The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-05-21
BENTON, LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, MAY q, 1908.

the woman was arranging her things
| in the back of the stage, but noticed
| he changed his tune while we were
! about.
Their stunt was to do some fancy
shooting at swinging targets, hitting
| each one alternately while the orches-
| ira kept time to the shots by playing
| the 'Marsellaise,' breaking glass balls
on time limit and all that sort of
stuff, and ending with a display of
| knife throwing that was really thrill
ing when one considered what might
have happened if ever there should be
a mistake. You've seen the act, haven't
you? No? Oh, every circus has it..
| They stand a woman up against a
board and throw knives at her, try
ing to see how near they can come to
her without hitting.
"Well, 1 remember, one evening.
| after the show was over and we had
| gotten back to our room, Calbert was
sitting on the end of his trunk unlacing
his shoes, and | was trying to make
up my mind whether wanted a drink
or not, when we heard his squeaky
little voice suddenly raised in the mex.
room, in most sickening oath. Oh,
I swear myself, lots more than ought
to, but 1 never could stand hearing
man curse a woman. He let 'em fy
at her in blue streak, and then there
was rush of feet, struggling sound
and woman's voice in pleading tones
that ended in gurgle. 1t all hap
pened so quick that I was still shiver-
| ing in the shock when I looked up and
saw Calbert's face, set and white. In
about two shakes he had passed me,
dashed out into the hall and threw
himself against the other door. By
chance it was not locked, and reached
there just in time to see him grab the
dirty villain by the throat as he bent
over the woman's form, lying across
the bureau, and whirl him backwards
across the room. 1t took just two icks
to settle him, and when I pulled CAL
bert off, the other was meek as lamb.
The woman had pulled herself to-
| gether and tottered over to the mar
tie, where noticed she spit blood into
the fender, and I can hear her yet, as
she said in broken, sobbing voice:
| Don't hurt him! He didn't mean no
| harm!'
''We settled things up pretty quietly
for the night, Athene promising to be-
have himself, and Calbert warning him
that as he slept in the next room he
would make it business to watch over
him all the week. I knew by the look
of him, though, that he was not
through with her, and was in for try
ing to get her to give him up. but CAL
bert would not let me interfere.
"The next day, Thursday, noticed
| that he had been drinking hard, and
| wondered whether the manager would
let him go on or not. He went on all
right, but he was so shaky and nervous
that he balled his part all up and
| queered his act from start to finish.
In the first 16 shots to music, he
missed Is straight, and ended by throw
ing his rifle across the stage. Then
he essayed to shoot backwards at
target by looking through mirror,
|
rage him beyond bounds, and he kept
| up shooting at the thing until the man.
ager had to whistle tc him from the
wings. while the audience gave him
the laugh. Then the woman did her
turn, and hit everything before her,
and the audience, seeing how matters
stood, gave ner three straight cncores.
That aroused his jealousy and put
| point on his hate, and, nerving him
self, he walked out, grabbed up gun,
and emptied it at flying target in
truly wonderful manner. I was in
hopes that that would end the busi-
ness, and that the woman would not
let him finish with the knife-act, for
he was really in no condition, but she
seemed to either not fear him, or to
fear him worse off the stage than on
it, and she promptly placed herself
before the board while he gathered
an armful of knives and walked down
front and snarled at the house.
/ noticed behind her, in the right
wing, Calbert was standing, his head
partly bowed and his eyes bent on
her as if he would look right through
her. l saw him look at the man in
front, and then his fingers clutched
into fist and the veins on their
backs stood out, as when fellow
gets ready to punch somebody a lick.
As Athene gripped bis first knife by
WOMEN WEAR SHABBY GLOVES