The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-04-11
TIE RA SSS
BY PAUL PARIS.

/
! wanted TO take It all IN SO began
with the freaks and hurriedly got
through with them. The animals
were better, ana ! was deep In half
philosophical contemplation of huge
lion blinking laziy, like contenied
| cat, when furry OF words IN for
eign tongue reused me sharply from
my revery ! found was very near
an actors tent and felt rather pleased
at the idea OF hearing some Of their
talk from The inside. But soon this
| half superior feeling was swept away
by the soft fearful sound Of a woman $
voice "a young voice touched with
childish indecision
1T is not so, she said. sJekko
lies, and you must know It, He Is a
braggart and boasts that all the wo
men are in love with him. | never
see him. ] tell you il is not so" Her
voice trembled with emotion
But the man whom had heard be.
fore answered nothing. He sneered
Answer me, Karl, she pleaded
Tell me that YOU believe me"
mo. | know better, and he laughed
'But Karl"
That's enough Keep quiet, !
know what | know he cried harshly,
and there the dialogue ended
] could hear the performance begin
ming, but ! did not move. My interest
was centered in the quarrel had Just
heard | wished to see the end of The
tragedy After all, what did ii matter
If | INDUCED an idle curiosity
After few moments hand pushed
aside the canvas flaps and they ap.
peared watched them keenly and.
as | did so. an unaccountable shiver
ran through me. The woman, quite
young almost a girl-was slight slen
der admirably proportioned. and all in
white She did not have that tagged
out. world-worn look of the ordinary
circus woman, and seemed singnlarly
ont Of place Fair and delicate with
ing. she seemed hardly to touch the
earth as she stepped lightly over the
sawdust alleys.
Her companion offered a singular
contrast TO her. He was a typical 30
hemian, tall strong and handsome.
Ills pale, olive complexion was paler,
and his dark eyes darker with ieal-
ousy and passion Ills thin lips were
tightly closed
! stepped noiseessly past them TO
my seat in the auditorium But the
performance was even dnlier than
anticipated and | fell to wondering
which of The many trapezists listed on
the program were the $50 in whom
was Interested
AL last they entered The ring. ] fol-
lowed their every Motion with the
glasses In a moment ihos had swung
themselves to dizzy lieishts Their
bodies moved rhythnlically, ever
quicker. until they reached the highest
possible point and paused before their
last and most intrepid feat. 1t re-
CURED an extraordinary precision OF
a mathematically exact
of distance, and was an
nounced as the climax of the evening |
The tiny white figure of the girl, so
light and 1.-the. was perched on the |
highest trapeze, The man lower than
she, yet far above the audience. was |
hanging head downward, with his face !
turned toward me. With the trapeze |
IN full swing she WAS TO hurl herself |
backward in double somersault and |
catch herself by the hands Of her |
partner. On him ] fixed my glasses. |
AS | looked. whirl Of white came |
Town straight toward him. But it did |
lot stop. II fell far below into the net |
and lay there limp and lfeless A
horrible accident. thought the SILVER
ng crowd. but had watched the man !
and seen the crime
AT the instant when he should have I
clasped the girls hand he withdrew I
his own by a barely perceptibie mo-
ion and let her fall headlong into the f,
Tread void below.