The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-02-26

it was lying in the middle of the ring,
when, the music playing so that no one
could hear what I said, I says:
"Mary dear"-her name on the bill
was Mademoiselle Mary,
dear, / says, "make it real.
What ?" says she.
"Let's make it real, " says; and then,
out loud, "OD, horse !"
Don't talk nonsense" she says.
Put your arm little more round my
waist I'm slipping !"
(" I was just going to, darling" l
says. "You shan't slip, I'll support
you.
All this time of course she was hang
ing away from me, as if in a rage of
fear but when / said, "I'll support
you," she laughed, and said
You wouldn't like to; I eat so
much"
"Try me-" 1 said "I'm in earnest,
and mean it. Mind your balance"
Don't, pleas ;" she says, then, and
I quite started to hear how pitifully she
spoke.
"Well, I won't, DEAR" I says, only
let's make it real"
"WelI," she says saucily, "I will
make it real"
And she hung away from me fercer
than ever, Just like a wild Indian maid,
while the people clapped again. And
| she did make it real, for I 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
furnishing my bow in the other, while
the horse went as hard as he could,
| felt so happy and SO satisfied With one
word that had never been said to me
before, that finished the piece off with
what l mean to say was real touch OF
nature. 1 drew her a little closer tC
me and kissed her, regularly bringing
down the house.
AS we went off there was Mary's
father, who did the sword-trick and the
rings Fo-to-Li-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:
"Your'e nation fast, Tom French.
nevsr see that last hit in the Flying
Indians afOre."
"No more didn't I, old man." sayE
slapping him on the shoulder "bu
we're going to make it real"
The old man and [ had il over tina
night over some oysters Mary wa!
there, looking as blushing and as swee
as a girl could look and month after
sir, We made it real, very much to oul
managers disgust, for l wouldn't lie
Mary into the ring any more after put
ting her finger into the little one
bought her. We were very happy fo
six years, all the time that l could b.
at home and then, AFTER a months trip
| got back one day to find her fathe
there, for she'd joined another troupe
and the old chap had got the news be
fore l did, and he shook hands witt
NE, and then broke down crying like
child.
But I couldn't cry I couldn't believ
it; / couldn't think that it was real a
all this-that she was gone-gone for
ever. 1t seemed something l couldn'
understand though they told me agail
and again that she was dead, and ha,
been put in the coll ground two day
before.
At last, though, it seemed to com
home to me, aud l sat there, I think
for three days, doing nothing hardl
but look at the three little ones tina
were left me. But at the end of thos
three days my manager came to hun
me up, aud took me back with hin
and he always was a trump to me
though l was never the same man again
while p'r'aps it was all for the best tina
poor Mary went, for it saved her man
heartache and no end of poverty.
1t was about a year after she die
that I was doing clown for the trip
making faces and saying the same funn
things over and over again, night afte
night. While was doing half a doze
summersets running, 1 put one foot o
piece of orange peel.
can't tell You any more about il
sir, only I left that town a cripple.
get soft if | think about it, for I al
afraid l was very proud of what 1 wa
E s man.