old apple tree. out of mothers clothes line,
and rubbed till it broke all to bits and let
iom down so heavy that he put out his
shoulder,
You see it was from experimenting on
that swing, hanging by my legs, by one
hand, by two hands, and upside down that
1 soWed the seeds OF all these wonderful
trapeze exploits that have, as we say in
The bill, ''thrilled expectant audiences 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 seeing me get
so hands at them Che was queer fellow,
was Tom, and never could bear for me to
be ahead of him. even in taking medicine,)
and then he set to when wasn't by, and
worked so hard that he got to shorten the
rope, and to hang by one foot quite clever.
hadn't known nything about it, he'd been
so that was quite took aback one day
when, after figuring about in my boyish
fashion upon the rope. he snickered at mo
bit, and then, to my great astonishment,
"Get down." he says; and then he sets to.
does all have done before. and great
deal more, too, till he ends by hanging by
one leg, when, crash the rope snapped.
and down came poor Tom on his head and
shoulder with most terrible bang.
Up got Tom, and flew at me like tiger,
because was laughing-and put it to
you, could l 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-down
set to we have had together. Woe betide
any boy though, who touched me 1t
didn't matter how big he was, Tom always
took my part. and thrashed him.
From doing things on the rope, we took
to tumbling little on the ground, tying
ourselves in knots, walking on our hands;
and shall never forget the day that first
threw somersault without touching the
ground with my hands. That day was a
marked one for me; first because of the
pride l felt as ran in the field and spun
over; second, because Tom was so Jealous
hat he took run and jump, and came
down on his back. making it so stiff and
bad that he cOuld't move hardly for q
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 a journeyman
painter, fell i'll and died; and mother
moved to London, where, after deal of
trying, we boys got job here and job
there, at rough painting, for, from helping
father at home, we were both pretty ham
dy with the brush.
Times, however, were very hard with
us, when one day we heard of chance.
The Royal Conduit Gardens were being
done up in hurry. the lessee having ta-
ken them, as it were. at the eleventh
hour; and being at high rent, of course
he wanted to get them open as soon as
possible. Redecoraton was the order OF
the day, and every man who could handle
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 We're 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 us, for we were in
good spirits. having few shillings in our
pockets. We saw the theatrcals, heard
the music, looked at this, looked at that,
and were thoroughly enjoying ourselves,
until we joined the circle about to witness
the performance of the Tantipalpit family
and there we stood for some time seeing
them walk on their hands, tie themselves
in knots. and do few clumsy somersaults.
Then Tom looked at me, and looked at
him, and we went away laughing togeth.
: er at what we had seen.
Why said Tom. at last, stopping
short, and giving himself tremendous
. slap ON the thigh, ''if couldn't do that
! fy-over better than any one there Ia cat
my boots"
h at was poor. wasn't it?' ! said
.Poor!" echoed Tom; ''it was shame
b full"
e We walked home that night in silence
< but no sooner were we in our room than
Tom whips off his coat and waistcoat, and
kicks away his boots, and then goes
through half dozen Of our old tricks
rather stffly but better than anything we
had seen.
''Have try, old hoy" he said; and I
had try, and the next day we nearly
| frightened our landlady to death. and sent