Year: 1874

VI what, father?' l stammered.


"The poster there. You came to
look at the fine poster, didn't you ?
How did you lind it out ?"


He saw by my look that / did not
understand him, and when / muttered
something about only coming out for
breath of fresh air, dragged me into
the middle OF the road, and with i'm
pressible pride pointed again to the
grand letters.


"Look at them," he cried. "Beau-
tiful, amt they? I've done the trick
at last, my girl. The French gentle
man that came to see Harry tumble,
last week, will make our fortunes.
Your brother is Azalea u


was SO surprised that I could not
answer. 1t fairly took my breath away.
He gave one more look full of pride
at the word, and we went back to the
house. On the way he told me, with a
garrulity unusual with him, of what
had happened-how the French gentle
man had hit upon the novelty-how
that it consisted of a sort of vampire
trap" from which the performer was to
be shot up into the air twenty or thirty
feet, and to alight on a stage there
and how that Harry had just met the
French gentleman's requirements, both
from his skill and his girlish appear
ance, because the excitement to be
created about Azalea would be increased
from there being q mystery whether it
was boy or girl. .r., .,tt t..


We entered the house as he finished,
and I tripped upstairs and lit candle,
which I gave to father as he entered
our room. Harry was still sleeping on
the rug, breathing hard. The light
showed us his face-it was bright red.
He has been stricken with fever and
before the week was out, we two, ahud-
died together in the corner of coach,
followed the poor boy to his grave.


y =


Azalea took the town.


Chow !" you will exclaim "was he
not really dead, then ?" Alas yes, and
truly, deeply mourned over. My father
was in passion of grief at his loss, and
in deep despair at the consequences.
The French gentleman came to the
house half-frenzied. "But man"
cried he, 81 have spent fortune in
advertising this-this son of yours p


"True, and it is most unfortunate"
my father began.


"Bah /" cried the other, and bound
ed out of the room. In doing SO he
nearly tumbled over me as I crouched
weeping in the passage, so that cried
out. He stepped aside-started-
raped out French oath-and darting
into the room he had just quilted,
slammed-to the door. There was long
conversation in subdued voices, and
when at length he quilted the house,
his face was radiant and his courtesy
profuse. On the mat he presented me
with the rose from his buttonhole, and
kissed the tips of the tight gloves he
seemed to have been born in, all the
way as he backed down the steps out
into the middle of the road.


That night I gave my father prom
ise that l would face the public in place
of our poor lost Harry, and try nay
hardest to realize the golden dreams
his death had shattered. And later,
when he thought me sleeping, I stole
out to have another look at the great
letters on the wall. They had fresh
meaning for me now, and oh, how huge
and terrible they looked | Surely they
we're bigger than ever as I covered
down before them. And they bent for
ward farther and farther, as if to crush
me-poor little mite that was-till [
was fain to Cry out and tear myself
| away from them in mortal terror.


I Kept my word though, and practiced
hard, thinking much of what had to
do and little of what might come of it ;
sustained, moreover, by encouragement
both from my father and the French
man-who every day gave me flower
from his button-hole, and kissed his
glove. tips whenever he caught my eye,
as if in that act he administered some
reviving cordial-and SO at length the
first nights performance came with tri-
umphant results, and Azalea was the
Idol of the town.


There was something vastly pleasant
in the position. The performance I
had undertaken involved danger every
night. But had no fear, and the ring
ing plaudits, and the sweet sense OF
popularity, drove all thoughts OF
danger out of my head. Sometimes /
| fancied that there was an anxious, q
panied look in my fathers face, as he
waited on me and watched my every
movement, inspiring me with conf.
dence by his eagle glance /; but what
ever his apprehensions, did not share
them, and in time grew easy to indiffer-
ence. At last--but quite at last
even overcame my awe of the great let.
ters Oh the wall, beside which was SO
insignificant, and grew to amusing my
self with the fancy that they simply
bent forward out of courtesy towards
me, joining in the general homage.


So 1 was proud and happy in my
strange life, aad [ might have continued
to be so, but for one circumstance.
had noticed, but without attaching any
meaning to it, that on most nights Q
particular box Was occupied by q
curious-looking person, who watched
me with concentrated attention. He
was an elderly man, with dyed blach
hair hanging long about a colorless
face. A singular ravenous look was in
his eyes, and he had habit of twitch
ing up his face, so as to show Ions
row of white teeth, evidently false. Al
he' sat he would rest his thin bony
hands, clutched together hard, on the
front of the box, tremulous diamond
showing that he endured strong nervous
excitement.


These peculiarities I should nevel
have noticed, but that all at once
rumor reached me, investing this MAI
with a terrible interest. I came tc
know-I cannot tell how-that he had
fixed conviction that my career woult
terminate fatally, and half morbid de