Evening times-Republican., 1903-12-26

Ou fILUGV IUUTOUCu IEttH UTOSDCTJtU,
! John"
Quickened its pace, and the eyes OF the
crowd followed admiringly the unerr-
ing. easy movements of the slim pink
/ clad figure flying through the air.
Presently. making a little run to re-
4 gain the horses back rs 1t passed her,
( she missed. She tried a second time
and missed again. The horse mechan-
ically slackened its pace pricking one
/ ear inquisltiveIy as 1t came around
! The third time she judged her distance
better and was on, bending forward to
secure her balance again while the au-
dience clapped. But at the same in
| of the whiplash. stumbled on some
hidden inequality of the ground. He
caught himself up with a jerk and
ambled on. but left behind small
pink figure on the sawdust
Very few had noticed the stumble
and the audience supposed her dis
mount Intentional But she did not
at once get up and suddenly there fell
on the watching crowd the little in
stinctive second of silence which is the
first greeting of an accident Then
there was a murmur, low pitched and
gathering IN significance, as the ring
master walked over and lifted her up,
STOPPING on one knee A groom came
running from the tent doorway, and
between them they got her to her feet
and helped her out. The brown horse
had come to pause. his nose stretched
TRANQUILITY down to sniff at the tram
pied turf that lay below. His breath
sent the sawdust stirring in little ed
dies. Presently the clown came back
and filled up cheerfully the gap before
the next turn.
A well dressed man had slipped out
unnoticed from the three shilling seats
and made his way round to the back,
unquestioned in the confusion. The |
doctor, young, keen faced man from
neighboring township, was there be-
fore him and had just risen to his feet.
He was talking to the manager, fat |
and worried looking, with rasping
voice and silk handkerchief which
he was perpetualiy pulling in and out |
of his pocket
She was lying on pile of spare can
vas and green baize. Some one had
folded coat and put it under her
head. There was no very serious in
Jury. He listened mechanically to the I
doctors easy, educated voice and the |
managers. short, jerky, anxious for
the disturbed routine of his business.
He flung himself suddenly on his knees
beside her and touched her hand.
Rose
He did not quite know himself what
he was going to say. Only for mo-
ment the past grpped him-all that
he had missed; much that perhaps it
might not be too late yet to retrieve
ere time went forward and left him an
old man. Lying there in the soiled
pink satin and spangles, she looked to
him very small and childish. The years
faded and he was back in the old rec
tory garden. She had tumbled from
her swing and he was clumsily wiping
the dirt from her grazed knee with his
handkerchief. Perhaps she was not al
together right. Perhaps he might have
Ueeu inherent IL SOLQe OIle uuu SuOW
him how.
Somebody touched him on the shoul-
der. pushing him quietly aside. He
turned, to see man in acrobat's dress.
a commonplace man in the near glare
of the lights, with rough features and
sun tanned hands. Instinctively he
rose and stood aside They faced one
another, mountebank and prosperous
country business man. He found his
voice ut last.
"You"-
The man had mistaken him for the
DOCTOR I'm her husband" he said
simply as he knelt.. taking her hand
and looking with doglike affection into
her face.
"Oh. yes!'
There had swept back all at once the !
atmosphere OF sawdust and tinsel and
daring naphtha lights. He gazed about
him stupidity. He fitted his hat slowly !
ON his head and went away. outside :
the tent he noticed that some sawdust ,
had clung to the knees of his black /
trousers He stopped and methodically i
brushed it away.
He had forgotten just for the mo-
nent, that was all. He thought II S
oyer walking back alone under the le