Evening star., 1902-03-01

WOrd of hOnOr?'
WORD of honor-hand You the money in
the dressing room.'
And so Mirele has her hearts wish,
Every one applauds her young man who
has thrown a champion!
1t is the GraecO-ROman wrestling as nrac
ticed all over the world, and of which We
have just had a surfeit at the Casino in
farlS. There, among the worlds cham
piGns, the south of France came off a.
least fourth best, Russia, Belgium and Tur-
key trfumphing, successfully. Yet it NAV
not be denied that the south of France has
been in all ages, as 1t remains today the
unique training ground for this kind of
sport.
There champions ard champions
That is to say, every bare-breasted, rlmpy-
muscied professional we ran across was
Champion of some place or other-"the
Rampant of Barsac," 1.-The Terror of Castel-
naudary,' or The Pillar of Toulouse In
tic course of the days work, when no
championship depends on it, there is doubt
less deal Of good-hearted taking at the
fair as elsewhere. Indeed, that favorite
character, the marquis has his very es-
sence in pa1pable "hippodroming," vet his
popularity suffers nothing. and on the mar
quls' hangs a tale we heard.
The Swell's Stunt.
When the wrestling seance of the hour
has reached it's highest point of interest
when the last of the three gloves has been
disputed-a diversion is often caused bv
what appears to be the sudden resolution
Of a young swell in the audience He is
manifestly a swell because of his swell dress
and his single eye-glass. Also his manner
is seen to be swell, that is. languid and
rretentious. as he calmly challenges the
most redoubtable of the champions" 1t
Is the marquis; and there will be no
need to explain that he is really of the
troupe and not one of its strongest wrest-
lers. Oftenest he is the financial business
manager, because of the latterS superior
dress and manners in everyday life and
physically very much what he looks-pale
slender ard, let us say for politeness, over
trained the traditional arfstOcratic type
There is no need for him to be much of a
wrestler, because he is to throw the cham
pion anyhow. The child-hearted audiences
applaud his triumph always, having still
that sneaking venoration for the gentle
man which finds it only natural that he
should triumph
A splendid young Italian. Toni so the
story runs, was second champion in one
OF these wandering troupes. He was quite
young, had not been long at the eraplov-
ment, and was inexperienced of the world.
He used to let the marquis (Who was
the troupe's business manager) throw him
daily. with good nature, as part of the
days work. One afternoon, however when
he had been thrown, he heard a girls voice
saying scornfully: "A fine young fellow like
that let himself be thrown Turning he
saw a lovely face IL troubled him, be-
cause the face was obviously smiling on
him, and her eyes We're sending him ma
iicious messages
The next afternoon the girl was there
again, shoWily dressed, accompanied by an
other girl There could be no doubt about
their status in Marseiles: they were surely
from the cigarette manufactory, true Car
mems. When "Toni's'' turn came TO be
thrown by the marquis he caught the
girls tempting eye and seemed to hear
let himself be thrown" Therefore he laid
the marquis fiat upon his back. with care
and gentleness-and ipso facto. lost his job.
The girl took him away with her, and in
nocent- minded Toni soon became we'll
dressed young man. And here the story
ought to take a bad turn. The story of
Carmen calls for the breaking up Of his
character and his descent into crime. But
as the wayWard cigarette girl at this juno
ture secured a singing and dancing engage
ment at the local Crystal Palace" her
new artiste's dignity required a manager"
Toni became that manager. and in his
his star and ingratiating himself with
managers that the rise of the pair was
sudden He got her to the Paris music
nan stage, where she is now drawing
pody knows how many thousand francs a
week as a bewilderngly beautiful "gom-
meuse, while he wears tapestred waist
coats. smokes real Havana cigars and
mas MS halr curled by Dle barber daily!
Day OF Strong Men.
Strong men are very much in evidence
we stood and watched a company of
weight jugglers doing their act in the open
air. The lesser stars had already drawn
the audience by means of their various gra-
tuitous feats, and the Samson of the
troupe stood with folded arms while the
orator harangued the audience to make up
"the deficit between the money already
thrown into the ring and an ideal sum
which must be raised before Samson would
begin.
only ten cents more on the carpet and
pe,Sas We begin; Step up. madame, Monsieur leu
ting on automobiles, he crushes them!
Feel the dumb bells; they are as hard as
the calves of Monsieur Polydor!''
When Polydor had finished, there ap-
peared one of the most beautifully muscu-
lar young girls possible She had been sit
ting in a corner, covered with a shawl.
Now she came in kind of bathing cos
tune, the trousers cut off at the knees.
AS we stood idly admiring her and her per-
formance, we did not dream that we were
to meet her again, in romantic crcum-
stances Yet that same night as we were
returning from the Crystal Palace, we
observed four persons in animated CONVEX
sation underneath lamp post in the de-
serted street. AS we got near We could
see two half-drunken loafers of the port
obviously forcing their society on two quiet
looking girls. D and G., who are al
ways glad to show off their puglistic skill,
were on the point of interfering: when the
taller of the two girls, who stood in front
midway between the two loafers, fetched
one Of them straight left-hander on the
point of the chin while with the heel of her
right foot she pushed in the solar plexus
or the other 1t was the strong girl of the
fair! We ran to her and congratulated her.
The loafer with the solar plexus lay
doubled up like a pocket knife. The other
was sitting On the pavement, feeling his
face with both hands We had heard of
this acrobatic coup Of the .'savate' box
ing, but had always taken it for useless
professors show piece. Would you
C., as we escorted the two girls. II