Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-02-23
I'm THE MIDST OF LIFE"

already heavy with tho perfume OF
rare flowers; and all was life, bright
radiant life, on the stage and in the
audience.
st. John Harrington, with his little
eight-yearo daughter, occupied the
box on the second tier, and perhaps
as many glasses were levelled at that
box as at the stage, for everybody in
Glenham knew Mr. Harrington well
enough to be positive that he came to
that light variety performance only
for his little, romping. willful dauyh
ter's sake.
He was the richest, most influential
man in Glcnham; rich, by his father s
great wealth. and that which his high
born wife left him. in trust for their
only child Mr.. Harrington had had
no love for his wife, but he worshipped
the saucy, black eyed fairy. Edna,
who made his home at once uproari
GUS and delightful.
The music gave great crash, and
then died away in almost angelic
sweetness. Edna uttered an ecstatic
cry, but received no reproof from her
father, whose eyes, like hers. were
fixed upon the lovely dancer who en-
tered then.
A small, slight girl was Ledonni,
the celebrated tight-rope dancer, but
her form was symmetrical, and won
drously graceful. She wore short
skirt of palest pink satin. and cloud
like over-dress of snowy tulle: her
hair, araidiant, ripping mass Of gold.
hung almost to the hem of her skirt,
and from it, like picture from a
gilded frame, appeared the beautiful
face, with its tender red lips and great,
dreamy. violet eyes. A face that, if
it was the face Of a dancer, was pure
and unsullied as the waxen water lilies
that were fastened on her breast.
For a moment st. John Harrington
held his breath. How madly he loved
her, this fair Valerie Led0nri, with
her sweet, childish face and wondrous
grace! A bitter smile curved his
naughty mouth as he recalled tho res
olution he had made, when Edna's
mother died, never to marry again ex-
cept for love. The one true love of
his life had come to him two years
before the present time, when he met
Valerie Ledonni. He never dreamed
he loved her until the mad, unquench-
able passion took possession of him.
But he could not wed a tight rope
dancer, although the brilliant violet
eyes told him that her life, too, was
blighted with deep love for him.
The only creature on earth beside
the lovely dancer who held "a place in
st. John Harrington's heart, was
Edna, his bright, willful little girl.
Valerie's name upon the flaming
posters had been a far greater incen-
tive than Edna's entreaties that he
would go the performance. It could
do no harm to see her there, to look
upon her lovely face, and yelling
golden hair, as she danced for her
daily bread.
But how we'll she danced! Every
movement was perfect grace; the
slender, arching feet glided easily
over the rope; one rounded arm with
its tiny hand swung itself lightly over
the gold crowned head; but the
fingers of the other hand were
clenched hard, and pressed against
her heart. The wide, brilliant eyes
never once left the brilliant face OF
little Edna Harrington, his child,
toward whom the heart of the fair
dancer yearned.
All who saw her before said that
Valerie excelled herself that night
The faint, heavy perfume of flowers,
the low, strange music, and the siren
grace CT the gold crowned fairy be-
fore them, intoxicated the audience,
and held them in awe struck silence
and attention.
No one saw the childish form in its
white dress and crimson sash, as it
leaned lower and lower over the edge
of the box. No one saw the shining,
dark eyes, fixed so intently upon the
stage that their owner forgot all else.
No one, not even the indulgent par
ent who sat beside her. No one but
the good God. whose vigilance never
ceases. No one but the humble in
strument of his love and watchful-
ness, Valerie, the tight-rope dancer.
The music played. the flowers
breathed their richest, sweetest fra
GRANGE, the twinkling feet of the
dancer moved on All was gay, care
free life, life, and in the midst of it
camo-death!
A child's cry Of terror rent the air.
a child's form flashed from tho box,
whirling moment in space, and a
child's little, desperate hands grasped
some hangings and clung there for
life itself. Edna Harrington, the
petted darling. the only child Of
Glenham's naughty millionaire, was
suspended in mid-air!
Ladies shrieked and tainted; gen.
tlemen cried out in horror; the music
ceased, and all the eager company, SO
full of gayety second before, had
no thought but of death.
st. John Harrington was yainly
striving to reach her from the box;
they put down ropes, but she dared
not loose her hold to grasp them, and
e.ASAO "oo Nv pidCc ~ IcdCu ueT pV
climbing from above or below. On,
God, neglected a moment before,
what can be donea Kind God, how
long can those little hands hold there
Another form flashed through the
air, q very vision of pink satin,
snowy tulle and golden hair. The
tiny. agile feet of Valerie were fast
ened in a moment in the hangings
where Edna clung, the steady hands
caught the child, as she loosed her
hold in dispair. Slowly. surely the
dancer climbed upward until she
reached out her burden to the halt,
maddened father, who gasped his
darling and drew her up to him.