Ahead of the Show; Or, The Adventures of Al Allston, Advance Agent

by Fred Thorpe

  CHAPTER XII.

  INTERVIEWED.

  The elephant that had seized Al was, as we have said, well known for hisviciousness. He had killed two keepers and injured half a score ofpersons. One of his escapades had occurred quite recently, and was freshin the minds of most of the witnesses of his attack on the boy.

  There was an almost simultaneous cry from the onlookers, followed by adead silence. The animal's small eyes twinkled viciously. It was evidentenough that in crossing his path Al had excited his ire, and that it washis intention to revenge himself in a characteristic manner.

  Suddenly a sharp cry broke the silence. It was the voice of theelephant's keeper, who had been lagging a little behind, but who nowcame rushing up, shouting a command to his charge in a languageunintelligible to most of his hearers. To all of them, perhaps, exceptthe animal; it was plain enough that he understood it.

  His manner changed. He held his captive poised in the air a moment, thendropped him.

  Al fell heavily to the pavement directly under the feet of the beast. Anew plan of revenge evidently suggested itself to the elephant. He wasabout to plant one of his huge feet on the boy's chest when the keeperagain gave utterance to the same cry of command.

  The warning had its effect; the animal stepped over his intended victim,not touching him.

  In another moment Al had sprung out of harm's way.

  It was an exciting scene. Men were shouting, children crying and womensobbing.

  One nervous, hysterical lady, whom the boy had never seen before in hislife, clasped him tightly in her arms, and wept convulsively on hisshoulder.

  Al was, perhaps, the coolest person in the crowd. Disengaging himselffrom the embrace of his new-found friend, he said:

  "There's nothing to cry about, madam; I'm all right."

  "You're sure you're not hurt?" sobbed the lady, scarcely knowing whatshe was saying.

  "Not in the least; not so much as scratched."

  "You've had a mighty narrow escape, all the same, young man," said theelephant's keeper--the procession had come to a standstill, and many ofthe employees had crowded around the boy. "This ought to be a lesson toyou not to try to cross a circus parade again."

  "It will be," said Al, with a smile. "At any rate, I shall be carefulnot to get too near the elephants."

  Just then a nervous, bustling little man with a notebook in his handforced his way through the crowd to where Al was standing.

  "I represent the Rockton _Daily Banner_," he announced. "Please give meyour name, sir."

  "Certainly," replied the boy, with an eye to business. "I am the advanceagent of Wattles' New York Comedy Company, which plays here to-morrownight, appearing in----"

  "That's all right," the reporter interrupted. "I know what it appearsin. But your name, please."

  "It is Allen Allston."

  "What! not the youth who so heroically saved the life of the child ofMayor Anderson, of Boomville? Not the same who was presented with thering at the opera house last night?"

  By this time the circus parade had been resumed; but, in the immediatevicinity of the scene of the adventure we have recorded, it excited lessinterest than the interview between Al and the reporter.

  The boy colored and hesitated.

  "Yes," went on the _Banner_ man, "you must be the same. Why, there weretwo columns about you in the paper this morning. You seem born foradventure. You being the hero of the hour, your escape of this morningwill excite great interest. I can make at least a column of it. Here,Mr. Allston, come with me. We must get out of this crowd; then we canhave a talk."

  Al resigned himself to the inevitable, and forced his way through thecrowd, arm in arm with the reporter.

  While he shrank from having his personal affairs made public, he alsohad the interests of his employer at heart; he saw that the excitingincident of the morning might be used as an advertisement for the show,and he decided to sacrifice his feelings and let the ambitious andenergetic reporter have his own way.

  "We'll step in here," said the _Banner_ man, leading the way into thelobby of a hotel. "Really, it is lucky for you that this thing happened;it can't fail to boom your show. And it needs booming, too, let me tellyou, for the circus will be here to-morrow night, and is pretty sure togather in about all the surplus cash that will be left in theneighborhood after to-day's performances."

