Year: 1872

: 10 death, and sent. her off searching
for hep to cut Tom down, because
he had hung himself from a hook in


the cealing. They got used to our
antics at last, and took no notice OF
us as we tried hard to get of that


stiffness, for the same idea had


struck US both-that we had better


take to tumbling than paint and
starve


ct strikes me- said Tom, athat
| If We get rope or two and some
cross bars fixed we can rather as
tonish some of them; anyhow, wen
! see."


1 quite agreed with Tom: and a
short time after, as bold as brass,
we applied to the manager of the
/ Gardens for an engagement. OF
course he wanted to sec 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 1 believe I never felt so
happy in my life as when he engag-
ed rs on the spot at a salary.


For the whole Of that seasons 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 a matter of
course, there were soon a host 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-"I 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 q balloon;
''but, lor bless you, they don't care
now for balloons. Go and think it
over. For my part, 1 thought of
! prospOsing a trapeze on the top Of
the two highest scad'old poles we
can get"


1 started a bit as he said that;
and just then the balloon rose and
went away lightly over the trees,
while 1 watched it thoughtfully, for
I had got an idea in my head.


She next morning l 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
consequences was (as l have s21dl,
we went IN for French; SO the an
noun cement of the .'Grand TrapeZe
Act of Les Freres ProyencauX,' was
advertised all over London


How well remember that bright
June day, when going forward in
our grand dresses, all tights, satin,
rufIles and spangles, We were greet /
ed with 4 roar of applause, and saw
that the Gardens were cramned with
people, in the middle of whom was
the great balloon, ready filed and
swimming as it tugged at its ropes.


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


"Brave as a lion, ny boy" he said
stoutly. ITS no more than doing
it twenty feet high"


True" I said; "and it's as easy
to be drowned in sixty as in six
hundred 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 n sen
sation of fear, and I'll tell you what
give it to me-the people, instead Of
cheering us as sOOn as we began to
rise, kept perfectly silent, and that
seemed to 90 right thrO lgh me, tor
you must know that what we had /
been advertised to do was to perform
our rope and bar tricks highlander
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 fioated away out of
sight.


l don't recall that I was so very
glad to get up into the car. for the
excitement kept me from feeling
afraid; l remember thinking, though
that Tom looked rather pale. Then
we wrapped up we'll, 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 in
mohs. The manager said it was the
greatest take he had ever had; and
l must say he behaved to US very
handsomely, what with raising our
wages and making us presents. But
l did not feel easy in my own mind,
for the idea was my own invention,
and / thought l ought not to have
exposed poor Tom to danger like
wise; but all the same l dared not
say a word, for if l had, l knew how
Jealous he would have turned direct. !


! should think we had done this
about a month; and all through that
month there was ringing in my ears
tlt MOINS Ol = NOuan " no esilu OAI
loud on the second time We went up
"Ah, they'll do that nee too often
Suppose, 1 thought to myself we do
do it once too often! But then
there came the thought of the
money, and that drove away great
deal of my timidity. as I told my
self that a man might play such an
tics for his whole life and never fail. /
Well, as I said, we had beea doing
it about a month, when one evening
we took our places as usual Il was
an extra night. and the largest bal
loon was 10 ascend; our rope, too, [
was to be heightened TO thirty feet, /
and at that distance below the car
we were to swing about Us usual.


Yeu may say we ought to have
been used to it bv this time; there
are things, though, which YOU never I
do get used to, try how you will, and
this was one of them.


The bands were playing away
their best; the people were eagerly