The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-25
HER TRUNK STRING broke.
An Incident in the Daring PERFORM
ance OF Circus Rider.

0hCC VA "a
Amy Leslie in the Chicago News.
A fearful din was occupying most of the
ears open for sound under the big spread
ing tent where Barnum & Bailey's amass-
ment of art, trickery, pandemonium, spec
tacle and choicest Of the animal kingdom
exchanged courtesies with circus talent.
variegated and convincing. Across the field
over which nets were stretched 1 was led
carefully, and two waving curtains of
crimson damask were snatched from the
iron wise of two grimy hands employed TO
hold the draperies, and then suddenly
sympathetic illustrator and l were plung-
ed into perfect ocean of color and move
ment, for we were near the sacred pre-
cinct of a circus dressing-tent.
In the shadows under the adjoining tent
restlessly moved a cavalcade Of blooded
horses, mounted by haute ecole eques-
trians habited for a steeplechase; at the
side, grouped upon brown painted pyra
mids and the tongue Of a hauling wagon,
were three clowns smoking, and an ath-
lete in stunning fleshings, with his muscles
lying big and idle across his gigantic chest;
outside him stood a joey, in woman's dis
guise, and a delicately built gymnast,
straight as the road to ruin and as beau
tifully attractive Close by them, on the
ground, sat a pretty little girl in blue
tights, playing jacks and nervously count
ing against an imaginary opponent and
cheating in favor of herself. Two half
grown boys turned and twisted, exercised
their supple limbs and Vaulted over the
ropes and wrestled Enthusiastically with
nothing more tangible than air
Some sober young women, dressed in
luminous tights and fragmentary gauzes,
talked solemnly about making over last
CD and tho
sleeve goods, and a grave man, with an
uncomfortable leer etched over his severe
mouth, stood thoughtfully alone where the
sun shone hottest, buried in thought con-
trasting humorously with the lhomme-
qui-rit makeup on his Pierrot mask.
Roman charioteer, with magnificent shout
ders, smoked an undeniable T. D., and ev-
cry pose was unique and graceful, every
color vivaciously contradictory 10 its near
est neighbor, and the whole picture most
animated, sumptuOus and unusual de-
light.
The ambitious picture maker was pleas
antly stopped at the tiny slit in the canvas
leading to the womens dressing apart
ments by an amiable old lady, gentle as a
nun and kindly as a mother
Tell the young man that he is eight
feet nearer this tent than any man is al
lowed, will you?" whispered the matron
of the circus, Mrs. White, who counts her
twenty-ffth year as employe of Mr. Bailey,
The curtain was pulled aside slightly for
me to pass, and confusing panorama
leaped out of the canvas walled boudoir
Nellie Reid, a school rider and expert
enced Circus woman, greeted me with
plain sobriety of mien and simple apollo
gies.
'I can offer you my chair while 1 ride"
said she, without smiling, drawing on long
gauntlets and talking with her whip be-
tween her teeth. She grasped my hand
firmly, as a man does, and swept out OF
the tent leaving me to admire Rose Went
worth. the beauty of the show, a lovely
creature, with luscious dimples pretty
curves and a sparkle and simmer about
her prettiness and very little else. Rose
was attired in a wig band and pair Of
jacqueminot tights, with tiny ballet slip
pers laced over her exquisite ankles.
Il don't know; seems to me L have al
ways been with a circus" said Rose,
without the slightest false opinion about
the harmlessness of her array. She sat
smoothing the tights over her handsome
limbs and talked seriously about, her work
as a ballet dancer, contortonist and eques-
trienne, and neither felt in unusual array
nor stupidity protested embarrassment at
the necessities of her business makeup.
Near her sat a demure kitten of a girl,
Cuika
denly whispered Ouika, pricking UP her
sisterly ears like a hunted fawn, dropping
her rabbit foot rouge brush and standing
expectant. 81 heard her crying; I'm sure
l did"
Just then sure enough, in crept Rose in
a torrent of tears, trembling like a flower
in the wind, and deluging her neck, arms
and cherry-satiu waist with briny foun-
tains of grief.
'4Oh, 1 shall never ride again, as long as
I live! Oh, dear! Oh, heaven!-my trunk
string broke, and my trunks came very
nearly falling off; oh, 1 am so ashamed,
so hurt, so distracted with my mortifica-
toni
Somebody said: "Oh, nonsense; nobody
saw them what do you carer"
Everybody saw it, and 1 shall die-I
know l shall The other women were
laughing, and one of them said: Haven't
you got a PIN? as if 1 rode with pins!
But the men were kind; one of them stop
ped my horse and told me; then they
all crowded around me till / fixed the
trunks up and the clowns made a fright
full noise to make the people forget my
misfortune, but l shall never, never get
over the awful accident. feel ten years
older since they changed the horse for
me to do the 1ay-over. Oh, dearg'
1t was very amusing to see this modest,
shocked little circus woman, with her soft
black eyes ahoat in tears, crying because
so triing a thing has disturbed the tran
duil womanhood within her. She shook
and wept and fretted, 1 am sure, great
deal more than ever did Godiva over her
equestrian fiuke at Coventry.