The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-10
Rope Walkers Romance.
The Narrowsst Of Pathways the Scene Of
~. Thrilling Incident.
.G&&Gf:G&&&GGG

II U ONE who saw the tawdry fnery
IN of his tinsel trappings and the
cheap appointments of the famous Sig
nor Salviatoria as single handed and
alone he prepared the paraphernalia for
his tight-rope performance which had
brought him his glory would have ever
imagined that there was time or space
In his busy life for a romance. The
signor was a peripatetic perambulator
of the rope, and his field of perform
once lay in country towns, where it was
his wont to stretch his narrow pathway
across street from roof to roof of
houses whose owners were willing to
extend that privilege to him in ex-
change for tickets to 1.-The Great and
Only Megatherian Concert" which fol-
lowed the outdoor exhibition. Yet he
had romance, and there were in it
those elements which one greater than
Sjgnor Salviatoria might easily have
crystallized into melodrama that
would have stirred the applause of a
thousand galleries.
1.-THE greatest act 1 ever done," he
said, with natural and easy disregard
of accent and syntax, II done in an
Ohio town about ten years ago. 1 was
doing my turn there for a week, and it
was the county fair season, and I was
following their trail like sleuth, for
they brought people to town and helped
my business, never none too good. The
third night of my performance, which
was half-hour exhibition in midair
before the concert had begun, had
gone up on the roof to git things ready,
and while was pottering around snug
gin up the rope and seeing that there
wasn't any loose cogs 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. It give
me, a hard pull on my nerves, but 1
flew over to see what the matter was.
It was my landlady-and here 1 want
to say that when I stop for any time
in a town 1 go to boarding house
where. can get a rate that won't
break me. Got to do it in this line.
Can't give it all to railroads and ho-
tells.
I'm this case I not only stopped at
this clearinghouse, but the landlady
let me stretch my rope from her roof
to the roof of the house across the
way, and as it was the main street of
the town, it was convenient all the way
round for me. The only drawback was
that the lady had a 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 fit,
which. was every time she had new
boarder that was anything for looks
and STYLE"
Signor Saliva toria stopped moment
at this remark, stroked his little chin
whisker, and smiled retrospectively.
"She had only been polite to me be-
cause had been 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.
LAS I was saying, when l got to her
she had slung the cover to the scuttle
hole over it and was sitting on it with
her jaw set and trying to stick her
toes into the roof to help hold it down.
In a mighty few words she told me
her husband was on the chase after
her with Ratchet to kill her, and he
would be up from below in a minute.
She wasn't as bad scared as I was, for
1 didn't have much experience in that
kind of business and didn't knowswhat
tc do. I didn't have anything to defend
myself or her with, either, and the
more I thought of the situation the
more began to think how many things
there were that was more dangerous
than walking tight rope so feet above
the earth, and me as innocent as
babe. The little woman told me to
bring a barrel half full of sand there
was over in one corner Of the roof, and
we'd set it over the cover of the scuttle
to hold it down. I done it as fast as
I could, and when we had the barrel
there and about fixed, the crazy hus-
band came slashing up with his Ratchet.
AS luck would have it the sand fell
in on him and knocked him off the lad
der below, and the barrel got stuck
In the hole, so the little woman and me
had a minute or two to think, and she
done the thinking.
care you afraid?' says she.
"'Some,' says I, nodding toward the
scuttle mole.
81 mean of me?' says she, smiling.
"'Not much says I.
"'Are you strong" says she.
"'That's part Of my act says I. But
not against crazy man with hatchet,'
says I, wondering what she would do
next and about how long it would be
till the crazy man was on deck with his
tomahawk cleaning in the air. ~
""Then,' says she, grab hold of me
right quick and carry me across the
rope over to Mrs. Peck's house SOS my
husband won't get at me with that AK >
"She had more nerve in a minute than
had in a week, but when she said that
my professional pride come to me, and
without any more talk ] reached for my
balancing pole, and STOPPING down 50
she could get on my back, which she
didn't like very much, made q quick
run for the end Of the rope just asthe
crazy husband came out of the scuttle
through the barrel and tumbled down
on the roof half smothered with sand.
I told her to hold tight and do the pray
In for both Of us, and I thought I could
get her through safe. I don't know