Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 January 1892 — Christopher and the Fairy. [ARTICLE]

Christopher and the Fairy.

BY W. C. MORROW.

Centrepole Tom professed to know everything about all the distinguished people of the “profession” in all parts of Christendom, and likely he did know a great deal; for, in his humble capacity he had served many of them in divers’ countries, and, though a boastful man, he had never been detected in an inability to give trustworthy information. Ho, when it was announced with a great show of large type, that “Christopher and the Fairy” had just landed at San Francisco from an Australian steamer, under contract for the remainder of the season, there was much excitement and curiosity among the people of the circus, and Centrepole Tom was at once exploited for knowledge concerning them. “Hain't you ever heard of Christopher and the Fairy?” he tasked, pityingly; “well, that gits me. The Fairy’s the purtiest little trick on wheels, an’ the way she kin do the flying trapeze is something ’stonishing. No, I hain’t never seen her, but I know all about her. Every man-jack under the canvas went dead gone on her, but she never took no notice of any of ’em, and didn’t seem to care for nobody’s society but tho women's and that ornery, meusly old Christopher.” “Is Christopher her husband?” asked a long-legged young groom. “No!” th-ndered Tom, with so great veheni«ice that the young u\nn quailed, and dared-not ask any more questions. “Brother?” inquired one of the ring “supers.” “No!” yelled the veteran master of the centrepole-hoist; “ho ain’t her hu6bun, nor her brother, nor her uncle, nor hpr grandfather, norher cousin.” The head-hostler, as much a veteran as Centrepole Tom, and more modest and less theatrical than he, quietly said: “ No use making a fool of yourself and puttirtg on airs before these hero boys. I don’t know who Christopher is, an’ I ain’t ashamed to say so. Now, who is Christopher?” This was the supremo moment for which Centrepole Tom had waited. He squarod himself around, and, looking stoudily at the hoad-hostlor, said impressively aud with tho utmost deliberation: “Christopher is an elephant.” It was a small speech, but it was sometime after this before the two men became good friends again. There was a commotion all through the small army of circus people when Christopher and the Fairy arrived. They did not come to the tents for two or three days after landing, as it was rumored that Christopher had been seasick on the voyage across the Pacific and needed a little rest. When they did appear, however, they were cordially welcomed. The women of the circus found the Fairy (who in private life was known us Miss Camilla Armijo) to be a delightful girl, more substantial than a genuine fairy, to be sure, but hardly more so; for, although she was full-grown, she was so small and fragile that her professional name sat well upon her. There was a light touch of sadness in all her conduct, and Centrepole Tom explained this by saying that she had recently lost both her parents. How ho discovered this nobody ever could learn. But it was clear, at least, that sho was a very sweet and gentle little body, very young, and with no friend in San Francisco except old Christopher. I say “old Christopher” because it is impossible to associate anything but great ago with his enormous proportions and overwhelming dignity. He was an East Indian elephant of prodigious size. A more solemn and self-satisfied elephant it would have been impossible to hud. It was very pretty to see how solicitous was the Fairy of her immense charge. She saw that he had a sufficient allowance of fresh, sweet hay, and, from a bag which she carried, sho fed him some dainties which she had for that purpose and which he took in his lithe trunk with manifest tokens of gratitude. She patted his great jaWs and said kind things to him, and he took it all as a matter of Dourse, seeming to say, “I see nothing at all strange in tho affection and solicitude which this beautiful little Fuiry lavishes upon me; for am I not a very large and majestic elephant, and does she not know that I love her better than does any one else in all the world?” And it was pretty to see how gently she bade him good-by until the evening performance, which would begin in two hours from that time. There was a far greater crowd than usual at the performance that evening, for the flaming public announcements of Christopher and the Fairy had borne profitable fruit. Not only were the seats packed up all tho way to the eaves, but rows of extra seats had been provided on the level ground fucing the ring. Several acts were done before tho manager announced the new performer, which he did in the following graceful manner: “Ladies and gentlemen; I now have the pleasure to introduce to you the most celebrated performers of Her Majesty's Australian colonies —Christopher and the Fairy. You will see for yourselves that Christopher is the largest and most powerful elephant in captivity, and that the Fairy justly deserves her reputation for being the most graceful and daring fly-ing-trapeze performer in the world. The performances of these two renowned individuals will consist in ground acts in which they both take part, followed by the flying-trapeze net done by the Fairy alone, Christopher meanwhile standing below and looking on, at the same time giving signals to the Fairy and otherwise encouraging her in her daring and perilous performance high in the air.” When he had finished, the elephant came slowly walking out, und theroupon rose a mighty shout of applause and a great clapping of hands. Sitting on the massive shoulders of the enormous brute was Fairy, glittering with spangles She was so small, and fragile, and dainty, and Christopher was so overwhelming, and majestic, and stern, that the strange

