CHAPTER X
A FIRST APPEARANCE
Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation. The jubilantstatement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
"I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, foras he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
"Twenty dollars?"
"Yes. Tell me how you fixed it."
"Why," answered Murdock with a cruel laugh, "you was laid off as one ofthe Benares Brothers up at the show on account of drinking, wasn't you?"
Daley moodily nodded his head.
"They put on Thacher in your place. You and him are probably the onlytwo men in the profession who can do the somersault trapeze act with oldBenares. That puts you out of a job, for you're no good single."
"I guess that is right. Thacher takes the bread out of my mouth, sinkhim!"
"You say, 'twenty dollars' if I fix Thacher so he can't act well,"declared Murdock in a cold-blooded way that made Andy shiver, "he won'tact for a spell after to-night, I'm thinking."
"Come to the point--what did you do?"
"Why, after doing their regular stunt on a separate trapeze, Thatchersomersaults and catches a bar swing from centre. He hangs by his kneesand Benares swings from aloft and catches his hands in his dive forlife. Well, the minute Thacher lands on the centre trapeze to-night downhe goes forty feet head-first. It's broken limbs or nothing, for I cutthe bar free first thing after the afternoon performance. It's held inplace now by only two little pieces of thread that a child's fingercould break."
"Um!" remarked Daley. "I guess I'll cut for it. They think I'm a hundredmiles away. It mustn't be known that I was this near the circus orthey'd suspect me. I presume they'll be wiring for me to come back now."
"Oh, sure. They won't suspect me, either. I sneaked in the big tent andfixed the trapeze when no one was about. See here, Daley, if you do getyour job back you'd ought to give me an extra ten."
"I'll see about it," said Daley.
The two worthies walked from the place. Andy watched them cross fieldsaway from the main road and away from both Clifton and Centreville.
Little thrills of horror ran all over the boy. This was his first viewof the dark, plotful side of circus life, and it appalled him.
"Why," he exclaimed, "it may be murder. Oh, those wretches! The BenaresBrothers. I saw them yesterday. I remember the dive for life. I had tohold my breath when one man made that somersault, away up at the top ofthe tent. It was more than thrilling when he caught the other trapezewith his knees. It was curdling when his partner made his dive for life.One second over time, one miss of an inch, and it looked sure death. Andnow that trapeze has been tampered with, and--"
The excited Andy did not finish the sentence. He forgot all his ownplans and the possible danger of arrest at Centreville.
He jumped down from the hay bales and dashed out of the barn. Andy spedalong the highway circus-ward at the top of his speed.
The situation had appealed to him in a flash. The two plotters hadtalked in plain English. There was no misunderstanding their motivesand acts.
Andy had a vivid picture in his mind--the big circus tent four milesaway. He could recall just where the Benares Brothers act came on theprogramme.
"It was about ninth down the list yesterday afternoon," he mused,softly. "They begin the show about eight o'clock. It's now about nine. Icalculate the Benares Brothers come on this evening at about a quarterto ten. Four miles. I can run that in half an hour. Yes, I shall bein time."
Andy pressed his arms to his sides, took breath to conserve his stayingpowers, and maintained a steady, telling pace.
The lights of Centreville began to show nearer. He heard a town bellstrike the half-hour as he came in sight of the grounds and theilluminated big tent of the show.
The band inside was blaring away. The side shows were not doing muchbusiness. Some were getting ready for the removal. There were not manypeople around the main entrance. Andy, quite breathless, rushed up tothe ticket taker there.
"I want to go in for just a minute," he said--"I must see the manager."
"Cut for it--no gags go here," retorted the man rudely.
"It's pretty important. Here," began Andy. Then he paused in dismay. "Ohdear!" he spoke to himself, "I never put on my coat, that I used as apillow back in that barn."
In the hurry and excitement of the occasion Andy had left the coat amongthe hay bales. Just before arranging his bed he had stowed the marblebag containing the balance of Graham's five dollars in a pocket ofthe garment.
He could not therefore pay his fare into the show. Only for an instant,however, was Andy daunted.
He suddenly realized that he could get more promptly to the manager orthe ringmaster from the rear.
He ran around the big white mountain of canvas till he reached theperformers' tent. Patrolling outside of it was a club-armed watchman.
"Please let me in," said Andy hurriedly. "I want to see the manager,quick."
"Yes, they all do. G'wan! Games don't go here."
"No, no, I'm not trying to dead-head it," cried Andy. "Please call Mr.Marco or Miss Starr. They know me--"
"G'wan, I tell you. I'm too old a bird to get caught by chaff.Get--now."
The watchman struck Andy a sharp rap over the shoulders. Andy was indesperation. He was started to run around to some other of the minortents, when a shifting slit in the canvas gave him a momentary view ofthe interior of the big circus tent.
"Oh," cried Andy, wringing his hands, "the very act is on--the BenaresBrothers! I must act at once!"
Andy made a rush, intent on getting under the canvas at all hazards. Hechecked himself. If he succeeded in eluding the watchman outside, hewould have difficulty in getting to the manager. He might be capturedinside at once. He stood staring at the tent top in extreme anxietyand suspense.
Shadows aloft enlightened him as to-what was going on. The BenaresBrothers were mounting aloft. He made them out bowing gracefully, pulledup on the toe coils. He saw their outlines, trapeze-seated. Theorchestra struck up a new tune. The act was about to commence.
"I must stop them--I will warn them!" panted Andy with resolution. "If Igot to the manager he might not understand me or believe me. It might betoo late--there is not a minute to spare."
Andy was quivering with excitement, his eyes flashing, his face flushed.
He ran towards a guy rope, sprang up, caught at it, and hand over handrapidly ascended it.
Where it tapped the lower dip of the upper canvas, he transferred hisgrasp.
A seam was here, held together by hook and ring clear to the gap at thecentre pole. This seam, Andy discerned, ran right over to the trapezes.
Andy scaled the course of the seam with the agility of a monkey, hookingthe rings with his fingers and pulling himself up. The canvas quivered,shook and gave, but he did not heed that.
He came to the open gap around the centre pole, seized the bound edge ofthe canvas, and gazed down.
Ten feet across was old Benares, just getting ready for some evolutions.Directly under Andy was the trapeze holding the man he supposed to beThacher. Over his head swung a smaller trapeze.
Andy lay flat along the sloping canvas and stuck his head further down.
"Mr. Thacher! Mr. Thacher!" he shouted.
"Eh, why, hello! Who are you?"
In wonderment the trapezist gazed up at the earnest, agitated facegazing down at him.
At that juncture there was an ominous rip. Andy's weight it seemed hadpressed too forcibly down upon a rotted section of the canvas.
A strip about a foot wide tore free, binding and all, from the edgenearest the centre pole. It split six feet sheer. Andy's feet went overhis head, but he kept a tight grip on the end of the strip.
Dangling in mid air sixty feet above the saw-dust ring, Andy swung inspace dizzy-headed, his first appearance before the circus public.