The Dickinson press., 1889-05-18
THE CLOWN IN TRAGEDY

knees where be had been kneeling before her
Have care, Dora" he cried, with flash
ing eyes; "you know how | love you, an,
you know how far | might CO. Don't pusl
me too hard!"
lhe young woman, reclining calmly on tn
sofa, shrugged her shoulders.
Threats, eh'" she said, coldly; that wa
all that was lacking, and BY what right"-
"l'y the right you gave me in allowing MI
Tor the last six months to think that yo,
loved me-"
We'll, if have let you think so, are yo,
fool e'ough not to see that perhaps it wa
he2au.e did love yous'
But you have ended with it all now; Is i
not sos" replied the young man. clenching hi
teeth
1T appears So" She paused, and
throwing aside her Indifferent air, became
more earnest. Come, let us finish this rish
here, Mario But let lis finish it once and fol-
ell That will be the best thing for both o.
us You talk of rights have not giver
you any, unless it was to love me n!
much as wanted you to- 1t is the sam,
story always, and all the world over, my
good fellow Chance brought us together il
the same circus ut Vienna, |. a rope dancer
you, clown. 1t was an accident like any
OTHER was it nott 1t might not have hap
pened. But it did happen-so far SO good.
took fancy to you, or, rather you PLEASED
nlr that is better still told you that
liked you, strange thing to say, perhaps
but II was true and said it. You protited
by II for six months, and now what more dt
you want' Do you expect this to go on for
ever. do you want to live your whole life this
way All. no, no, indeed | see no reason
tor ii do not wish it. Here we are al
Par, still with the same circus, for luck
would lave it that the same manager should
engage us together But that is no reason
why we should remain chained to each other
like Il couple Of convicts For my part
have had quite enough of the chain. If il
were golden one, might consider the mat
ter But that is not the case, as YOU
know, chs Well, now have found
one which is truly of that metal and
moreover an easy one which | can carry as
| please, provided that carry it with de.
ccncy Now, my dear fellow, you are in the
way, you are n hindrancc, even u danger
Do you think have no ambition, no dreams
to gratifyf DO you suppose should be con
tent to follow in such track us this all my
life timcf 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 Dc
not think would hesitate for a moment be.
tween you and fortune. You are very
agreeable but ! prefer the hundred thou
sand francs year which am offered, pre-
fer the carriage and dresses and servants
which can have if only say the word
1prefer them, tell you. And that is why
declare to you thus frankly that all is a,
an end between US, quite at an end Come
give me your hand and let us not speak of ii
again. Is it agreedi"
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. Heremained looking at
her without speaking, gazing into her face,
his black eyebrows tiercely contracted, as if
struggling with u frighful temptation to
strangic the words in her throat.
That is your last wordf' he demanded.
finally, with an effort
My last What more is there to say"
Dora, beg youn- he broke out, with
trembling voice.
There, you are not going to commence
again, hope. Ah, there goes the belle 1t is
the count. Quick, get out by this door, and
no more time to waste with you Come.
don't you hear what sayf' she cried bru
tally And, running up. she pushed hlll. on,
by the shoulders.
When she had slammed the door ON his
fingers. the clown turned aud shous his lisi
ut it.
Eleven o'clock. The circus gares with its
myriad of lights. A lnurmur Of mpatlencr
runs along the tiers of seats, glttering with
the bright toilets of the ladies The jug
glers, the tulnbers the dashlng equestr
enncs, the performers upon the trulcze all
accompanied by the ridiculous clowns, have
each Lad their turn Now nervous hands are
crumpllng the satin programmes They
await the performance of the daring Mile
Dora.
Fifty feet hi.h on a stea wire. without II
pole. Its marvellous
And without net too.'
1t is madness Why do they no, tax
that prec,.utlon, ut eastt'
Simply to produce Il sensation, nv dear
without danger there is no excitement Ii
would be an insipid affair with net You
might as we'll go to see lion tamer perform
with his beasts muzzled, or an exhibition of
wrestling between man and stuffed bear
One comes to the circus to be thrilled, and it
Is the business of the manager to see that you
are frightened your moneys worth"
"Weil, am already frightened enough. II
she should fall'
Dora doesn't fall She startled Vienna
all last summer with the same performance
She has been doing it in Paris for mouth
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 Ah,
there she is!''
With bound, Mile. Dora has just appeared
in the middle of the ring, light and quick as
a bird her strong, slender body incased il
deshings the color of rose. ....
Through the lorgnettes the vast audience
converges its interested gaze upon her, and
from every mouth comes q cry of admiration.
She bows to the right and left, bending
gracefully, her beautiful lips half parted in a
smile, which displays double row of peaNs.
Then she turns, steps back a dozen PAGES,
sezing 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 ct 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 tat
the sea Of faces fixed motionless 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 a series of contortions and
tumbling. In exact time they fall upon their
feet altogether Two of them, doubling up
their bodies until their grimacing faces are
to be seen peeping from behind their knees,
sidle of the scene. The third has stayed be-
hind, his neck craned MP toward Dora, who
is about to take her first step into danger.
What is he going to dol Some crowning 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 q
glance is for him now. but what Of it, He
will act bis part: there be is, in the middle of