Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-02-24

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age. Then [ was regularly drilled into
life, you know, working hard every day
at the rehearsals-and very hard work
it is. I've done almost everything from
the house work to the trapeze, I've
turned summersets over five horses,
and gone through the air like ball al
most. / got we'll on with the tight
rope, and have walked right up rope
to place q hundred feet high, while
the fireworks have been fixing and
sputterlng round me, for / always had
good nerve, and never felt afraid of
anything; while, though [ never got to
be regular crack at any one thing, I
was a sure card, and useful man to a
manager, for. If / warn't star, [ never
missed my tip. I could always be sure
of an engagement, and q pretty good
salary; and what followed Why,
what always follows-why, must take
a fancy to one Of our lady riders at
Panganais' Classical Cirque National,
and get. married.
Now, you know most people, when
they fall IN love, do it by taking fancy
to face. Well, that's natural p'r'aps;
but I didn't, for [ took fancy to my
wife's way of doing the scarf trick on
horseback. [ dare say you know what
[ mean-when they make a bit of muslin
float over them, and all that sort of
thing. Well, it struck me one day as
was always quiet at rehearsing, and
never stood any chatting, could be
clever at other things; and / said to my
self. "Thats settler; if she'll have
me I'll have she." And very next
night, when we were going through the
Flying Indians-a piece on two horses,
you know, that we'd done dozens oftimes
before in quiet business way-Fd got
to gallop after her horse, while she was
pretending to flee from me, and me, of
course, done up in style with feathers
and SO on. Then when her horse was
so swift I could not catch her, I makes
a lot OF dumb motions, and SHES my
tomahawk at her horse, which begins to
halt and then limp, when [ close up and
pass my arm around her and bring her
onto my horse, she pretending to resist.
and as she stands going around lack
wards, she hangs away as [ hold her.
We'll, being a very pretty thing, If it
is well done, people was all very atten-
tive that night-the one that came after
I'd made up my mind-and we'd got to
the part where I'd killed her horse, and
it was lying in the middle of the ring,
when, the music playing SO that no one
could hear what [ said, I says:
"Mary dear her name on the bill
was Mademoiselle Marioni-" Mary,
Ioor r co1-c sSYnoGa II ,roo1 ,,
"What?" says she.
"Let's make it real, I says; and then,
out loud, "On, horse!"
"Don't talk nonsense" she says.
/" Put your arm little more round my
waist; I'm slipping -
81 was just going to, darling" [
says, You shan't slip, I'll support
you"
ALI this time of course she was hang
ing away from me, as if in rage of
fear; but when I said, "I'u support
you," she laughed, and said:
"You wouldn't like to; I eat so
much"
"T1y me-" I said; I'm in earnest,
and I mean it. Mind your balance. y
"Don't, please" she says, then. and
L
spoke.
Well, I won't, dear" says; "only
let's make it real"
"Well," she says saucily, CT will
make it real"
And she hung away from me iercer
than ever, just like wild Indian maid,
while the people clapped again. And
she did make it real, for l found the
tongue to say SO much that the piece
was acted real right through, and when,
at last, it came to her coming round
and resting her arms on my shoulder,
and me with my arm round her waist,
holding her right up, and all the time
fourishing my bow in the other, while
the morse went as hard as he could, [
felt SO happy and SO satisfied with one
word that had never been said to me
before, that I finished the piece off with
what l mean to say was real touch of
nature. [ drew her little closer to
me and kissed her, regularly bringing
down the house.
AS we went off, there was Mary's IA
ther, who did the sword-trick and the
rings; Fo-to Lii no was his name in the
bill, because he was Chinese in the
profession, though we always called
him by his proper name, Bodger Dodd.
Well-there was Mary's father waiting
with a shawl and her galoshes, and he
says to me very fierce:
&c You're nation fast, Tom French. [
never see that last bit in the Flying
Indians afore."
"No more didn't [. old man, says,
slapping him on the shoulder; "but
we're going to make it real. I"
The old man and [ had it over that
night over some oysters-and Mary was
there, looking as blushing and as
sweet as a girl could look; and month
after, sir, we made it real, very much
to our managers disgust, for [ wouldn't
let Mary into the ring any more after
putting her finger into the little one I
bought her. We were very happy for
six years, all the time that T could be
at home; and then, arter months trip,
[ got back one dav to find her father
there, for she'd joined another troupe,
and the old chap had got the news be-
fora T did and he shook hoDds with