Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-01-25

she was about to launch herself in the
air and take the leap. The gatekeeper
was asleep, and the box-ofice was
closed. Mrs. Bridgeman was waiting to
meet Clyde, and he put his arm around
her with an easy air of possession and
kissed her nearest cheek. Instantly q
wild cry Of despair and blind, Jealous
fury came from the girl, upon whom all
eyes in the place but those Of these two
were fixed.
ltwas all over in second-ha1f Sec
ond perhaps. The great "Leap for
Life, as down on the bills, was of death.
Hazel lay with her arms out-stretched
and motionless, face downward upon the
ring. The bunch of flowers, shot out
from her belt in her fall, dropped at the
other woman's feet. The house was
still, and then broke into cries. The
quick rush OF many trampling feet was
heard in the ring. The gate-man woke
up and pressed forward with the. rest.
Mrs Bridgeman unconsciously put her
foot upon the flowers and crushed them.
:" Don't look, % said Clyde, and, taking
advantage of the confusion and their
consequent seclusion-the only two of
all thatvas assembly behindthe wooden
barrler-he kissed her there on the lips
twice, unseen.
The gate-man returned to take his
place at the door. Many in the crowded
house began to straggle out. The per-
Torrance in the ring had been resumed,
No one seemed to known the extent Of
the injuries that Hazel had received.
Clyde put the question to one Of the
members of the troupe whom he saw 20
ing away. He had gone out in the
street, with Mrs. Bridgeman on his arm,
and they walked as far as the side-en-
trance, when they met this man.
| He passed his hand over his eyes be-
fore he answered, as though to shut out
some dreadful thing. "She's dead, now, I"
he told Clyde. "She had just breath
enough left to call for your husband,
Mrs. Bridgeman, and he was with her
| before Tom got into the room. Poor
old Tom! He's taking on awfully; it
was him made her go on tonight, be
says. You ought to see how her hair
turned, from the shock, the doctors all
say, the minute she knew she had missed
and her time was up. Well, it was jet
black, as you know, and it was white
when we picked her up-white as snow
to the ends
Clyde then said something to his COM
panion in an undertone as the men moved
away.
Mrs. Bridgeman gave little SILVER.
"Oh, it is awful % she said. "Let us
go home"
The door behind them opened sudden
ly, and Bridgeman came out. His lips
were compressed till they seemed a mere
line on his face. His eyes narrowed as
he saw his wife on the Texans arm.
GIVE been looking for you," he said,
and his wife seemed to think that he
spoke to her, though his glance was full
into the other mans sphinx-hke face,
handsome, expressionless, and we'll
bred.
"I'm going home," she said. Mr..
Clyde will take me there. You had bet
ter stay and do what you can for poor
| Tom. [ know all about it. She's dead. "
Bridgeman paid not the slightest at
tention to the sound of her voice or to
what she said. He took the Texan sud-
denly by the lapel of his overcoar and
swung him round so as to squarely face
himself. Give been looking for you, /"
he said, and his expression was that of
some wild beast. "I'm going to send
you where you belong"
of his hip. With the other he still held
the Texan by the coat Mrs. Bridge
man dropped Clyde's arm and threw
open the little door behind. Clyde
wrenched himself free and he fell through,
and shot flew past his ears.
The shot startled the members of the
troupe and the hangers on within. Mrs.
Bridgeman literally fattened herself
against the wall as her husband dashed
past her and after Clyde.
There was another scene In the ring
chat was not down on the bills Clyde,
bareheaded, runningfor his life, in obedi-
ence to the blind animal instinct to es-
cape and the knowledge that he was I'M
armed, and Bridgeman after him, aiming
and firing his pistol as he ran. The
house-what remained of it after Hazel's
accident and had not heard the fatal
termination of her fall--broke into ami
nation at the sight. Clyde was in the
middle of the ring, the same place where
the tan had been hastily raked over the
spot where Hazel fell, when the last bull
let from Bridgeman's revolver did its
work. He threw his hands up over his
head and dropped.
Bridgeman flung his useless weapon
across the Texans PROSTATE body, and
turning on his heel, walked quietly back
the way hehad come. His own comrades
about the door seemed paralyzed. They
made no effort to detain him, but fell
back and let him pass.
The house had just begun to realize
its mistake, and that dread tragedy
had been enacted in it's midst. A strong
current of air from open doors rushed
in and set the lights Pickering. Some
one ventured into the ring and turned
the Texans white face up. There was
no doubt about it; he was dead.
Tom Scully had pushed himself among
the crowd now in the ring. They had
had to put him gently out of the room
where the dead girl lay.
"What is it?' he asked in dazed
sort of way. "It's Clyde, amt it who
did it, Bridge?"
|