The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1902-06-26

be If such a divinity could exist In
= mining camp. Hooley, who had rain.
, tight lean-to in connection with his
p store and had been cherishing sneak
T ing feeling all summer that he might
as well have wife and coy ireside
{ of his own, could stand the strain no
E longer. As he waited for the inter
. mission, which was to give the perform
ers a moment of relaxation he formed
, his plans, and was ready to start FOR
, the greenroom tent the minute he saw
the star of the evening temporarily ex-
tinguished under the old army ca9e
/ Time was precious. he reasoned, for the
show would be moving on early the
, next morning, so he wasted no time on
preliminaries.
"See here. honey" he said, laying his
great paw on her shoulder, as If he ex-
pected her to vanish into thin air If he
did not detain her. there amt much
society In these parts, but | think you'd
like us all if you knew US better, and II
you're willin' I'll join your show till
we strike a town with a parson to 1t,
and get spliced."
The eyes of the flying fairy darkened
and widened as he proceeded, although
the language he spoke was not wholly
Ineligible to her
And ye'd live just like a lady" he
continued; I'D never allow my wife to
work. You might do the cookin' and
washln' for me. and some of the boys,
maybe and a few little odd jobs like
that, but you'd never need to do reg
I lar work unless you wanted to-" He
ended with confidential whisper as TO
| the size of his pile of dust which had
been about as honestly come by as her
own peroxide locks.
dawn of understanding began to
break over her puzzled mind. But,
m'sieur, ees so yaire-so vare-' she
laughed and Hooley's heart jumped
into his throat. But while she hesitat-
ed for the right word the bell rang, and
the next instant there was a twlnkling
of heels In his face, as, with n double
handspring she was in position for her
next flight leaving the big man Won
dering.
Upon her temperance. the audience
already grown hoarse from shouting.
began, after the good, old miner fash
ion, to shower the ring with silver dol
lars. Thick and fast they rained about
her, sliding through the air like hail
stones, but mercifully missing a vital
spot. Then, with a courtesy and plr-
ouette, she stopped, and taking off her
slipper proceeded TO gather up the sill
yer shower.
Pierre, always on the alert for some
such happening. had overheard the in
terview in the greenroom, and the
green-eyed monster had marked him
I for its own. For having only eyes in
/ his head to see with, he could pene.
4 trate no deeper into her heart than the
spangles ON her bodice.
Hooley's temerlty fired the acrobat
with a desperate resolve that tonight
should see the finish one way or the
other. He determined to grasp the
first opportunity TO speak. but to his
surprise found 1t was not so quick in
coming. The catch-line, which he had
10 hold in his teeth to keep the swing
moving, precluded all possibility of
speaking during that feat. He held her
eyes in a long devOuring look as she
swung back and forth working up the
momentum of the bar. Now or ney-
cr," he swore to himself. as he saw the
redshirted miner take his place beside
the ringmaster as If the whole show be-
longed to him.
Mon anger he whispered when Ii
her next flight she turned with out
stretched arms to him, aud lie longed
to drop to terra lirma and catch her
to bis heart, but remembered Just In
time that this was the hyng-llb act in
which she hung head downward and
caught the lower bar. He grasped her
firmly by the ankles rs she reached
him, describing blue circles In the at
mosphere; but holding her ankles was
not a satisfactory substitute for press
ing her little hand, and he did not seem
able to translate his meaning thereby
Meanwhile, Hooley, his hope of hap
/ piness hanging literally by a thread.
stood with arms upreached to catch
her, almost hoping she might fall.
Easy, easy, little uni" he called. eff
that blamed idiot isn't careful you're a
gonerw in proprietary tones
! The aerial artist rolled her eyes up
ward until they reached downward.
and saw the bearded Hooley directly
underneath.
But, m'sieur, ees So" she began
again; but the bar swung back, there
was a shower of gold-dust in his eyes
as her peroxide rlnglets swept above
him, and the next minute she was soar
ing through the air to the arms of the
resolute Pierre.
"And say" the bearded face shouted
after her, 1--WE got a claim against
Murphy's Dead Luck. too"
Adorable ange," the second greatest
artist muttered. for lie held the rope
in his teeth; and although be saw the
man on the ground making Roadway.
he knew her safety depended upon that
line and dared not unclonch his teeth.
He had no need Of formulating his qu J.
ton, however. for he had often asked
1t, and she had as often put him off.
But, no." returned the angel. mis-
taking his inarticulate mutter for n re-
buke for losing time. zone, two,
three she counted as she prepared for
the grand finale, a high swing to the
top of the tent, from which she WINS to