The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-01-19
Looping the Loop


round the siege Gu my head on my
bike. and the manager tote me last
night that next week l was to cit out.
That set me to thinkiu'. and I've just
hit gu somepin better. I'm goin' to
shoot down an incline. up loop, cross
Il break. up another incline and across
another break and Off the stage"
La sales, Nan; ven break yer
neck!''
You bet l won't"
The next week the billposters were
putting up flaming pictures of Mile.
Yyonne PascOnnu, recently from Paris.
double looping the loop. The perform
ance was to take place at the same
theater where Fanny Anderson, alias
Nan Brennan. had been performing her
astonishing bicycle feats, which were
now to be outdohe by the daring Mile.
PascOnnu.
The small boys looked at the pic
lures and began to save their pennies
for gallery admission. Men wondered
if the feat were to be done without a
net; women declared the performance
vulgar, but wanted to see it. On
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 audi
ence waited impatiently while the 9th
er varieties were gone through with.
and when the last, the double looping
the loop by Mile. Nvonne Pasconnu.
came round. the house was on the tip
toe of expectation. The curtain was
down for Il 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 had exhausted itself. the curtain
was pulled up and revealed the struc-
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
pleXion - without the freckleS - but
Mile Tvonne Pasconnu'S hair was Il
raven black. and her complexion was
Of an olive tint. AS she came tripping
forward 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 wing, and inspected it
carefully; then, going to the foot of the
loop structure, she walked slowly up it,
testing it at different points, picking up
a nutshell, n bit of wood. piece of
rope, and throwing them down on the
stage
While this was going on super took
the wheel off the stage. MademOiselle
after walking through the loop and
looking up at each of the two breaks
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 breathessly, 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 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 she had passed the first break
in safety there was a sigh of relief in
shorter and the radius of the loop less.
She passed it and in twinkling shot
off the stage.
Then there were Il terrific burst of
applause and an encore. After Il long
interval mademoiselle came out bow
ed, disappeared and in a few minutes
again, seated on her wheel, burst into
view.
There was no diminution to TIE '"iil
which had pervaded the au.uc.. , It
the first trial. Again mademoiScilc sat
her wheel as if resigned to whatever
her fate might be and committing her
self to force. She safely passed the
first 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
was rung down. Women tainted, men
shuddered, while some left the theater
Immediately, not caring to hear the
announcement that mademoiselle had
been killed outright. In a few min
uteS the manager stepped before the
curtain and announced that the wonder
+ agility had fallen on her hands and
1s.-l,t i