Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-05-18

anger, then suddenly calming hfmDed1s
| returned to the metre, and after having
| followed with an eye Of hatred the
ascent Of Icarus, began fumbling With
the mechanism Of the stop-cOcks.
A great clapping Of hands. A frantic
ovation. Two hundred pretty women
dropped their fans, and leveaed their
opera -glasses, and, a tribe pale, smiled
with q delicious dread. Icarus was up
there-high up at the top OF the cncus-
hanging to the last trapeze, and turning
| over and over in II, slowly and without
an effort.
| At times he paused, and hi face Wa
seen radiant In the foolish pride OF tri.
umph. Below, In the ring, the Clowns
were stretching a circular net, and 10
all the circus reigned deep silence brok.
| en- only by a feminine whisper: How
graceful! What handsome fellow"
The gymnast then, finding his public
sufficiently warmed up, ratsed himself
ut one pull, stifrening himself On his
| wrists.
The trapeze, violently thrown back,
described a great arc, and, letting 60
the bar, the man shot forward like an
arrow into space.
There was feeling of apprehension
in the crowd, and an "Ohw Of alright
uttered by a thousand breasts. The
acrobat reached the second trapeze, and
/ calmly let himself swing in its decr.as.
ing oscillations.
Slowly he thus darted eleven tunes,
calm and smiling as he made the tour
Of the circus, and rejoicing at feeling
beneath him the immense painting Of
the throng.
At the eleventh trapeze he paused to
prolong this emOtiOn-hts glOry-and his
eyes sought out Rita. The equestrienne
saw him, and with the handle OF heI
whip threw him 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.
Enough" said some voices.
NO, Bravo, Encorew cried the la.
dies, 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 flight.
But an appalling cry Of terror, a fran
| tic shout arose.
In an instant, suddenly-like q candle
Put out by the flap of bats wins--the
thousand glistening lights of the circus
were extinguished all together, ut 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 petrified
In their places, and peered into the
night that filled the dome. The net was
empty. the acrobat must be hooked for
in the gloom. In the search, lanterns
were brought and carried toward the
top of the circus. Five minutes five
Bengal lights"
Then, while here and there people
were trying TO relight the burners. Il
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.
IL loo
hanging motionleSs.
An unheard of horror paralyzed him
in a supernatural frenzy. His hair stood
erect. His distorted face, whittier than
that of a corpse, his haggard eyes. pro
truding from their sockets, rolled con-
vulsively.
Soon his comrades were near him.
With the handle of his knife Aesop
struck the gymnast's hands, and with
great difficulty detached from the bar
the clenched hands Of the miserable
man.
The gas was relighted. and the crowI,
silently and without a breath, watched,
as it was slowly lowered down, the
descent of the living corpse.
There is to-day near Marseilles. IN the
Asylum of Saint Pierre, poor mailman
who stalks straight forward, his arms
held in front and contracted in an mag
mary grip. 1t is frightful sight. II If
Prince Icarus."
l do not know what jail holds Aesop.
AS TO the fairy Rita, she IS now q
princess somewhere In Germany.
Adantad f,-or, rho E'rapch for fh.. Ar
gonaut.