The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-21
A Rope-Dancer's Story.

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I have yellow hair and gray eyes
and q compexion that looks best in
browns and drabs, and I am rope
dancer. Some girls learn dressmak.
ing, some to fashion lovely hats and
bonnets, others bookkeeping. Well,
learned rope.dancing. Ma said she
was able to take care of me, and any
one knowing her would have said so
too. At first my pay was small, as in
all my contracts 1 had to include all
expenses for ma. But we were always
able to save something toward the
home we intended to buy after awhile,
and this was something to hope for. It
was to be cottage in some quiet viii
lage, with three or four acres attach
ed, and lawn with peacock. Hum
BILE enough, you will say, but we could
hope for this we knew, and took COM
fort in saving TOR and talking and
planning about it whenever we were
together.
| improved rapidly in my profession,
and my second season out !. obtained a
splendid engagement with irst-class
circus that was to travel by boat and
have things very comfortable; and I
knew, if nothing happened, the cot
tage, the lawn, and the peacock were
waiting for us at the end of the sea.
son.
The first night I performed was
looking my very best, in soft gray tar
latan, with hame.colored ribbon, and
a great yellow rose on my bosom, and
dancing and balancing like a fairy.
When through my act and once more
dressed and wrapped in shawls and
wells, as ma and came out of the can
vass dressing-room, the ticket agent
1.-THE person | owed my engagement toy
came up and said: "Rhoda, haven't
got time to take you down to the boat
tonight, and as none of the other Ia
dies are going yet, jeff Gerand will
take you and your mother down all
right "Maybe he will and maybe
he WON'T says ma, "who's Jeff Ger
and p ''He's Miranda the bare
back rider" says George, 'sand a bet
ter fellow never lived. Here, Jeff, if
you'r re ready, don't keep the ladies all
night. - had seen Miranda, early in
the evening, do a wonderful two.horse
act, and had admired the graceful dis
play of Craftsmanship; but as he came
up now in plain dark clothes and shook
hands with us in his gentle way, I
thought--but never mind. He was
not handsome, his face could hardly
be called good looking, but he was the
kind of looking man little girls
would like to have for big brother.
The next day ma says s'Rhoda, be-.
lieve if you were to fall in love with
Mr.. jeff, and Mr.. Jeff was to fall in
love with you, I'd be tempted to let
you get married, though l always did
say you should never marry one of the
profession ''Why, he's not good
looking, ma, says1. "Good looking 2"
says ma. 'sWell, Miss Rhode Cutler
professionally known as Sonora Rodie
Culetti), if it is good looks you're af-
ter, hope you'll find EN-, but in my
very humble opinion (which is not
mas, nor never was) "there is better
things in the world than good looks, as
you'll see.'
! After that ma and jeff were always
great friends, and thus three months
passed away, bringing us nearer to the
cottage, to the lawn and the peacock
when one night there was terrible
storm, the tent was blown down, near
ly everything ruined, and jeff had
both of his legs broken above the
knees. They brought him to the boat
moaning with agony, and asked for
ma. It was ma who quieted and sooth.
ed him as if he was her very own it
was ma who tenderly bound the brok.
en- limbs it was ma who did it all,
though there were willing hands
enough, God knows. That night my
eyes were opened, and for the first
time I knew loved jeff Gerand. He
recovered rapidly, poor fellow, and we
kept him on the boat till the end of the
season, petting and nursing him like a
| child and each Yieing with each other