The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-25

sec the wire under her feet and thought
her performance the doing of some
magic power. They marvelled, too. at
her pink tights, and. gathering about
her from all parts of the tents, greeted
the CONCLUSION of her act with great APP
plausc.
In her dressing tent few minutes
later she was waited upon by some high
officials. VINO extended to her. as a
token of their admiration. a normal in
vitation TO tiger killing 10 take place
that afternoon Wonld she come i'm her
circus costume. they asked. and be the
guest of honor' She consented.
The killing advanced without mis-
hap till the fourth tiger Was reached
This beast. n magnificent specimen OF
the Bengal breed, broke away from his
tormentors and charged the spectators.
He seemed to hesitate a moment. -
said Miss Jordan, '.and thcu- catching
sight of these unlucSy tights. | believe,
he. '.came directly at me. Ugh. can
still see. when ] close my eyes, those
bloody fangs and that terrible mouth,
open wide. rcd aud snarlinG. heard
shouts dimlv all about mc--the beast s
head and blazing eyes seemed right III
my face. and then everything grew dark
and quiet.
MY father was bending over me
when | came ton the dressing tent.
tried TO get up j must 80 on with
the act ] said.
. lie laughed. 'Not tonight be
said
But / insisted. You see. we circus
women are used to performing, however
bad we may feel. The public takes no
way.
"'When ] was balancing in the mid
die of the wire l grew faint again,
struggle agains; it rs would ] seemed
to see tbe killing again. and suddenly
that awful beast came OUT Of tho misis,
flying straight ut me. | gritted my.
teeth and stopped TO pick up the hand.
kercbief-and then faintnd, and fell.
This was fall of thirty feet; That
10 the girl S relaxed muscles.
His Premonition.
4 fall from the same height killed a
property man III one of the big shows
last summer, The circumstances were
most pathetic.
The circus Was nearing Albany, y.
Y, and the property man, who had run
away from home when boy. was look
ing forward 10 meeting with his
mother.
lie WE ali nll''l 1bI II, S5ln
acrobat Which means that he had
purchased n new suit of clothes and
had cashcd in his commissary checks.
the savings OF season, TO take the
money home.
They took his body 10 Albany, and
they supplemented his savings with 4
generous collection, for they are good
hearted. these circus folk. They have
many other fine characteristics, of
"a. IL 4
very little--morality thrift, congen-
ialitv, good breeding, thoughtfulncss.
''And the life has lis rewards, said
Belford. 81 was puuy AS hoy. not
expected TO live long, in fact, and now
look at me. ! am fortysiN years old.
aud expect to live any enjoy forty
years more This talk about short
lived acrobats is all bosh Two been
working for thirty-fvc years among
them, and ] Know.
'rhey come and go on the billboards,
cosy home or farm and live out II
happy old age Wa don't spend our
money like theatrical folks. As an in
stance. my wifc-she doesu'f work
now: Just travels with MS to look out
for the youngsters-niy wife and l laid
by $4,000 last season, and we I'll save
more this year. We have our own home
and Il gymnasium and little Indiana
town: aud there arc many others in
this dressing room as comfortably fixed.
AS for clean, bealthful life, You won t
find better one. II S dangerous. Sure.
Every day. YOU might say VIC take our
life in our hands. But II S our business
10 play safc-and, TO tell the truth, NC
like ii,
"Artbur! Come here He beckoned
10 his oldest son.
\ boy walked over quickly from a
far corner of the dressing room, wcnd-
ng his way with light step past groups
IF Japs, Cubans, Germans. Austrians.
Mcyicans, Russians. He was stripped
% the waist, and his round muscles
played prcttily beneath his pink skin.
''llow do you like circus lifcl'
lsked Bcford.
''Fine,' said the boy. grinning:
: the more of it the mcrrier-for mc,n