Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-01-03
The Ropedancer's Story.

a. COiI pl6AlOl Illdb IOOhS DeSG III browns
and drabs and | am a ropedancer.
Some girls learn dressmaking, some to
fashion lovely hats and bonnets, others
bookkeeping. Well [ learned rope
dancing. Ma said she was able to care
for me. and any one knowing her would
have said so too. At first my pay was
small, as in my contracts [ had to in
clude all expenses for ma. But we were
always able to save something toward
the home we intended to buy after a
while, and this was something to hope
for. 1t was to be a cottage in some
quiet village, with three or four acres
attached and q lawn with a peacock;
humble enough you will say, but we
} could hope for this we knew, and took
comfort in saving for and talking and
planning about it whenever we were to-
gether.
| improved rapidly in my profession,
and my second season out [ obtained a
, splendid engagement with a frst-class
, circus that was to travel by boat and
| have things very comfortable; and !
knew, if nothing happened, the cottage,
J the lawn and the peacock were waiting
for us at the end of the season.
} The first night L performed [ was
: looking my very best, in soft gray tarle-
ton, with flame 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
? veils as ma and [ came out of the cam
vas dressing-roOm, the ticket agent (the
person [ owed my engagement to- came
up and said, "Rhoda, [ havn't got time
to take you down to the boat tonight
and as none of the ladies 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 Gerand ~ Hes Miriam
, da,' the bareback rider" says George,
land better fellow never lived
"Here, Jeff, if you're ready don't keep
, the ladies all night" | had seen MI
randa, early in the evening, do a won.
derful two-horsc act, and had admired
the light, graceful form, with its flesh
tights and blue satin dressing, but as he
came up now in plain dark clothes and
. shook hands with us in his gentle way /
thought-but never mind. He was not
handsome, his face could hardly bd
called good looking, but he was the kline
of looking man little girls say they
would like to have for big brother
f The next day ma says, "Rhoda, / be-
lieve # 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 1 always did say you
/ should never marry one of the profes-
sion." tWhy, he's not good looking,
ma" says I. Good looking" says ma
"Well, Miss Rhoda Culetti profession
ally known as Sonora Rhode Culetti,
if it is good looks you're after, hope
you'll find 'em, but in my humble opin,
, ion (which is not mas, nor never was.
there is better things in this 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 a terrible storm, the tent was
blown down, nearly everything ruined
and Jeff had both of his legs broken
above the knees. They brought him tc
the boat moaning with agony, and ask
ed for ma. 1t was ma who quieted and
soothed him as though he were hel
own: it was ma who tenderly bound
the broken limbs; it was ma who did il
ALL though there were willing hands
enough, God knows. That night my
eyes were opened, and for the first time
: / knew | loved Jeff Gerand. He recov-
cred rapidly, poor fellow, and we kept
him on the boat till the end of the sea-
son, petting and nursing him like a
child, each vieing with the other as only
the profession God bless 'eml can, to
make him comfortable and happy, till
) one dreamy day, in Indian summer, he
told me he was going to leave us; he
was whiting a little stick, remember,
and thought how beautifully he cut
and veined the leaf he was making. 1t
was knack he had, and you rarely
saw him since the accident without a
knife and soft piece of wood.
81 can't live off you folks forever,
Rhoda," he said, and though haven't
a relative in the world, l think I can
find some friends in New York to help
me find something to do. Ionce thought
maybe things would be different, Rhoda,
but since the smash up his voice
broke down, but he dashed away the
tears and went on" [ wouldn't ask
any girl to tie herself to poor chip y
[ have a very bad temper, ma says, and
it showed itself right here [ wasn't
going to have any one [ loved call them
selves Il poor cripple, and | told Jeff
Gerand so, too, and a great deal more,
and when ma found us, [ had my head
on Jeff's shoulder, in way to make the
blood boil, she said.
Well, | married Jeff In spite of him
self, and before Christmas we were IN
the cottage with the lawn and the pea
cock, too and Christmas eve, as we sat
by the fire. and ma hustled in and out
getting tea, as the chimes of distant
bells came softly over the hills, telling
of happy little ones and loaded Christ
mas trees, | clasped Jeffs hand close in
mine and was very, very happy. After
paying for our little home we still had q
small fund left ; but [ intended to follow
my vocation Of rope dancing, and do
what many a better woman has done
before, support the man / loved.
4 We had been married some months
when jeff began to write to the city. and
receive in return small packages these
he did not show any one, and one day,
when he asked me to fix up small
room up stairs for his own use. and then
shut himself in day after day with the
door locked, think [ had cause to be
curious !; and even ma began to hint
things. | saw nothing wrong l never
for moment supposed jeff, my poor
darling, doing wrong. All God forbid
But he should have told me, thought,