Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-06-01
THE ROPE WALKERS ROMANCE,

No one who saw the tawdry finer,
of his tinsel trappings and the cheaI
| appointments of the famous Signol
Salvatoria as single handed and alone
be prepared the paraphernsha for biz
tisht-rope performance which had
brought him his glory would have evel
imagined that there was time or space
in his busy life for romance. Tht
signor was peripatetic perambulatol
OF the rope, and his field of perfor M
ance LAY in country towns, where il
was his wont to stretch his narrow
pathway across street from roof to
roof of houses whose owners were will
ling to extend that privilege to him in
exchange for tickets to "The Great and
Only Megatherion Concert, which fol-
lowed the outdoor exhibition. Yet he
had a romance, and there was in il
those elements which one greater than
Signor Salvatoria might easily have
crystalized into O melolrama tina.
would have stirred the applause Of a
thousand galleries.
"The greatest AZ I ever DONE" he
said, with natural and easy disregard
of accent and syntas, II done in an
Ohio town about ten years ago. I was
d, .ng my turn there for week, and
it vas the county fair season, and I
was following their trail like s'euth,
for they brought people to town and
helped my business, never none too
good. The third night OF my per-
Torrance, which was half-hour ex.
hibition in mid-air before the concert
had begun, I had gone up on the roof
to get things ready, and while I was
pottering around snuggin' up the rope
and seeing that there wasn't any loose
cogd to be dropping, heard screech
up through the scuttle hole leading to
the roof, and the next second out
popped woman like one of these here
jumping jacks. 1t gave mo hard pull
on my nerves, but few over to see
what the matter was. It was my land
lady-and here I want to say that
when 1 stow for any time in town I
60 to clearinghouse where I can
get rate that won't break me. Got
to do it in this line, Can't give it all
to railroads and hotels.
In this case not only stopped at
this clearinghouse, but the landlady
let me stretch my rope from her roof
to the root Of the house across the way,
as it was the main street of the town,
it was convenient al the way round
for me. The only draw back was that
the lady had half-crazy husband that
never had done anything for her when
he had his senses, and now she had to
support him and take his abuse Of her
every time he got jealous 6t. which
was every time she had q new boarder
that was anything for looks and style"
Signor Salyatoria stopped moment
at this remark, stroked his little chin
wbiskers and smiled relrospectively.
"She had only been polite to me be-
cause had betn polite to her, as any
gent should be when there is pretty
woman around, and the landlady
was the prettiest little woman. about
as big as piece Of soap, had met.
"As was saying, when I got to her
she had slupg the cover to the scuttle
hoe over it and was sitting on it with
her jaw set and trying to stick her
toes into the roof to help hold it dov 4.
In mighty few words she toldme her
husband was on the chase after her
with Ratchet TO il her,and he would
be up from below in minute. She
wa vD't as bad scared as I was, for /
didn't have much experience in that
lind Of business and didn't know what