picture caught the audience with sweeping force, aud the applause became deafening. Christopher calmly marched into the ring and proceeded deliberately around it, the Fairy meanwhile guiding him -with gentle hand-pressure on one side of his neck or the other, while with the other hand she threw kisses to the audience. Her bare, dimpled arms and smiling, dimpled cheeks, her rosy mouth, her large black eyes, and curling black hair in which diamonds shone, won ovenheart for her in that immense crowd; for so much sweetness and grs?e and daintiness they hud never seen all as once in a circus-ring before. T'-o circuit of the ring completed, tho elephant stopped und listened gravely to the sorry jokes of the cloWn. 110 had heard them before and was not to be amused. The Fairy bounded to her feet on the groat animat’s hack, and there found room for some entertaining tricks of agility. Then sho gavo him a tap with her slippered little f->ot. and, in response, he brought his long trunk around, caught her by the waist, and set her gently on tho ground. This mudo the audience applaud until the Fairy was almost deaf. Other things, some old and some new, were done By the two, such as his walking over her, stepping over so carefully, as she lay on the ground; recovering her handkerchief from the clown, who had stolen it and hidden it in his blouse; throwing her high in the air and stepping forward in time to have her alight nimbly on his back; and things like that. Then came her act on the flying-trapeze. To prepare for this tho clown fetched her a flag, which she gave to Christopher to hold in his trunk. Thou the clown threw a tupe over a trapeze hung high in the air, and, with a few parting caresses and whispered words to Christopher, she sprang to the tape and climbed it like a squirrel. Sho sat a moment on tho trapeze bar and then glanced down at Christopher, who, sitting back on his haunches tho better to look so jiigh, was gravely watching her. The band had stopped playing. A clear, musical voice from above, dropping like pearls on the people below, called out: “How was that, Christophor ? ” The elephant waved tho flag and gravely nodded his approval. Then came the real work of the act—all sorts of agile turnings and graceful leaps from the mum bar to one hung higher still; and after every one of these feats, each more daring than its predecessor, she would call down in her musical, pearlp voice: “Was that all right, Christopher?” And Christopher would wave the flag and solemnly nod his approval, as much ns to say: “Of course it was all right; but we expect that from you, littlo fairy!” Finally came her greatest feat—it was to leap clear across the ring from one trapeze to another. She rested awhile, before undertaking it. and Christopher, knowing what was coming, braced himself, all his massive inusbles cles going on a tension, ns though trying to give her strength and alertness for tho dangerous task. Tho band pluyed a spirited air whße the girl sat still on tho bar; then tho music ceased, and a deep hush fell on the audienco. The fairy caught the bar in her hands and swung underneath it, and her clear voice rang out again: “Keep a sharp eye, old Christopher!” Tho elephant nodded and waved his flag, but with less stateliness than before. The Fairy began to swing backward and forward in the direction of tho distant trapeze, which she was to catch after her flight through the air. Further and further did she swing, higher und higher, back and forth, her glittering spangles looking like a shower of meteors. A ringing voico criod out; “Now we go, Christophor!” and she loosed her hold and wont flying away across the tout, higher and higher, to tho apex of a gracoful parabolic curve, then down towards the trapeze, still so far away, while the people held their breath, and many closod their eyes. Down suilod tho small and graceful figure, corning quickly closer to tho goal; two eager hands wero outstroched to seize tho bar; one hand touched it and clutched it desperately, but tho othor missed its aim. The momentum sent her far beyond, hut sho srtll held the bar with one hand, aud tho ropes which held it creaked as the strain came upon them. A hold with one hand was not enough, und the Fairy had no time to bring tho other to bear w-hen the bar found the end of its tether. The small hand slipped, and the girl went toward the ground. A suppressed cry of horror rose from the audience as the frail little body struck the ground at the entrance to tho wait-ing-room, falling with a heavy, cruel sound that went into every heart in that vast assemblage and that made tho strongest men shudder and groan and cover their faces. She fell near the feet of Centrepole -Tom, who was standing behind the musicians, und ho was the first to approach her. He straightened the body and looked in the blanched face and widestaring eyes, and silently prayed for oven a moan from tho silent, white lips. The audience rose in an uproar, and thousands pressed forward to see the poor, limp body on the ground. But instantly there was a commotion from another cause; Christopher had seen the catastrophe, and ho claimed the first right-of way and tho privileges of u friend. Ho came toward the packed mass of humanity with a roar that sent te/ror abroad, hundreds flying from his path. Others coufe not escape so easily, and of these, some he flung right and left with his trunk, and others were pa’cked closer on either side by the interposition of his enormous bulk. Soon he reached the side of tho Fairy, lying so white and still, and he dropped to his knees beside her and groaned and caressed her with his trunk. Gentle hands were trying to find some life in the frail, crushed body when ho came, but all fell back on his terrible approach—all except Centrepole Tom, who feared not even the wrath of the giant Christopher. Tho elephant accepted his presence, seeing kindness in it. Centrepole’s heart beat violently as he saw a faint movemont of the chest, and he nearly choked with joy when he beheld the lips move and the eyes close nod then open again. Some one brought water, with which he sprinkled her face. This did much good, for she gasped and then sighed. “She is coming to!” cried Centrepole Tom. And surely she was; for, with returning life, came evidence of suffering, and deep lines of pain formed about her mouth and eyes. Christopher noticed it, for he fanned her more vigorously with his great ears. Consciousness came slowly back, and, when it had returned, the first thing tho Fairy saw was her old friend Christopher kneeling beside her. “Poor, old Christopher!” she said, very faintly; and then, with great difficulty, she raised her hand aud gently caressed his rough old face. “Poor Christophor! It will break your old heart to r.ee me die. . . . You have loved me, Christopher. . . . But they’ll be good to

