The broad ax., 1898-06-18

with q laugh: -out Of my way. zoe
pitiful pigmy!"
Aesop uttered a roar Of rage and an
ger. then suddenly calming himself.
returned to the meter, and after hav-
ing followed with an eye OF hatred the
ascent OF Icarus. began fumbling with
the mechanism Of the stopcocks.
Egreat clapping Of hands. Ayfrar-
tic ovation. Two hundred pretty
women dropped their fans and leveled
their opera glasses, and, q trifie pale,
smiled with a-dehcious dread. Icarus
was up there-high up at the top Of
the circus-hangins to the last trapeze.
and turning over and over in II, slowly
and without an effort. 49, .
At times he paused. and his face
was seen radiant In the foolish pride
or triumph. Below, in The ring. the
clowns were stretching a circular net,
and in all the circus reigned deep ST.
lenee, broken only by feminine whis-
per: How graceful! What q handsome
fellow"
The gymnast then, finding his public
sufficiently warmed up, raised himself
at one pull, stiffening himself on his
wrists.
The trapeze, violently thrown back.
described a great arc. and, letting &C
the bar. the man shot forward like an
arrow into space.
There was a feeling OF apprehension
In the crowd, and an "OhI" Of alright
uttered by a thousand breasts. The
acrobat reached the second trapeze. and
calmly let himself swing in its decreas-
ing oscillations.
Slowly he thus darted eleven times,
calm and smiling. as he made the tour
OF the circus, and rejoicing at feeling
beneath him the immense painting Of
the throng.
At this eleventh trapeze he paused
to prolong this emotion-his glory
and his eyes sought out Rita. The
equestrienne saw him. and with the
handle Of her whip threw him a kiss.
The elated Icarus, hanging by one
hand, saluted her; then he brought his
trapeze TO rest He was about to COM
plete his task
-ASNeAt o1AA cOhC NOANCo-
mo! Bravoi Encore!' cried the
ladies, eager to feel once more the per-
verse Joy OF an enticing pain.
For the twelfth time the handsome
gymnast. stiffening his muscular arms,
essayed his terrible fight.
But an appalling cry Of terror, q
frantic shout arose.
In instant
die put Out by the flap Of bats wing
the thousand glistening lights OF the
circus were extinguished all together
at the precise and fatal moment when
(the man was darting into space.
At the same instant there rose from
the ring a laugh, terrible, vibrating
with hate.
Then in the black and hideous OBJ
security. in the pitchy darkness that
filed the circus lately so blazing, poig-
nant shrieks rolled from row to row.
Women tainted and the spectators, with
their hearts crushed in hopeless terror,
shudderingly sat as II petrifled In their
places, and peered into the night that
filled the dome. The net was empty,
the acrobat must be looked for in the
gloom. In the search lanterns were
brought and carried toward the TOD Of
the circus. Five minutes-five cen
turtles, elapsed. Some one cried: "Ben-
gal lights"
Then, while here and there people
were trying to relight the burners, .
blaze Of violet and red. Of green and
azure, flashed out and with a powerful
Illumination lit up at one fash every
corner OF the circus with its fantastic
and trembling CLEANS.
And suddenly, as in the flames OF q
transformation scene, was seen, rigid.
clamped to the trapeze, Prince Icarus,
hanging motionless.
An unheard-of horror paralyzed him
in a supernatural frenzy. HIS hair
stood out His distorted mouth grinned
an idiot grin terrible to see, and his
face, whittier than that Of a corpse, his
haggard eyes, protruding from their
sockets, rolled convulsively.
Soon his comrades were near him.
With the handle Of bis knife Aesop
struck the gymnast's hands, and with
great difhculty detached from the bar
the eienched hands OF the miserable
man. ...r .,-.-..
The gas was relighted and the crowd,
silently and without a breath, watched.
as It slowly lowered down, tie descent
OF the living corpse.
There is today near Marseilles In the
asylum Of Saint Pierre poor mailman
who stalks straight forward. his arms
held in front and contracted IN an i'm
aginary grip. It is frightful sight
It is prince Icarus."
do not know what jail holds Aesop.
As to that fairy Rita, she Is now prin-
cess somewhere in Germany.-(Adaps-