River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-11-25

"Trg me, / sald' II ~ oS
and I mean it. Mind your balance
Don't, please, " she says then, ana
/ quite started to hear how Pl'iiuiiy
she spoke. u1oo. only
"Well, won't" says, deaf' oniS
let us make it real ~ ill
"Well,n she says, saucily, VIZ
make it real, and she hung away frole'
me fiercer than ever, Just like Wild
Indian maid, while the people clapped
again.
And she did make it real, for found,
the tongue to say so much, that the
piece was acted real right through
and when at last ii came to her coming
round and resting her arm on my
shoulder and me with my arm around
her waist, holding her right up, and all
the time hourishing my bow in the
other. while the horse went as hard as
he COLD, | felt so happy aud satisfied
with one or two words that bad never
been said to- me before, that hnlshed
the piece off with what | mean to say
was real touch OF nature; drew her
a little closer to me, and kissed her,
regularly bringing down the house.
As we went off, there was Mary $
father who did the sworo tflck ana
the rings. Fo-to-Li-No was BIS name
on the bill. because he was Ca.lhese
in the profession, though we al9,S
called him by his proper name, Badge
Dodd. Well, there was Mary's father,
waiting with shawl and her gooshes
and he says to me, very fierce You're
nation first, Tom French, i never see
that last bit in the Flying Indians afore.
No more didn't /, old man, Isays.
slapping him on the shoulder but
we're gong to make 1T real.
The old man and | had 1t over that
night--oyer some stout and oysters
and Mary was there, looking as blush
| ing and Us sweet AS a girl could look
aud a month after, sir, we made IL real,
very much to our managers diSgnst,
for / wouldn't let Mary go into the
ring any more after putting her finger
into the little ring bought her; ana
she had lodgings at Camberwell, and
we were very happy for six years, all
the time | could be at home and then
after months trip, got back one
day to find her old father there, for she'd
Joined another troupe, and the old chap
had got the news before | did, and he
shook hands with me, and then broke
down crying like child.
But [ couldn't cry; ] couldn't be-
lieve it; couldn't thin that it was as
real as all tbis-that she was gone
gone forever 1t seemed something |
couldn't understand, though they told
me again and again that she was dead,
and been put IN the cold ground two
days before.
At last, though, it all seemed to
come home to me, aud | sat there.
think, tor three days, doing nothing
hardly but look. At the end of those
three days, my manager came to hunt
me up, and took me back with him IL
a cab, and lie always was a trump to
me, though never was the same man
again, while p'raps it was all for the
best that poor Mary went, for 1T saved
her many heartache and no end of
poverty.
1t was about year after she died
that was doing clown for the trip,
making faces and saying funny things
over and over again, night after night,
when, while | was dong half dozen
somersaults running, | put one foot on
a piece of orange peel. | can't tell you
anything more about it, sir, only that
left that town cripple. get soft if
! think much about it, for I'm afraid J
was very proud of what was as man.
It's a dangerous life, sir, but in
struggle for living man must run
risks, and besides, you've risks in all
trades. But really, you know, there's
"A fatal accident in half of the feats and
scenes as you pay your money to see III
a circus; though we takes so much
care and practice so hard that we gen
orally keep the accidents at distance.
Only one more scene after the elephant
/ comes off, ard then down tent, and
bit of sleep, and be off. Strange life
amt it sir? Artificial, too; but there's
real side to it; and--there, do you
hear that that's one of my boys calling
me. There he's peeping around the
corner and giving me the cue in loud
whisper Father" he says; ah and
like the sound of that word-seems
to warm up ones heart but there's
always corner that | keep for the
recollections of one thing; and that is,
Having it Real.