The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-26

! F.'. NAAe blhhsIupINE ct>WpJ.
Within the circus tho seats were already
overtlowing, and the Same names repeated
Fl N mouth 10 mouth blended into gen.
efal fuurmur deadened by the Canvas roof
over the ring Some OF the circus men
were raking tho saw.dnst on the track, and
above the door to tho stables the mn.
sicians wers languidly tuning their ins,ru-
ments, or, at timee, addressing friends who
passed beneath the gallery. That you?
Marius, how goes it?' etc. In tho upper
rows the audience was alive with impa.
lience Tor the expected spectacle, and irri-
tated by the passing u the young fashions.
bic FIRST nighters '-envied frequenters
behind the sccues-who pressed in 4
crowd to the narrow entrance leading 10
tbs green roor.
Officers in civilian dress, and, students,
sh,p.brokers and idle handles, all wished
Tor the last time to get near the lair Mile.
Rita, the celebrated equestrienne, who, for
month, had been the rubject OF convex
setlon IN every mCes.room aud every club.
They stepped along, the elbowed and the
asboHerB, between the walls that we're GOV.
cred with sets Of vanished harness, and
begged pardon every time they jostled a
Hroom. They, stopped at the stalls OF "Biue
Devil, and "Djtun," the two trick Ara
bans, and under pre,ext Of giving some
sugar TO the horses huttered about the ex-
,emperze dressing room where Rita.
tranquil and smiling, was donning her a..
ire. Then came in succession the
commonplace compliments, to which
the star OF the circus, uu.
needing, scarcely deigned to give m m.
swer, without seeming to note the ardent
gaze Of her admirers
She was q handsome girl, careless
gypsy, with the sun in her eyes and her
blood, accustomed to the atmosphere Of adj.
miratioD, and she finished her toilet with
out hurrying. At times, however, inpa.
tiently, and with a pretty rebellious move.
ment, che gave her shoulders shake and
! made the pearls OF her necklace rattle, Il
waD when the little clown Trilby, her hus
band, who, oil btloured and painted, WIS
walking before the room, his huge top.kuot
swaying at every step, drew near, and with
his sharp falsetto voice launched BONE
launt ut the artiste's cour,iers. They
laughed, they even applauded, but, more
often, they lowered their eyes before the
cutting cold gaze OF the dwarf, whose wan
and gtoteeque face-in spite OF tbs smile CT
MS 6lood-red and too large liJs-ssemed at
some moments to be frauyht With evil.
This evening the manikln WIS in worse
humor than usual; his jeers were more Bit
ing and more bitter, and beneath the Goa,
OF flour covering his scanned features. he
appeared not pale butllvid. His eyes had
a sharp and menacing fash in them, and
never left Rita, who, gayly posed before
ner mirror, was having her bodice laced
by the Handsome gympsst IcaruB.
In the circus the orchestra was finishing
a waltz by Metra. The curious we're vrad.
ually quitting the stable and returning to
their places. The sharp cuts of the ring-l,as.
ter's whip were cracking in the arena; the
show had begun. lcarus placed a list
rose in the hair Of the eaues!rienne and
ran to chalk her shoes. He stumbled
against his dwardsh comrade.
The clown seemed to busy:in examining
the gas-meter, and pushed him away with
an oath. Then without more ado The
acrobat sent him reelinx, and leaping on a
ladder cried with laugh, "Out Of the way.
thou pitiful pygmy!" So
Ttilby uttered a roar OF rage and anger,
then suddenly calming himself, returned
10 the meier, and after having followed viii,
AN eye OF hatred tho ascent, OF Icarue,
began again tumbling with the mechanism
Of the stop-cocks.
-.
A great clapping Of hands. A frantic
ovation. Two hundred pretty women drop.
ped their fang, and leveled their opera.
glasses, and tr.ils pale, smiled with de.
licious dread. ,1carus was up there, high
up at the top Of the circus, hanging TO the
last iraptzs, aud turning over and over in
| it, slowly and without effort.
Attimes he paused and his face was seen
radiant in the foolish pride Of triumph,
Below in the ring, the clowns we're stretch.
ing a circular net, and in nil the circus
reigned deep silence broken only by iemi.
nine whisper" How graceful what hand,
eome fellow!' -
The gymnast then finding his public
suficiently warmed up, raised himself al
one pull, s.iGening himself on his wrists.
The trapeze, violently thrown back, de.
sCribed a great orc, and, letting 70 the bar
the man shot forward like an arrow into
space. "a
There was feeling OF apprehension in
the crowd, and an "ou!" Of alright uttered
by Thousand breasts. The acrobat
reached thesecond trapezs, and calmly lie!
himself swing in ita decreasing OSCILLATIONS.
Slowly he thus dar;ed eleven times, calm
and smiling rs he made the tour Of the cir.
cus, and rejoicing a. feeling beneath him
the immense painting Of the throng, ii2s y.
,,eAt the eleventh trapszs he paused to
prolong this emotion-his glory-and hit
eye sought cut Rita. The equealrienne
saw him, and with the handle Of her whip
Ethrew him a kiss.
The elated Icarus hanging by one hand
saluted her; then be brought bis trapeze Il
rest. He was about to complete his task.
III Enough" said some voices.
S"No! Bravo! Encore \" cried the ladies
eager 10 feel once more the perverse Joy o
an snticing pain. sj'a.5
For the twelfth time the handsom
gymnast, stitlening his muscular arms, e.
sayed his terrible flight. ~ ssi g,s;s ii5
But an appalling cry Of terror, q iranti
shout arose. i33S;s. $3.50 3 4
In an instant, pnddculy,-like a candl
put out by the flap Of a bats wine-th
thousand gliatenine lights Of the circus wei
distinguished all together, at the precis
81 - MS, - ~!