you.” Tears tricklod down her cheeks, the hard lines deepened, the poor face became more pinched aud drawn, the beautiful eyes wandered vacantly and then closed and the Fairy passed into unconsciousness again. A physician now came and knelt beside her, and, after he had examined her as well as he could, lie said; “She is desperately hurt, but she is young and is still alive. You must take her at once to a house, where I may care for her properly.” They gently picked her up, and, as they did so, a moan escaped her. This roused the elephant, already dazed by what had happened. He began clumsily rising to his feet watching them as they bore her away, and was evidently determined to follow. Seeing this, Centrepole Tom, who hold the light body in his arms, hurried away, and almost ran to a small hotel not far distant. He took the Fairy within and laid her on a bed which they showed him in a rear room on the ground floor. But Christopher had not lost sight of him, in spite of the crowd; and those without, seeing Christopher's intention of keeping close to his friend, and knowing it was impossible, sought to stay him. They shouted to him and tried to drive him back, but he noticed them not at all. They threw boxes and chairs in his way, but he tossed them aside. A carriage, which stood in his way, was crushed. Christopher seemed to think that, as his friend was among strangers, she was among enemies, and needed his protection. He would not give her up. The situation was desperate. Men counseled shooting him, but how could a pistol-bullet find a vital spot in his enormous body? Besides, he was already maddened by the opposition he had encountered and further tormenting might lead to dire results. Before anything could be done, before any plan could be matured, he had reached the house. The door was closed and locked before him, and furniture was piled behind it; but with his massive head lowered, he went straight against it, and everything was crushed before his advance. Once in the house, he stopped and listened for the sound of her voice. He heard faint moans, and mistook the direction whence they came, for he started straight for the wide staircase leading to the upper floor. Up the stairs he began a laborious ascent, the helpless crowd standing in motionless dismay. Up he toiled, roaring terribly at intervals. The wooden stairs creaked and groaned under his tremendous weight. The plastering near them began to fall, timbers were sprung aud wrenched from their fastenings, and the whole house quivered. The catastrophe came at last. Just before Christopher reached the top, the whole staircase came down with a frightful crash, and the gigantic animal fell headlong to the floor, which he crushed, and splintered. A mighty groan escaped him, for the fall had done him desperate hurt. He struggled and floundered in the mass I of wrecked timbers, and finally, after a supreme attempt, he staggered to his feet. With a stupendous effort he steadied himself on his tottering legs, and, dazed aud shattered, began anew his search for the Fairy. But he did not have to go any further. Centrepole Tom, followed by the physician, came forward, hearing a small, dainty burden in his arms, which he laid gently on a table close to Christopher; and the tears which trickled down Centropole's grizzly beard told anew the old, old story, as old as human suffering and sympathy, “It will quiet him,” explained Centropole Tom to the few people who had ventured near; “and nothing can hurt her now.” Christopher eagerly regarded his companion, lying so white and quiet and beautiful, and then he caressed her cold face and hands. Perhaps he understood that it was all over with her, and that with her had gone all that the world held of brightness for him; and besides that his fall had grievously hurt him. He gazed at her and his,head sank lowor and lower. The fury had all left him, and, crushed both in spirit and body, he stood a towering, tottering wreck. Not a sound escaped him. His great body heaved painfully with his slow breathing, and swayed from side to side. A little later he sunk to his knees, and then he lay down, and with a groan he died. On the western slope of Laurel Hill Cemetery, facing the grand Pacific and the glories of the setting sun, and standing watch over the Golden Gate,.through which the great white ships sail to the kingdoms far over the seas, stands a granite monument, marking a very large grave and a small one; and it bears only this simple line: “Christopher and the Fairy.” — [San Francisco Argonaut.