The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-09-04

to her coming round and resting
her arm on my shoulder, and m,
with my arm round her waist
holding her right up, and all the
tiinc flourisling my bow in the
other while the horse went al
hard as he could, | felt so happy
and 80 satisfied with one or two
words that had never been said to
me before that | finished the
piece off with what | mean to say
was real touch of nature. j
drew her a little closer to me,
and kissed her, regularly bringing
downthe house.
As we went off, there was
Mary's father, WHO did the sword
trick and the rings. Fo-To. .Li.Nc
was his name on the bill, because
he was a Chinese in the profess
ion, though we always called him
by his proper name, Badger Dodd
Well, there was Mary's father
waiting with her shawl and gol'
oshes, and he says to me very
fierce: "You're nation fast, Tom
French. I never see that last in
Flying Indians afore."
"No more didn't /, old man,
I says. slapping him on the shoul'
der; "but we're going to make il
real"
The old man and / had it out
that night-Wer some stout and
oysters ard Mary was there,
looking as blushing and sweet as
a girl could look, and a month
after, cir, We made it real very
much to our managers disgust
for wouldn't let Mary 60 into
the ring any moro after putting
her finger into the little one |
bought her; and she had lodgings
at Camberwell, and we were very
happy for six years, all the time
l could be at home; and then,
after a months trip, l got back
one day to find her old father
there, for he'd joined another
troupe and the old chap had go,
the news before ] did, and he
shook hands with me and then
broke down crying like a little
child.
Bnt 1 couldn't believe it; !
couldn't think that it was real as
all this-that she was gone for
ever. 1t seemed something l
couldn't understand, though they
told me again and again as she
was dead and had been put in the
cold ground two days before.
At last, though, it all seemed
TO come home to me and [ sat
there, think, for three days, do
ing nothing hardly but look at
the three little ones who were
LETT to me; but at the end of the
three days, my manager came to
hunt me up, and took me back
with him in a cab,a ,and he's always
trump to me, though l was
never the salno man again, while
p'r'aps it was for the best that
poor Mary went, for it saved her
many a 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 l
was doing halt a dozen summer
saults running, | put one foot on a
piece of orange peel. l cant tell
you any more about it, sir, only
that l left that town a cripple, l
get soft it 1 think much about it,
for Pm afraid l was very proud Of
what l was rs a man.
tie dangerous life, sir, but in
tho struggle for a living man
must run risks, and besides, you
have risks in all trades. But re-
ally, you know, there's a fatal ac-
cident IN half of the feats and
scenes as yon folks pays your
money to see in a circus; though
we takes 80 much care and practice
so hard that we generally keep
the accidents at q distance. Only
one more:scene after the elephant
comes of, and then down tent,
and bit Of sleep, and be off
Strange lifc, amt it, sira Artifi-
cial, too; but there's a real side
to it; and there, do you hear
thatl That's one of my boys call.
ing me, There he is, peeping
around the corner, and giving me
the cue in a loud whisper. "Fath-
er," he says /; all ! and | like the
sound of that word lit seems to
warm up ones heart but there's
always corner that l keep for
the recollection of one thing and