The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1884-09-10
Tile Romantic storyofa Young
Girl III o Western Circus
Company.

f0ur years ago thls summer;
says the proprietor Of a Western
circus, "a girl joined our company
at Calabasas 70 do some songs aud
dances, She did not know any.
thing about dancing, but she did
not have 10 know much in that
country. She Gang very sweetly,
however, and she was The prettiest
woman / ever saw in a circus out
here. Nobody knew where che
came from, except that she was
Eastern born, and / knew that she
had been well bred. Some Of the
men about the show made them.
selves obnoxious to her, and she
came to me, because | was older
than the others, and asked my
protection. i gave it to her and
defended her many a time when
pistols were necessary to do H. ]
liked the girl, and / believe !
should have plucked up courage in
time to ask her to marry me, for
she made me kind Of tired Of the
business, somehow. She was Out
Of place in il, and / cannot under.
stand to this day, though some
wha! familiar with her life, what
could have induced her to come
out here. There must have been a
weakspot in her head, or she was
uncommonly desperate, or some,
thing. When the railroad got in
to Calabasas we made il a point to
be there, and as there we're a good
many heightened Eastern people
in town we frequently had them
at the show. They were nightly
pleased with the girl. She was so
fresh, so pretty, and so different
from the ordinary run Of women
out here in those days, and she
couldn't sing enough for them.
One night, when q number Of
fresh arrivals were in town and at
the show, the girl sang as usual,
and was loudly applauded. They
tried to get her to como out again,
but when l went after her she
pleaded sickness, and promised
that later on, when she was to
sing in another character, if they
encored her she would respond. l
made excuses TO the audience, and
the performance proceeded. An
hour later, when it was time for
her to come on again, l went to
call her aud found her lying on a
buffalo robe, apparently asleep. l
shook her gently, but she did not
wake. l felt her forehead and
strOked her hair. The one was
cool aud the other wet. | called
for q light and discovered that
there was blood on my hand. As
| stepped back in horror saw a
revolver lying by her side, and,
tucked in her belt, was a little
note TO me. / tore it open hastily
and read: Il am sorry to do this for
your sake, but there is o man in
the audience tonight whom can.
not meet as / am, and know that
he recognizes me. l now take the
only course left open to income
that l should have adopted long
before coming here
"Well she was dead as q door
nail, and l was wild with rage. |
had defended that girl SO long; /
had been in so many fights for her;
she had exercised such an influence
over me, and l had permitted my.
self to dream ofour future so many
times, that before any one could
stop me l ran into the ring swing.
ing the note alolt, aud calling on
the man, whoever he was, to come
out and meet me, il no had one
spark Of manhood left. Isaw that
they thought l was crazy, and l
then explained what had happen.
ed, and read the note, and once
more dared the man to show him.
self. No one responded. l had no
clue to work on. Dozens ofstrang.
ers viewed the girls body, and |
stood by watching every face, but
| could read nothing in them.
When they had all gone, aud l
found that it would be useless to
continue my investigations further,
| began to think maybe the girl
was out Of her head, Perhaps, af.
ter all, she was mistaken. She
may have seen familiar face in
her imagination, as l have seen
hers a thousand times SINCE"