Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-05-17
THE CLOWN IN TRAGEDY.

sofa, shrugged her shoulders.
"Threats, ehs" she said, coldly; ''that was
all that was lacking, and by what right
''By the right you gave me in allowing me
for the last six months to think that you
loved me-"
"Wen, if have let you think so, are you
fool enough not to see that perhaps it was
because did love youa"
"But you have ended with it all now; is it
not soT' replied the young man, clenching his
teeth.
sit appears so-" She paused, and,
throwing aside her Indifferent air, became
moro earnest. "Come, let us finish this right
here, Mario. But let us finish it once and for
all That will be the best thing for both of
us. You talk of rights. l have not given
you any, unless it was to love me as
much as l wanted you to. 1t is the same
story always, and all the world over, my
good fellow. Chance brought us together in
the same circus at Vienna, l, rope dancer,
you, a clown. 1t was an accident like any
other, was it nots 1t might not have hap
pened. But it did happen-so far so good. l
took fancy to you, or, rather, you pleased
me, that is better still l told you that l
liked you, strange thing to say, perhaps,
but it was true and said it. You profted
by it for six months, and now what more do
you wanta Do you expect this to go on for
ever; do you want to live your whole life this
ways All, no, no, indeedl l see no reason
for it; do not wish it. Here we are at
Paris. still with the same circus, for luck
would have it that the same manager should
engage us together But that is no reason
why we should remain chained to each other
like couple Of convicts. For my part 1
have had quite enough of the chain. If it
were golden one l might consider the mat
ter. But that is not the case, as you
know, cha Well, now l have found
one which is truly of that metal, and,
moreover, an easy one which l can carry as
l please, provided that l carry it with de-
cency. Now, my dear fellow, you are in the
way, you are a hindrance, even danger.
Do you think have no ambition, no dreams
to gratifya Do you suppose l should be con-
tent to follow in such track as this all my
life times | have my future to look out for,
but you don't seem to consider that. | can
never be certain that you won't spoil every
thing with your bursts Of stupid jealousy. Do
not think l would hesitate for moment be-
tween you and a fortune You are very
agreeable, but l prefer the hundred thou
sand francs a year which l am offered; pre-
fer the carriage and dresses and servants
which l can have if 1 only say the word.
prefer them, tell you And that is why
declare to you thus frankly that all is at
an end between us, quite at an end. Come.
give me your hand and let us not speak of it
again. Is it agreeda"
Mario stood before her-a handsome fellow,
indeed, with an athletic figure of which his
street dress could not conceal the powerful
yet elegant outlines He remained looking at
her without speaking, gazing into her face,
his black eyebrows fercely contracted, as if
struggling with frighful temptation to
strangle the words in her throat.
''That is your last wordg" he demanded.
finally, with an effort.
'My last. What more is there to say?'.
Dora, | beg you''- he broke out, with
trembling voice.
''There, you are not going to commence
again, hope All, there goes the bella 1t is
the count Quick, get out by this door, and
don't put your foot in here again. l have
no more time to waste with you. Come,
tally And, running up, she pushed him out
by the shoulders
When she had slammed the door on his
fingers, the clown turned and shook his fist
at it.
Eleven o'clock. The circus glares with its
myriad Of lights. A murmur of impatience
runs along the tiers of seats, glittering with
the bright toilets of the ladies. The Jug
glers, the tumblers, the dashing equestri-
ennes, the performers upon the trapeze, all
accompanied by the ridiculous clowns, have
each had their turn. Now nervous hands are
crumpling the satin programmes They
ha y,o1.for of tha DARING hlIa
Dora.
Fifty feet high on steel wire, without
poleI It's marvellous"
"And without net, too!'
SIT is madness Why do they not take
that precaution, at least?"
"Simply to produce sensation, my dear.
Without danger there is no excitement. 1t
would be an insip affair with net. You
might as well go to see a lion tanner perform
with his beasts muzzled, or an exhibition of
wrestling between a man and stuffed bear.
One comes to the circus to be thrilled, and it
is the business of the managerst to see that you
are frightened your moneys worth"
"Well, am already frightened enough. If
she should falll'
'Dora doesn't fall. She startled Vienna
all last summer with the same performance
She has been. doing it in Paris for a month.
When you see her it looks as if nothing were
easier than to dance in the middle of space
without the breadth of an inch to support
you, and you never think of the danger, she
appears to accomplish it all SO easily. All,
there she isl"
With bound, Mile. Dora has just appeared
in the middle of the ring, light and quick as
a bird, her strong, slender body incased i'll
fleshings the color of rose.
Through the lorgnettes the vast audience
converges its interested gaze upon her, and
from every mouth comes a cry of admiration.
She bows to the right and left, bending
gracefully, her beautiful lips half parted in a
smile, which displays a double row of pearls.
Then she turns, steps back a dozen PAGES,
Selling cord which hangs before the per-
formers entrance, and pulls herself up to the
wire, hand over hand, with an easy confident
strength. There she is away up at the end
of wire, her form supported on the two
cords that lead to the side of the building.
She stops here an instant, looking down .at
the sea of faces fixed naotionless with inter
est. She extends one silk clad limb, and with
the sole of her foot gently taps the narrow
thread of steel on which she is about to COM
mence her perilous journey. second later
and you will see her start, run along the
wire, stop, turn around, and balance on one
foot as gracefully as bird.
In the middle of the ring three clowns are
going through q series of contortions and
Stumbling. In exact time they fall upon their
feet altogether. Two of them, doubling up
their bodies until their griinacing faces are
to be seen peeping from behind their knees,
sidle of the scene The third has stayed be-
hind, his neck craned up toward Dora, who
is about to take her first step into danger
What is he going to do? Some browning abb
surdity, no doubt. You will have your pains
for your trouble, my good fellow; no one is
looking at you now.
A conscientious fellow, this Mario Not a
glance is for him now, but what of ita He
will act his part; there he is in the middle of
the ring, trembling violently in all his limbs;
rather good bit of comedy this. 1t is she,
up there, who walks aloag to death, it might
ho b,,t ;c ba doxu,, hollow who 10 f,.rLtapad