Then, to Cécile’s astonishment, the man turned a somersault in the air and landed smoothly on the back of the horse! As the man flipped upward, the only noise was the faint sound of the horse’s pounding hooves. The sounds of shuffling bodies and whispered chatter fell away. She felt alone, as if the crowd had disappeared and there was no one but her watching the scene unfolding on the stage far below. Then, without warning, he was sailing through the air.Ĭécile grabbed her throat. He balanced there on the galloping horse, his knees bent. Suddenly he vaulted upward and planted his feet on the horse’s back. And then there was the finale.Ĭécile watched a white horse thunder around the huge ring. A real band, dressed in bright red uniforms with gold braid and shiny buttons, played lively songs to accompany every act. Clowns mimed, pranced, and had the audience laughing. The animals stood on their hind legs, jumped through hoops, and danced, and even the most ferocious appeared tame.

The jugglers threw rings and clubs high in the air and to each other without ever dropping anything. The circus acts were so exhilarating! The acrobats flipped and tumbled. Cécile turned back, pinning her eyes to the man dancing on the wire, as if by force of will she could catch him if he fell. She glanced quickly at her friend, Monette Bruiller, and wondered if Monette was experiencing the same strange mix of feelings she was-scared to look, but wanting to see it all. “Good heavens.”Ĭécile had never seen anything so thrilling in her eleven-year-old life. The man teetering on the tightrope swayed too far to the right. Cécile was squeezing her fists so tight, her nails created indentations in her palms. She could feel perspiration slipping down her face, even though the gas lamps on the ornate walls of the Floating Palace showboat gave out little warmth to dispel the night’s chill. Or, click on the name when it first appears in the story.Ĭécile Rey’s heart pounded in her chest, louder than a blacksmith’s hammer. For help pronouncing French names, go here. You'll see some French names in this book. In 1854, many people and places in New Orleans had French names.

The Cameo Necklace by Evelyn Coleman