The indicator., 1897-05-22

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 unciyil, 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.
Tho Frcnchwoman came out and
went out.
From my office den / could hear the
cheering reception to the lady from
France; then came a crash from the
orchestra. and the great midair perils
begun. | didn't want to see them. but
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 evoluting
at a giddy height aloft.
1t made me feel quite dizzy to look
at them, and I turned away to note
the ayerted gaze OF others. started
10 return to the Office, mentally VOW
ing:
This is the last
AT the office door turned back again
to view the dangerous performances, A
great hush was upon the audience. |
believe that | could hear eycrybody's
heart beat. Mine was humping at a
fearful rate.
Out of the stiffness l heard kissing
command from the lips of the mani
The Frenchwoman answered in an
excitable undertone. There was
quick passage of words. the tcnnor o!
which no one could catch. Were they
quarrelng up there over the heads of
the audience
Words, more words, and fierce wordsl
was in frenzy IL they were not.
Suddenly the woman made a dash
down the elaborate rigging suspended
from the act; TO me it appeared as n
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. took it that
she was fleeing from him.
The pursuer shriekei horrible oath
and was upon the little Frenchwoman
Just as she reached the bar Of sus-
pended trapeze.
Help! Help! My 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 ch h9ers.
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 We're sufficiently
recovered.
The shock to the Frenchwoman was
a terrible one, but she came out of it
thankful for her narrow escape and
grateful to her former discarded part
ner, who had deyotedly followed her
from Paris and been the means of saw
ing her life.
In all the hubbub the lunatic had
walked off in his tights and such at
tire in the street being unusual. he
had promptly fallen into the hands Of
the police. and in due time was placed
in such keeping as to insure safety
both to himself and others. Upon aft
er investigation it was learned that the
unfortunate aerialist had suffered Sc
we're fall during the previous season,
resulting in an injury to his head,
which untitled him from following his
calling.
For the remainder of the engagement
the Frenchwoman's now accepted ad-
mirer appeared in their astounding
aerial act. After that they returned TO
Paris. to indulge in the perpetual bliss
which forever finds place in two loving
hearts.