The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-31

viatoria as single handed and alone he
prepared the paraphernalia for his
tght-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 pcripatetic perambulator
of the rope, and his field Of perform
ance lay in country towns, where 1t
was his wont to stretch his narrow
pathway across a street from roof TO
roof of houses whose owners were will
ing to extend that privilege to him in
exchange for tickets to 1.-The Great and
Only Megatherian Concert" which fol-
lowed the outdoor exhibition. Yet he
had a romance, and there were in 1t
those elements which one greater than
the Signor Salviatoria might easily
have crystallized into a melodrama
that would have stirred the applause
Of a thousand galleries.
"The greatest act l ever done" he
said with a natural and easy disregard
of accent and syntaX. 'I done in ar
Ohio town about ten years ago. l was
doing my turn there for a week, as it
was the county fair season, ana / was
following their trail like sleuth. for
they brought people to town and help
ed my business, never none too good.
The third night of my performance,
which was a half-hour exhibition in
nidnir before the concert had begun.
/ had gone up on the roof To git things
ready. and while was potteriDg
around snuggin' up the rope and see
ing that there wasn't any loose cogs to
be dropping. I heard q screech up
through the scuttlc hole leading to the
4 81,
woman like one of these here jumping
Jacks. It give me a hard pull on my
nerves. but / flew ovef to see what
the matter was. 1t was my landlady
and here / want to say that when l
stop for any time in town | go to
boarding house where l can get a 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 boarding house, 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. ii 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 Salviatora stopped moment
az tlis remark, stroked his little chin
whisker and smiled retrospectively.
"She had only been polite to me be-
cause l had been polite to her, as any
gent should be when there is pretty
woman around, and the laudlady was
the prettiest little woman, about as
big as a piece of soap. 1 had met.
LAS ] was saying, when / got to heI
she had slung the cover to the scuttle
hole over it and was sitting on 1t with
her Jaw set and trying to stick heI
toes into the roof to help hold 1t down
In a mighty few words she told me
her husband was on the chase attef
her with q hatchet TO kill her and he
would be up from below in minute
She wasn't as bad scared as | was
for / didn't have much experience II
that kind oe business and didn't know
what to do. l didn't have anything tC
defend myself u her with, either, ant
the more | thought of the situation
the more l begun to think how many
gcrous than walking a tight rope flft!
feet above the earth, and me as limo
cent as q babe. The little woman tolt
ne to bring o barrel half full of sanC
there was over in one corner of tn
roof and we'd set it over the cover O
the scuttle to hold it down. i done /
as fast as | could, and when we ha.
the barrel there and about fixed, tn
crazy husband come slashing - VIII
his hatchet AS luck would have i
the sand fell in on him and knocked
him off the ladder below and the bar
rel got stuck in the hole, so the littI
woman and me had a minute or tW'
TO think, and she done the thinking
"'Are you afraid? says she.
Some says /, nodding toward tn
scuttle hole.
~ mean of me?' says she smiling
mot much says |.
Are you strong?' says she.
That's part of my act says /, 'bu
not against a crazy man with
hatchet,' says |, wondering what sh
would do next and about how long
would be till the crazy man was o
deck with his tomahawk cleaning i
the air.
Then, SAYS she, grab hold of m
right quick and carry me across IN
rope over TO Mrs. Peck's house SOS m
husband won't get at me with ths
axe.
She had more nerve in a minut
than ] had in a week, but when sh
said that my professional pride CON
to me, and without any more talk
reached for my balancing pole, an,
STOPPING down 50 she could get on M
back, which she didn't like very mucl
| made a quick run for the end of III
rope just as the cray husband come OF
of the scuttle through the barrel an
tumbled down on the roof half-smotl
cred with sand | told her to hold tigl
and do the prayi for both of us an
| thought / could get her through SAT
don't know how l ever got out c
that rope with her on my back, for thi
wasn't the way my profession dor
business but l got there, and as | sh,
out with the woman clinging to me II
people in the street below set up sue
yell as l never heard before and
come near losing my balance, for
knew, and they didn't. why this fe
ture that wasn't on the bills was beir
showed.
"The crowd yelled about twice, al
then all of a sudden got so still cou
hear the little woman's heart bea
Anyway, thought l could, but may
it was my own. l knew when tn
done that the crowd had seen the mi
on the roof with the hatchet and re
ognized him, for all the people in [
town knew the kind of a fellow he wa
At the same time the crowd got st
something came to me telling. me