American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-10-11

, common circus girl; she was most dar
, ing and startling gymnaste, with a bcaut,
and grace of movement that gave to he
audacious performance almost an air o
prudery. Watching her wondrouS deX
terity and plant strength, both exercised
without apparent effort, it seemed tn,
most natural proceeding in the worlt
that she should do these unpardonabl,
things. She had way of melting from
one graceful posture into another, lik,
the dissolving figures thrown from
stereopticon. She was like 1.-THE, radi
ant shape out of the Grecian mythology
now poised up there above the gas-lights
and now cleaning through the air like 8
slender gilt arrow.
l am describing Mademoiselle Olympic
as she appeared to Van Twillel
on the first occasion when he strolled into
the theater where she was performing
To me she was girl of eighteen or TWEEN
ty years of age (maybe she was much
older, for pearl-powder and distance
keeps these people perpetually young),
| slightly but eXquisitely built, with sin
ews of silver wire; rather pretty, per.
haps, after a manner, but showing plainly
the effects of the exhaustive drafts she
was making on her physical vitality
Now, Van Twi!ler was an enthusiast on
the subject of calisthenics. ''If I had a
daughter Van Twiller used TO say, Il
wouldn't send her to a boarding school
or nunnery; I'd send her to a
gymnasium for the first five years.
Our American women have no physique.
They are lilies, paid, pretty and perisha-
| bic. You marry an American woman,
and what do you marry? A headache.
Look at English girls. They are at least
roses, and last the season through"
Walking home from the theater that
first night, it fitted through Van Twiller's
mind that if he could give this girls set
of nerves and muscles to any of the two
hundred high-bred women he knew, he
would marry her on the spot and worship
her forever
The following evening he went to see
Mademoiselle Olympic again. "Oiympe
Zabriski," he thought as he sauntered
through the lobby, ''what a queer name I,
Olympic is French and Zabriski is Polish
1t is her nom de guerre, OF course; her real
name is probably Sarah Jones. What
kind of creature can she be in private life
| wonder? | wonder if she wears that
costume all the time, and if she springs to
her meals from a horizontal bar. Of
course she rocks the baby to sleep on the
trapeze." And Van Twiller went on
making comical domestic tableauX of
Mademoisele Zabriski, like the clever.
satirical dog he was, until the curtain
rose.
This was on Friday There was
matinee the next day, and he attended
that though he had secured seat for
the usual evening entertainment. Then
it became habit of Van TwilIer's to drop
into the thcater for half an hour or so
every night, to assist at the interlude, III
which she appeared. He cared only for
her part of the programme, and timed his
visits accordingly. 1t was surprise to
himself when he reflected, one morning,
that he had not missed single perform
ance of Mademoiselle Olympic for two
weeks.
This will never do" said Van Twiller.
"Olympe'-he called her Olympic, as if
she were an old acquaintance, and so she
might have been considered by that time
lis a wonderful creature; but this will
never do. Van, my boy, you must reform
this altogether"
But half past nine that night saw him
in his accustomed orchestra chair, and so
on for another week. A habit leads
man so gently in the beginning that he
does not perceive he is led,-with what
avenues it leads him. By and by the
soft silk threads become iron chains, and
the pleasant avenues, Avernus,
Quite new element had lately entered
into Ven TwiIler's enjoyment of Ma
demoiselle Olympe's ingenious feats,-a
vaguely born apprehension that she might
slip from that swinging bar, that one Of
the thin cords supporting it might snap,
and let her go headlong from the dizzy
slant, he would imagine hey lying a
glitering, palpitating heap at the foot
lights, with no color in her lips! Some
times it seemed as if the girl were tempt |
ing this kind of fate. 1t was hard,
bitter life, and nothing but poverty and
sordid misery at home could have driven
her to it, What if she should end it all |
some night, by just unclasping that little
hand? 1t looked SO small and white |
from where Van Twiller sat,
This frightful idea fascinated while it |
chilled him, and helped to make it nearly |
for him to keep away from the |
Lheater. In the beginning his attendance |
had not interfcred with his social duties
Or pleasures; but now he came to find it |
iistasteful after dinner to do anything
but read, or walk the streets aimlessly,
until it was time to go to the play. When
hat was over, he was in no mood to go
anywhere but to his rooms. So he drop
ped away-by insensible degrees from his
labitual haunts, was missed, and began to
De talked about at the club. Catching
some intimation of this, he ventured no
more in the orchestra stalls, but shrouded
himself behind the draperies of the
private box in which Delaney and l
bought we saw him on one occasion.
Now, l find it very perplexing TO ex-
)lain what Van Twil.er was wholly I'M
lble to explain to himself. He was
lot in love with Mademoiselle Olympic
lie had no wish to speak to her, or to
lear her speak. Nothing could have been
asier, and nothing further from his de
ire, than to know her personally. A
I an Tw1ller personally acquainted with a
trolling female acrobat, Good heavensi
That was something possible only with
he discovery of perpetual motion. Taken
rom her theatrical setting, from her lofty
'erch, so to say, on the trapeze-b bar, and
)lympe Zabriski would have shocked
very aristocratic fibre in Van Twiller's
ody. He was simply fascinated by her
marvellous grace and elan, and the mag
etic recklessnesS of the girl. 1t was
cry young in him and very weak, and no
member OF the Sorosis or ali the Surosis-
RS together could have been more severe ;
II Van Twiller than he was on himself ,
o be weak, and to know ii, is something
t "a punishment for proud man. Van ,
'willer took his punishment, and went to
le theater regularly.
g When her engagement comes to an
nd he meditated "that will finish the t
uSIness"
Mademoiselle Olympe's engagement I
nally did come to an end, and She de- '
aried. But her engagement had been I
lghly beneficial to the treasury-chest of
le uptown thcater, and before Van ,
willer could get over missing her, she {
ad returned from short Western tour, 3
nd her immediate temperance was un- :
erlined on the play bills I
On IA dead-wall opposite the windows {