CHAPTER XI.
HE GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
In vain I struggled to regain the peace of mind I was beginning toenjoy before I met Flora Knickerbocker. I could not forget her; Idared not approach her--for I had heard a rumor that her dog had dieda _barb_-arous death, and his young mistress was inconsolable. I spentthe long, lazy summer days in dreaming of her, and wishing thatbashfulness were a curable disease.
One morning, very early, when
"The window slowly grew a glimmering square,"
I heard an unwonted commotion on our quiet road, and slipping out ofbed, I went to the window to see "what was up." It was a circuscompany, with a menagerie attachment, winding through the dim dawn,elephant and all.
For a moment my heart beat, as in its childish days, at sight of theunique cavalcade; but it soon grew sad, and ached worse than ever atthe reflection that Miss Flora was a city girl, and would despise acircus. However, some time during the day I heard from aunt that_all_ of Widow Cooper's boarders had made up their minds to attend,that evening, the performance, which was to take place in a small towntwo miles from us. These fine city folks doubtless thought it would bean innocent "lark" to go to the circus in this obscure countryvillage.
I had outgrown my childish taste for the hyena, the gnu, and theanaconda; I was indifferent to the india-rubber man; nor did I caremuch for the beautiful bare-back rider who was to flash through thehoops like a meteor through the orbits of the planets; but I did longto steal one more look, unseen, unsuspected, at the sweet face whichwas lovelier to me, even in its anger, than any other. I had been themeans of Spitz's death--very well, I could hide myself in some obscurecorner of the amphitheater, and gaze at her mournfully from thedistance. While she gazed at the ring, I would gaze at _her_.
So I went to the circus, along with a good many other people. _She_came early with the Cooper party, and seemed interested and amused bythe rough-board seats, and the novelty of the scene, and the audience.I had not yet chosen my perch on the boards, for I wanted to get asnear to her as I could without her observing me.
The sight of her--resolved as I was to be cool, calm, andcollected--so affected my eyesight that I walked right into the ropestretched around the ring, and fell over into the tan-bark.
All the boys hooted and laughed, and made personal remarks, wanting toknow if I were the clown, and similar questions, which I heard withsilent dignity. I hoped and prayed that _she_ had not recognized thetumbler who had begun the performances as an amateur, and without anysalary from Barnum. They were on the opposite side of the circle, andperhaps I escaped their remark.
Contriving to mingle myself with some newcomers, I made my way morecautiously to within a few feet of my charmer. I did not intend sheshould see me, and was surprised when she whispered to her brother,upon which he immediately looked in my direction and beckoned me to aseat in their party.
Oh, bliss! In another moment I was at her feet--sitting on the planknext lower than that which held her lovely form, with the daintybillows of lace and organdie rippling around me, and her little toespressed into the small of my back. Was this a common, vulgarcircus--with a menagerie attachment? To me it was the seventh heaven.The clown leaped lightly into the ring, cracked his whip, and beganhis witticisms. I heard him as one hears the murmur of the sea in hisdreams. The beautiful bare-back rider galloped, ran, jumped, smiled,kissed her hand, and trotted off the stage with Master Clown at herheels and the whole scene was to me only as a scene in a painting onwhich my eye casually fell. The only living, breathing fact of whichI was really conscious was that those blue eyes were shining likestars just over my head.
In the pauses of the drama, the lemonade man went by. What was he tome, or I to him? Noisy boys or verdant farming youths might patronizehim at their will--I slaked my thirst with deep draughts of a nectarno lemonade-fellow could dispense at two cents a glass. While thecannon-ball man was catching a ten-pound ball between his teeth, andthe boneless boy was tying himself in a double bow-knot, I waspleasing myself with images of the darling little Spitz I would seek,purchase, and present to Miss Flora in place of the one who hadthoughtlessly swallowed my fish-hook.
"Were you ever in love, young man?" suddenly asked the clown, afterthe india-rubber athlete had got tired of turning himself, like adozen flap-jacks on a hot griddle.
