The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-05-28
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pretending to he the other girl.
I3She is ashamed of shis deDeption
but keeps it up, even wSen Bill
Siddal, Madehne'x cousin, asks
her to marry him. Amos sSbddal,
Madeline S grandfather who owns
the farm, rs blind. Mrs. Planter,
houselteeper discharged by Dom
ma, il her enenayI' Dr. P'n,st"'
Donna ,and Bill are married:
Meanwhile Madeline has married
Con David. circus, animal trainer,
and takes part in the animal sct!
Amos Siddal has a 'stroke.HIt'. ,
In New Orleans Madeline goes
into the, cage alone with; the Ben
gal tiger The tiger!spriags and
she is killed. ainRenfroe sblafaes
Con for, the b accident and dis
charges hirnscd ilnrfr"" h;4.ac
NOW co ON Writ THE STORY
90 CHAPTER XVIII
In his first anger over Cons
callousness' and the shock of
Madeline's death gRenfroe had
meant what he said when he dis
missed the animal trainer. Soon,
however, showmanship dominated
sentiment and after three per-
formances without Cons animal
act Renfroe had reason to repent
his hasty action. He therefore
sent word for Con to return.
A message from the hotel
where the animal trainer had
stayed brought the information
that he had checked out lmme-
diately after his wife's funeral
and that he had left no forward
ing address. t...,
Renfroe made round of the
hotels but could find no trace of
the performer. ;. When the circus
left New Orleans, therefore, it
departed minus several lions, tig-
ers and their trainer.
A period of rainy weather set
in. Everyone in the troupe was
downcast and riddSn with the
superstition that bad luck was
bounding the show. Since ex-
penses were eating up all profit
and there were only a few more
dates to be played before closing
for the winter, Renfroe posted a
notice that these engagements
had been cancelled. Hence the
circus did not reach Montgomery
and Con failed to receive the let
ter Donna sent there. "
The midgets. took a train d.
rectly to New York where they
Joined large vaudeville act
made oup of tiny folks like them
selves, playing the circuit of the
eastern cities. Later they would
embark for Germany, to that Sec
ton of Bavaria where so many
of their kind first saw the light
of day. -. .a
Two of the clowns who worked
in the clothing business during
4'the winter months. went farther
west. The men and women look
ed for the rodeo hurried on to
their other show, but the major,
ity of the troupe travelled to
Chicago.
Though Con had managed ia
el9der Renfroe, he was still in
New Orleans. He had become 9
victim of remorse, finding ,(now
that she was dead) that he had
! really cared for the girl who had
given him her whole-hearted de-
votion. His ambition to become
star in "big time" had been de.
stroyed with the death of the
Bengal tigress, and he was in a
number, sodden condition, refus-
ing to take stock either of the
present or the future.
He had checked. out of the no.
tel where he and Madeline had
stayed because the walls seemed
to echo his. dead wife's voice and
/ he could see her in the shadows
and in every hallway Always she
looked as she had that last night
i-whitefaced and terrified, about
to enter the cage with the tigress.
Over and over again Con could
= hear Renfroe's accusation, "You
:, killed her" 90. 49,.
! He knew that it was true. 1t
had been nothing NOR than de-
,lsire to punish Madeline for her
q past folly that had impelled him
to force her to go through the
act alone with Lucy. Madeline
) had not been ready to do that
: She would never have been
Iready, for only his presence in
the cage beside her had given her
courage and confluence. Con
. knew all that now sfT--
Moving away from the hotel
Ehe soon found, could not erase
, the memories that haunted him
He thought of Madeline rs she
had been on the motor trip to
; New Orleans, laughing and gay,
She had said, "If we could only
go on like this forever" and he
: had answered CURLY. There had
Eeen other times like that, and
: remorse for it overwhelmed MIN,
: now that it was too late. Made
line had been loyal. He knew
how terrified she had been dur
) ling those first days of entering
: the lions cage. Yet she had gone
through with it. She had done it
because Con asked her to. Yes,
L. Madeline had loved him. @
:. 'Temperamental, with but little
sentiment in his nature. Con was
lstiil not quite 50 hard-hearted OIL