Year: 1872

see what we could do; so couple o
ropes were fitted up over the stage o
the little hall, bar was tied across lik,
swing; and on it we set to, turnin.
over, hanging by hands and toes anC
the backs of our heads, and playing sucl
daring pranks, that we brought dowr
the house-that is to say, the lessee anc
his friends applauded loudly and be
lieve | never felt so happy in my life az
when he engaged us on the spot at ,
salary.


For the whole of that season we were
as successful as could be; and, through
constant practice, we got to be very
handy, and did our tricks in way
which the newspapers called graceful
but, as a matter of course, there were
soon host of imitators and at the
beginning of next season, people wanted
something new, and the manager asked
Us if we couldn't introduce something
at must be wonderfully exciting, you
know" he said, cor else it won't take
You'd think that was strong enough for
them," he continued, pointing to bal
care now for balloons. Go and think il
over. For my part, thought of pro,
posing a trapeze at the top of the two
highest scatfold poles we can get"


Istarted a bit as he sad that; and
lust then the balloon rose and went
away swiftly and lightly over the trees,
while | watched it thoughtfully, for |
had got an idea IN my head.


The next morning talked it over
with Tom, who agree to it in minute
and we shook hands over it slowly, for
our minds were made up.


When the manager engaged us first,
he said our name wouldn't do bit.
The Tantipalpitis' name, he said, was
by rights Bodge. The consequence was
las | have said), we went in for French !;
so the announcement of the "Grand
Trapeze Act" of "Les Freres Proven
caux " was advertised all over London.
How we'll remember that bright June
day, when going forward in our grand
dresses, all tights, satin, ruff, and span
giles, We were greeted with roar of ap-
plause, and saw that the Gardens were
crammed with people, in the middle of
whom was the great balloon, ready
filed, and swinging about as it tugged
at its ropes.


"How do you feel, Tom ~ l said,
look ing at him.


"Blave as lion, my boy" he says,
stoutly. "lts no more than doing it
twenty feet high"


j." True" said and it is as easy to
he drowned in sixty as in six hundred
feet of water"


The next minute we were holding the
trapeze bars, close to the balloon, wait
ing the signal for it to rise; and now,
for the first time, felt sensation of
tear, and III tell you what gave 1t to
me--the people, instead Of cheering us
as soon as we began to rise, kept per
tectly silent, and that seemed to go
right through me; for you must know
that what we had been advertised to do
was to perform cur rope and bar tricks
right under the balloon, twenty feet be-
low the car. and that without anything
to We as if we should make ship.


Tbele was no time for fear, though :;
and the next minute we were doing it
as c1olly as could be, as we rose fifty, a
hundred, thousand feet in the air, and
floated away out of sight.


don't recall that | was so very glad
to get up into the car, for the excite
ment kept me from feeling afraid; | re-
member thinking, though, that Tom
looked d rather pale.


Then we wrapped up we'll, and en-
joy. d our first hours ride till we came
down right away in Kent.


| should think we had done this
about a mouth; and all through that
month there was ringing in my ears the
words Of woman who said out loud on
the second time we went up: "Ah,
they'll do that once too often" Sup
pose, thought to my self, we do do it
once too often! Bnt then there came
the thought of the money, and that
drove away a great deal Of my timidity,
as told myself that man might play
such antics for his whole life and never
'all.


Well, as said, we had been doing it
about a month, when one evening we
took our places as usual. 1t was an ex-
ira II ght, and the largest balloon was TO
ascend; our rope too, was to be length
ened to thirty feet, and at that distance
below the car we were to swing about rs
usu |.


You may say we ought to have been
used to it by this time; there are things,
though, which you never do get used to,
Try how you will, and this was one OF
them.


The bands were playing away their
best; the PEOPLE were eigerly looking
at the halfadozen aeronauts who were to
ascend; the manager of the balloon
was there the signal was given, and the
p ople got in. Then the balloon was
allowed to rise so high that our trapeze
swung clear, when hung from it by my
'egs. holding a crCss bar in my hands,
over which Tom threw his legs, and
lung head downward; and then away we
wen, up through the soft evening air, so
slowly that Toms hands touched the
top of one Of the elm trees as he waved
about a couple of flags.


Our custom was to hang quite still till
we were up four or five hundred feet
and then to begin our twining and twist
ing, and so we did now, when Tom
pit he'd away the flags, and we went
through our tricks, rising higher and
higher, with the faces of the confused
crowd getting mixed into a deep mass
aud the strains of the band glowing
fainter and fainter, till all below was quite
mingled in faint hum.


We had only one more trick to do, and
that was t. cast loose the bar and each
man swing by lis own rope had
Ioo.ered my end, the respiration
streaming down me the while, and Ton
had done the same, when, swim gipgrouno
tnMn rd me with q horribly white face. ht