THE ROMANCE OF “BELLA ROARER.”

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 10

THE ROMANCE OF “BELLA ROARER.”

(By Peggy Webiing.) )

" Houp-la A crack from the ring-master’s whip, * crashing chord from the band, and a black Horse, with a sparkling saddlecloth, cantered into the arena, followed by Lorenzo Ganz, dressed as a jockey m crimson and pale canary. As he pulled off his cap, with a smile showing the big white teeth, it was seen that nis glossy dark hair was arranged in a Hat wave on the left side of the toreheacl; his skin was sallow but clear; his thin moustache was waxed into a tiny ring at each end; and his eyes were large and bright, rather like those of a startled horse.

Lorenzo Ganz, already well-known m the inner ring of the show world, was only 20, and as he leapt on to his horse’s back, and stood with arms outspread and one toe pointed, he looked the perfection of strength, youth, and training. Behind the shabby curtains that hung at the entrance to the arena, crouching down to peep through the zigzag tearfrightened, fascinated—stood La Belle Aurora. A little cypher of fourteen; flaxen-haired, pinched-nosed, bony child, one of a troupe of acrobats known to the public as the Gaiety Family, consisting of Gaiety himself, a man with as flat a curl and as bland a smile as Lorenzo Ganz, but with no suggestion of a bright, glancing spirit such as shone in the boy’s eyes; Gaiety’s wife, a couple of boys, and La Belle Aurora—always pronounced " Bella Koarer.”

Bella was an orphan and an apprentice of Gaiety’s. Her past ten years were 3 drowned in tears, for Gaiety was a hard taskmaster, and the hungry-eyed child had been taught to turn “ flip-flaps” neatly and walk on her hands, but little else. She was quite unconscious of her' cwn misery; hitherto all her experience of life commenced and ended in the work of the Gaiety Family’s “ act.” But the world had suddenly changed. She was watching Lorenzo Ganz with speechless admiration. She had seen daring riders often enough; she had seen many a jockey’s “act;” but there was something about Lorenzo that made her tremble with excitement. He was so wonderfully handsome. His smile was so very beautiful. y Hella Koarer was only fourteen; she would never have dreamed of speaking to Lorenzo, or considering herself for a moment as his equal, because they both threw dust into the public's eyes from the same arena. So old and worldly-wise in her own little way, she looked at this very commonplace, but very graceful, young man with the strange, innocent devotion of' a neglected, sensitive, lonely child. Lorenzo lay along his horse’s flank with every strong muscle in repose.- Then he bounded to his feet and commenced to imitate the gestures of a jockey nearing home, swaying and bending with the canter of the horse, and glancing over one shoulder as if a whole field were gaining on him. Bella Koarer pressed the palms of her small bony hands together, and then steadily increased the size of the zigzag hole with one finger. She shrank back as the “stud groom,” in a shabby scarlet coat, darted into the ring with a large white paper hoop.

A toucli of the whip to his horse's neck, \ aud Lorenzo Ganz prepared for the flying leap through the hoop which elided ins j “unrivalled equestrian act.” Tess! He burst through the paper, waved his handa wildly as he landed several inches too | near his horse’s tail, bent half double to try and regain his balance, but failed. Bella Itoarer gave a frightened scream; the ring-master rapped out an oath; there was a little cloud of dust and Lorenzo Ganz was struggling to his feet, with a face as white as chalk and a broken kneecap. “My Lord! What a nasty spill!” he' gasped, as they helped aim through thS i curtain at the side of the arena, and put- ! ting out his hand it fell on the shoulder of Bella Itoarer. 1 She staggered under his weight, as he unconsciously gripped her arm till it 1 seemed to sting and deaden, but her face flushed with pride and pity. j “If you please, sir, buck up!" she whispered, mingling respect and encouragement in one speech. “ Now then, you get out o’ this sharp!” said Gaiety to Bella, pushing his way through the small throng which sur- 1 rounded the disabled jockey, but Lorenzo held her back, and putting one finger under her chin turned up her face till their eyes met. “What’s your name?’’ lie asked. “ Bella Itoarer.” ! “Bella—wot?” i

“Name her father gave her—old .loe Daly— Belle Aurora—break o’ day—bally rotf” explained Gaiety in one sentence. “Poor little kid! What’s the matter?” Lorenzo’s voice was so kind; his clear, bright eyes drawn together with pain, looked so gently into hers, that Bella Roarer, after staring at her hero in utter bewilderment, burst into tears and quivered from head to foot like a wounded bird.

“I shall never earn my bread an’ salt. It’s a pity I don’t break my neck,” she exclaimed, repeating Gaiety’s favourite encouragement to his pupils. “Poor little kid!” said Lorenzo again. "You stick to your work. I’ve seen you. You may be able to do an ‘act’ with me some day.” Her passionate crying gave way to a few struggling sobs. The kind, but vague words—Lorenzo could think of nothing else to say—went straight to her heart. She watched him limp away to his dress-ing-room. She was too frightened of Gaiety to follow, but from that hour Bella Roarer loved Lorenzo Ganz as she had never before loved any soul in the world.

