The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-02-11

was exhausted. She lad walked more
slowly than usually, ind the tre was
consumed toe soon. SHE could not see
the rope distinctly enough. She stood
still for several seconds The light be-
hind her continued to 0urn, but It was
of no assistance to hef, and Immediately
afterward It was also exhausted. we
could distinctly see the poor frightened
girl by the light froIn below, but her
face vas obseuted. The crowd sent up
hisses and yroans. The rope-walker at
tempted to take another step. She sue
ceeded. She tried a second and failed.
Her foot suddenly slipped. but she was
active and alert, and caught upon her
knee. Her fright increased, and In the
terrible excitement of the moment she
dropped the pole 1t struck the rope,
balanced a moment, and slipped on
upon the crowd below. There was
great scattering, and the crowd realized
that the tUnng girl was falling. Every
6otlnd was htished. The child steadied
herself wildly and illstinctiVely mo-
ment with her arms as she knelt on the
rope, and then fell. =,
Golson'S appearance was painful ana
bitiable. Great cords stood out upon
his face, which was overspread by an
agony of CHASTITY pallOr. His muscles
sweIled with ridges and knots, and his
hands assumed the appearance OF an
eagles claws. He gazed at the rope
where the girl had moment ago stood.
She had caught by the right hand, and
hung suspended over the cObbles. In
another moment she grasped the rope
with the other hand, and hung per-
fectly still. Golson waited but few
seconds, when he saw that fright had
taken the strength from her arms, and
that she could not climb upon the rope.
He dashed off his hat, and grasped the
rope with both hand, and threw one leg
across it. He crawled along carefully,
that the shaking might not cause the
girl to lose hold. The crowd watched
him in breathless silence. The rope
swung lower under the double weight,
and the fastenings creaked and groaned.
"HoId tight, my child we could
hear him say to the fainting girl.
Hold on, for Gods sake, and l will
save youp
She raised her head and looked at him
for a moment, and then dropped 1t
again between her arms. He ap-
preached her slowly and painfully, for
he was a stranger to the situation, and
was afraid of shaking her off, At
length he reached her. He whispered
something to her, and she looked him
full in the face. He allowed his right
knee to remain across the rope, threw
his right arm over it at the elbow, and
twisted the right hand around under
heath to secure a firm hold, and passed
his left arm around the girls waist.
The strength of six men was in those
supple limbs and clean-cut muscles.
He drew her toward him. She released
her hold, her head dropped, and she
tainted.
"Pay out at the college endP' he
shouted.
His feet were in that direction. It re-
quired four of us to let it out. It slip
ped over the parapet slowly, and the
suspended pair began to be lowered.
"Pay it out !" he shouted again.
We let it go more rapidly, and he ana
his swooning charge were against the
building across the street. He let him
self slide gradually down until he
reached the sidewalk, where be was met
by the manager. The latter tooE the
girl to her home.
4DC SlOWo SdbANJACA oAObAAA Lila WIN
wild shouts, but he slipped away, and
met us at the door of the college.
Where is that scoundrel who said
she was sulking?" he demanded, with
an angry look.
We pointed him out.
GoIson walked up to him, explained
lis business and gave him a stinging
blow in the face that sent him rolling in
che gutter.
met the dear old fellow on California
street the other day, and his little wife
was with him, charming and pretty as
ever. She laughingly remarked that
she liked to see the circus as much as
ever, but that she always felt horror
for rope-walking. I almost believe that
her dimpJes are as pretty as on the
night she threw kisses to q great crowd
in the street.