Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-10-31
JlM'S
HOT FINISH.
Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated
Literary Press.
By COLIN S. COLLINS.

Jim Petite his partner, anu lue Vlh0i
half Of the Affair Brothers, emerged
from the red ticket wagon, where Rich
ard Clute was counting up the after
noon receipts.
"Worst, sort Of luck" was the reply
"I thought IL | tackled the old man
after a good matinee / could catch him
In fine humor, but 1t seems that the
sheriff held him up just before | got
there. One of the grafters he plnched
told that the old man got a rakeon'
and the sheriff came around to get his
and I got mine. The old mans going
to send Daisysto boarding school, ana
he mentioned n place l might go to
but it's nowhere near Daisy's school
You can bet on that"
"Can't you two hook itT' suggested
Ben. "Its pretty close to the end ol
the season. If we lose n couple Of
weeks. l can stand my share Of the
loss If | don't get n chance to work
single act at some Of the late fairs.
See what the kid thinks"
'T don't have to see" was the gloomy
response. 81 know now what her an
swer would be. She won't beat 1t.
She's going to have regular wedding
with the old man giving her away or
there won't be n wedding. She's told
me that a dozen times, and she peans
It when she says It."
Strome nodded. Ever since they had
1oined the Clute show in midseason
Petite had been making violent love to
Daisy Clute, the owners daughter. II
was not a large clrcus-a one ring af-
fair-though they Travelled by railroad
Instead of by wagon.
The performers all lived IN n single
car and in theory formed one large
family. Daisy and her father had n
car to themselves, but she was much
around the tents, and her preference
for the clean limbed young gymnast
had soon become a matter for com
nient,
by supper time the fact that the old
man had refused his consent to their
marriage was all over the dressing
tent. and you'd not need Dalsy's red
rlmmed 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 turn on the fly
inc rings earlier on the bill. while
Strome did strong man act In the
ring, Their double act In the air was
thering feature Of the show-"the hot
| tesf act in the business" they claimed
/ .<aiics Daisy always tried to be neal
in case of accident. though she could
not bear to watch them.
Strome did the bearing" catching
jim as he leaped from his own trapez'
| 10 Strome's hands. He was reliable
worker. but Daisy always feared tha
some night those steady nerves woulC
fail and that Jim's body would go hurl
ing through the air until It struck the
ring bank or the seats, n limp anC
llfeless mass. She had seen one acci
dent. and It had remained vivid in he
memory.
Presently Strome Joined the pair Al
they stood talking. and an instant late
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, an'
the two men ran into the ring. 1t wa
the work Of moment to climb to thei
perches. The apparatus consisted o
two trapeze swings, one long on
used by Petite for the leaps and tn
shorter one from which Strome hun
when he made the catches. On Petite
end there was a platform from whic
he leaped to gain momentum, and thl
was but a few feet from the cente
pole which held mp the tent.
The first two swings were mad
without trouble. and then Strome di
some single work to give Petite a
opportunity to rest. Jim leaned again'
the ropes to steady himself and glance
below at the we'll filed tent. n sc
of faces. white In the flare of th
lamps. gazed intently upward q
Strome hung by his toes from IN
short swing.
An odd roar caught Pettie's after
tion. and he glanced at the lamps.
cluster Of gasoline flares hung from Il
center pole and supplied light for II
tent.
Two huge reservoirs were fastene
together to form ring about the poi
and from these radiated the burner
, Clute was old fashioned In many
i his IDEAS. and his fondness for the o
Y fashioned light amounted to hobby.
n Jim could see that one Of the TAM
had sprung a leak, and in some We
the escaping gas had caught fire fro
e the flames below. The heat was V
:, porizing the infammable liquid mo
raDidly than usual, and It was only
matter Of minutes before the he
would cause an explosion that wou
send the blazing fluid flying over c
crowd below and the tinderlike tent
There had been no rain for sever
4 DAYS. and, on the other hand, the bla
' ing sun had been pouring It's rays
the tent since early morning. 1
flames would run to the guy ropes al
when these gave way the crowd belc
would be enveloped In a mass Of fan
There was no time to signal belC
to lower the lights. 1t was too far
Jump to the pole. Strome was Ju
climbing to the trapeze bar for II
ment's rest, and Jim seized his o'
swing.
Strome gasped as he saw the mo-
ment and hurried to reverse on the L
peze. Jim took the count from
swing, and Strome could not und
stand the move. AS the long swi
roacbad the limit Of its fight Stro