The time and scene were changed. Of the Gaiety family only Gaiety himself, his wife, and La Belle Aurora remained. Bella evolved into “ the most marvellous arti-te ever witnessed on the bounding wire,” had grown, during five years of the hardest work and continual practice into a lithe, graceful girl, with .the same worn, hungry look in her colourless face; the same shrinking, bitter dread of the two people who were the only “friends” she knew; the same childish belief m their unjust authority. She had seon nothing of Lorenzo Ganz for five years, but now the day had come, as it was bound to come sooner or later, when they were again engaged in the same circus.

Lorenzo had changed with the times He was prosperous, popular, and the owner of half a dozen beautiful horses. The .promise of youth was not unfulfilled in his manhood, liis eyes were as bright and as his skin as clear as of old; a little slower of speech was Lorenzo Ganz; a little heavier in the saddle, but with added strength and grace m every inch of his muscular body. Bella Roarer, with a long, brown holland wrapper over her airy costume, stood and peeped through the curtains at the entrance of the arena She thought of their.first meeting. Who saw how beautifully and daringly lie roue; she knew that there were few men with brighter prospects in the world of the ring. He was still—he would always he—the unattainable, the great, the wonderful.

Suddenly, as the applause broke out and Lorenzo gave the old, self-satisfied, beaming smile and bounded towards his exit, a heavy hand fell oil Bella Roarer’s right arm, and she was twisted so viclentiv round that her old wrapper slipped oil her shoulders, and Gaiety himself shook her like a rat.

IV hat d’yer mean, sneaking out before eMt 6 wanted? I said if I caught you

Force of habit made him sink his voice a little as Lorenzo and the ring-master came through the curtains, but force of habit also made him swear at Bella Itoarer and shake her again. „ Q S , UI I I gripping her slender arm in his big red hand he lifted the other, with an fore U lnvn m ’-R mstantl y cowered beam? 1 . \ ler eyes met Lorenzo’s, shm,bi er B’lllntolerable 8 ’ 11 lntolerable shame that he should see this, rushed over her. Her G??oi-,^ eS ® asked > she tore her arm from head ty J i ru g T P ; 1 a * d growing back her a '4y lijfjsa w ds cieuciied ’ ieaped of L reS 6 S n6Ve a for?ot that gesture aud srmm f tho , wakened pride n „ l • coin in. those wide open eyes the Parted bps, the panting breath. „, .y llß , l J’ou let me alone,” cried the eirl —S* P her in 1 blauk wnmqx * , not a kid now-—l’m a Don't let him° me! ye^sTfor^aslewe' t tho - child of five jointed sentence “ v° n 5 111 q , mck > d>scrnel to mo H?!], Ces * You re downright You heat m’/iuT 1 ; J i ou hnow you are! vr* to ! ou get It. I’m nof 1 °. d —1 H never iorI’ll never be ° f yoU any more-r-J ed-—Loriw—fl,mu i i \ . ujl > Mr Ganz Don’t hur t me?" hun touch me! The ?ingmaste o ,^ U n iOU for a fow minutes, heard over Gaiof,?? ry Z?‘ ce made itself Postulations of 1 I?& 8 - ° a , ths and the exgiven to tho band 1 7®? dS ’ £ si « ual was d °gs ran yelping ’into i°| UPe ° f P erfor ming te: ■ sKHF

voice could be plainly heard by the audience. ‘ J v

Bella Roarer, with all her courage gone crept into the narrow passage leading to her dressing-room. She dared not go in and face Mrs. Gaiety She dared not think of the misery of the future after such rebellion as this.

She laid her cheek against the wall and shivered from head to foot. Her head drooped. She wrapped an end of her rainbow-colured sash round her arm that was bruised by Gaiety’s grasp. Lorenzo Ganz, who’ had not. uttered a' single word during the disturbance near i the arena, watched her for a few minutes : ■without her seeing him. Then he took his satin cap and riding whip in one hand I and stepping forward, rested the other above lier head on the wall, and stooped down. j

Come, don’t you cry! I’ve made up my mind to let you help me iu my ‘ act.’ Icu shall have all sorts o’ things girls like. Don’t cry.” Bella Roarer looked up at him simply and wonderingiy. ' ' A\ liat do you mean?” she asked, ‘‘helo you in your ‘‘act.’ How can I?” <t “ Y°u shall learn,” said Lorenzo Ganz. M ill you come with me instead of that Gaiety gang?? I’ll take care of vou, Bella, you poor little thing.” He lifted the flimsy rainbow sasli off her dress, held it for a minute, aud let it drop frem his hand. Then lie looked into her troubled eyes and waited for the reply. “ I wouldn’t go with you unless you mean to—l can’t go unless ” Lorenzo Ganz put bis finger lightly under her chin, as he had done'when she was a child, and turned her face to his. He answered the doubt in her eyes in direct and simple words, with great tenderness.

ff I mean that I want you to marry me—learn my business if you like, leave it alone if yon like but that’s what 1 mean.” So ended—and began—tho romance of Bella Roarer.