The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-07
A Circus Tragedy.

! grace of the chariot driver nor the versa
/ tility of the ringmaster, yet ne was more
| popular with the Muscovites than all
| the three together. He owed his popu-
| larity a good deal to nature. who had
| sent him into the world equipped with
4 an enormous head. large. fan-hke ears
] and a hunchback balanced upon slender
| legs. which bowed beneath their weight.
| He was the king of the dwarfs and the
/ idol Of the mob-for, TO mob, grace,
/ Wit and strength are nothing compared
| with hideous deformity.
Yet he was a man. He had passions
| like other men. He had a heart within
| his bony breast as capable of human af-
| fect!on as that possessed by any of the
! public who applauded his tricks. And this
| heart ne had thrown at the feet of Nile.
| Nina, daughter of Adolphe, the equili-
| brist. the handsomest horsewoman in the
| circus.
When she appeared at the circus for
/ the first time he was dazzled by her
/ beauty. She danced into the ring in
| cloud of gauZe, among which spangles
I glittered like diamonds. A white rose,
| suspended from pearly teeth. contrasted
with the rich, red of her cheeks and coils
Of jet-black hair, which streamed luxuri-
antly down TO her waist. She was proud
~. insolently beautiful. and the dwarf
whom the within of circus manager had
taken from the cobbler's lapstone-was
| completely dazzled by the sight Of such
radiant loneliness.
As time went on the star dropped from
the sky. The distance between them
grew less and less as the illusion faded
from his eyes. Every morning he used TO
see the dazzling beauty of the previous
night, in a dirty morning wrapper, patch
ing her scanty' wardrobe as she watched
the pot boil in the open air. He began
to talk with her. and then he began to
dream, and in his dreams he saw Nina
walking by his side radiant with happi-
ness
Nina laughed at his gibes screamed at
his jokes and shouted, Encore, Gu
gussei" when the love-stricken dwarf
made some grotesque movement which,
he hoped, would be interpreted as an ex-
hibition of affection The fair horseWo-
man occasionally caressed him as she
would have caressed a dog. He was less
than dog in the eyes of the circus peo-
pie. Jealous of his popularity, they
cuffed him whenever they met him, and
the dwarf found it useless to protest
One evening he told Nina that he loved
her. The girl stared at him for mo-
ment as if she had not heard Alright, and
then burst into q fit of laughter. Gu
gusse frowned. and drew himself up to
the full height Of his little figure. hop
ing perchance to impress her Then he
told her how he had loved her from the
moment he first saw her, and how life
was impossible without her regard
Every word the dwawrf uttered was like
jest to the merry-hearted girl. She sat
in her chair and shook with the exuber-
ance of mirth. Gugusse stepped forward
and took one of her white plump hands
u In,
gesture of disgust. drew her hand
away, and struck the dwarf a blow in the
face
A few hours later the circus rang with
cheers as Gugusse entered. But the dwarf
had no heart for his work that night,
and he was Kissed from the ring.
The next day the circus bills bore the
imposing announcement:
Unparalleled Novelty. Stupendous At
fractions. The Tragedy of Usande; or
The Martyyred Maiden. Mile Nina and
GuEusse."
At I o'clock the house was crowded
The usual exercises took place-tight rope
trapeze, horizontal bar-but they passed
almost unnoticed. The people were wait
ing for the promised tragedy. They want
ed to see the white-robed maiden de-
vcured by the bear.
At last Gugusse and Nina entered the
ring, and the pent-up excitement of the
crowd found vent in cheers. Nina was
witchingly beautiful in her white toga,
over which fell tresses of rich, dark hair
She looked like the white-souled martyrs
of old, for whom the stake had no ter
rors. She advanced to the center of the
ring, and Gugusse looking as hideous as
the headsman Of the restoration, bound
her securely TO the post. Nina clasped
her hands together and lifted her large
eyes skyward in an attitude of PRAYER
Gugusse disappeared and re-entered the
ring with a tame bear, which had been
his playfellOw since he left his Polish
home. He held the animal by the ear,
and as the brute staggered and growled
menacingly the people applauded to the
echo.
They watched Gugusse approach the
maiden and heard some words uttered,
which they took TO be an appeal for her
recantation. In reality Gugusse was muir
muring a passionate declaration.
Nina, I love you. Have pity on me.
Can you not hear me Have pity on me-
or I will let Bisky fly at you. 7 have made
him drink brandy. 1 have beaten him,
and this morning 7 stole his meat from
him. He is hungry; he is mad; he will
tear you to pieces. VIII you be miner
Nine shook her head with a gesture OF
Impotence
Nina, Nina, I am a mani have
right to love you. I love you with my
whole soul. cannot live without your
love. Be mine! Do not make me des-
perate. All, You shake your head. You
Will not, You despise me. l know it.
You shall pay dearly for it nowl"
AAs he finished speaking the dwarf bent
down and unmuzzIed the furious brute
which paved the ground viciously at his
feet Nina turned pale. There was des-
peration in the dwarf's faCe-there was
murder in his eyes. Her cheeks banched
with terror, and from her lips came the
CRY:
Help, help! help.'
With rapid movement Gugusse IN
muzzled the bear, and the famished ami
nal dashed past him, sprang upon the
helpless girl and rent her with his claws
The scene was so realistic, so strikingly
rendered. that the audience applauded un-
I'll the circus was filled with a deafening
roar. They little knew that tragedy was
being enacted. and thought it was part
of the business" when a beautiful head
dropped down, and the blood spurted from
the white, unclothed arms.
What passed just then in the mind Of
the wretched creature who stood watch
Ing the horrible sight? Was he conscious
Of his infamy? Was he seized with pity
at the sight OF 50 much youth and beauty
being ruthlessly torn % p!eceS2 Did ne
wish 10 undo what he had dOnee
No one can tel. but Just as the bear was
planting his cruel claws IN the white
shoulders Of the half-conscious girl the
dwawrf Sprang forward and seized the
brute with his muscular arms With A
mighty effort he pulled the bear OF his
victim and aung him 70 the ground
The passion which famine and excite
ulent had aroused IN the bear caused him