The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-10-23
JIM'S
HOT FINISH.
By CuR q oOLkR0


Elm Petite hin partner, and the ether
half Of the Affair BrotherS, emerged
fSem the red ticket wagon, where Rich
84d Clute was counting Up" the after
n0en receipts.
"Worst sort Of hack" was the reply
q thought IL I tackled the old man
after a good matinee could catch him
h a fine humoR, but It seems that the
sheriff held him up just before got
there. One OF the grafters he pfnched
told that the old man got rakeof,
and the sheriff came around to get his
land I got mine. The old mans going
to send Daisy to boarding school, and
be mentioned q place I might 60 to
but it's nowhere near Daisy's school
You can bet on that"
Cant you two hook itT' suggested
Ben. sits pretty close to the end OF
the season. II we lose couple OF
weeks, I can stand my share Of the
loss If don't get chance to work a
single act at some Of the late fairs.
See what the kid thinks"
II don't have to see," was the gloomy
response 'I~know now what her an
swer would be. She won't beat it.
She's going to have a regular wedding,
with the old man giving her away or
there won't be wedding. She's told
me that dozen times, and she means
1t when she says it."
Strome nodded. Ever since they had
Joined the Clute show in midseason
Petite had been making violent love to
Daisy Clute, the owners daughter. 1t
was not large circus-a one ring af-
fair-though they travelled by railroad
instead of by wagon.
The performers all lived in a single
car and in theory formed one large
family. Daisy and her father had y
car to themselves, but she was much
around the tents, and her preference
for the clean limbed young gymnast
had soon become matter for COM
ment
BY supper time the fact that the old
man had refused his consent to their
tent, and you'd not need Daisy's red
trimmed eyes and Pettie's frown to con-
firm the report.
Daisy was standing near the en-
trance when Petite came out for the
double act. He did a turn ON the fly
ing rings earlier on the bill, while
Strome did a strong man act In the
ring. Their double act In the air was
the ring feature of the show-"the hot
test act in the business" they claimed
and Daisy always tried to be near
In case of accident, though she eoul6
not bear to watch them.
Strome did the bearing" catching
Jim as he ieaped from his own trapezc
to Strome's hands. He was reliable
worker but Daisy always feared that
some night those steady nerves would
foil and that Jim's body would go hurl-
ing through the air until It struck the
ring bank or the seats, a limp and
lifeless mass She had seen one acct
dent, and 1t had remained vivid In her
memory.
Presently Strome joined the pair as
they stood talking. and an instant later
the four horses used In the double
riding act dashed into the tent, followed
by Paul and Lefty Murphy. who boast,
ed very different names on the bill
The band struck up their music, AM
the two men ran into the ring. 1t was
the work of moment to climb to their
perches. The apparatus consisted o.
two trapeze swings, one long one
used by Petite for the leaps and the
shorter one from which Strome hum
when he made the catches. On Pettie's
end there was platform from which
he leaped to gain momentum, and this
was but a few feet from the center
pole which held up the tent.
The first two swings were made
without trouble, and then Strome die
some single work to give Petite an
opportunity to rest. Jim leaned against
the ropes to steady himself and glanced
below at the well filled tent A sen
OF faces, white in the flare of the
lamps, gazed intently upward as
Strome hung by his toes from the
short swing.
An odd roar caught Pettie's atten-
ton, and he glanced at the lamps A
cluster of gasoline flares hung from the
center pole and supplied light for the
tent
Two huge reservoirs were fastened
together to form ring about the pole
and from these radiated the burners.
Uute was old fashioned in many of
his ideas, and his fondness for the oil!
fashioned light amounted to hobby.
3fm could see that one Of the tanks
had sprung leak, and in some way
the escaping gas had caught fire fror:
the flames below The heat was va
PORTING the infammable liquid moro
rapidly than usual, and it was only
matter of minutes before the heat
would cause an explosion that would
send the blazing fluid flying over the
crowd below and the tinderlike tent
There had been no rain for several
days, and. on the other hand, the blaZ-
ing sun had been pouring its rays OF
the tent since early morning. TIL"
flames would run to the guy ropes. and
when these gave way the crowd below
would be enveloped in mass of fame
There was no time to signal below
to lower the lights. 1t was too far +"
Jump to the pole. Strome was just
climbing to the trapeze bar for a mo-
ment's rest, and Jim seized his own
swing.
Strome gasped as he saw the move
ment and hurried to reverse on the ira