The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-12-29
NANINE.
BY j. Il. CONNOLLY.

copyright, 1893, by American Press Associa-
CHAPTER l.
The most exciting New Years l ever
spent, said the old manager, owed its en-
hvenment altogether to woman, yet she
was no more to me than Adams grand
mother. supposing he ever had one, and
had no more personal interest In her affairs
than have in the domestic concerns of the
man in the moon.
It was the winter put the French Cir
Gus troop from New Orleans on the stage of
the old National theater The company
was very fine one, times were good, a
winter circus proved profitable novelty
for the public, but never repeated the ex-
pertinent. The possibilities involved in cir
Gus life are little too stirring for my blood
A strong feature in our programme, up
70 and including New Years day, was the
"Wild Beast Den" act, by M. Alphonse
Dubosc, but after the date have specified
Il was omitted. M. Dubosc used to go in
among his lion, tiger and leopard-all in
one big cage-and toy with them thinking
no more apparently of the probability of
their lunching upon him than if they had
been spaniels. All the wild beast tanners
have ever seen have been fine looking fel-
lows, powerful and handsome, as / suppos
they have to be to command the respect
the savage animals, who doubtless have an
innate sense of standard of physical per
lection; but Dubosc was by long odds the
the most magnificent specimen of man !
ever saw In the business. He was big for
q Frenchman, but so finely proportioned
that you would not realize his size unless
you stood beside him. And a strange thing
IN him was that, though his complexion
was dark and his hair and mustache black
as jet-natural, too, not dyed-his large
eyes were of a light blue, with steely gray
glints, and he seemed able to fash fire from
them when he was reused.
In our own circus companies as a rule,
except those which in late years produce
heavy spectacles, women are in the minor
ity, but the French system, in the organi
xation of all entertainments meant to catch
the popular fancy. is to put on plenty of
women-the more the merrier-and that
holds good in their clrcuses as'well as ev
erything else There were more handsome
girls and women in that French troop
than would have been thought necessary in
any three American circuses of that day
not simply performers Of special acts,
though there were good many of them, but
awhole raft full who seemed to be under sal
ary for no other earthly use than standing
around and looking pretty, which | must
say they did to perfection.
One of the most striking of the whole lot
was trapeze performer, billed as Mile.
Nanine Lascelles--a large limbed, voluptu-
Gus looking creature, with glorious black
eyes and lips as red as blood in the sun
shine She and Dubosc made splendid
pair and seemed to be together good DEAL
more because she wanted 1t that way than
from any effort of his A man, you know,
II often injudiciously enthusiastic in dem
onstrating his interest in a woman whose
appearance attracts him, and 1t is her ma
cure then to stand him off and affect indif
ference. but after a time he is liable to re
lax his ardor and show disposition to give
MP the game Then it is hundred chances
to one that the woman's natural contrari
ness will assert itself and instead of letting
him go she holds on all the tighter, and us
he cools off she heats, so that the general
average of fervor Is maintained and per
haps even raised.
That Is about the point to which AL
phonse and Nanine had got. OF course
did not know anything about all this from
my own observation at the time, for there
were too many Of them, and they were
good deal too lively, for me to take any
particular notice of their Roings on; but