The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1897-06-19

good round North American:
Damn
Then. being out Of breath, or greatly
relieved. she subsidized for a moment,
and then renewed her excitement, and
made known her state Of mind by as
serting that she would leave for Paris
the very next day. II she had to
swim.
Rather than to have the pretty spit
fire drown let her have her way. and
her way came near costing her her
life.
BY the time for Zarena's appearance
1 had become so nervous and over
wrought through anxiety and excite
ment that l could have wished the
French mink and all the rest Of the
aerial female Us 'in the deep bosom
Of the ocean buried"
How many times In the course OF his
career does a manager solemnly vow
that he will never admit another dan
ger-defying aerial act to his theater,
and then go and put the most danger
Gus one he can find in his programme
at the first opportunity?
Everything was at skies and sevens,
anyway, in front Of the house that
night, because the Frenchwoman had
drawn to an overflow. and there were
too many people in the house for COM
fort. The doorkeepers seemed to have
lost their heads, and were snappish
and uncivil. and the ushers were any
thing but polite and obliging. On the
whole, / guess was ratified myself.
Here she comes! Amt she daisy?
called an irrepressible small boy In the
top gallery.
The Frenchwoman came out and l
went out.
From my Office den l could hear the
cheering reception to the lady from
France; then came a crash from the
orchestra, and the great midair perils
begun. l didn't want to see them, but
l couldn't keep away, and / felt rather
surprised at myself when / became
part Of the audience and was craning
my neck to catch a glimpse OF the
tiny figures as they appeared eyoluting
at giddy height aloft.
1t made me feel quite dizzy to look
at them, and / turned away to note
the averted gaze Of others. started
to return to the office, mentally VOW
ing:
This Is the last"
At the office door I turned back again
to view the dangerous performances. A
great hush was upon the audience. /
believe that / could hear everybody's
heart beat. Mine was humping at
fearful rate.
Out Of the stiffness heard Kissing
command from the lips of the man!
The Frenchwoman answered In an
excitable undertone. There was a
quick passage OF words. the tennor OF
which no one could catch. Were they
quarreling up there over the heads Of
the audience?
Words, more words, and fierce words!
was In a frenzy IL they were not.
Suddenly the woman made a dash
doVA the elaborate rigging suspended
from the act; TO me it appeared as II
she was attempting to escape the man,
her pursuer. who was close upon her
The audience took the movement for a
part Of the performance. and applaud
ed. but intuition told me that some
thing was occurring mot down on the
bills"
Evidently fear lent celebrity to the
woman's movements. l took 1t that
she was fleeing from him
The pursuer shrieked horrible oath,
and was upon the little Frenchwoman
lust as she reached the bar Of a sus-
pended trapeze.
Help, Help Ny God, the man is
mad"
At her agonizing cry many Of the
audience sprang to their feet, Just as
many others swooned.
Who was to help. and from whence
was the aid to come?
The lunatic was already attempting
to unloose the woman's hold on the
trapeZe.
Part of what next occurred did not
see. heard the voice Of a man in an
upper circle cry in French:
Hold. / Gomez
The next instant the figure OF a man
clinging to a rope required for the fin
ish of the flight for life" shot across
the space with unerring aim. and a
powerful arm wrested the woman from
her perilous position. And then the
fools of auditors. thinking that what
they had seen was "a part Of the show"
made the theater ring with cheers.
As that act, thank the Lord, was the |
last number on the bill. such Of the |
audience as were not overcome found |
their way out, and the others were
sent home when they were sufficiently |
recovered.
The shock to the Frenchwoman was |
a terrible one. but she came out Of 1t J
thankful for her narrow escape and |
grateful to her former discarded part
ner, who had devotedly followed her
from Paris and been the means Of saw
ing her life.
In all the hubbub the lunatic had