Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-03-17
A WOMAN'S WIT.
Crack, crack, crack!

One of the horses dead. The driver
tumbles down from his seat, second
later followed by an outside passen-
ger.
The CRASH of glass, nying splinters,
the shrill whistle of rifle balls! over
and above all the unearthly yells OF
the savages Taken prisoners Billy
and Dave Hopkins, known on theat-
rical posters as ''the Balsamo Broth
ers:r "Mademoiselle Helene, the
Queen of the Floating Wire IN
private life, Mrs. Billy Hopkins; ''El
Nino. the child-wonder," III fact,
Billy Hopkins, Jr. Dead-the driver
and two passengers.
The Balsamo Brothers, Mademoi
selle Helene and Ell Nino were en-
route to fill an engagement IN Den
yer, just then assuming the lmpor-
lance of mining city.
The prisoners were tied upon the
coach horses and hurried some ten or
fifteen miles away. When night
approached, green spot was selected
by running stream, and the party
encamped. -.
Words fail to portray the anxieties,
the agonies of the prisoners. When
the fire was built, the victims imagined
fiery death when the chiefs touched
their knives or so much as turned to
look at their captives it seemed as If
they were experiencing in advance
the delights of decorating and man
Cling human flesh.
The Indians were altogether differ
ent from the mobile red men" repre-
sented on the stage. These tiends
were dirty, lacking even the tinery
and feathers which go to make up the
dusky bravo on the bill boards. In
their faces could be read the record
of brutal, beastly. bloody natures.
Poor little woman! How she re-
preached herself, in an agony of
tears-for she it was who urged the
acceptance of this Western engage
ment. The salary, which was some
thing wonderful in figures, was to be
paid in gold. Its dazzling light
blinded Mrs. Lucy to the risk OF which
they had spoken, and at which they
laughed; the salary which would go
70 far toward paying for the little
home they meant to buy, and for
which they had been boarding ever
since their boy was born.
"Great heavens, Dave! what are
we to do? These devils mean to
torture us. See, they are collecting
wood for the purpose! My wife and
child may be saved for worse fate!
1T would have been much better
for us all to be lying on the road,
stiff and stark like those other poor
fellowsw
Il tell you what, Dave, L mean to
give them trouble yet
What can we do, Billy? Our
hands are tied, and wherever we go
we are guarded
The two men relapsed into gloomy
silence.
For some time the Indians amused
themselves over the wardrobe of the
show people. Especially were they
delighted with the stage jewelry, and
the fluffy skirts in which the Queen
of the Floating Wire," appeared in
public.
"The tights" belonging to the
Balsamo Brothers, however, occa
stoned much wonderment. Over
these they gesticulated and vocifer-
ated as they were passed from hand
to hand.
Presently, couple of the braves
brought the garments forward and
reeled off words, the purport of which
the brothers might not have faith
orned, had the gestures been omitted.
1t was evident they asked an explana-
ton of the uses or merits of the
singular affairs.
Il say, Dave" spoke up Billy,
quickly, "they want to know what
these tights are for. Ii we can only
persuade them to allow us to do some
stage business it may save our lives
day or two"
''Or they may take us for medicine
men," answered Dave. IF we get
our hands free we may escape some
how"
With this idea in their minds they
went through great amount of
pantomimic dialogue, and succeeded
in conveying some ideas into the
brains of their dusky captors, which
resulted in their being released, still
carefully guarded, however.
They swung the trapeze from the
bough of a large oak-performers on
this continuance always carrying the
necessary ropes and bars with them.
The savages watched every move
ment with the deepest interest, their
curiosity increasing with every move
ment.
Billy managed to exchange few
words with his wife, and was glad to
find she had her hands free.
"Lucy, when you see these fellows
looking their eyes out. take the boy
and slip away. Follow that star, and
you will strike some town before
long"
"And leave you, my husband!
Never! We can die togetherr'
You must fly, my darling! A
worse fate than death awaits you.
Oh, my God, Lucy, do not hesitate!
We will keep them interested as long
as we can. You must hasten away
with all your might Iwould plunge
a knife in your heart myself rather
than leave you to the mercy of these
worse than brutes.