Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-02-29

lay AS the girl VINO was SO clever NJ
that and was always quiet at rehears-
ing, and never stood any chatting,
could be clever at other things, and I
said to myself, "That's settler il
she'll have me, I'll have She" And
very next night, when we were going
through the Flying Indians-a piece
on two horses, You know, that we'd
done dozens. of times before in quiet
business way-Pd got to gallop after
her horse while she was pretending
to flee from me, and me of course
done up in style, with feathers and
SO on. Then, when her horse WAS go
swift l could not ketch her, l makes q
lot of dumb motions, and SHES my
tomahawk at her horse, which begins
to halt and then limp, when I close up
and pass my arm around her and
bring her on to my horse, she pI etend'
ing to resist and as she stands going
around backwards, she hangs away as
/ hold her.
Well, being very pretty thing, il
it Is well done, people was very atten.
tive that night-the one that came
after I'd made up my mind-snd wo'd
got to the part where I'd killed her
horse, ard it was lying in the middle
of the ring, when, the music playing
so that no one could hear what said,
says /:
"Mary, dear'-her name on the bill
was Mademoiselle Mary,
dear" l says, make that real"
"What?" she says.
"Let's make this real" l Gays.
Don't talk nonsense" she says.
"Put your arm little more round my
waist, I'm slipping!"
I'll was just going to, darling" I
says. "You sha'n't slip; I'll support
YOU"
AL! this time, OF course, she was
hanging away from me. as il in q rage
OF fear but when said, "I'll support
you," she half laug he'd, ana said:
"You wouldn't like to, l eat so
much"
"Try me-" said. "Tm in earnest,
and mean it. Mind your balance.
Don't, please" she says then, and
Iquite started to hear how pitifully
she spoke.
well, l won't, dear" says; "only
let's make it real"
"Well," size says, saucily, II will
make it real"
And she hung away from me fiercer
than ever, just like a wild Indian
maid, while the people clapped again.
And she did make it real, for I found
the tongue to say 10 much that that
piece was acted real right through !;
and when ut last it came to her coming
round and resting her arm on my
shoulder, and me with my arm around
her waist holding her right up, and all
the time Hourishing my bow in the
other, while the horse went rs hard as
he could, I felt so happy and SO salts
fed with one or two words that had
never been said to me before that ]
finished the piece off with what mean
to say was real touch of nature. l
drew her little closer to me and
kissed her, regularly bringing down
the house
As we went off there was Mary's
father, who did the sword trick and
the rings; Fo.To.Li.No his name was
in the bill, because he was Chinese
IN the profession. though We always
called him by his proper name, Bod.
ger Dodd. Well, there WAS Mary's
father waiting With a shawl and her
goloshes, and he says to me, very
fierce:
you're nation fast, Ton French. ]
never see that last bit in the Flying
indians afore."
''No more didn't !, old man" says,
slappiug him on the shoulder, ''but
we're a.going to make it real"
The old man and / had it over that
night over some oysters-and Mary
was there, looking as blushing and
sweet as girl could loo k and month
after, sir, we made it real, very much
to our managers disgust, for 1
wouldn't let Mary 60 into the ring
any more after putting her finger into
the little one l bought her. We we're
very happy for six years, all the time
I could be Mt home; and then, after
months trip, got back one day, to
find her old father there, for he'd
joined another troupe, and the old
chap had got the news before did,
and he shook haads with me, and then
broke down crying like little child.
But couldn't cry; / couldn't be.
lieve il, l couldn't think that 1t was
real as all this-that she was gone
gone forever. 1t seemed something /
couldn't understand. though they told
me again and again rs she was dead,
and had been put in the cold ground
two days before.
At last, though, it seemed to come
home to me, and / sat there, think,
for three days, doing nothing hardly
but look Mt the little ones that
were left me. But at the end of those
three days my manager came to hunt
me up, and took me back with him
and he always was trump to me.
though | was never the same man
again, while p'r'aps it was all for the
best that poor Mary went, for it saved
her many heartache and no end of
poverty.
1t was about a year after she died
that was doing clown for the trip,
making faces and saying the same
funny things over and over again,
night after night, while l was doing
half a dozen summersets running, 1
put one foot en- a piece OF orange peel.
1 can't tell you any more about 1t,
sir. only that left that town cripple.
| get soft if think about it, for I'm
afraid l was very proud Of what l was
as Matthew York News.