The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-06-07
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 former, fails from the trnpeze naFfner, MADELINE eTDDAL. Donna goes Co hsadeline'e home to rccupernte, pretending to be che other girl. She is ashamed of 1llis deception but keeps it up, even when BILL sIDDAL, Mades lines cousin, asks her tO marry him. AMOS BIDDAL, Madeline's grandfather who owns the farm, Sg blind. MRS PLANTER, house. keeper discharged by Donna, Is her enemy.
 Donna and BnI are married. Meanwhile Madeline has married CON DAVID, circus animal train CT. and takes part in the animal
 Amos slddaI has . stroke.
 Kn New Orleans Madeline goes into tho cage alone with the Ben. gal tiger. The tiger springs and she is killed. Henfroe blamcs Con for the accident and dlss charges him.
 CHAPTER xxvIII
 Tn his first anger over Cons cai- i0usness and the shock of Made- lines death Renfroe had meant what he said when he dismissed the animal trainer. Soon, however, showmanship dominated sentiment and after three performances with. out Cons animal act Renfroe had reason to repent his nasty action. He therefore sent word for Con to return.
 A message from the hotel where the animal trainer had stayed A.N |. had checked out immediately after his wife's funeral and that he had left no forwarding address.
 Renfroe made q round of the ho. tois but could find no trace of the performer. When the circus left New Orleans. therefore, 1t depart- cd minus several lions, tigers and their trainer.
 A period of rainy weather set in. Everyone in the troupe was down. cast and ridden with the supersti~ ton that bad luck WIS houndinR the show. Since expenses were eat- ing up all profit and there were only A few more dates to be played before closing for the winter, Ken. froe posted notice that these en. agreements had been cancelled. Hence the circus did not reach Montgomery and Con failed to rec celve the letter Donna sent there.
 The midgets took q train diTect- iy to New York whore they joined . large vaudeville act made Up of tiny folks like themselves, playing the circuit of tho eastern cities. Later they would embark for Ger whore 50 many of their kind first mnvU fhn Ii0hf 0f Aav
 Two of the clowns who worked in the clothing business during the winter months went farther west. The men and women booked for tho rodeo hurried on 10 their other show, but tho majority of tho troupe travelled 10 Chicago.
 Though Con had managed to elude Renfroe, he was still in New Orleans. He, had become q victim of romorse, finding (now that sho was deadD that fie had really cared for the girl who had given him her whole hearted devotion. His ambition to become q star iD "biR time" had been destroyed with the death of the Bengal tigress, and he was in c numbod, sodden cons dition, refusing to take stock either of the present or the future.
 He had checked out of the hotel whore he and Madeline has stayed because the walls seemed to echo his dead wife's voice and h6 could see hor in the shadows and in every hallway. Always she looked as she had that last night--White- faced and terrified, about to enter the cage with the tigress. over and over again Con could hear Ken froe's accusation. You killed heri' He knew that it was true. ft had been nothing more than a desire to punish Madeline for her past folly that had impell6d 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 ready, for only his presence in the cage bo. aide her had given her courage and confidence. Con knew all that now. Moving away from the hotel, he soon found. could not erase the memories that haunted him. He thought of Madeline as she had been on the motor trip to New Or~ leans, laughing and gay. She had said, "1f we could only go on 1ike this forever" and he had answered
 
 times like that, and rem0rse for 1t overwhelmed him, now that it was too late. Madeline had been loyal. He know how terrified she had been during those first days of entering the lions cage. Yet ghe had gone through with 1t. She had done it because Con asked her Co. Yes, Madeline had loved him
 Temporamentai, with but little sentiment in his nature, Con waa still not quite 50 hard-hearted or callous of feelings as he had ap- peared. Consequently he suffered. Because he had never been a dis. aipated man, q small amount Of 1iduor intoxicated him. He found that by drinking he could forget and from tho time he settled into . boarding house that had once been q stately mansion until he left the city he did not draw a com. pleteiy sober breath.
 The little Creole woman who owned the boarding house and called her establishment "a home for paying guests" pities him from the depths of her sentimenta heart. She made overtures oi fr1endliness which Con ignored and she murmured often, "Such a pity He's going to the dogs and wht can blame him? So young to lost his wife that way! They were little more than bride and groom
 There were days on end wheT Con did not appear in the shabby genteel dining room, when he att what food he wanted from "ho dog" wagons or munched tamalei That he bought on the streets.
 There were nights when, bleary wyed and uncertain in his walk, h, wandered along the river bank un kil, overcome by exhaustion, h' would fling himself upon the leve' and sleep there until dayligh awakened him.
 once so immaculate in his ap pearance, so clean shaven ant handsome. Con looked now like { beach comber and Mrs La Luer for all haR eYm nafhX. heRan fI