Story Of A Circus Woman

The drena woman who ruslies into the rin, boirs, catclies a strap with her teetli and is hauled to the top oí the tent, where she finda rest on n single swingino; trapeze bar, ha no sinecure. A New Yoi'k Mail and Expres reporter interviewed one ol these queens of the air. She said: "The art of balan cing on a swint trapeze is more difficult than active gymnastiek. I oegan to acciistom myst'lf to the circus tin j at 7 years o: ace. At 7 I could turn handsprings. My mother is a slaelc-wire walker, and her ambition was to have me follow in lier footstepi, so to speak. Soinehow I had an antipathy to the eiack-wire, but gradually I wa brouaht to the balance on it. At the ase of 10 I could do a ittle walking on the wi e, but I aiways kept the virr swinging to and fro. In a few years more I could do anythlug on theslack wire, and grew ambitious to periorm other f acts. I was bet ween 17 and IS years oíd when I first ascended to a high trapezo bar, A network was ppread nnder to catch me if I fe',1. Th moro I looked below the more certam I became that I could ntver pet used to the hieh trapeze. My instructor shonted up to me not to look down at aH, but to keep my yes íastened upon the ropes that supported the trapeze bar. ] should have known that before because in batancing on the slack-nire I always kept my eyes on a levfl in front of me. I obeyed orders, and began totry whatis known as thesimple balancö position. I slipped and whei'led tlirough the air to the nettins below. 1 wanted to t;ive it up then. All iny ambition seemed to OOZ8 out of me. But I was made to uo riuht up again and try it over. That aneied me and I became reckless. 1 sacceeded admirably. Day afterday I would go up and work four or five hours steadily. Dd I ever faü? Yes, once: but, fortnnately, I had the network to catch me. IIow did I (all? I was enpased to be married to an acrobat. and rider and in a fooüsh moment 1 turned my eyes down to the ring to see hini and, losinü my balance, before I could prasp the rope I tuinbled off cery prace'ully and feil in a heap on the network below. I am married now, so I see enouh o( my huband without looking at kim wbile I ucr form."