CHAPTER XIII
THROUGH RINGS OF FIRE
"If there should happen to be a wind we might cut a rope or twoand let the big top down on them," suggested parade manager.
"Yes; it would put them out of business for the nightperformance, but we don't want them to fill up for theafternoon show. That's when they are going to get the money.You see, Sparling's show is bigger and better known than ours,and showing there the same day we are liable to get the worstof it. Can't you suggest anything else?"
"If you don't like letting the big top down on their heads,and providing there is no wind to make the attempt worthwhile,I would suggest another way."
"The scoundrels!" breathed the listener above their heads.
"What's your suggestion?"
"Stampede the elephants."
"That's a dandy! And we know how to do it, eh, Lawrence?"
The parade manager nodded emphatically.
"They'll never know what happened to them. We can do it beforethe show gets to the lot if you think best?"
Sully shook his head.
"No. We'll wait till just as the doors are about to open forthe afternoon show. Mind you, I'm not saying we shall do it.I'll think about the matter. Perhaps I can think up a betterplan after I have gone over the matter."
"Where's that boy you told me about?"
Sully motioned toward the end of the car where Phil was locked inthe linen closet.
"What you going to do with him?"
"Drop him when I get ready."
"But aren't you afraid the other outfit will get wind of what youare doing? It's pretty dangerous business to lock up a fellowlike that."
"I don't care whether they get wise to it or not. They won'tknow where he is. After we get to the border I don't care a rapfor them," and the showman snapped his fingers disdainfully."They can't touch us on the other side of the Niagara River andthey'd better not try it. Maybe Sparling won't be in business bythat time," grinned the showman with a knowing wink.
Sully rose, and shortly afterwards left the car with hisparade manager.
Phil sat down on the floor of his compartment with head in hands,trying to think what he had better do. These men were planning adeliberate campaign to wreck his employer's show.
"Something must be done!" breathed the boy, clenching his fistsuntil the nails bit into the flesh, "But what can I do, I can donothing unless I can get away from here, and they will not let meout, at least not until we have gotten by Corinto."
The more he thought and planned the greater hisperplexity became. There seemed no way out of it. His onlyhope now seemed to lie in Mr. Sparling becoming alarmed at hisabsence, and instituting a search for him. His employer wouldquickly divine something of the truth after Phil had remainedsilent for two or three days. Perhaps, even now, the owner ofthe Great Sparling Combined Shows had sent someone on to learnwhat had become of his starbareback rider.
Phil's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the door ofhis compartment being violently jerked open.
The lad's first impulse was to tell Sully, who now stood facinghim, what he had overheard. Upon second thought, however, Phildecided that it would be much better to give the showman nointimation of what he had learned.
"Come out, young man."
Phil complied, glad to be free of his narrow chamber, no matterwhat the reason for the summons might be.
"What do you wish of me now?"
"Come into my office and I'll tell you. I understand you area bareback rider," continued Sully, after they had seatedthemselves in his little office, the door being lockedbehind them.
"So you say."
"And a good one at that?"
Phil made no answer. He had not the least idea what was coming.
"My principal bareback rider stepped on a switch frog thismorning and turned his ankle. He is out of the running fora week. I need a man more than I ever did. Do you want tojoin this show?"
Phil gazed at him in amazement.
"You haven't money enough to induce me to."
"Perhaps I have, but I won't induce with it," grinned the owner."I've a plan to suggest."
"What is it?"
"If you will ride for me until we get to Corinto I'll give youseventy-five dollars."
The Circus Boy was on the point of making an emphatic refusal,when he suddenly checked himself and remained silent, as ifthinking the proposition over.
"Well, what do you say?"
"If I do as you wish, when will you let me go?"
"Perhaps after we leave Corinto."
"I don't believe you intend to do anything of the sort."
"You think I'd lie to you?" blustered Sully.
"I'm not saying that. But I know you are not above doingworse things. I'll tell you what I will do."
"Yes."
"I'll ride for you today for twenty-five dollars."
"Done!"
"Payable in advance, you know."
"I guess you don't trust me?"
"Not for a minute."
"Well, I must say you are brutally frank."
