Evening journal., 1899-09-09
The Crime Of the
y Great Gorilla.
Iy c. Randolph Lichaeld.
-~~~~~~~~~~

VNTE all loved zenobe, not merely
w for her pretty, pale face,
but because she was a quiet, ten
der-hearted, pluchy little woman,
who found her way into all our
hearts without any effort, and then
innooenly shut her eyes 10 the havoc
she had wrought, treating us all alike,
from the proprietor 10 the humblest of
the performing troupe and tent men.
a circus "crowd" is not exactly the
lsina OF society in which refinement and
tender consideration arc likely to be
encouraged and developed. ButZsnobe,
''the queen of wire-walkers,' as she was
described in our flaming bills, never had
any reason TO complain Of the treat.
ment she received from the highest to
the lowest person connected with Herr
Shofie's world-famous circus and
menngerie. No one ever uttered o
swear or coarse word or expression
within ear-shot Of her, and no one ever
ventured TO ehaff or Joke with her. Yet
she was only little simple girl Of IL
with only very poor performance on
the programme, earning less than near
" all the other artists. including my
self, who had the honor Of introducing
three under-sized and very ancient ele
plants TO audiences twice daily on six
days of the week.
But Zenobe was good; the worst
among US saw that and respected herfoT
It, Yes, the worst among us. Probably
that. person was myself, SO 1 am more
than right.
And it is strange that the possible
best, certainly the steadiest and clever
est man in the "crowd," respected her
least. It was not because he was, OF
thought he was, better than she, but be.
cause he loved her more than we did
more deeply. less teRderly, and conse-
quently more selfshly. Wewere content
for the day with a little word floating to
us on her silvery voice. and followed 10y
! one of the cheering, sunny smiles from
i her pale lips. But he-Stavarta, "thc
agile wonder of the world would not
have been contented with her soul
could she have sacrificed IL TO him; no
not with q thousand souls as honest and
as womanly as hers would he have beer
content if she had had a thousand and
one to sacrifice.
1t was at Preston, at the Great Iron
hall, that the awful thing occurred Sc
suddenly and hideously that it was over
before any of the Mortified on-lookerl
could realize how it began.
The circus performance was in ful
swing. The huge audience, which filled
every seat in the great amphitheatel
Except those in the gallery, which ha,
been temporarily closed as unsafe)
had exhausted the attractions Of tn
e. menagerie section of the show in th
hour between opening Of doors and tn
commencement of the circus perform
ance, and they sat in their serried tier
of faces, ashy white in the blue elec
trio light, gazing down with awe or in
terest upon the circus of sand and saw
dust as one turn followed another.
4 Zenobe's performance was evideHtl,
q awaited with great interest; she hat
= made a stir in the town from the start
owing to her daring rather than he
T. skill, however When the company hat
y arrived at the Iron hall on Sunday. Her
I Shofile discovered, 10 his dismay, that
\ owing 10 architectural shortcomings
r it was impossible TO erect Zenobe'
slaclS-wire or her fall net satisfactorily
Consequently he had fallen in rcadil
> with Zenobe's suggestion that the ne
Il shoull be discarded, and that sh
should substitute her tght-rope wall
ing feat for the slacll-wire. And IL S
hefr1l that Tpnobe created n hu0e sens
h tlon in Preston by walking q 100 foe
q rope so feet above the arena, and ami
the glarine, kissing arc-lamps whic
hung Ike balls OF light from the la