The Holbrook news., 1910-07-22

ment of his interference In what were
 to her mere harmless flirtations, were more than balanced by that look, when,
 at his "One. two, three" she sprang
 into his outstretched arms with her trusting smile.
 Meantime, hugging to her heart her secret with the handsome stranger, so
 good. so kind, so anxious to get her
 away from her sawdust setting. the little streak of tinsel-light flashed and
 circled overhead, guided and steadied
 by the faithful ticking of the scarlet spiders "One, two, three" This time,
 however, the first time since the proud day sine had taken her first flight in public. her eyes looked into his merely as target by which to gauge ner sf- fort-merely in the light in which Toby, the acrobatic elephant, regarded his trainer.
 The exigencies of a nine-days' stay left no time for unnecessary prelim- inaries on the part of Df Arguello. His mind had been quickly made up and while the iron was hot was the time to strike. Although the manage ment guarded its bright. particular star with hydra-headed watchfulness. the name Di Arguello opened many doors with the oily ringmaster. The language Of the languorous brown eyes. with the skill of much practice, need ed no interpreter to the laughing blue ones. and the next performance was to be the last.
 Tonight" Di Arguello whispered. the evening of the close of this most successful engagement His automo- bile was waiting down the street. with clinging wraps and lace mantilla with which the tinsel corslet and hated cot ton roses might be easily disguised.
 Their moments interview as she appeared at the door of the tent was longer tonight than usual. and neith- CT stopped to wonder where the scar let spider might be. Because of the over-shadowing watchfulness of her trainer, all the world. to Clarita, was good. It was kind, oh, most kind and very good. indeed, of this handsome young gentleman to want to get her away from her circus life, although she had never thought it was so differ ent from any other kind of life until he had pointed out to her the compar- ison between the lily and the slimy marshes.
 The scarlet tights crouching on the other side of the curtain reached the door just in time to catch the flash of ecstasy the blue eyes shot into the brown and hear the proprietary tones in which the bold young Mexican gave his commands.
 A steady nerve is the trapeze artists whole capital, and the emotions of hate or even love are the first luxur- ies denied him. Therefore the high trapeze act of C1arita, la reina del eirco. began promptly when it was of enthusiasm had been reached when Clarita sprang into the ring, threw kisses to her admiring audience and stood a moment, aglisten, in the lime light before seizing her swing. To- night the crowds went mad. Showers of con:,tti, porfume-fllled eggs, fans, coins, rained down at the little trapezist's feet. This was the greatest act of the circus, and tonight was the OAOWA odOOCSo OA dAA ACA CAOA
 The happy heart under the tinseled corslet went out to all this gay, mad world that stamped and called and shouted its glee at the feat she was to perform for them, but the blue eyes clung. almost afraid to watch her bars. to the figure neaY the curtain of the dressing room tent
 Up. up, into the air she climbed from bar to bar. "One, two, three," every muscle acting in unison with the ticking of that faithful scarlet clock The first series of swings was safely reached and with flash and quiver of pink curves la reina landed safely in the outstretched scarlet arms
 This their moment of triumph. set the holiday-minded audience of again 1 into peals of applause. delaying their act ana keeping the protecting scarlet arms around the tinseled waist. An | instant's flash of memory brought back their good old tight-rope days, when | he had been her hero, and the later l slack-wire work the wide blue eyes | smiling trustingly into his with the | present triumph. when she had all | Mexico at her feet. But tonight the | radiant smile that had set her soul | afiame was turned from him. Down, down into the pit, at the curtain door, | those blue eyes. the barometer of his life. shot past him. He had lost her and for what? "One. two. three" Would she not remember to turn her eyes up to his if only from force of habit? The hands that clasped her wrists tightly. lightly, pressed trifie harder to recall her to the mo ment A blind, ecstatic smile over spread her countenance, conscious of nothing but Di Arguello standing near the ring.
 Again the heavy lids shut away the despair that surged in upon the dark visaged little man. Lost and to a life of-what?"
 "One.'' This was the most perilous ,tage of the act The bar must be set in motion in order to swing back the instant he let her wrists go. The stamping. roaring crowd below was
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