CHAPTER IV
A FRIENDLY AUDIENCE
The afternoon performance had passed without a hitch.While there were many town people there the greater partof the audience, which nearly filled the big tent, wascomposed of visitors from the country.
Great applause greeted the performances of Phil Forrest andTeddy Tucker, but the two Circus Boys were saving their bestefforts for the evening performance when all their friendswould be present.
Mrs. Cahill, after her tumble, had been picked up by the ladswho insisted that she shake the trunk of Emperor before he leftthe lawn. And now that she had seen the afternoon show, takinga motherly pride in the performance of her boys, as she proudlycalled them, the kindhearted woman sat down to a meal in thecook tent, which proved one of the most interesting experiencesof her life.
As the hour for the evening performance approached there was anunusual bustle in the dressing tent. By this time the whole showhad taken a keen interest in the affairs of the Circus Boys, whohad been known to the performers--at least, to most of them--forthe past two years.
Teddy had paid sundry mysterious visits to the horse tent, andheld numerous confidential conversations with the equestriandirector, all of which was supposed to have been unknown toMr. Sparling, the owner of the show.
But, while Teddy was nursing his secret, Mr. Sparling also waskeeping one of his own, one which was to be a great surprise tothe two Circus Boys.
The first surprise was given when the clowns came out for theirfirst entry. Lining up in front of the reserved seats, wherethe high school boys and girls sat, they sang a song in whichthey brought in the names of every member of Phil's class.This elicited roars of laughter from the spectators, whilethe school boys and girls waved their crimson and white classflags wildly.
The whole class was there as the guests of the management ofthe show. This was one of Mr. Sparling's surprises, but notthe only one he was to give them that night.
Next came the leaping act, somersaulting from a springboard andin the end jumping over the herd of elephants. Teddy was soeffectively disguised by his clown makeup that, for some time,the class did not recognize him. When finally they did, throughsome familiar gesture of his own, the boys and girls set up aperfect howl of delight in which the audience joined withenthusiastic applause, for Teddy, with all his clumsy ways,was one of the best tumblers in the show. He had developedmarvelously since the close of the show the fall before.
Never had Teddy tumbled as he did that night. He took so manychances that Mr. Sparling, who was on the side lines, shouted aword of caution to him.
"You'll break your neck, if you're not careful."
In answer to the warning, Teddy took a long running start anddid a double turn in the air, over the backs of the elephants,landing plump into the waiting arms of a bevy of painted clowns,the spectators evincing their appreciation by shouting outTeddy's name.
Teddy's chest swelled with pride as he waved his hand and shookhis head as if to say: "Oh, that's nothing! You ought to see mewhen I'm really working."
The band played on and the show moved along with a merry medleyof daring deeds and furious fun from the clowns.
At last, in response to the command of the ringmaster's whistle,the band ceased playing and silence fell over the tent as theringmaster raised his hand for silence.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "The next act will be abareback riding feat unexcelled in any show in the world.In ring No. 1 the famous equestrienne, Little Dimples, willentertain you with her Desperate, Daring Dips of Death thatdefy imitation. In ring No. 2 you will recognize a fellowtownsman--a townsboy, I should say. It will not be necessaryfor me to mention his name. Suffice it to say that, althoughhe has been riding for less than a year, he has already risento the enviable position of being one of the foremost barebackriders of the sawdust arena. I think that's all I have to say.Your friends will do the rest."
The ringmaster waved his hand to the band, which instantly blaredforth and to its music Phil Forrest tripped lightly down theconcourse, being obliged to go three-fourths of its length toget to the ring where he was to perform.
His journey led him right past the grandstand seats where hisadmiring school fellows were sitting, or rather standing. As amatter of fact, every one of them had risen to his feet by thistime and was shouting out Phil's name.
As he drew nearer they began to chant, keeping time with hisfootsteps and the music of the band:
"Phil, Phil--Phillip F! Rah, rah! Siss-boom-ah!"
The Circus Boy grinned happily and waved his whip at them ashe passed.
"I hope I won't make a fool of myself," he thought.
He had no intention of doing so. He had a few tricks that he wasgoing to show his friends, and incidentally surprise Mr. Sparlinghimself, for Phil, who now owned his own ring horse, had beenpracticing in secret all winter on the act that he was going toattempt for the first time in public that evening.
Discarding his slippers and chalking the bottoms of his ridingpumps, Phil began his act by riding standing on the rump ofhis mount, to get his equilibrium and his confidence at thesame time.
Then the lad began throwing himself into his work, whichincreased in speed as the moments passed, until his supple,slender body was flashing here and there on the back of thehandsome gray, causing the eyes of the spectators fairly to achein their efforts to keep track of him.
The people voiced their excitement by yells of approval and howlsof delight.
"My, but that boy can ride!" muttered Mr. Sparling, who had beenwatching the act critically. "In fact, I should like to knowwhat he cannot do. If he had to do so, he could run this showfully as well as can I--and perhaps better at that," added theshowman, with a grin.
Now the band struck up the music for the concluding number ofthe act.
"I wonder what he has up his sleeve," mused Mr. Sparlingshrewdly, suspecting that Phil was about to try something he hadnever done in the ring before. "I hope he won't take any longchances, for I can't afford to have anything happen to my littlestar performer."
