Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-04-23
"Ca1be rt''
ey LOUIS v. JEFFERSON.
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Copyright, 1905. by Daily story Pub Coz


faced. pleasant sort of fellow, as we
were lounging in the rotunda of the
Watson house-a resort of the pro
folh' between seasons.
Upon my answering in the negative,
ne pushed back his Panama, settled
himself down in his great armchair,
put up his feet at convenient angle,
on al pas
siona}
took
anu sau, - ,--..4
"Well, / see CaIbert is dead. Did
YOU ever know him? Did stunt in
the continuous. Smoke pictures and
magic and such stuff. Oh, he was
good, and I'm sorry to hear he's dead.
/ was his side-partner once, and al
ways did like him. He was all right,
every way yoa take him, and therell
ne lots worse off for his funeral. l
never will forget the time i was work
ing with him on the Empire circuit.
That was eight years ago. Oh, he was
O top-liner when he. died. | tell you!
He got his $500 a week and never
played on Sundays.
He was as brave as lion and as
quick on the trigger as they make
them. and he never stood for anything
crooked nor underhand anywhere. He
was great shakes for helping the weak,
and I've seen him give his last dollar
away to set up some woman whose hus-
band or partner had deserted her L
remember once we were DONG
brother song and dance stunt down at
Memphis at the Grand, On the bill
there was the usual melange from
grand opera to prize fighting, and
among them was a team doing fancy
shooting and knife throwing. They
were a man and his woman-circus
people, think-who were trying their
luck in yaudeville-and they stopped
at the same hotel as we did; in fact,
had the very next room. He was one
of those little, wiry, black-haired
chaps with a temper like tiger, dis
sipated and cruel as they make them;
and she was one of those slender, deli
cate types of women with high voice
and yellow hair that you see every
once in awhile. She was a swell dress
er, and quiet and peaceful; but to look
in her face when she wasn't on exhibit
tion. blind man could have seen the
trouble there. First time Calbert saw
her, we were at band rehearsal Sun
day morning, and she came in. with
her hands full of her grips, and this
falInt.. fA1lnt~inn hpr ScnlHinn and
swearing at her as if she was a slave.
She surprised us from the fact she
didn't answer back~sGalbert was right
in the middle of solo, with the orches-
ira strumming away, half asleep, when
they crossed behind him. and the fell
low-Athene, l think he called himself
let out an unusually ugly oath. Cal
bert stopped short, wheeled about and
stared him coldly in the face. The
man half paused and his lips parted
over his ugly white teeth, as if he
dared. any interference. Calbert eyed
him for n moment, and then said:
what sort of pup are you? Don't
You know n woman from cat"
allow did you get in this? Tend
30 your own business. She's my wife,
he answered.
".Well. l don't care if she's your
mother. My business is TO attend to
any man that swears at woman in
my presence, and if you speak once
more like that while I'm around, one
or the other of us will have TO cancel
for this bill. See?' and he eyed him
squarely in the face.
The little man grew white for a min
ute and looked like he'd liked 10 have
eaten Calbert whole, but he thought
better about il. and moved on to where
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 a time limit and all that sort of
stuff. and ending with display of
knife throwing that was really thrill
ing when one considered what might
have happened if ever there should be
amistake. You've seen the act, haven't
you? No? Oh, every circus has it..
They stand woman up against a
board and throw knives at her, try
ing to see how near they can come to
her without hitting.
well, / remember, one evening,
Il. 4 L.
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 l wanted a drink
or not, when we heard his squeaky
little voice suddenly raised in the mex;
room. in most sickening oath Oh.
l swear myself, lots more than ought
TO. but l never could stand hearing a
man curse woman. He let 'em fiy
at her in blue streak, and then there
was a rush of feet. a struggling sound
and a woman's voice in pleading tones
that ended in a gurgle, 1t ali hap
pened so quick that l was still shiver-
ing in the shock when l 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 il 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 licks
TO settle him, and when pulled CAL
bert off, the other was meek as a lamb.
The woman had pulled herself to-
gether and tottered over to the man.
lie. where l noticed she spit blood into
the fender, and / can hear her vet, as
she said in broken, sobbing voice:
Don't hurt him! He didn't mean no
harmv
''Ne 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