omplete that the
coughing of one of the patient ponies on the outskirts of the crowd was
plainly audible.

Those in the secret were silent, in ecstasies of admiration. The
children kept still because they had been told to--whatever they saw.
Those not instructed were mute with amazement--a sort of creeping awe.

Most of the audience had seen Minnie that afternoon in the tent-show,
her slender girlish form clad in spangled gauze, her delicate blonde
prettiness enhanced by the attire, doing her trapeze act. She had then
moved with the lithe grace of a young deer; her face had been all eager
animation. What sort of thing was this, that seemed to advance along the
wire as though it were on casters--that was never seen to take a step?
What face was this, strange, staring, immobile as a face carved in wood?

"Gee!" murmured one of the X Q K boys, who had come in late and was
uninformed. "Gee, I ain't been a-drinkin' a thing--what in the name o'
pity ails that gal!"

"Great Scott; she gives me the mauley-grubs! Ugh!" and his companion
shivered. But save for these murmured comments, the crowd was intensely
still.

Suddenly, about the middle of the street, Columbia's forward movement
slackened, checked altogether. This was not unexpected, for midway the
rockets fastened about her waist, and upon her crown were to be
discharged. The manner in which these latter went off brought shrieks
and groans from the crowd below. They fizzed up into Columbia's face,
they burned against her bodice, they struck her arms. "Oh! oh! Poor
soul! she'll have her eyes put out! She'll be killed!" cried a woman's
voice from the street.

"I might 'a' known better than to trust that fool Gilbert with them
fireworks," groaned old Frosty. "That there girl is worth more'n a
hundred dollars a month to me. If I was to take her East I could hire
her out for two hundred, easy, an' here she's likely to get all crippled
up, so's't she won't never be no account."

Columbia was the only personage unmoved by all the fiery demonstrations;
she stood rigid, looking strangely massive and tall, till the last
rocket had spent itself. Then her progress began again with a sort of
jerk. A shudder went over her frame, the pole wavered in her
hands--those hands that seemed so limp and lifeless--she tottered, made
a violent movement with her head, then swayed out sidewise and
fell--holding the pole tight in her hands!

And the strangest sound went up from that big ass