The times., 1899-08-13

party. He would have been fatty told that
the woman had been and was in love with
him under whose guidance she had begun
her profession. that she and her guardian
were separated by some five stratas of cir
Gus society and that the handlers of TIE
tents having been supplied with no brains,
had been similarly neglected in the be-
stowal of hearts.
Despite all these assurances; assurances
doubtless undeniable had the aforesaid
casual observer delyed deeper he would
have found strange tokens OF the correct
ness of his theory. Nothing existed TO
prove that Big Ben had ever hinted even
at friendship to Mile. Liska, who was the
object of these attentions but that he had
always watched her and followed he WAS
beyond dispute. This vigilance had been
begun before the accident and might have
caused ideas of a subtle connection between
the voluntary inspector and the broken bar
! but for two things; hap-men, having no
minds, have not narrow minds and riggers,
/ bsing well skilled in their business. SELDOM
! experience any difficulty in placing blame
where il belongs-in this instance with the
dealer who had furnished the pole, together
witt others equally rotten. Save for ttis
evidence Big Bens" constant, doglike de-
votion 10 the acrobat might have been no
1 ticed set down for something more danger
GUS that interest in new performer ani
I d raw one, even nave UldQ6 nliu 5uIli- llDO-
bic, for circus folk, being without senti-
ment or trace of sentiment, could have
hardly been expected to attach significance
TO the fact that on the unfortunate evening
in question the giant had stared dumely al
the stricken girl, whose fondness for her
partner was quite apparent, and then had
taken TO his toll with such vigor that he
might have done much lad his force but
pulled up the stakes instead of demolish-
ing them.
After the first burst of Mile. Liska's
grief-childish grief and uncontrollable-
! big Ben had become once more his
placid. stupid self But the care he had
| always exercised with the woman had
grown immeasurably; had become a pas
sion and himself her shadow. When the
tents were taken down at night and the
train made ready for moving he invariably
risked the loss of sleeping space that he
might satisfy himself that she wanted moth
ing; when he could spare time from his
vigil at the flaps he was standing beneath
her and the trapeze; when there was aught
of hard labor to do for her he did it. And
! Mile. Liska, whose real name was Rosie
Martin, instead OF taking this as her due,
had realized how little the worship was de-
served and had really tried to make some
/ slight return. She had spoken to him and
he TO her. He had found that Mile. Liska
even plain Rosie Martin, still cared every
thing for her old partner, who had first
attracted her in very different form from
I that of invalid, and hoped to marry him
/ when her poor and unpromising salary had
been increased; when she had become half
as expert as the man, all of whose expert
ness had not sufficed TO save him. Most
wonderful-truly wonderful to relate-"Big
Ben had accepted this confidence and
given his own as Tecompense. He had con-
fessed that his name really was Ben, being
in full Ben Mowatt and that his father,
a prosperous shoemaker, had cut him of
altogether when he had run away TO join
the circus. All this and more.
What more natural, considering the rapid
growth of this great friendship, that on
the present day big Ben" should have
found the acrobat waiting for him at the
post from which was being swung her
trapeze-the trapeze he had come to in
| spect2 She was dressed in q close-ftting
riding habit-that which she wore in the
daily parade-and looked a bit like the
goddess she should have been to have mer-
! ited such alteration. A gentleman stood
next to her. Considering that, though he
had not known it. this was the city in
which he had spent his boyhood, what more
natural than that the visitor should have
been in search of big Benz" He had come
early because of q vague idea that his pur-
suit might be the more readily conducted
then. He had interrogated the head
boss" without effect. The hap-men were a
regular lot, who Joined and quilted when
they pleased drew no salary and upon de-
serting left everything but their names.
The fact that Benjamin Mowatt had been
with the circus three years before was no
proof that he had remained with it. And
so the lawyer had been about 10 go when,
quite by chance he had met Mile, Liska
and had asked for advice. The colnmunica-
tion he had to make was a trifle; trifiing
because the cobbler had been an ignorant
fellow and had died without attempting an
elaborate viii. But at the last, the DISC
bedient son had been forgiven, and, on the
sole condition that he remain away from
his old surroundings, had been bequeathed
the savings of an industrious life-nearly-
an ample sum.
big Ben" received the tidings unmoved.
Fondness for father; fondness for almost
everything but Mile. Liska and his mode
Of life had gone out Of him. But he took
the address which was forced upon him
and replied in the affirmative when asked
IL he remembered the whereabouts of the
place in which he had been born. Then he
accepted the key bestowed and promised
10 go home. This he did as one dazed and
not quite understanding. In the same spir-
ii he bade goodby TO his solitary friend, and,
with last glance at the trapeze, started
.
which he was obliged to go; in two sea-
sons. he had spoken only once to the flap
man who toiled beside him. Not a word
need be said to the head boss" That day
or the next some vagrant would take up his
pick and assume his place with the assur-
ance of long familiarity: at noon he would
join the rest in the meal tent and at night
would climb into the car until time for
renewed labor. And no one would either
( "a Fa or lyOoW
Only one letter passed between big
Ben" and Mile. Liska after he left the
show" This letter was from the acrobat.
and IL contained sad news. Her partner
was surely dying; he would probably die
alone. The fap-man would have written
but could not. Had he been able his com
munication might have been sadder still.
For he found his new life very irksome.
] He could not break himself of rising before
the sun. of sleeping on the hard floor in
imitation of the dozes he had once been ac-
customed to taking while guarding his
portion of the tent against invaders, even
Of eating the toughest and coarsest of food
/ He missed the alleged music of the troupe s
wheezy band, the glitter and gaud of the
trappings, the excitement and hustle of
/ each succeeding day. He felt lonely and
deserted, nor would he take more TO fresh
companions than they TO him. he was lost
without the sight OF canvas, the smell of
up-turned earth, the sound of elephant
trumpetings, the touch of his heavy pick,
the taste of foul bacon; and twice his for
tune could not bring them back. dozen
times Big Ben" woke in the middle of the
night and sat up to listen for the regular
rattle OF the cars: almost wept at falling
10 hear it. He gave way 10 his longing suf-
ficiently TO visit the old grounds and there
found-a slipper. The bit of cork and silk