"That's the way I do business," answered the lad proudly.
"But see here, young man, you must agree that you will make noeffort to get away," demanded the showman a sudden thoughtoccurring to him.
"I shall make no such agreement. If I get a chance to get awayI'll do it, you may depend upon that. I will agree, however, tomake no outcry nor to appeal to anyone to help me. If I can'tmanage it my own way, I'll stay here till I can. Remember, I'mgoing to beat you if I can, and if I can't, why Mr. Sparling willsettle with you. He will do it properly, too."
The showman leaned back and guffawed loudly.
"I never saw a kid like you yet. You beat anything that ever gotinto a freak tent. You are so infernally honest that you give menotice you're going to try to escape from me. Thanks, my boy,for the timely warning. I'll see to it that you don't get awayuntil I am ready to lose you. If you try it you must expect somerough treatment, and you'll get it too."
"Very well; I accept the terms. How about the paymentin advance?"
Sully drew a roll of bills from his pocket counting out the sumagreed upon.
"If you should happen to get away I'd be out the money?"
"I'll send it back to you in that event."
"Ho, ho, ho! I believe you would, at that."
"I certainly shall."
"Say, kid, don't it ever give you pain to be so awfully honest?"
"I'll confess that it does when I am doing business with a manlike you."
"Oh! That one landed. That was a knockout," chuckled theshowman, rising. "I'll be back after you with the rigpretty soon. We've got to fix up some togs for you to ride in,but I guess we can do that all right. I'll have to put you backin your cage in the meantime." It lacked an hour and a half ofthe time for the afternoon performance to begin when Sully calledwith his carriage for his new star. Phil was ready, as far as hewas able to be, and really welcomed the opportunity to get out inthe air again. But he was so stiff from the confinement in thenarrow linen closet that he did not feel as if he should be ableto ride at all.
The drive to the circus lot was without incident, and Philembraced the opportunity to familiarize himself with thetown and its surroundings as fully as was possible underthe circumstances. He had tried to form some plan by whichto make his escape, but had given it up and decided totrust to luck.
There was another reason for his having decided to ride inthe Sully Hippodrome Show that day, and every day thereafter,providing he was not able to get away before leaving Corinto.He hoped that Mr. Sparling might have sent someone on to findout what had become of him. This was sure to be done sooner orlater, especially when the showman found that his letters werenot being answered, but were being returned to him, as had beenarranged for before Phil left his own show.
Reaching the lot they drove around to the paddock where Philand his new employer entered the dressing tent. Even there thelad
was given no chance to break away. It seemed to him thatevery person connected with the show had been set to watch him.When he entered the dressing tent he was subjected to thecurious gaze of the performers, most of whom understood that hewas to ride that day in the place of the injured performer, butwho knew nothing further about the matter.
Some difficulty was experienced in getting a pair of tights thatwould fit Phil, but after awhile this was arranged.
"You sit down here and wait now," directed Mr. Sully.
"No; I've got something else to do. Bring the horse out in thepaddock and let me see what I have to ride," answered Phil.
While they were getting out the ring horse, the lad indulged in aseries of bends and limbering exercises out in the paddock,working until the perspiration stood out in great beads.
This done Phil sprang up to the back of the ring horse, andwhile an attendant held the animal in a circle with a longleading strap, Phil rode the horse about the paddock a fewtimes until he had become familiar with the motion andpeculiarities of the animal.
"How is he in the ring, fast or slow?"
"Just steady. Been at it a long time," the attendantinformed him. "He's steady. You can depend on him."
"Yes; he acts so. I'll look at the ring when I go in."
The owner of the show had been a keen observer ofthese preparations. He noted, too, Phil appearedentirely to have forgotten about his desire to escape.
"That kid acts to me as if he knew his business," he reflected."If he rides the way I think he can, I'm going to get him awayfrom Sparling if I have to double the wages he's drawing now.And money talks!"
The band began to play in the big top. Phil glanced atthe showman.
"When do I go on?"
"Second number."
The lad nodded, and sat awaiting his turn to enterthe arena. He did not have to ask when the moment had arrived.The attendant started to lead the ring horse in and Phil quicklyfell in behind, following them in.
