CHAPTER V
THE CIRCUS
At the first cross-roads a field wagon containing a farmer, his wife andhalf-a-dozen children whirled into Andy Wildwood's view. A merryjuvenile chorus told Andy that they were bound for the circus.
"Trace loose, mister," he called out as he noticed the trailing strap.
"Whoa," ordered the driver, halting with a jolt, and Andy adjusted thefaulty harness and smiled back cheerily at an eager little fellow in thewagon who inquired if he was going to the show, too.
"Jump in, youngster, if ours is your way," invited the farmer.
Andy promptly availed himself of the offer. He sat with his feetdangling over the tailboard. The farther he got from Fairview the lesshe thought of the manifold troubles and complications he was leavingbehind him there.
Andy did not intend to run away from home. He had business in view whichdemanded his presence in Fairview the next day. He was, however,resolved to go to Centreville. He would at least see the outside of thecircus, and could put on the time until evening.
It was only six miles from Fairview to Centreville, and they soon camein sight of the county seat.
Andy caught more and more of the circus fever as they progressed. Atevery branch road a new string of vehicles joined the procession. Theypassed gay parties of ruralites on foot. Andy leaped down from the wagonwith a "Thank you" to his host, at the first sight of the mammoth whitetents over on the village common.
This was the second day of the circus at Centreville. It was scheduledto remain one more day. Its coming was a great event for the town, andthe place was crowded with pleasure-seekers.
Andy reached the principal street just as the grand pageant went by. Itwas a spectacle that dazzled him. The music, the glitter, the pomp, thefair array of wild animals made him forget everything except that he wasa boy enjoying a rare moment of existence.
It was the inner life of the circus people, however, that attractedAndy. It was his great ambition to be one of them. He was not content toremain a spectator of the outside veneer of show life. He wanted to knowsomething of its practical side.
Andy did not dally around the ticket seller's booth, the side shows orthe crowded main entrance of the show.
Once, when a small circus had visited Fairview, he had gotten a freepass by carrying buckets of water to the cook's tent.
He had now a vague hope that some such fortunate chance might turn up onthis new occasion.
Andy soon discovered, however, that the present layout was on a fardifferent scale to the second-class show he had seen at Fairview.
It was a city in itself. There were well-defined bounds as to the circusproper. Ropes strung along iron stakes driven into the ground keptcurious visitors at a distance.
The performers' tent, the horse tents, the cook's quarters and thesleeping space of the working hands were all guarded, and intruderswarned to keep their distance.
Everything was neat and clean, and a well-ordered system prevailedeverywhere.
The savory flavor of roasting meat made Andy desperately hungry. He sawa fat, aproned cook hastily gathering up some chips near a choppingblock. Andy offered to split him some fresh wood, but received only anungracious:
"Get out! No trespassers allowed here."
Andy wandered about for a long time. He greatly envied a lad about hisown age who, adorned with a gilt-braided jacket, was walking a beautifulArabian steed up and down.
While he was staring at the circus boy, two popcorn boys connected withthe show ran into him purposely and tripped him up. They went off with alaugh at his mishap. Andy concluded he was getting in the way as agruff, grizzled old fellow with a bludgeon ran forward and yelled to himto make himself scarce.
"I wish I could get into the show," murmured Andy "There seems no way towork it, though," he added disconsolately. "I wonder if they'd let mestay here? When that canvas flaps I can see right into the main tent."
Andy was right near the canvassed passageway leading from theperformers' tent to the main one.
If no one disturbed him he could have occasional glimpses of what wasgoing on inside, and that was better than nothing.
Fate, however, was against him. He heard quick breathing, and turningsaw the big watchman rapidly making for him, club uplifted.
"Trying to get in under the canvas, eh?" roared the man.
"Not I--I wouldn't steal anything, not even a sneak into the show,"declared Andy.
He retreated promptly, but in doing so tripped over a guy rope and wentflat.
Andy got up, his mouth full of fine shavings, but grasping something hishand had come in contact with and had clutched in his fall.
He ran out of range of the watchman, who brandished his stick at the ladthreateningly. At a safe distance Andy inspected his find.
"Only a handkerchief," he said, "and a rather mussy one at that. Butthere's something knotted in it. I wonder what it is?"
It was a large dark-colored silk handkerchief. It had an odor of resin,and two of its corners were knotted.
Untying one knot, Andy disclosed a mysterious device resembling two hardrubber shoe horns, joined in the centre by a concave piece of metal.
He could not possibly imagine its use or value. Then Andy laughedoutright. The other knot undone revealed a small rabbit's foot.
"Not much of a find," he ruminated. "Queer kind of plunder, though.Wonder who owns it, and what that fandangle thing is?"
Andy pocketed the find and was about to move away from the spot, whenthe flap of the performers' tent moved apart.
A man came out, all arrayed in tights and spangles for the circus ring.He wore a loose robe over his show costume and big slippers on his feet.His hair was nicely combed and his face powdered up for the performance.
He looked very anxious and excited. Andy at once saw that he was lookingfor something in great haste and suspense.
The man walked all around outside of the performers' tent, eagerlyscanning the ground. Then he enlarged the scope of his surveyand search.
"Hey, Marco!" sang out another man, sticking his head past the flap ofthe tent. "Time to get in line."
"Wait a minute," retorted the other. "I've lost something, and I won'tgo on till I find it."
The speaker looked positively distressed as he continued a disappointingsearch. A sudden idea struck Andy, and he drew the handkerchief and itsbelongings from his pocket.
Just then the circus performer nearly ran against him. He looked up andmade a forward jump. He seized the handkerchief and the two odd objectsit contained with a fervent cry that astonished the bewildered Andy.
"Give them to me," he exclaimed eagerly. "They're mine. Where did youfind them? Boy, you've saved my life!"