As a matter of fact both Phil and Teddy Tucker had become starperformers, and were so featured on the circus bills, wheretheir pictures had been placed for this, their third season out.The year before they had appeared on the small bills in the shopwindows, but now they had the satisfaction of seeing themselvesportrayed in life-size on the big boards.
Phil sent his ring horse forward at a lively gait, which grewfaster and faster, as he sat lightly on the animal's rump, urgingit along.
All at once he bounded to his feet, poised an instant, then threwhimself into a succession of handsprings until he resembled awhirling pink and gold wheel.
This was a new act in the circus world, and such of the otherperformers as were under the big top at the moment paused towatch it.
No one was more surprised than Mr. Sparling himself. He knewwhat a difficult feat it was that the Circus Boy had not onlyessayed, but succeeded in doing. Phil kept it up at such length,and with such stubborn persistence, that the owner of the showfeared lest the lad, in his dizziness might get a bad fall.
Doing a series of such rapid handsprings on the level ground iscalculated to make a performer's head swim. But how much moredifficult such an effort is on the slippery back of a movinghorse may well be imagined.
Finally, red of face, panting, breathless, Phil Forrest alightedon his feet, well back on the ring horse's rump.
"Be ready to catch me," he gasped.
The ringmaster understood.
Phil urged his horse to a run about the sawdust arena.
"Now, what's that fool boy going to do?" wondered Mr. Sparling.
All at once Phil Forrest threw himself up into the air, his bodydoubling like a ball as he did so.
One--two--three times he whirled about in his marvelousbackward somersault.
"Let go your tuck!" commanded the ringmaster, meaning that Philwas to release the grip of his hands which were holding his legsdoubled close aga
inst his body.
The lad quickly straightened up, spreading his arms to steadyhimself in his descent. Fortunately he was dropping feet first,due to his instant obedience of the ringmaster's order.
Perhaps that alone saved the Circus Boy from breaking his neck,for so dizzy was he that he was unable to tell whether he wasdropping feet or head first.
He alighted on his feet and the ringmaster caught him deftly.
"Stand steady a minute, till you get your bearings, Phil."
Phil needed that moment to steady himself, for the big top seemedto be whirling about on a pivot.
Now he began dimly to hear the thunders of applause that greetedhis really wonderful performance.
"Can you stand alone now?"
"I think so," came the faint reply that was instantly drowned inthe great uproar.
But the lad wavered a little after the ringmaster had releasedhis grip. Steadying himself quickly, Phil pulled on his slippersand walked slowly from the ring, dizzy, but happy with the shoutsof his school fellows ringing in his ears.
He heard the voice of Mr. Sparling close by him, saying:
"Great, great, my boy! Finest exhibition ever seen in asawdust ring!"
Phil tripped proudly past the grandstand seats, where the boyswere howling like a pack of wild Indians.
But just then something else occurred to attract their attention.
A donkey, long-eared, long-haired, dirty and unkempt trotted intothe ring and spun about like a top for a full minute.
On the ludicrous-looking beast's back sat a boy in the makeup ofa blackface clown. In his mouth was a harmonica, that he playedlustily, as he sat facing to the rear with his back toward thedonkey's head.
At that moment something else was observable. Instead oftraveling head first, as any self-respecting donkey is supposedto do, this particular donkey was walking backwards. Yes, he wasgalloping backwards.
The instant the audience noted that, their cheers changed tohowls of delight. The clown was Teddy Tucker, and the donkeywas the surprise he had been storing up for this very occasion.While the audience laughed and jeered, Mr. Sparling looked on insurprise not unmixed with amazement. Here was the very thing hehad been looking for, but had been unable thus far to find.
"It's a winner!" he cried, as Teddy Tucker and his strange mountambled by him in a gait such as never had been seen in a sawdustarena before.
Right around the arena traveled boy and donkey. When oppositethe grandstand seats, where the high school students weresitting, Teddy nearly drove them wild by drawing out the classcolors which he had been hiding under his coat.
In a shrill, high-pitched voice he gave utterance to the highschool class yell, which was instantly taken up by the class andeventually by the spectators themselves, until all seemed nearthe verge of hysterics.
Phil, instead of proceeding directly to the dressing tent, hadwaited by the bandstand to watch the new act of his companion,and he, with others of the performers, was laughing heartily ashe leaned against the bandstand. Teddy knew he made a funnyappearance, but just how ludicrous he could have little idea.
"Whose donkey is that?" demanded Mr. Sparling, hurrying up justas Phil and the other circus folks were congratulating the lad.
"He's mine," rejoined Teddy.
"Where did you get him?"
"I bought him. Think I stole him? Been training him all winter.Like him?"
"It's a great comedy act. He's engaged. Turn him over to thesuperintendent of ring stock and tell him to make a place on thetrain for the brute."
"I've already done so."
"Oh, you have, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anybody would think you owned this show, the way you give ordersaround here."
"I'm willing, and so's the donkey," grinned Teddy.
"For what---to go on at every performance?"
"No; to own the show. We're going on right along, anyway.Gid-dap!"
"Hopeless!" muttered Sparling, shaking his head.