The question startled me. I looked up. It seemed to me, as he eyed me,that he had addressed it particularly to me. I blushed. Some strangecountry girls on either side of me began to titter. I blushed moredecidedly. The motley chap in the ring must have seen it. He grinnedfrom ear to ear, walked up to the very edge of the rope, and repeated:
"Were you ever in love, young man?"
There were young men all round me; he might have looked atKnickerbocker, or any one of a dozen others; if I had not beensupersensitive I never should have imagined that he meant to bepersonal.
If I had not retained the self-possession of an egotist, I should havereflected that it was not the thing to notice the vulgar wit of acircus-clown. Unfortunately self-possession is the last possession ofa bashful man. I half rose from my seat, demanding fiercely:
"Are you speaking to me, sir?"
"If the shoe fits, you can wear it," was the grinning answer; and thenthere was a shout from the whole audience--hooting, laughter, clappingof hands--and I felt that I had made a Dundreary of myself.
"We beg parding," went on the rascal, stepping back and bowing. "Wehad no intentions of being personal--meant no young gentleman inpartikilar. We _always_ make a point of asking a few questions ingeneral. Here comes mademoiselle, the celebrated tight-rope dancer,"etc., etc., and the thousand eyes which had been glued to my scarletface were diverted to a new attraction.
"I'll thrash that scoundrel within an inch of his life," I said toyoung Knickerbocker, who was sitting behind me beside his sister.
"You will have to whip the whole circus, then; these fellows all standby each other. Your policy is to let the matter drop."
"I'll whip the whole circus, then," I retorted, savagely.
"Please don't," said a soft voice, and I wilted under it.
"It maddens me to be always made ridiculous before _you_," Iwhispered. "I'm a dreadfully unfortunate man, Miss Knick----"
"_Fire_!"
A frightful cry in such a place as that! Something flashed upbrightly--I saw flames about something in the ring--the crowd arosefrom the benches--women screamed--men yelled.
"Sit still, Flora!" I heard young Knickerbocker say, sternly.
I thought of a million things in the thousandth part of a second--ofthe flaming canvas, the deadly crush, the wild beasts, terrified andbreaking from their cages. It was folly, it was madness, to linger amoment in hopes of the fire being subdued. I looked toward theentrance--it was not far from us; a few people were going quickly out.I was stronger than her brother; I could fight my way through anycrowd with that slight form held in one arm.
"_Fire_!"
I dallied with fate no longer. Grasping Flora by her slender waist, Idragged her from her seat, and hurried her along through thethickening throng. When she could no longer keep her feet. I supportedher entirely, elbowing, pushing, struggling with the maddest of them.I reached the narrow exit--I fought my way through like a tiger.Bleeding, exhausted, my hat gone, my coat torn from my back, I at lastemerged under the calm moonlight with my darling held to my pantingheart. Bearing her apart from the jostling crowd, I looked backward,expecting to see the devouring flames stream high from the combustibleroof. As yet they had not broken through. I set my treasure gentlydown on her little feet. Her bonnet was gone, her wealth of goldenhair hung disheveled about her pale face.
"Are we safe?" she murmured.
"Yes, thank Heaven, your precious life is saved!"
"Oh! where is my brother?"
"Here!" said a cold voice behind us, and young Knickerbocker coollytook his sister on his own arm. "What in the name of folly did youdrag her off in that style for? A pretty-looking girl you a
re, Flora,I must say!"
"But the fire!" I gasped.
"Was all out in less than a minute. A lamp exploded, but fortunatelyset fire to nothing else. I never saw anything more utterly ridiculousthan you dragging my sister off through that crowd, and me sittingstill and laughing at you. I don't know whether to look on you as ahero or a fool, Mr. Flutter."
"Look on me as a blunderer," I said meekly.
But the revulsion of feeling was too great; I felt myself turning sickand faint, and when I knew anything again I was home in bed. And now Iowe Miss Flora a new bonnet as well as a little dog.