The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-06-08

day, though, you may change your mind,
and then you need only hold ont your
hand and say to me, Let rs be married,
and it will make me happy"
So after thus simply settling the affair
Jacques was like q brother in the house.
It was he who in the springtime plant
ed the seeds in the boxes upon the little
balcony. 1t was he who twined the ten
drills about the wires, and it was he who
at all seasons furnished the gilded porce-
lain vases that held the flowers.
These flowers were a great luxury to
Zette.
This state Of things did not long con-
tinue, however. The young girl was
o 20 and Jacques 20. One evening he
presented his friends with tickets to the
circus. It was the last day of a long con-
tinued fair, and Zette and her mother
had nothing to do. So they decked them
selves in their best and went early.
Nine. Floury was much amused with
the horses, the rope dancers, the clowns,
the trained dogs. Zette thought only Of
Jacques, whose name on the programme
occupied a line to itself, and whose ap-
paratus was hanging up at the top of the
high tent. The latter consisted of bars,
with copper balls that shone, a maze of
trapezes, ropes and pulleys, and the
young girl, a little frightened, inquired
if it all was secure.
At last the first part of the perform
ance was over and keeping time to a
slow waltz Jacques appeared. He was
as beautiful as a god in his silk tights,
that displayed to advantage his superbly
nodded form, and. for the rest, his cos
tune consisted Of a black satin calecon,
spangled with gold.
After having responded by a bow to
the applause Of the crowd and by a
smile to Zette's smile, he darted up a
rope to his trapeze.
The preliminaries were gone through
with amid prolonged braves, for the
handsome gymnast was a favorite. and
1t was truly q pleasure to see him act
the supple body SO plant, yet SO marvel
Ously exact in it's movements.
Then there came silence-even the or
chestra was still.
1t was to be the hit Of the evening
and a new feat that was to give an add
ed glory to the circus. He was to leap
from one trapeze to another, with his
face and head covered, then suddenly
drop from this giddy height upon a net
stretched below him. The two trapeze
were swinging with a regular movement.
Jacques, standing on a little board, his
head enveloped in o black velvet bag,
put forth his hand blindly. The crowd
held its breath. The man was going to
jump-he had jumped!
A piercing cry rent the air.
Missing the second trapeze, which had
been badly regulated, Jacques fell to the
net, but it proved too frail to support his
weight, and striking upon the seats he
rolled to the ground, where he lay mo-
tionless.
With a cry of horror, Zette sprang to
her feet, rigid and pale, her eyes fixed
upon the spot where the men were now
carrying away the apparently ifeless
body of her friend.
Then suddenly Selling her mothers
arp, Come" she said in a hollow
voice.
Breaking through the crowd, the two
women reached the stables, but were re-
fused admission. For a long while they
remained at the entrance, listening to
what was said around them, but no n
knew anything. Finally Nine. Floury
saw a clown whom she recognized as one
Of Jacques friends. He was just coming
out of the refreshment room when she
called him,
1.-The net broke the force Of the fall" -
said the man, whose face looked trou-
bled, even under the paint. 1.-The doctor
says he will be lame for life, and that
this ends for him his profession as a
gymnast. Poor fellow! But he has some
thing laid up for a rainy day"
Mime. Floury looked at Zette. She
was very pale, and her eyes were fixed
| upon the man as he spoke as though try
ing to find if he lied At last she said,
LET us CO."
And thanking the clown by a gesture
she left the circus.
The two women did not speak as they
traversed the grounds Of the fair, and
they were still silent a they assembled
their own little stairway. But when
Nine. Floury had lighted the candle she
saw Zette sitting beside the bed, with a
strange smile on her lips. She feltfright-
ened for her and went to her.
"Of what are you thinking, little
daughter" she asked, trying to reassure
herself.
Then Zette laid her head upon hel
mothers shoulder, with a childlike ges'
ture.
81 think-th that now I can marry
jacques" she told her.-From the
French In Romance.
-
Their Trilby Club.
They were a party Of gushing young
girls, -.
Gsnl --- ~-~s. Al1 1,,A IN hly1o rib