Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-08-06
IN MID.AIR.
BY WILLIAM II. BUSHNELL.


"My dear Fred, will you not give up
this hazardous lite?'
Yes, Annie, when this season is over
l will abandon it forever, and we will get
married and settle down."
The young girl blushed deeply at the
words of her lover but she did not resist
the arm that was thrown around her
waist and drew her closer to him, or the
kiss that followed, In fact she was very
proud of his handsome face and manly
form, but his dangerous professionalism
of Il trapezist-made her tremble for fear
of accident and she continued to plead
that it should be given up.
You have now some money, Fred-I
little-am an orphan as well as your
self, and we are all in the world to each
other"
Indeed we are, Annie; but hard for
tune threw me into the life | am leading
1t was hard school was trained in |
know little else, and after so many years
of toll it would be almost foolish if |
neglected the golden opportunity before
l renounced it altogether"
believe you love it almost as well
as you do me-" she replied with a
smile.
And yet must own there is something
attractive to me in the breathless
swiDg-the hanging from the dizzy
height-the daring leap in mid air that
makes the hair of every looker-on stand
still"
And mine among the number" with
a heavy sigh
Have no fear, darling. Practice has
made me so perfect that there is not the
slightest danger
Danger there always is, Fred"
| can see none"
You have to depend very much upon
Others do you not?"
Certainly"
And failure upon their part, careless
ness-the breaking of rope-might be
fatal"
He could not deny this, though he
made light of it, quieted her fears as best
he could, and turned the conversation
into another channel-the one that is
nearer and dearest to young hearts
For year they had been acknowl-
edged lovers, and there was no one to
say them nay. He had striven to edu-
cate himself and rise superior to iron
1ortune-had succeeded, as men of reso-
lutte will ever do--had been frugal and
saving, with the determination of some
DAY turning his back upon tent, spangles
and sawdust, and taking the place in
society to which he felt he had a right
AND so II was IN a great measure with
the girl, Who had become very dear to
nm and done much to rengthen his
good intentions, to keep him from wan
dering into the paths that have been the
ruin of so many whom the world APP
plauded to the echo for time only to
forget as new faces came-who fioated
upon the topmost waves of success, to be
the more certainly wrecked upon the
dangerous rocks and dragged to the bot
tom.
She, like himself had been early or
phaned and knew something of the hard
lot OF being brought up by distant rela-
uves-begrudged the little food she ate
and made to toll beyond her strength
But this was over now, and her slender
fingers made herneedle fly as she thought
of the future
And that future they talked of long
and earnestly, laid their plans and made
themselves supremacy happy in what
was TO be. There was no single cloud.
save that of her lovers danger, and
again and again it forced itself upon her
mind and found utteranCe from her lips.
" 1t is but few short months" he re-
Piled, before the tenting season viii be