St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-02-06

around it, the Fairy meanwhile guiding
him with gentle hand-pressure on one
side of his neck or the other, while with
the other hand she threw kisses to the
audience. Her bare, dimplcd arms and
smiling, dimpled checks, her rosy mouth,
her large black eyes, and curling black
hair in which diamonds shone, won every
heart for her in that immense crowd; for
SO much sweetness and grace and dainti-
ness they had never seen all at once in a
circus-ring before.
TIE circuit of the ring completed, the
elephant stopped and listened gravely to
the sorry Jokes Of the clown. He had
heard them before and was not to be
amused. The Fairy bounded to her feet
on the great animals back, and there
found room for some entertaining tricks
of agility. Then she gave him tap
with her sl1ppered little foot, and, in re-
sponse, he brought his long trunk
around, caught her by the
waist, and set her gently on
the ground. This made the audience
applaud until the Fairy was almost deaf.
Other things, some old and some new,
were done by the two, such as his walk
ing over her, stepping over so carefully,
as she lay on the ground; recovering her
handkerchief from the clown, who had
stolen it and hidden it in his blouse;
throwing her high in the air and stepping
forward in time to have her alight nimbly
on his back; and things like that. Then
came her act on the hyingtrapeze.
To prepare for this the clown fetched
her flag, which she gave to Christopher
to hold in his trunk. Then the clown
threw tape over trapeze hung high in
the air, and, with few parting caresses
and whispered words to Christopher, she
sprang to the tape and climbed it like a
squirrel. She sat a moment on the
trapeze bar and then glanced down at
Christopher, who, sitting back on his
launches the better to look so high, was
gravely watching her. The band had
stopped playing. A clear, musical voice
from above, dropping like pearls on the
people below, called out:
How was that, Christopher ?"
The elephant waved the flag and
gravely nodded his approval.
Then came the real work of the act
ali sorts of agile turnings and graceful
leaps from the main bar to one hung
higher still; and after every one of these
feats, each more daring than its prede-
cessor, she would call down in her must
cal, pearlp voice:
"Was that all right, Christopher"
And Christopher would wave the flag
and solemnly nod his approval, as much
as to say: "Of course it was all right;
but we expect that from you; little
fairy!'
Finally came her greatest feat-it was
to leap clear across the ring from one
trapeze to another. She rested awhile,
before undertaking it. and Christie
pher, knowing what was coming, braced
himself, all his massive muscles
Giles going on tension, as though trying
to give her strength and alertness for the
dangerous task The band played
spirited air while the girl sat still on the
bar; then the music ceased, and deep
hush fell on the audience. The fairy
caught the bar in her hands and swung
underneath it, and her clear voice rang
out again:
keep a sharp eye, old Christopher"
The elephant nodded and waved his
flag, but with less stateliness than be-
fore. The Fairy began to swing back
ward and forward in the direction of tho
distant trapeze, which she was to catch
after her flight through the air Further
and further did she swing. higher and
higher, back and forth, her gIittering
spangles looking like a shower of me-
teors. A ringing voice cried out:
"Now we go, Christopher" and she
looscd her hold AMI went flying away
across the tent, higher and higher, to the
apex of graceful parabolic curve, then
down towards the trapeze, still SO
far away, while the people held their
breath and many closed their eyes.
Down sailed the small and graceful
figure, coming quickly closer to the goal
two eager hands were outstreched to
seize the bar; one hand touched it and
it desperately, but the other
missed its aim. The momentum sent
her far beyond, but she still held the bar
with one hand, and the ropes which held
it creaked as the strain came upon them
A hold with one hand was not enough,
and the Fairy had no time to bring the
other to bear when the bar found the end
Of its tethcr. The small hand slipped, !
and the girl went toward the ground. A
cry of horror rose from the
audience as the frail little body struck
the ground at the entrance to the wait
ngroom, falling with heavy, cruel
sound that went into every heart in that |
vast assemblage and that made the
strongest men shuddcr and groan and |
cover their faces.
She fell near the feet of Centrepole |
Tom, who was standing behind the must
clans, and he was the first to approach
ler. He Strengthened the body and I
ooked in the blanched face and wide
staring eyes, and silently prayed for even
4 moan from the silent, white lips. The
audience rose in an uproar, and thousands
pressed forward to see the poor, limp
Body on the ground. But instantly there
vas a commotion from another cause:
Christopher had seen the catastrophe,
md he claimed the first right-of way and !
he privileges of a friend. He came to-
ward the packed mass OF humanity with
| roar that sent terror abroad, hundreds
lying from his path. Others could not
escape so easily, and of these, some he
lung ight and left with his trunk, and
others were packed closer on either side
~ the interposition of his enormous bulk.
Soon he reached the side Of the Fairy,
ying SO white and still, and he dropped
o his knees beside her and groaned and
,aressed her with his trunk.
Gentle hands were trying to find some
ife in the frail, crushed body when he
came, but all fell back on his terrible ap-
,roach-all except Centrepole Tom, who
cared not even the wrath Of the giant
The elephant accepted his