Show Daily Short Fiction Story I A SLENDER PATHWAY I By ALIOE ALICE NORTH Cop Copyright ht right 1013 b by the McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper raper Syndicate Not ot to live h in in a tent or sleeping car cu for or a week was to the acme of luxury To 0 be sure the chan change chano o was only to a little room just big enough to turn around in iii in a moderate hotel but tho the bed was tray stationary and clean In Li spi spite te of her strenuous prof e sue aid id a ti tight tight rope act ct in in a circus circus- circus rad o had a strong stron sense of oC the homemaker homemaker home home- maker and even ou this room t showed the womanly touch A clean dresser scarf lay lar ay over o the pine bureau and ou on it ill in neat icat an array ay the celluloid toilet set which Louis jouis tho the clown had hall hallen given en her on her last ast birthday a pin cushion of red rell and anda a red leather frame framo From ironi the frame a picture of a clean can cut Irish lad looked booked out He lIe was wall dressed in a flannel shirt and loose flowing ti tie UP On one ono corner of the bureau stood fad Iad es e's e A workboX also aho of red rod A A stitch in iu time she observed observe musingly as is she aho picked out a s spool t p ool of or red sal silK ill from the box and critically matched j it t a against a dainty Jair i air of rod Toe silk Milk tights she she- held in 10 her ber hand and Then drawing drawing draw draw- ing in ing a chair she b sat ut down lown beside the window tho the sill of which was on a level with her shoulder and commenced hOT her lor darning Tier Her vagrant 1 thoughts bb fl flew lew hither an and thither to Louis and und the he time when they the should both leave o the tho ho circus circus' and b 1 buy a farm among her hor beloved od Onondaga hills and to the he past last Only last evening she and md Louis Louis' had bad fi figured t that this would b be their last summer eummer season sealon with tho the show how and auel that next spring they could marry and buy huy their thir heart hearts hearths 8 desire Madge e wondered if Jf either cither one ODe would ever feel a lon longing ing to return to the tho sawdust main again She thought hou ht not for her ber comin coming into Juto it H had hind hadnot hadnot not been of her own selection s Reminiscences of her carl early childhood pitted her mind minel like mo in pic- pic pictures I across moving pic pictures rico tures before her eyes She was wall n a Ii little tIe girl dirl irl of S at home with three brothers J liven Jen ven en then she had been noted for or her and wonderful balancing powers Her brothers older than herself her her- self had always been her playmates and she he had followed owed them in all t their cir games In spite pite of the May sunshine Hitting fitting into the room Madre II flo shivered as she thon ht of that awful Sunday when for t the e first Brat timo in the county's s history a 11 tornado had swept over tho the vicinity of her fa fathers father's 5 farm It struck houses at random d destroying one a sparing perhaps perhaps per per- haps the one next to it it et it had bad gone gUile for it lasted only a possible minutes Madge remembered the awful destruction Their homp suffered lit little tI t. t but ou on lookin looking for tho the father of the fawn family he was found in the tho demolished stable whore where ho had hone gone one to fasten tho cow Her mother died shortly afterward from tho the shock tho the boys botI w were ro placed in inan in an nn orphan asylum asylum and the tho aunt who did bareback acts in a a. circus camo caIne and took her away awny When sho she found that I the tho ho child had bad acquired a very stron strong lit tIo combined with grace front Irom her hN French mother and steady nerves from her English rn father she soon had her doing acts in tho the show ring until now as M adamo Zella ZelIa she sno had bad made a namo name for herself Iad o was recalled to the present by her little nose involuntarily sniffing the tho air Hearing people moving around around and anel the opening had And the shutting butting o of doors she IlIa it meant fire For Foran Foran an un instant sho bo was terror stricken and md could not move mo then Ulen boun bounding ing to the thedoor thedoor thedoor door she opened it and as quickly shut it a again ain The hall hail was black with smoKe Rushing to to tho the window she sho climbed o onto to tho the chair and anel looked out A straight ht perpendicular brick wall the tho silo bido of the hotel hutel was what hat her eye traveled tra down upon Her room was wa too high for fot any Ja ladder der to roach and anal acro across to the tho nearest roof it was about a hundred d feet Wa Yas she sho to leave life 11 now non OW when tho farm nn and Louis' Louis love Jo seemed scorned so o near nead The tole telephone Bono bell ran raD rang violently violent and ana with trembling hands she sho took down tho the receiver r. r Madge cl Madge c are arc you jou th roi It wa was Mas Louis' Louis voice I I cannot get getto getto et to tu you 10 ou There is is only onh one chance I 1 have ha been