Year: 1872

| starYe. ...-...


ait strikes me-" said Tom, sEteat
if we get rope or two and some
cross-bars fixed, we can rather as
tonish some of them; anyhow, wen
see."


Iquite agreed with Tom: and q
| short time after, as bold as brass,
we applied to the manager of the
Gardens for an engagement. OF
course he wanted to see what we
could do; so a couple Of ropes were
fitted up over the stage of the little
hall, a bar was tied across like a
swing; and on it we set to turning
over, hanging by hands and toes and
the backs of our heads, and playing
such daring pranks, that we brought
down the house-that is to say, the
lessee and his friends applauded
| loudly; and l believe l never felt so
happy in my life as 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 a way which the newspapers call
ed graceful; but as matter OF



imitators; and at the beginning of
the next season, people wanted
something new, and the manager
asked US if we couldn't introduce
something's 1t must be Wonderful-
ly exciting, you know" he said " or
else it won't take. You'd think
that was strong enough for them" +"
he continued, pointing to balloon
but, lor bless you, they don't care
now for balloons. Go and think it
over. For my part, 1 thought OF
proposing a trapeZe on the top of
the two highest scaffold poles we
can get"


l started a bit as he said that
and just then the balloon rose and
went away lightly over the trees,
while watched it thoughtfully, for
l had got an idea in my head.


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


When the manager engaged us
first, he said our names wouldn't do
bit. The Tantipalpitis' name, he
said, was by rights Bodge. The
consequence was (as have said, ,
we went in for French; so the an
nouncement of the Grand Trapeze
Act of Les Freres ProVencauX," was
advertised all over London.


How well L remember that bright
June day, when going forward in
our grand dresses, all tights, satin,
ruffles and spangles, we were greet
III q FNf and
that the Gardens were crammed
with people, in the middle of whom
was the great balloon, ready filled
and swimming as it tugged at its
ropes.


"How do you feel, Tom ?'' 1 said,
looking at him.


"BraVe as lion, my boy" he said
stoutly. "It's no more than doing
it twenty feet high"


True" l said; "and it's as easy
to be drowned in sixty as in six hun
dred feet of water"


The next minute we were holding
the trapeze bars, close to the bal
loon, waiting the signal for it to
rise; for the first time, l felt a SEN
sation of fear, and I'll tell you what
gave it to me-the people, instead OF
cheering us as soon as we began to
rise, kept perfectly silent, and that
seemed to go right through me, for
you must know that what we had
been advertised to do was to perform
| our robe and bar tricks right under
the balloon, twenty feet below the
car, and that without anything to
save us if we should make a slip.


There was no time for fear, though;
and the next minute we were doing
| it all as coolly as could be, as we
rose fifty, a hundred, thousand feet
in the air, and floated away out OF
sight.


l don't recall that was so very
glad to get up into the car, for the
excitement kept me from feeling
afraid remember thinking, though
that Tom looked rather pale. Then
we wrapped up well, and enjoyed
our first hours ride till we came
down right away in Kent.


We kept that on time after time
and the people came to see us il
mobs. The manager said it was the
greatest take he had ever had; anG
must say he behaved to us very
handsomely, what with raising Oul
wages and making us presents. Bu'
l did not feel easy in my own mind


for the idea was my own invention


and l thought l ought not to hav;
exposed poor Tom to danger like


wise; but all the same | dared not


say a word, for if had, knew how


Jealous he would have turned direct
/ should think we had done thi,


about q month; and all through that


month there was ringing in my ear:


the words of a woman who said ou


loud on the second time we wen


up: "Ah, they'll do that once too


often" Suppose, thought to my


self, we do do it once too oftenl Blu


then there came the thought of thI


money, and that drove away a grea


deal of my timidity, as told mysel
that man might play such antic
for his whole life and never fail
Well, as l said, we had been dom!
it about q month, when one evenini
we took our places as usual. 1t wa
an extra night, and the largest bal
; loon was to ascend; our rope, toe
[ was to be heightened to thirty feet
= and at that distance below the ca
5 we were to swing about as usual.
l You may say we ought to hav
t been used to it by this time; ther
t are things, though, which you neve


do get used to, try how you vii
r and this was one of them.
/ The bands were playing ava
! their best; the people were eagerl
: looking at the half a dozen Rronaut
| who were to ascend; the manager {
) the balloon was there; the sign;
was given, and the people got in
/ Then the balloon was allowed to rails
4 so high that our trapeze swun
2 clear, hen hung by it with my leg
!. holding a cross-bar in my hand
/ over which Tom threw his legs, an
4 hung head downwards; and the
: away we went up, up through Ii


soft evening air, so slowly ths
Z Toms hands touched the top of on
: of the slm-trees as he waved aboU
: a couple of flags.


: Our custom was to hang quit
r still until we were up four or tiy
o hundred feet, and then to begin on
/, twining and twisting, and so "
7. did now, when Tom pitched ava
n the flags and We went through OF
d tricks rising higher and highe
a with the faces of the dense crow
IS getting mixed into a confused mas
:, and the strains OF the band CROWN
e fainter and fainter, till all below WI
q quite mingled in faint hum.


We had only one more trick to d