The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-04
A cRomNiNe SORROW.

| II was like 4 hot1day II the dressing
| tent the day Pierre Demoine came back
i from Dwight. Even the canvas men
| came in TO shake hands with him The
manager introduced him TO the new pee-
pie. and Pierre's wife, all radiant in
gauze and tights. with a rose in her hair
and a new light IN her big black eyes.
chung to him with pride and laughter on
| her lips.
Pierre had been the star drunkard of
| the show for two seasons and an aspi-
| rant Tor that distinction for at least de-
/ cade. He knew more about the business
| than the four Ringiings, Forepaugh,
/ Sells and Hagen5ack put together. He
l could do anything from tanning a Nufnic-
4 ian man eater to doing high dive from
I the top Of the center pole 10 the net he
! had more new-fangled business for the
clowns than they could attend TO, and his
ability as an acrobat, q bareback rider,
d lofty lumber and & horse trainer was
almost incredibly thorough
/ In the second-class, two-ring circus OF
these latter days such man IS inval-
liable. But Pierre's capacity for red
/ liquor surpassed all his other rare duali-
| tiles, and he gravitated under the infiu-
ence Of an incesant load, from ring mas
| ter and assistant manager to chief clown.
dog trainer, elephant keeper, foreman OF
| the canvas crew, teamster and finally
l hanger-on-the last ebb of retrograding
circus talent. Then they kicked him out.
The women sympathized with his pretty
wife, the men wondered what had be-
come Of him and the show went on with
out him.
But now he was back. His eye was
bright again, his step elastic. MS raj
ment good.
1t was the first day of the new season
and Pierre went on as a clown. He made
a great hit, and the performers enjoyed
d II ~.n-s-
At the next stand he brought out troupe
of trained dogs and the billboaTds began
TO flame with his name. Everybody ad-
mired him, he worked like a Trojan.
there was not a man nor a beast in the
caravan that did not know and love him
within a month and there was not a
spark of jealousy in the outfit when, at
| indianapolis, late in June, Pierre got the
topline as the worlds champion bare
robat of the world" The Lord knows
how he ever got back to his old form af-
ter his years of dissipation and that
siege of doetoring at the Kelley Institute
but he did.
He seemed younger than ever. His
mastery of horses was more certain, his
grace, his audacity. his courage seemed
to have been enhanced instead of dinlin-
! ished by his experience All this time
his wife-"A1le. Fanita," was her name
on the bills-was winning plaudits and a
big salary as an aerialist and trapeZe
performer Her turn" consisted Of a
double act with Gaspard. the Greek trap
exist with folded arms on a swinging
trapeze and the famous leap for life
in which she sprang from the swinging
bar across the tip of the tent TO be
caught by her wrists by Gaspard, swing
ing by his knees at the opposite side. 1t
was the feature of the show, this mar
Vicious performance of Fanita and Gas
pard, and they were very proud, both
very proud, of their positions as the star
performers of the circus.
It must have been in Iowa, late IN July
that Pierre began TO resume his trapeze
practice. He used TO try the balance act
with great success and then, urged by
his wife and the manager, he commenc-
ed to do the leap for life with Gaspard.
As a matter OF fact he accomplished it
with more dash and certainty than his
wife, and for the last dozen rehearsals
never missed his mark or failed TO carry
out the startling climax with perfect ac-
curacy. It was evidently his desire to do
what is called team work with his wife
and it was a foregone conclusion that in
time he would supplant Gaspard.
The trio was billed finally at Dubuque
and when the time came for Pierre to
make his first great flying leap in public
he missed Gaspard $ hands and fell onto
his head in the net His muttered curses
could be heard all over the ring as he
climbed back to his high trapeze. To the
performers who had seen his rehearsals
he seemed to poise longer. leap further
and straighter than ever. but-he missed
again. Fanita laughed at him as he
came back for the third trial.
Haven't been drinking, have you,
Pierre?" she Knocked.
But he said not a word as he leaned
far out and gave the signal to Gaspard.
The Greek smiled, swung high and fell
dependent by his knees. Pierre launched
forth upon his trapeze, let 60 and darted
through the air so swift and high that
he might have seized the bar upon which,
head downward at the opposite side of
the tent. Gaspard swung out to meet
him. But this time Pierre did not reach
for the Greeks hands. Instead he grip
ped him by the throat, and. clinging fast
swept back and forth above the net till
the struggling acrobat's legs stiffened in
an agony of fear and the two men fell
downward into the meshes.
There was a Eow in the dressing tent
that night Pierre accused the Greek OF
purposely dropping him. Gaspard. still
purple from his choking. swore that
Pierre had tried TO kill him. Fanita sat
laughing on a bale OF sawdust and babe
her husband "go back to the trick dog
stunt"
Pierre, you old rascal she chartered,
you're getting too ambitious. Leave the
aerial business 10 Gaspard tnd me. He's
lets see-ten younger than you, and
there isn't enough glory 10 go around
among three
The manager sided with the Greek and
from that night Pierre was barred from
any lofty tumblng or high trapeze acts.
1t wasn't very long before ugly stories
began 20 circulate about Fanita and the
Greek, but whether that was the cause
or whether poor Pierre's luck had de-
serted him, he never did much good af-
terward. He went back TO the dog train
ing. but only one by one his best dogs
fell sick and died. He bore Up under his
troubles without drinking and when his
dogs were gone he put on fortune
telling pig He became morOse and En-
ratio, bat the pig was hit and ne seem
ca to get great comfort out OF its COM
partnership.
The season was nearly over when Fan
tia and the Greek eloped- Pierre's pig
died the same night. That settled him.
lie was drunk for week after. He's
probably drunk now II he's living. Some
thought II was the conduct Of his wife
that put him ITO the bad but he always
insisted that the pig was his GROWING
sorrow. JOHN II. RAFTERY.'
In Shorehsm River.
In Shoreham River, hurrying down
To the live sea
By working. marrying, breeding Shore
ham Town