The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-08-26
A WOMAN AND A CIRCUS.
BY W. II. L. ATKINSON,

Twenty years ago circus was not
such an overgrown affair as it now is.
tent covering one wing, with few modest
sideshews, formed the entire paraphernalia
before the days of triple Allied Masto
don shows, with three separate rings, three
sets of performers, and three bands"
Twenty-Five years ago / was middle
aged man and q doctor, but | venture to
say that knew almost as much about the
management of circus as / did of pills
and prescriptions. resided in a consider
able village in Ohio, and for twenty years |
had visited every circus which had come
within fifty miles.
You wonder why? Well, will tell you.
When very young man, just after re-
ceiving my diploma and while the mystic
letters Nj. ID. tackled to the end of my name
were still pleasing novelty, became Gu
gagged to the prettiest girl in the village.
Folks said she was a little wild, but she
never seemed so to me. l knew she was
full of animal spirits; l knew that she
firted a little, but, though / loved her
dearly. l was not in the least jealous.
think loved Annette too well TO mis-
trust her. l always believed III girls, and
boys too. having lots of fun, so long as
there was no wickedness back Of it. Thus
it came to pass that Annette went where
and with whom she pleased, with no word
of interference fiom me.
have said that we became engaged to be
married. We were 10 wait two years, dur
ing which time l hoped to build up prac-
tice which should warrant me in taking TO
myself a wife and home of my own. The
two years flew by. Everything prospered
with me, and within three months l ex-
pected to marry Annette.
About that time very small, "one- horse
circus visited our village and made q two
days stand. Among the performers was
bareback rider, roughly handsome-of
the Spanish gypsy type-but to;aIly un-
educated. He succeeded, however, In
fascinating Annette.
After the show left town Annette and
"Leon" doubtless corresponded, though l
never knew 1t. Three months later, in the
fall of the year and within week of the
day set for our wedding, the circus once
more came to town. When it left, Annette
left too. / was terribly grieved. l was so
grieved that / became physically sick. But
i was proud, too. and would not assist in
any measures for bringing the runaway
back. Indeed, had che came back right
away / do not think 1 would ever have
married her. Ny pride was hurt, and when
ones pride is wounded the sore is very sore.
/ tried to put Anne te out of nv mind.
prospered in my profession. but l never
married. Yet think always yearned for
my wild, lost love; for, as the years rolled
away, an uncomfortable impulse sent me
to every circus that came within reach of
me. But / never saw Annette, nor Leon.
either, although l must have visited over q
dozen shows every summer.
Twenty years passed away, and was n
lonely man on the shady side of forty. THE
Great Monster Imperial Circus, fresh from
a triumphal tour through Europe" was adj
yertised to make a stand in Cornville.
OF course / went. There was no printed
programme, but toward the end of the per-
Torrance the ring master announced with a
loud voice, "Mademoisele ANNETTE, the
Partisan prodigy. champion lady bare back
rider of the world!"
NV ears could not have deceived me. He
did say "Annette;" but. then, thousand
chances TO one it was not mig Annette. She
would be forty years old now-not a likely
age for woman TO show herself off as
bare back rider. Still, for a second or
two. was in suspense.
Hal the curtain across the entrance is
pushed back, the ringmaster cracks his
whip with great and sounding crack, and
two milk-white steeds canter into and
around the ring.
Then the apology for a band starts up,
and. as the horses near the entrance to the
ring once more, paudily though scantily
alfred girl rushes out, and. amid n crack
ing of whips, "hurrahs" from the circus
men, and q shrill "houp-la!" from herself,
leaps at q bound to the back of one of the
horses.
But it is not Annette-at least not my
Annette. This is quite Young girl; can
tell that, used as i am to the make up" of
circus fairies, etc.
Mademoisele goes through the hundred
and one tricks in which a circus rider
usually shows off her powers. Her last
trick is 10 bound through rings OF fire
made by sleeping iron rings in coal-oil or
some other infammable liquid. / suppose
tbe girl had done the trick a thousand
times before, bat this time was once too
often.
Her fiimsy dress caught fire, and, missing
the horses, she fell heavily to the ground
a huddled head of burning silk and gauze
knowing that my professional services
might be required, was In the ring in an
instant. The fire was speedily extinguished.
and the limp, crushed form was carried
tepderIy TO the dressing ROOM" where L
examined her.
The girl must have been a favorite, judg-
inc from the eagerness with which men
and women crowded around to know how
sbe was-the women inside and the men at
the entrance Of the so-called dressing
ROOM"