The herald., 1922-10-26
The
jeff Twins
BY HUBERT RAY

nillimeters. / don't know just what
those are, but I'm told they're some
thing pretty small. Anyway the
jeff twins knew that-and, by the
way, Tom and Bill weren't twins, nor
even brothers, I'm glad to say.
They weren't relations at all, In
fact, but they'd agreed TO work to-
gether, and they took that title for
business purposes. They'd been do
Ing circus work ever since they could
remember. Grew up in the ring. and
so did Maisie Harlow, though 1t wasn't
until three months before my story
opens that the jeff twins met Maisie.
"She surely was a peach. And by
peach l mean peach, not nectarine or
apricot. Pink and white skin, blue
eyes, soft, fluffy hair-every one was
In love with her. But 1t was the jeff
twins that she favored. And they
had the biggest part in BroxtOns.
"They did the trapeze stunt in the
middle ring, which never failed to
bring down the house. Imagine two
trapezes, yards and yards apart, at
opposite sides of the tent. One Of
the twins hangs by his feet; the other,
after getting up speed, lets the trap
exc swing him off and shoot him
clear across the ring. Now / was
saying it's a matter of split MILNE
tiers, and that's what It was. They'd
got 1t down so fine that, Just at the
second when the upward movement
of the flying body stops. and the
downward plunge begins, Tom, hang
ing by his feet, with his arms down,
catches Bills hand, and holds him.
There's Tom, hanging from the
trapeze, with Bill swinging under
meath. A strain? Not at all, sir.
You see, there's the momentum, as
they call II, and no, / can't figure 1t
out. A professor did once, and he
said 1t was the prettiest thing he'd
ever seen.
$50 Bill catches Toms hand. and
then the upward swing brings him to
the trapeze. He gets his feet on 1t.
the twins hang side by side second
or two, and then the audience, that
had pictured Bills body hitting 1t with
the force Of a cyclone, rises and
shouts.
ut wasn't long before Maisie be-
gan to show which of the Jelfs she pre-
ferred, and that was Bill. AS soon
as Tom knew for sure he walked
about all day in a black rage. He
was crazed over pretty Maisie, and I
don't blame him.
"But when he was heard threaten
ing Bill, things began to look serious.
You see, you can't have bad blood
among circus folk. Never saw one
of them in a rage, did your In gen.
eraL it's understood that their minds
have got to be free, so that they can
do their jobs properly. Naturally,
with Tom and Bill doing their stunt,
and bad blood between them, old Brox.
ton began to worry.
"At last he went to Tom-it was
common talk by then-and told him
he'd fire the pair of them unless he
made up with Bill. Tom pulled the
wool over the old mans eyes, all
right; took him to Bills tent and
shook hands with him. But Maisie
came to Bill that night.
az don't want you to act with Tom,
she said, crying. I don't trust him
He was threatening me this morning
and
"Bill was an easy-going fellow, and
laughed at her. I guess Toms all
right he said. Anyway, we're hiking
tomorrow, and we can't spoil tonight's
show, now that old Broxton's salts
fed
"I heard about all this afterward
Ny part is bringing In the sawdus'
and helping out where I'm wanted.
used to be-but never mind me.
felt sick that night as watched from
the runway and saw Tom and Bill
each on his trapeze, smiling and blow
ing kisses to the audience. and pretty
Maisie, riding her two horses round
the ring, and looking up and-well.
thought she'd fall, and that's a thint
that nobody ever forgives.
something told me what was com
ing, and yet had sort Of instinc
that it would be all right In the end
I waited for the big dive. 1t came
Bill shot like lightning through the ali
across the ring to where Tom wal
hanging by his feet, head downward.
"And then 1 saw-mind, sir. m!
eyes trained-how Tom deliberatel.
moved his hand a couple Of inches
aside. And Bill few on and-missed
'Tt was q matter Of split seconds, a
I've said. Next instant Bill had sho
out his other arm and grabbed Ton
round the thigh. For Just an instan
they hung there, In q silence Of death
You could feel death In the air, sir.
"Then Tom dropped. And, holdin,
each other locked. they went whirlin,
round and round, down to the saw
dust. -.
"And Tom was underneath.
"Dead7 The minute he hit tn
ground. Smashed to pieces. Blu
that's what saved Bill. save for
broken arm and collar-bone. And
guess Bill didn't care when he locke
into Maisie's eyes. s.
"TIl never forget her holding hir
I'm the middle of the ring, among tn
. screaming and confusion. and know
! ing nothing but Bill lying there an
smiling at her. That's the way goo