Beadle's Dime Library No. 236 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

22 Champion Sam. at the helper, and studiously avoided him; while even Harry Cola never exchanged a word with him, beyond the official ‘‘ Ready!” and ‘‘Go!” when the catapult was wound up; and Cola stood by the machine then, his eyes fixed on Harry and Samuels, alternately, as if trying to detect anv symptoms of an understanding that might exist between them. During the day the helper never saw them, and suspicion lurked in every glance of Cola; ee showman’s suspicion of a rival in his own ne. Stevens came in for a share of tbis same sus- picion, as he soon told his friend. “Bammy, my boy,” he said one day, when they were alone, ‘‘ he’s beginnin’ to drop on us, I've see’d him, a-smellin’ round the show like a old tarrier at a rat-hole. He’s be’n axin’ all sorte of questions and found out that me and you's ogeinee most of the time. I think he’s a-droppin’ on us,” “Do you think he’s certain?” asked Samuels, a singular light in his brown eyes. me ’% know, boy. Think he’s a-puttin’ things together, but he aes certain.” ** Does he suspect t ting part oe old 4 re cae? 7 i ** No, no, Sammy. ot so green as that, boy, Iain’t. He thinks you’re a big lummox; jest what we want him to think. Lordy it’ he knowed what you really is, he’d run all the way to the North Pole to git rid of ye.” ‘*T think you’re wrong,” said Samuels quietly. ‘Wrong?’ echoed Stevens irritably. ‘‘ Me I don’t know nothen’, boy.” Samuels smiled. “ Don’t besotouchy. I didn’t mean anything of the sort.” ‘*Then what do ye mean?” ‘*T mean that you’re mistaken on one point. He’ll fight till he finds he’s worsted. Ho thinks he knows a good deal, and that his blowis a dead secret with himself. I believe be would face the champion in a bar-room, such is his confidence in his own powers.” Stevens looked doubtful. ‘“Mebbe so. I ain’t sayin’ you mayn’t be right, boy; but I don’t believe he'll stick,” ** And I’m go sure of it, that I’m going to try and provoke him before we get home.” ‘How, boy; how?” said the old man eagerly. * By exciting his jealousy.” ‘Jealousy? How?” ““T’ve noticed that he’s watched me like a cat gince the accident. He didn’t watch Jack Maiden, when he was sweet on Lily.” ‘“*Good reason why.” **T don’t see it.” “‘Don’t ye? I do.” ‘What reason?” “‘Jack was a darned fool, and every one knowed it in the show. Ye see the gal hain’t grieved much over him.” ‘No, I notice that,” thoughtfully. Stevens continued in his oracular way: “Wimmin is all alike, She warn’t sot on him as she thought, or she wouldn’t ha’ got over it so quick. I beerd her t’other day, singin’ like a lark—and she do sing pretty, boy. Gota voice jest like a bird. Ought to bein theopery, instead of walkin’a wire. But that ain’t neither here nor there. What I mean to say is this. She’s got over Jack entirely. Now Cola thinks she’s sot on you, maybe, and he’s skeered. He’s a-droppin’ on ye. He sees yeain’t sich adarned fool as you make out to be, and he’s skeered, fur fear ig might go arter her.” Samuels shook his head, ‘“‘Impossible. It’s a strange thing; but I don’t feel a single thrill when | touch her hand, though I know she’s prettier than Maggie. But when Mag offers her hand, and oe r head turned asit she despised mc, I feel a lump rising in my throat, and my heart beate like a trip- hammer, I love the girl, Steve, and I can’t bal it. That’s all there is about it.” Stevens bit his lips and seemed annoyed as he answered impatiently: ‘Well, what of it. It’s no use. Cola won’t give yea chance to see her. If he would I'd say go for her: find out all ye kin. But ’tain’t no use.” The conversation mapoed and the show pro- ceeded on its course, till, one morning, Mr. Cola did not come to rehearsal, and Harry dropped in hurriedly saying to Samuels im an agitated manner: “You'll have to attend to mart Sora at both shows. Gittu will give out that I’m rejoined Samuels sick. I’m going off with the governor. Back to-morrow, 1h See the girls home.” Then he went away, and Samuels noticed that there was was an air of subdued excite ment among all the employees of the show, as if they had heard something. The only exceptions were the Corinne girls, who came in to rehearsal as usual, free from all care, Lily coreey like a bird, Maggie quiet and sedate as usua Samuels noticed that little Pierrelli wore an unusuaily triumphant sneer on his face, and