Page 2 Advertisements Column 1

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 121, 12 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

Sale of RIVE'S Bankrupt Stock at Te ArO HOUSe, Cuba Street, Wellington, now protpeeilinA, t

TM&J.C&bMT'S BTORFJFACT. i h A Butrasiy aatimn of 'li, an I was travelling under the Bam management that fixes our rout ) thi -Mason. Our company consist d c thirty-four performers, besides th ahowV*' ii' v «tnr J - > feom.pany w is Yankee, whose professional : tarn wa6_Montelle, a_maa about ffift; yearwSfl^jajaS'iftiejfrsater number o his years had "Been spent under th tent. His wife, a woman of forty five, and daughter, 7 a beautiful! sh] of a girl seventeen years old, travelle* with him. Montelle and his jjwifi < npr^|feinafl&ble\rop@CEmcers,<an< ivie dauj^ii^.a daring equestri* one They were nice quiet people, 4 evo tedly attached to each other, jam beloved and respected by all th< little community in which thei) ' lo was cast ' 43Q8Sv) ttTHt oro * jjooftcd ior ? xCic Janeiro the following week. Sonielle's wife sickened and died, fane was buried on a Saturday morning in San Paulo. The next Moi daj we were in Eio Janeiro. < "It was our custom to git a a short pubiic performance, which :on«sted fand tra >ezc 'and previous to the regular performance under canvas. This part off the routine was committed to Mon elle and myself, he doing the rope-w ilking and I the trapeze act, o i a trapeze, swung. v from the centre oi his wiiex^p^. ; i : .; < " One of the feats which Mon|elle performed in public was wheejLing his daughter across the wire m a -wheelbarrow — a difficult task w|iea one considers the mental strain 6n a man wio has the life of his dearest treasure depending upon his airill, and steadiness of his nerve, and? the rigidity of his muscles. I dreaded to see Montelle undertake it that day, because his nerves were already unstrung by grief over the loss of his: wife, but his reputation Jhad gone before him, and was at stake. We had been advertised in 'this speciality, and the people expected it. "Mbritelle had dreaded the ordeal as - well as I, for T noticed thai his sinewy hands were yellow and moist, and there^was just the faintest Suggestion of a tremor as'he raised a glasjs of iced lembnadpfto his li] is at a ainoer of which 'he could scarcely taste. Stella, his daughter, trh'o was to place her life in his keej irigf was resting in her room, preparatory to the ordeaL . Canvas-men in the «mploy of the management were " The widest W&%d the ojh that gives frontagf WHthe gTBatMl number of public iwlßo Janeiro, is the Bua Direita (straight street) and across this the wire was stretched from the Opera House "*r>posite, to the roof of the hotel in >^iuch -we were stopping. My trapeze was fastened as usual in the ■jMmlft^fjhefrire, and the perfor^ /'I waßlyinig'.QjpL',infi;bed i j in Moni teHe's room, ready dressed iw- my part in the performance, whil^ he fvaa dressing. He was a magnificent feDow, and Ms fif^ty y ears had brought hint riot a single'grey hair. He was » temperote be in iiis business),' and the muscleH fliat became rigid with ejacj. .n^oveirient of Bis aims, shpuJdfers,' and legs were ; os hard as" wood. , ; \| ■' ,: ; ..^ " He looked put of the window on ■Qxs surging crowd i» front of the hotel in the street below- The. day .was cloudy aid ..tinieatened rain. v The hour was near at hand, and the worthy p6puli» /the majority of which were negroH' anil Spaniards, fearful of a drenching, .were impatient of the 'delay. . ."■ "'listen to that clamour,', he said, .while a look of impatieni disgust overspread his grieved face. •They are impatient to see us risk our lives to amuse them.- And if one of us should fall andbreak Lis neck they would speak 'ofit for years as a rare sight, anS their /grandchildren would relate with pride that their grandfather had seen a. circusman fall from his rope and killed. The spectacle they anticipate' so eagerly makes me feel as though I ' was walking to execution.' ■ ' . "He spoke bitterjy, and I saw he • was unnerved. My heart leaped to my mouth. I was beginning to feel the strain myself. . . - , .. "'This won't do, Mbntelle,' I said, arising. 'As long as you are obliged to walk, do it gracefully, and comphun when you have finished. I don't want to work to-day, myself, but I must ; that is part of my contract.' "I dared not excite "him. I rubbed his head, face and shoulders thoroughly with bay-rum, and he felt refreshed. As he stood ready, his daughter knocked' at the door. I opened it, and she "walked into the room ready dressed for her part. "' All is ready; father,' she saidj * and it is but fifteen minutes to one. We had better, appear on the roof. : . "Very, beautiful she looked, bui her face was pale, andiher larg< dark eyes, had an unnatural brilliancy. He took her in his arms one kissed her. .. : -. • s.■.■ : . . " ' How,are you serves, SteUa ?' <" like steel,' .she answered. ! , ".« And mine.?^', he ; cried, walking .to the wa&hstancfand filling a glast of water. 'Look here!' . ; . " The ghiss was: filled so that the , water rounded ; oyer the; top. H< raised; it, and held it at arm's leagtl , ior.a minute. .. ; , ( . ■ " The water did not tremble* ' " Then he .sat ■ the .- . gkss . dowi > without spilling^ ft drop. The am of a jnarble stature might have' hel< the glass as Montelle y e magnificen muscles had: done it. My arm wai unequal to the task. i , ..'i '.You see, my nerves are lik< : yours, my darling. We,willastoni6l them to-day.' „.••..; i:ii : ,-,.■.< . "'Yeß,',shejeried:inringingtoneß r «;we willr^o-^y /:■' J will be bockii ; a moment.' „ , i' •_,, .ff Her words ,l^erfiiprophetie. Shi . ranback to her roomi .. * :■-..■.- - -., "fjack,' said Montelle, i gravely to jne, ' lam about to undertake thi . «eatost task of my whole: business i YonhflSre seen thktjny nerv.es ar steady. But I am not myself, ani the wire is fifty feet high, and thi howling mob below. I want th rope as steady as possible.'. "With the aid of half a dozei