Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-05-10


Lucy. when ycn see these fsIldws
looking their eyss out. take lhs boy.
and slip away. Follow that -. and
you viii strike some tow Aafore
long"
ssAnd leave you, my. hnShand ?
Never We can die toRsthoFi'e
aYou must Ay, my dafiinel A
worse fate than death awaias vou.
Oh. 1sy God. Lucy, do not hesitate |
We will keep then interested Il long
- we can. You must hasesm nwav
With alliyoar might Iwaala lnnae
! knife II yohr heart mydiil Eatllsr
than leave you 10 the mercy Of these
worse than brutes."
''Come on. Billy" shouted Dave.
"They are impatient.
Billy with a whispered "Good-by |
God keep vou safaS" left his wife.
His bosom throbbed with wild emo
ton as he thought of The terrible
strait in which they were placed. and
wondered if he would ever see the
dearly loved partner Of his Joys and
sorrows. or ever again fondle the Sec
ond edition Of himself.
1t was curious sight, certainly,
the like of which the mammoth trees
about them never before witnessed.
The dozen Of hideously painted
Indians were gathered about the fire,
whose flames lined the dark shadows
Of the night with a crimson glow, and
TRANSMITTED overhanging foliage seem
ingly into the cunning work Of the
silver or goldsmith.
Towering over the trees and glist-
ening in the moonlight one might
have seen
"A few baby-peaks that were peeping,
From under their bed-clothes Of snow"
The Balsamo Brothers had perform
ed before many audiences in the East,
but never were they 80 anxious to ex-
eel as on this occasion. Pride in
their skill, the wish to astonish the
blood-thirsty audience, and the
thought of the woman and child they
would save, conspired to stimulate
them.
As they sprang from the bushes be-
fore the crowd, q mnrmuS Of surprise
and admiration came from the braves.
For a moment the acrobats stood like
marble statutes, saving along the en-
broidered skirt about their waist and
the little bracelets which ornament
ed the wrist.
In the red mans eyes they looked
like gols-like being from another
world. Both men were models of
physical beauty and the light from
the blazing flame-wreaths added to
the glamour. The half audible ex-
preston of wondering appreciation
reached their ears and nerved them
to the task. Billy cast a fond look
in the direction Of his wife and child.
A shiver ran through his heart as he
asked: skt.s
''Shall I ever see them again p
He looked again. resolving to make
it the last. He feared to repeat it,
for the sight and his thoughts might
unman him at some critical mo-
ment. He turued away, choking
down bis agony.
Hand in hand the brothers ad-
vanced until directly beneath the
trapeze. With a bow as graceful and
profound as they would have bestow-
ed on a Fifth avenue audience they
took their places on the bar.
Lucy and the child were seated in
the shadow, not far distant, and in
full view ofthe trapeze. The savages
reclined on the ground between her
and the fre- She was tortured be-
tween the salvation Of her child and
the desertion of her dearly loved
husband. She could not decide the
question; strive as she would she
cculd not summon resolution sufi-
cient to leave Billy to his fate.
When she thought Of that, which
was more cruel than death, she
dared not stay. If she could but
yield her own life and save her hus-
band and her child, how willingly,
she thought. she would go to her
death.
The performance began. AS the
brothers passed from the simpler feats
to those more astonishing, the ap-
plause grew more and more vehement
among the savages. A sensation the
like of this they had never known.
Feats Of activity and strength appeal
with irresistible force to the wild
men, and create q respect and vener-
alton where the higher qualities Of
mind would fail entirely.
Most eagerly they devoured the
swift contortions of the agile acrobats,
as their shapely white limbs flashed
in and out the ropes, now hanging
from the bar or swinging through the
air.
! 1t was wonderful amazingl The
vocabulary Of Indian gutturals was
exhausted in the vain effort to do
justice to the performance.
! Conscious Of the sensation they
created the brothers. during brief In
tervals Of rest, were busily employed
in dsvising some plan to take advan-
tage Of it.
Billy hoped that Lucy and the boy,
ere this, had found a propitious mo-
ment TO steel unobserved from the
camp. but it was impossible to be sure,
Of it.
He expected every minute to hear
A n = -
nouneement of her escape. He knew
they could not continue their exer-
tons much longer. Already they felt