saw him sidle up to the girls in the midst of a group of ladies, _ The quiet helper immediately slouched cleser, just in time to hear Pierrelli say: ‘*Good-morning, young ladies. ’Appy to see ye. ’Ope there’s no ’ard feelings, now we're getting to the end of our journey?” Maggie favored him with a look of quiet scorn as she replied: : ‘‘Our feelings are the same that they always were, Mr. Pierrelli, You’re a member of this company, like ourselves, and we have always striven to behave like ladies. I hope you don’t think to the contrary.” Pierrelli grinned poopgeee G ‘*Oh, no; I don’tsay a word against you two. It’s a pretty fake you’re in. Of course, we art- ists don’t take much stock init, for there’s noth- ing in it, like there is in riding. But yer pa works it up well in the a grt and he’s one of ” the a this year. suppose you ’aven’t ’eard about the blow-up Lily pinched her sister’s arm and interrupted: ‘‘No, and we don’t care to from you. If you'll leave us alone, that’s all we ask, Mr. Pierrelli, unless you want another lesson.” She spoke hotly in her youthful impetuosity, and several people turned to look. Pierrelli grinned and answered patronizingly: ‘* Don’t be too fresh, Lil. No one cares what a kid like you says. You won’t be with this show next year any’ow. Jack Maiden knew what’e was about when ’e give ye the go-by—” He paused abruptly as a vise-like p fell on his shoulder, aia he looked up into the blas- ing eyes of Samuels, who said slowly: ‘1'm in charge of these ladies to-day. Keep a civil tongue in your head,” Pierrelli turned white, and faltered: ‘‘] didn’t mean no’arm. You take your ’and off me, or I'll report you at the hoffice. I ain’t your sort.” Samuels gave him a slight contemptuous push away, under which the little man stag- ered back several feet, the helper remarking as e shoved him: * You’re right; you’re not my sort.” Pierrelli turned scarlet at the titter which arose at his expense, shook his fist at the big man, and said angrily: ““V'll report you ter this—see if I don’t, you big bully. You wouldn’t dare, if I warn’t un- der your weight by seven stun and a ’arf.” He was turning to go away, when Samuels answered quietly: “You're right there, too, If you werea man of my weight, I’d have done something I can’t do now,” For the first time since he had been in the show, the big man had drop his usual slov- enly, ungrammatical form o «pai and more than one in the circle noticed it. As for Pierrelli, he strode off toward the of- fice, without bandyin further words, and Sam- uels went about his business as usual, till a messenger came to call him up to the dreaded presence of Mr. Newgate. He instantly resumed his slouching air, and proceeded to the office, where he found May and Newgate together. The treasurer told him curtly to sit down, and went on talking to May about some routine busin till the latter said: “All right. Ill attend to it. Now, abeut this man here. Is he the one Pierrelli came to complain about?” Newgate looked over his glasses at Samuels, who was drawing a pattern on the floor, as if oblivious of the presence he was in, and the old man muttered to his partner: ‘“Yes, Good man, too. Quiet as a lamb. Don’t see what’s roused him up.” Then he laughed slightly, and said: ‘* Samuels!” “¢ Sin’? The big man straightened up and looked at Nowgate with the eye of an equal, and May in- spected him pais ‘‘ What’s this I hear about your insulting Mr. Pierrellif’ asked Newgate. ‘‘ Don’t you know he gets ten times as much as you do? We can find plenty to fill your place, but he and bis wife are at the head of the profession. You're 4 fool to quarrel with him. Don’t you know it?” “‘T don’t know what the gentleman says I’ve been doing, sir,” said Samuels, mildly. ‘If I aeowod, “hs might ae ; ewga the desk sharply. **None of t ry You know as well as I do.” “* Please, sir, I know what happened, but I don’t know what he says happened,” was the composed reply. May smiled slightly, and muttered: ‘*Give him achance. He's no fool.” ‘* Newgate seemed to be mollified, for he com- municated the information. ‘*He says you seized him violently and nearly knocked him down for king to the Corinne girls in a perfectly oe emanly manner. What ave you got to say ‘Only this, sir. It ain’tso.” ““ What?’ demanded Newgate, lifting his brows. ‘‘ ete mean to charge Mr. Pierrelli with falsehood, young man?” May tilted back bis chair and watched the big S aaiigta ore cea i hould amuels shrug is shoulders, ‘If you want to hear what happened, sir, I'll tell you the truth.” “Speak on,” said Newgate, sternly. ‘“ Mind, I shall sift this thing to the bottom. I don’t al low fightersin this show. I’ve heard of you be- fore as having trouble with the animal men; se ee out, if you want to stay with us. on!’ Samuels listened impassively, and he answer- ed, Te? sen gs re ‘ Pll leave it to all the animal men, sir, if ?!m a fighter or not. As for Mr. Pierrelli, this is what happened: Mr. Cola has gone away, and Mr. Harry left the ladies for me to take care of. Pierrelli was talking to them, and he insulted Miss Lily—” ‘“What did he say?” interrupted May, nel ge Samuels stared at him, and then turned te Newgate, asking innocently: “Am I to answer this gentleman, sirf” Newgate bit his lip to hide a smile: ‘*Certainly. He's my partner, Mr, May.” Se hal eee eg ee ‘ pardon, sir. oug ou was advance, This is what he eaid.” He appeared to pause and reflect, and at last resumed: ‘* He told her she wouldn’t be in the show nem year, and that Jack Maiden knew what he was about when he gave her the go-by.” ‘* And what did you say?” asked May. **Told bim to keep a civil tongue in his nes, sir. Then he got mad because I had my han oe iecmpal i ‘esd ay jumped u y. *‘Show me bow ou put your hand on his shoulder, Samuels, that I may judge whether he had a right to get mad.” Samuels hesitated. ‘*T don’t like to, sir. You’rea penklernene’ “*Do as I tell you,” said May, sharply. Down came the giant’s hand on his shoulder, and May winced, though be was a wiry man, saying: ‘There, that’ll do. We'll take the rest some other time. Now tell me what he said next, af- ter he got mad.” Samuels smiled as he released the advance manage who rubbed his shoulder witha wry ace. ‘‘He told me he’d report me, and that I wouldn’t dare if he’d been my weight.” ‘* And what did you say?” ‘Told him if he had been my weight I'd have done more.” ‘‘ What did you mean by thatf” asked New- gate, sternly. “yt think, sir, I should have stood him on his head,” said Samuels, coolly. ‘‘Iain’t no fighter, sir, but ladies is ladies.” ‘That'll do,” interrupted the treasurer in his sternest tones. ‘‘ Now you just listen to me. The next time you get into trouble with Mr, Pierrelli you leave this show. These girls must take care of themselves. Now be off, and re- member what I say.” ‘* Yes, sir,” replied Samuels quietly, but not in the least abashed. “Good-day, sir, He walked off, and as soon as he was out of hearing the partners burst out laughing, and May said: ‘*He’sasstrongasahorse. What doeshedof” ‘* Attends to Cola’s catapuit and the gi wires. Don’t laugh, May. It won’t do to have any chives y. Wanna in the show, or all the women will getting up prize-fights to settle who’s the handsomest. hat’s that he said about J ack Maiden? Did you hear?” May told him the story, adding: ‘*T suppose Jack’s been falling his side of the story over the show, and this big fellow is jeal- ous for his girls. I don’t blame him, Newgate. They’re good, modest girls.” qemgare laughed sarcastically. ‘Bah, John! Nonsense! They’re only tight- wire girls. What are they to you? They must take care of themselves. How can a woman have any delicacy of feeling left when she has to show off in tights every day of her life? Don’t be sentimental, These show women are all the same, May made no answer but a sniff, and lighted a cigar, according to his invariable habit when he disagreed with any one. Newgate turned over his books and added, after awbile: ‘‘ Pierrelli must be pretty sure of his en ment, to boast before every one, That exp our friend’s abrupt Soper. Cola, I mean.” “Yes. He’s be find out that two horses must be harn close to be ridden in a sue- cessful manner,” replied May, dryly. ‘I could have saved him the journey. Ive got Hoopler’s nex What is iP asked Newgave, eageri ‘* What ewgate 3 May blew a clond of “moka, ; ‘‘ Partners, Hoopler, Tombs and Warren, Old man appoints treasurer. Show to be Pier- relli and wife, Towle, elephante, Bingo and the baby, Gtituppe’s beasts (without Gittuppe), all the Paris Show, and a whole army of supes for two rings and ee ‘‘ And where shall we be?” asked Newgate, in a tone of uneasiness. May laughed slightly. ‘‘T shall travel for my health. You'll back Gittuppe and lose money. Hoopler will last about four years. comes the smasb-up. Gomichoo Sjn(E)