Right behind the Circus Boy came Sully, the owner of the show,never taking his eyes off his captive for a moment. This amusedthe lad. He grinned broadly. It was a novel experience for him.
Soon the strains of music told him this was where he was to beginhis act. The boy swung gracefully to the back of his mount.Instantly he had leaped to his feet Sully clapped his handstogether approvingly.
"That's the way to do it. You've got the other fellow skinnedforty ways!" he cried.
"In some ways," replied Phil significantly. "Otherwise not."
The ring was in excellent shape, much to the boy's surprise, andthe horse was the best he ever had ridden. In a few moments Philbegan to feel very much at home and to enjoy himself thoroughly.
The ring attendants brought out strips of bright yellow cloth,which two clowns held across the ring for the Circus Boy to leapover as his horse passed under. This did not bother him in theleast, though he had never tried the act before. It was a relicof the old circus days that few shows had retained.
But Phil was on the point of balking when a clown came out with ahandful of hoops covered with paper.
"You want me to jump through those things?" he questioned, duringa brief intermission.
"Sure."
"Does the other man do that?"
"He does."
"Then I can do it, I guess."
"I reckon you can do anything on a horse that you happen to feellike," said the showman.
The band started up again and Phil sprang to his feet. A paperhoop was raised on the opposite side of the ring, the lad eyeingit hesitatingly.
"I'll go through it if I break my neck trying," he muttered,shutting his lips tightly together.
Smash!
The Circus Boy hurled himself through the tender paper, but thebreaking paper stung his face like the crack of a whip lash, andPhil, instead of landing on his feet as he should have done,struck the back of his ring horse on all fours.
Sully growled angrily.
"You make a blunder like that again, and you'll be sorry for it,"he bullied, shaking an angry fist at Phil, who turned a pair ofsurprised eyes on the showman.
"See here," retorted the lad with rising color, "I'm not in thehabit of being talked to like that. If you don't like my ridingI'll end the act right here. I'm not obliged to ride for you,you know."
"Go on, go on!" snapped the owner.
The next hoop Phil took as easily as if he had been doing thatvery same thing all through the season.
"Fine!" chuckled Sully. "He's a star performer, even if he doesgive me as good as I send."
Phil was hurling himself through a succession of hoops now.Then all at once, to his surprise and disapproval, five hoopsof fire flared up before him and on all sides of him.
"Go through them!" shouted the showman.
"I won't!"
"You can't stop now. Are you going to let a little thing likethat give you an attack of cold feet?" demanded Sully.
Thus appealed to, Phil Forrest thought better of it.
"Yip!--yip!" he cried sharply to the ring horse, riding straightat the first ring which he took without difficulty, though thehot flame on his cheeks made him shrink himself into a smallercompass than had been the case with the paper rings.
The audience was applauding him wildly, for somehow this slender,youthful figure appealed to them more strongly than had any otherperformer in the show thus far. One after another Phil took theflaming rings until he came to the last one which he approachedwith more confidence than he had any of the others.
He hurled himself at it with less caution than before. As heentered the hoop of fire his elbows caught it, and instantly thelad felt the fire burning through his silk ring shirt.
Without an instant's hesitation the boy leaped up into the air,clearing his horse by a full two feet.
The force of his throw sent the ring of fire soaring through theair, as he had, with quick intuition, imagined that it would.
Phil threw a splendid backward somersault almost slipping off thehips of the ring horse.
"Great!" exploded the owner.
The audience applauded wildly.
But the next instant Sully was not shouting approving words.The burning ring had slipped neatly over his own head and beforehe could throw it off, his clothes, as well, were on fire.Throwing himself down in the sawdust the showman rolled androlled, uttering loud imprecations and threats, while audienceand performers fairly screamed with delight.
He was up in a flash, expecting to find Phil making a dashfor freedom.
"Stop him!" he bellowed.
Phil Forrest sat on the rump of the ring horse, grinning broadlyat the predicament of the owner of the Sully Hippodrome Circus.
The Circus Boys in Dixie Land; Or, Winning the Plaudits of the Sunny South Page 15