The Tomahawk., 1925-01-08

- IIOht VI sue bnOWS, Wullc
ers scream coarse hyperbole to
the crowdlngs yokels outside the tent.
They are known professionally as bal
lyhoo girls. The term, usually, is OPP
probrious; but not always, not always.
Applied to Miss Nadine Vance It
gained new and lovely significance.
Miss Vance was one Of the four bal
lyhoo girls who were employed by the
side show of the great Baum and Bag
gley circus. She was neither brazen
nor rouge-daubed. Therein she DIFF
fered from nearly all Of the others.
Afternoons and evenings she stood on
the small platform in front Of the
gard sisters-the center Of leering
masculine interest, blushing picture
of tortured and fiinching modesty.
Once / saw q delicate Corot hung In
an auctioneer's shop between two vul-
gar, strident Autographs, and my feel
ing then was a muffied echo Of the
pang that used to clutch at my heart
when I saw Miss Vance in her poor
little red dress, standing beside her
garish companions.
/ was sort of an assistant manager
and publicity man for Baum and Bag
gley In those days-one Of the pioneer
press agents, you might have called
me. I'll have to answer for that, too,
/ suppose, when my time comes to ex-
plain about the things ! have done or
have failed to do.
knew Miss Vance quite well, and
. / tried to be good to her. Every per-
son with the show, from the most be-
soften canvasman to Madame West
phalia, the featured member Of the
Westphalia troupe of aerialists, of
course. knew why Miss Vance was
ballyhoo girl. There are no closets
d with circus, you know, and the skele-
tons have to be hung up, grinning,
- where everyone can see.
Miss Vance had once been a highly
paid aerialist-a member of the West
phalia outfit, in fact-but she had
lost caste. There is nothing worse
that can happen to a sawdust artist.
You can see how this Is true. Yet,
Miss Vance loved Harry Westphalia,
the madame's eldest brother. That,
perhaps, made 1t worse. Otherwise,
she might have found courage to leave
the show, even though she was born In
the life and knew nothing else. /
don't know. But while young West
phalia remained she patiently suffered
even the hades Of social ostracism.
He ignored her, 1t Is true, yet she
could see him every day, and that gave
her something to live for.
Miss Vance's fault had been an in
voluntary one. She had "lost her
nerve" To a worker under the dizzy
top canvas that phrase has hideous
significance. Performers should take
out insurance on their nerve; but L
don't suppose any company would as
sumo the liability. Kubelick had q
. policy on his fingers and Gene had one
on her toes. There are companies
that will protect any one against the
accidental loss Of almost any essential
function. expect there are some that
would have. taken a risk on Samson's
hair. But I've never heard Of any In
surance organization on earth that
would agree to indemnify performer
for a failure of nerve. There Is too
much uncertainty involved. -
Miss vance's trouble came one hot
evening in the midsummer when the
big top was straining to capacity
crowd. She was working over net
on the flying trapeze with the West
phalias. Young Harry was hanging
by his knees from one Of the rowing
bars. Miss Vance had jumped for his
hands, and had brought up cleverly
in his muscular clasp. Twenty feet
away the madame was also swinging,
head downward, waiting easily and
confidently for the live weight which
she knew would come hurting towards
her In the next few seconds.
The music cue came, presently, just
as Miss Vance was flashing towards
the madame in the long, graceful curve
that prefaces the double somersault
through space. Young Westphalia re-
leased his hold at the critical second,
s but, to his horror, the girl still pulled
at his arms. She was clutching at his
wrists with the madness Of mortal fear
in her fingers. The imp Of perversity
that sports with our subconscious
selves had frightened her grip, you see,
until It was too late to let 60.
In that moment there came to Miss
Vance terrifying intuition of human
faIlibillty. For the first time, she real
lied that a force, allen and inexor-
able, controlled her physical actions,
and that the bidding of her own mind
was not the supreme command. On
nerved, trembling, shaken to the prin-
ciple Of her being. she could only cling
to the mans wrists while their oscil-
Iations grew less, and she finally
dared drop to the net below, her spirit
broken, her wonderful self-confidence
destroyed.
The act, Of course, had to be
stopped. The madame was indignant