The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-09-10

poor souls mad with jealousy to CONQUER
that frightful malady, maybe save them
from committing a crime, had little to
do with it.
Well, as l was saying this evening as
| stood waiting, 1 saw Nina coming slow
ly as if in thought toward me. It was
something 80 unusual to see her pretty
face without smile, that exclaimed:
why, Nina, child What ails you9
Has Pa Dryer been acting ugly2" What
ever old Dryer had done in Ninas Young
er days, l had never known him since he
had been with us to treat her otherwise
than kind; in fact he rather petted her
like the rest of us. l was considerably
relieved when she answered:
"Ohl mol but don't you laugh at me.
| really believe I'm nervous"-here she
laughed herself, but it lacked the true
ring.
''Nervous What aboutY" asked.
You see she sort of looked upon me as an
old fogy and didn't mind expressing her
self freely as it were.
"Oh! don't know" she answered,
"only feel as if something was going to
happen, don't you know2 1t is silly of
me. Why! when l was little mite and
Pa Dryer made me hang from my chin
from the trapese never felt So
Just then my act being on had to hur-
ry away. When next l saw Nina she was
flying gracefully through the air from
trapeze to trapeze. After my act had
hastily resumed my every day clothes and
returned to the ring entrance, which was
not my custom, for generally left the
building as soon as was through. This
night something stronger than myself
bade me watch "The Fays." Ihave seen
agood deal of trapeze business in my day,
but never anything so graceful and neat
as 1.-The Fays' performance. Nina's
little form seemed to glide through the
air without any apparent effort. The
applause as usual was loud and frequent.
Their finish as rule was done in this
wise: Nina taking a flying leap from a
small platform near the roof, would be
caught by Louis, who hung suspended
head downward from one of the trapeze.
This night the order of thing appeared
to be reversed, for it was Louis who
mounted to the platform to take the
leap, instead of going through a series
of evolutions on the middle trapeze,
whilst Nina prepared herself for her
daring drop. l had hardly time to
wonder at the change before saw Joe,
who had been executing Catherine
wheel on trapeze still higher up, give
violent start. He too, l think, was
surprised.
Shall / ever forget the cry that rang
through the building that night, causing
women to faint and strong men to turn
white like unto death. l can hear it
now, and the words:
Nina! Tor Gods sake keep clear of
the middle trapeze; the ropes are cutp'
Too late came Joe's warning. Nina's
little hands were already clinging to the |
doomed bar, and Louis had taken his
leap for life..
whir as of something whizzing
through the air as l closed my ewes to
shut the horror of It out, when a muir
mur like the hoarse roar of the distant
sea fell upon my ears, swelling until
1t burst into wild huzza. l
looked and saw Joe hanging head
downward from trapeze, while
with both hands he upheld Louis, Nina
clasped safe by the latter's right arm, the
trapeze to which she had clung but a
moment before lying in the ring some
forty feet below. Joes daring intrepid
ity had saved his companions lives. He
had dropped from his perch above to a
lower trapeze and swung himself to the
rescue of Louis, thereby enabling the
latter to snatch Nina from horrible
death.
Cheer upon cheer greeted the two as
they were lowered safely to the ground,
while one old fellow, in his excitement,
exclaimed, as he caught Joe by the
hand:
"a brave act ye've done this night.
lad, 1t ought to wipe out heap of sins
fur ye."
That night Joe disappeared, and "The
Fays," as far as the public was con
cerned, were known no more.
For many weeks Nina lay lowering be-
tween life and death, but at last youth
conquered. She is now the happy wife
of Louis, for that terrible moment in
which her fellow performer and herself
had hung as it were between heaven and
earth had revealed to her who had won
her heart. Louis and his wife have long
since left the profession and are prosper
ing well in their new line of life. Two
children have been vouchsafed them.
Joe and Nina they are named
And what about the other joe you
think, perhaps. Well, it was eight years
before l again met Joe. OF course l
spoke about Louis and Nina, telling him
how happy they were and how they had
named their hrst-born for him.
She did that, Nina" he murmured.
adding, land she must have guessed !
all: saw it in her reproachful eyes that
night. was mad with jealousy. l I
knew that she loved Louis, but thought
if he were out of her way she would for
get him and then could win her, and so,
madman as was, cut the ropes at
tached to the middle trapeze, the one on
which Louis always did his finish" An {
exclamation of Mortified surprise escaped 7
me as he continued with
You know how my fiendish attempt /
was frustrated. How the girl | loved S