The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-03-08
HEY, RUDE !
Who was he?

who was accustomed 20 doing flying
trapeze acts and leaping from spring
board amid the plaudis of the specta-
tors, who enjoyed it all the more that
it was just possible he might miss and
dash himself to fragments at their feet.
The doctor at the hospital was ac-
customed to dying men, accustomed to
solrowful heart histories, to sad, sad
scenes of parting and death. But he
had nothing to do with them. He was
there to learn something of interest to
science; to study the laws of anatomy;
to reduce a fracture successfully or kill
fever. He looked into dying eyes,
not to read the secrets there held of
life that had passed, but to observe how
coma affected them, and interpret the
value of bromides and morphine This
hospital doctor would have done the
same thing but for one of those strange
links in the chain of life which demand
n conservation of interests whether we
will or no. He had gone one day last
summer to the circus and taken his two
little boys; they had been delighted
with the double treat, that OF being
with papa and of seeing the glory OF
wonderland. One little fellow had gone
wild over the gymnast and leaper, the
man who shot into the air, came down
or his feet, turned somersault, kissed
his finger-tips to the spectators and
sped on feet of air from the ring,
Now, there was something strange
in the fact that when one of the little
fellows ded--as he did suddenly and
Unexpectedly as children go-he in dy-
ing talked only of this man. And it
was strange that the doctor saw moth
ing of interest in his patient until his
other boy going the rounds with him
pulled at his coat and whispered:
'It's Berries circus man, papa; the
one that jumped over all the horses and
into the air, and went over and over.
Oh, papa! won t YOU mend him up?'
But the poor fellow was past mend
ing, and the doctor knew it. He had
made misstcp. and falling, struck on
his head and shoulders, and they hal
picked him up and carried him out and
he had lain here ever since. His COM
rades had left him, with many hand
shake and sympathetic tear, and gone
on their way without him, and he did
not care. What was there OF life left
for him anyway?
When the doctor knew who the man
was he thought OF his dead boy, and
at once began the task of making death
easy to him. That was all he could do,
Just smooth with kindness that sure de-
scent which we must all tread.
The day which would have no to-
morrow came at last to the sick man,
and all the morning he lay sleeping
and doing, and al night he was dying;
his checks were red with fever heat;
he was in q delirum and imagined
himself in the circus, listening to the
plaudits of the crowds. The doctors
anGsthetics were as powerless as water.
The last iitful Hastings of escaping life
were superhumanIy bright Over and
over again he repeated the name of
Lulu.
"Who is Lulu?' asked the doctor,
with a hope of releasing the troubled
spirit from dwelling on the past.
"An angel" said the dying man
family and brokenly; IAN angel in
Heaven now. But she was my good
angel on mine-mine!
Do you hear, doctor? | defy you to
part us there-you cannot! You dare
mott"
The doctor gave him q soothing
draught, but he grew wilder and rayed
of Lulu, only Lulu.
Listen" he cried, edo You hear
that call? 1t means trouble in the cir
Gus! Not among the animals, the wild
savage beasts, but among men, aye,
and women, too! Oh, doctor, she was
all had. just my little Lulu We had
thought it so cruel--not to have known
and loved each other all our lives-but
she was wife before knew her.
Great God! how he abused her, and
when they told her he was dead, the
poor child went out into the world for
herself, and found her-quck, doctor,
give me water-l am s'rangling.'
The doctor lifted his head. and the
water gurgled in the throat of the dy-
ing man. He could no longer swallow
but it cooled his parched lips
| tduglJ HtI W NO inc lTdDtIc DuSl-
ness. She was small, and light, and
quick. She was beautiful and innocent.
How loved her! And after we had
been together year she married me,
and we were so happy-so happy! And
she played so well. Her eyes shone
with her new happiness. Her heart
was so light that she attracted crowds;
and one night in the season here-oh,
doctor, it is hard for oyng man to
talk!-she-she just took the house by
storm. There was an ovation. She
was recalled again and again! The
manager doubled her salary on the
spot-but we didn't care for that. 1t
was just the triumph in her art-we
loved each other and the life, too
The leaper who was never again to
hear the applause he once coveted.
lifted the portrait in his hand to his
lips and kissed it revcrenily. He look
ed so strong and bright that neophyte
IN matters OF life and death would have
mistaken him for well man. But the
doctor knew.
zine next night Lulu was to give
them a new and dangerous feat, and
the house was full, crowded, and she
never looked so lovely made my
great leap and ran out of the ring, and
| found Lulu waiting to go on. She