The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-07-11
Looping the Loop
tOriginal.1

matted red hair, Il got an IDEA.
s<What is it, Nan?' asked the mother.
People has got used to my ridin'
round b stage on my head on my
bike. and the manager tole me last
night that next week / was to git out
That set me to thinkin'. and I've just
hit on somepin better. I'm goin' to
shoot down an incline. up a loop, cross
a break, up another incline and across
another break and off the stage"
La sakes. Nan; yen break yer
neckr'
you bet / won't"
The next week the b%illposters were
putting up flaming pictures of Mile.
Yvonne P%asconnu. recently from Paris.
double looping the loop. The perform
ance was to take place at the same
heater where Fanny Anderson. alias
Nan Brennan, had been performing her
astonishing bicycle feats, which were
now to be outdone by the daring Mile.
Pasconnu.
The small boys looked at the pic
lures and began to save their pennies
for a gallery admission. Men wondered
If the feat were to be done without a
net; women declared the performance
vulgar. but wanted to see it. Or
the night of the first performance long
before the curtain rose standing
Room Only" placards were put up, and
there was very little of that The aud
ence waited impatiently while the 9th
er varieties were gone through with.
and when the last, the double looping
the loop by Mile. Yvonn PascOnnu,
came round. the house was ON the tip
toe of expectation. h curtain was
down for a quarter of an hour, and be-
hind it the moving of frames and the
pounding of hammers could be dis
tinctly heard. Then, after the orches-
ira a exhausted itself, the curtain
was pulled VI and revealed he truc-
ture on which the feat of the evening
was to be performed.
When ~mademoiselle came on the
stage. there was deafening applause.
Fanny Anderson had worn her own
Irish red hair and white and rose COM
ple4lon without the freckles = but
Mile. Yvonne Pasconnu's hair was a
raven black, and her complexion was
Of an olive tint. AS h came tripping
forw ard in her tight costume not one
of the audience saw in the little French
girl with a bridged nose the Irish Fan
ny Anderson with her nasal pug. Aft
er bowling to several rounds of ap-
plause mademoiselle approached a sill
yer mounted bicycle. with a glittering
Jewel in each end OF the handle bar,
leaning against a wing. and inspected ii
carefully; then, going to the foot of the
loop structure, she walked slowly up it,
testing it at different points, picking up
a nutshell, a bit of wood. a piece of
rope and throwing them down on the
stage.
While this was going on a super took
the wheel off the stage. Mademoiselle
after walking through the loop and
looking up at each of the two break
or intervals, as if wondering if it would
be possible to shoot them in safety.
stood on a platform high above the
stage and made a farewell bow: then
She disappeared through a door. and
the audience waited breathlessly, every
eye fixed on a door above leading on to
the loop.
The orchestra had been playing dur
ing the inspection, but ceased as soon
as mademoiselle disappeared. During
the three minutes that elapsed between
her disappearance and the opening of
the door leading on to the loop there
was not a word spoken in the audience.
Suddenly mademoiselle on her bicy-
Gle shot out and descended the first
incline of the loop. The audience had
expected to see her figure rounded
down to the hazardous work; but. |
though she moved SO rapidly that they
could not follow her distinctly, she
seemed to sit as though a thorough
abandonment to forces beyond her con-
troll was far safer than any effort ON
her part.
When b had passed the first break
In safety there was a sigh of relief In
the audience. The second break vas
shorter and the radius of the loop less.
She passed it and in a twinkling shot
Off the stage.
hen there were a terrific burst OF
applause and an encore After a long |
mademoiselle came out bow |
ed. disappeared and In a few minutes
again, seated on her wheel, burst into
view.
There was no diminution to the thrill
which had pervaded the audience at
the first trial. Again mademoiselle sat
her wheel as if resigned to whatever
fate might be and committing her
self to force. She safely passed the
drst loop. and with slightly diminish
ing speed came to the second. This
time the fore wheel struck against the
woodwork ON the other side of the
break and mademoiselle, head down.
fell to the bottom OF the loop.
A thrill Of horror ran through the
audience. Before the result OF the &C
cident could be determined the curtain
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