  "Still," said Al, "my company is a strong attraction."

  "Under ordinary circumstances, yes; but not when the circus is in town.Still, we'll see what can be done. I've heard a good deal about youduring the last twenty-four hours, and, honestly, I'd like to help you.You give me all the most startling facts in your career, and I'll write'em up in good style."

  "But," smiled Al, "there has never been anything startling in mycareer."

  "Eh?" gasped the reporter. "What did you say?"

  Al repeated the statement.

  "An advance agent without a startling career!" said the _Banner_ man."Why, such a thing was never heard of before. As a rule we have to cutout nine-tenths of the blood-curdling incidents in advance agents'careers, and even then what is left sounds like an Arabian Nightsstory."

  Al laughed.

  "Well," he said, "then I am a remarkable exception. Isn't that astartling fact?"

  "That may help things out a little."

  "Besides, it is not myself that I want to boom, but the New York ComedyCompany."

  "Well, you are a _rara avis_! But by booming yourself you may at thesame time boom the show. Now, tell me all about yourself first. You see,the public is more interested about you personally than about Mr.Wattles' company. But I'll work in a good notice for the show, too. Now,then, please tell me where you were born, when--and all the rest of it."

  Within ten minutes the reporter was in possession of most of the factsof Al's "career"; and, as the boy had said, there was nothing verystartling in the story. But when the _Banner_ man had wormed the factout of the lad that his sister had been lost or stolen in infancy, heexclaimed:

  "Why, that's just what I want. A romance in your life! Nothing could bebetter. A long-lost sister! That will show up in great shape in theheading."

  "But," interrupted Al, coloring, "I don't want anything said about it.Please omit any reference to my family."

  "Well," said the reporter, "just as you say; but it is easy to see thatyou have not been an advance agent very long. Why, my dear boy, thearticle which I am going to write will be copied all over the country,and might be the means of restoring your sister to you. But there,there"--as Al was about to speak--"I'll consider your wishes in thematter, and if I say anything about your sister it will only be apassing reference, couched in the most delicate terms. And now, then,what about the company? How many thousand dollars' worth of diamondshas the leading lady lost during the last week? Which of the men of thecompany is engaged to be married to one of Gould's daughters? Don't bebashful; tell me all you have to tell, and I'll use all of the stuff Ican. You've given me an A1 interview, and I'm glad to have a chance todo you a good turn."

  Al had a few alleged facts about certain members of the New York ComedyCompany, and he proceeded to retail them to his companion, who madenotes of them.

  "They're rather chestnutty," he said, as he returned his notebook to hispocket, "but I'll fix them up in as good shape as I can, and they mayhelp you out a little. However, you mustn't expect a big house to-morrownight, for you won't have it."

  With this cheering assurance the _Banner_ scribe took his leave.

  It had occurred to Al, too, that the notices which had been furnishedhim by Mr. Wattles were somewhat "chestnutty."

  "Never mind," he said to himself, "somehow or other I'll fix things sothat we'll have a big house. But, judging from the way I have begun, myfirst engagement as advance agent is not going to be much of a 'snap.'"

  Al was busy during the entire day seeing that the paper--that is, theposters, window hangers, etc.--of the company was displayed to the bestadvantage.

  This work
had been done after a fashion some days before by the localmanager, but the way in which the duty had been performed did not suitthe young advance agent, and he kept men "hustling" all day.

  "What's the use?" said the manager of the theater, with a weary smile."It's sure to be a losing engagement, anyhow."

  "Maybe not," returned Al. "You'd better get the 'standing-room-only'sign dusted off, in case we need it."

  "Rats!" was the response. "Young man, when you know this business andthis town as well as I do, you'll sing a different tune. We shall haveabout two hundred people in the house to-morrow night--maybe not quiteso many."

  And he exhibited the advance sheet, which Al examined with a sinkingheart. Only half a dozen seats had been sold for the performance.