Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-02-23

d1d. lie really was the most self deny ing chap I ever saw, and what hs wouldn't do to please all audience wasn't worth doing.
 "Where is he new?''
 "Dead. J
 "Dead?''
 "Yes, it killed him. Itwas this way He was in the pyroteehnic branch of she dramatic art and used to give shows at one of those imitation Conev Islands % bo found on nearly every sand bar in nearly oser river tributary to the Mis- sissippi. He had been the originator of tae fireworks feature at this place, and bis phenomenal success had made him 80 proud that he would sooner have died than had failure. Ono Fourth of July he was going to give the grandest dis play of his life, and the feature ill the biggest letters on the bill was q set piece, 100 feet high, with ali enormous balloon loaded with fireworks to go up from the top as a grand finale. There were ten times as many people there that night as there had ever been, and my friend was feeling so good you could see it in his walk.
 Everybody was on edge, too, for the grand blaze of glory the management had been advertising for weeks, and when. promptly at the hour of 10 o'clock, my friend stepped forth like a peacock to set off the great display with his own hand there was round of ap plause, followed by dead silence as the audience sat breathless watching for the burst of blazing glory. But some- how it didn't burst. The professor fired the train and retreated to safe place, but the powder wouldn burn. It flzzled and went out instead Once, twice, rhrice it fzzled, sputtered and went out, and then the crowd began to groWl md guy, as crowds always will, and the professor began to get wild.
 Several other attempts to set the piece off were no more successful, and at last, with a smothered scream of crazy rage. he shot up the ladder of the tower to it's very top, where he had z platform stored with all sorts of inham- mable and explosive things arranged tc go off at the proper time. He stood there a moment silhouetted against the sky, the crowd indulging in gibes and ieers, with now and then a threat as ta what he might expect if he would only come down to the ground. This was his time to show what he could do to please his audience, and in minute, and be- fore anybody had any idea what he would do next, he caught up an armful of the explosives about him, fastened them to his clothes and hung wreaths and rings over his neck and shoulders, and, setting the whole thing alire, he swung out into tho air in the balloon, which was already tugging at its anchor.
 ''As the balloon shot up it was ter rife sight, and the poor devils shrieks added to the intensity of the scene, al- ready lurid with red and blue lights, while the air was filled with all manner of bursting bombs and crashing expl.' sives. Women fainted, men ran help lessly about shouting, and still the baj- loon swept upward with its fiery freight and passenger, until, when 1t had reached point 1000 feet above the earth, it caught fire and the whole burning inass shot lke blazing ball straight to the ground.
 "You will be safe ill betting those people never saw such all exhibition as that before, nor will ever again i'll nll probability, and when it was over, " concluded tie ageAt, "tale audience seemed to realize vaasSs 'the professor had done to please sssm9 aud they chip. ped in and built hfm monument where he fell, having on it, besides his name and the proper dates, no other in- scription except He striVed to please. ''
 The dramatic critic was at least half minute ill recovering his speech after the recital of this remarkable tale, and before he could ask any questions the advance agent had folded his tent like a circus and stolen away to tho office Of the next dramatic critic he had to call upon Washington Star.