The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-03-28
FROM THE FLYING TRAPEZE.
A -Five-Foot Leap to Certain
Death.

Il read French novel the other
day." said the man to whom every
thing was a reminder Of something
else, land it made me wonder II the
author had ever lived in Australia.
Twenty years ago / was there as the
manager Of n circus, or what they
called circus in that country, and
among our people was pretty little
woman who swung on flying trapeZe,
and wound up her turn by tumbling
from the highest available point into
a net 1t did not make any difference
how high that roof might be that lit
tie woman rugged her platform right
up to the ridge pole and dove down
through the air like flying fish. We
seen her drop as much as seventy-five
feet and come up smiling every time.
She was about twenty years old, as
pretty as a picture and as guileless
and good as she was pretty. She was
the star Of the show and there wasn't
a man or woman connected with the
entire establishment that wouldn't
fight for her. She was always cheer
full, and never afraid, and the audi
ences loved her as we did. 1t was the
most natural thing III the world that
she should fall in love, and she had
done that a wear before she came to
us The man in the case was worth
less kind of fellow, with some money,
and, as might have been expected,
she lust wasted herself on him. |
knew he was going to break her heart
the first time | met him, and | wanted
to break his Internal neck, but | had
no rood and sufficient cause to, and
so | couldn't do anything but stand
by and see him do it. Her contract
with us was for year, and she could
not marry till that had expired, and
he loafed around waiting for her. AT
least that was the intimation he was
giving, but a couple OF months before
the time he disappeared, and two
weeks later he had married another
woman in Melbourne. Our show was
doing New Zealand at the time, and
when the news came our little woman
went down under it like flower
under Sahara sand storm. We had
to Law her off for ten days, but she raj
lied and went to work again. | saw,
though. the first time she took the
high leap that she was ratified and
was liable to break her neck, so told
her She could cut that part Of the act
until she got all right again. She
knew was right and cried like a
baby, because she was an ambitious
little thing and was proud Of her
jumping and loved the applause it al
WAYS brought her. She insisted on
keeping it in, and | gave her another
chance or two, but she couldn't do it,
and cut it out.
..All the paraphernalia was left,
however, as it was when she did the
lump except the net, which was re-
moved, or rather was not stretched
when it came her turn. | was glad |
had been firm with her, for when she
came out that night she was very
nervous and her eyes kept wandering
around the audience, as if she were
looking for some one who was not
there. She went through the trapeze
business all right, and when expect
ed that she would come twisting down
the rope as she always did. | was mis-
taken, for she caught hold of a guy
rope and went hand over hand up to
her high platform. 1t was at least
seventy-tive feet from the ground, and
the audience went wild when she did
the act You see, it didn't know but
that was part of the show something
new, YOU understand. didn't know
myself what she intended TO do, and |
couldn't help giving a hand with the
audience, she did it so gracefully.
But the next instant all of us knew,
for she stood straight on the platform,
away up there. nearly out of sight,
and with kiss thrown from her fin
ger tips to the audience, as she al
WAYS did. she dove down straight to
the hard ground. holding her body
rigid, striking square on her head.
She never stirred after she struck
and the audience was so paralyzed
that we got her out into the dressing
room before single person moved
from his seat