beell on the tho roof o opposite ite your room There is ig a 1 dead wire loading leading in jour your window to to it it I Walk it Ill I'll bo hI on the other side sir I Ill tr try she called iller hark hack Then tho the firo fire broke tho mho connection How glad now non she was that her I suit Ruit had hai needed mewling mending and ind she he c chad i had brought it to her to-her h her r room wearing it there thero underneath ath her lon long hug cloak after last ni nights night's performance Quickly Quick ly Iy now no sho she threw off her hr rc red cotton cottonI I kimono mono and her neT night robe and aud drew on tho the red silk tights then the trunks and velvet jacket with the silver cr spangles Her der golden hair which had uc been n nhan han hanging n loosely down hot her back hack she trade mule into a II hasty hast knot sticking till in along a r t long shell hairpin into it Into her bosom she thrust Louis Louis' picture and her purl purse Then cJ climbing onto the chair she again looked out of or the window indo and for tho first time saw th the wire Until then Louis Louis' command to to walk alk it hall had cast no doubt 10 in her I mind but hut now a sudden fear seized her hor Could she do it 1 Could she bc I who had thousands of times thrilled spectators tors under t time the he Li big ca canvas can n nas as tent tnt by her daring do 10 this timing thing now which ll lh i m life liff or death Below Below- l her lr r the people looked 1 like lie a mass of solid black and opposite her bet was the tae roof loof Louts Louis bad had spoken of but be he was not there Then looking along the street sho she saw aw men hurry ing ins with long poles I ol s and oho sho intuitive c J ly b know knew that Louis Loui had told the tho people pea peo pt ale and bad had sent for tho the circus net Even on in the tho midst of pf her danger his quickness and forethought touched her lier and sho she determined for his sake eho sho o must do it The crackling of tho the flames outside out side her Iler door warned earned Madge that she must not wait for the tho net act Again Madge Iad e looked at tho the ma mass massof massof of people one mistake mi and amid she would be upon them Tho The old quotation look loo fl up and down flashed nero across s her consciousness causing her ber to turn her eyes to the blue canopy abo above e her as sho she stood straight as Jin an arrow on the narrow sill with a 3 fan for balan balance e clasped in ono hand band Her roving ro-ing life had not tended to make her religious but now as she gazed into space the spirit of the infinite seemed to encompass h her r and before putting Putting one ono foot on the wire she lilt a pra prayer prater er for help Then TheD resolving to forget that she be was not Dot in iu in a 3 circus tent she started The Tho of oC Sono will ill people nc never nc cr forget for Cor get ct that walk tho the little ret red figure I high above them then mO moving with perfect per per- ease case along that Blender pathway 3 the only music the tho hissing of fire engines engines engines en en- gines and anel the play plat of oC water The wind fanned the ribbons at her waist ai t I and shoulders causing them to float I behind her like scarlet winf wings As for lor Made Madge rl I c herself II site she Ie faltered once but Jool looking ing ahead of oC her hr she saw tho the one man man nian in all the time world for her Louis who had gained the roof ana was waiting for her Ho The taw saw her indecision and sprang to his foot feet and aud hc began doing tho clown act net which ho he did elid in ron conjunction junction ion with hers The men with him thought he be had gone mad mind and would have c restrained him hum but bin buthe he be pushed them ava away saying saving ain in an undertone Im Louis Louig the clown It 11 Itis Itis is the only way ww to p a her It was a a magic m name but hilt a R clown Hown in is is f far r different from front an Iri Irish h I lad el doin Join the sane same act ion in every en everyday tl day clothes slut But they let hint him l h have ihu i c chi hi hu his s way a Just hl t look at her pulling the wires shouted Louis in in hi his powerful pun t o oice ce That i 8 easy Ladies Lallie and gentlemen Mademoiselle lad mo Zella finest t tight fight ropo rope walker and wire puller in inthe in inthe inthe the world That's nothing I can walk anything when 1 I'm Im 01 tight Tho The playful bantering the th association association o ot i ideas relic relieved vet 11 l the tb fen tendon ajon Madge Ind e was under causing her to torget tor lor- get et that she was anywhere but in a circus Quickly she he knelt down and regained rp re re- re gained the balance she bad hac BO so nearly lost when she reached tho thin eu end cud i Louis started to clasp her in hie hi arms She waved him aside and turning so as to face faro the edge edgo of or tho the roof gave o o a her little prore professional bow and threw kisses to the ground round be bey low from front which 1 ran rang a 1 mighty might shout I whilo ln from time the w wins window ow sho she had bad just left leaped a tongue of or an angry r snarling flame |