CHAPTER XXI
A CIRCUS BOY MISSING
"Grab the beast!"
Teddy was still clinging to the baboon so firmly that they had touse force to get Bruiser away from him.
As for the baboon, he was too dazed from the shock of the fallto offer any resistance, and was quickly captured and returnedto his cage.
Teddy had not fared quite so well. He was unconscious, and for atime it was feared that he had been seriously injured.
As it turned out, however, he had escaped with nothing worse thana severe shock and a sprained wrist. A sprain of any sort issufficient to lay up a circus performer for sometime. As aresult of his injury, Teddy Tucker did not work again for thenext week; that is, he did not enter the ring, though he wasanxious to do so. Mr. Sparling, however, would not permit it.
Those were glorious days for Teddy. He could not keep awayfrom the circus lot. He had plenty of time to think up newways of tormenting his enemies, some of which he applied fromtime to time. The boy was safe, however, for no one feltinclined to punish a boy who was going around the outfit withone arm helpless in a sling.
Perhaps Teddy Tucker took advantage of this fact. At least, heenjoyed himself and, besides, found plenty of time to hunt forhis lost egg. The boy was suspicious of everyone. One time hebecame firmly convinced that Mr. Sparling had taken it from him.The moment the idea occurred to him he hunted up the showman anddemanded to know if the latter had his egg.
"No," answered Mr. Sparling with a twinkle in his eyes, "but Iwill try to arrange so you get another."
"You will?"
"Yes."
"Thank you; thank you."
"I am having the show's carpenter make one out of wood."
"I can't eat a wooden egg," protested Teddy.
"Why not? You were going to eat the ostrich egg. The woodenone will give you indigestion no quicker than the other wouldhave done."
"I'll tell you what I will do," said the Circus Boy, an ideasuddenly occurring to him.
"I am listening."
"You have the carpenter make an egg and I will circulate the newsthat I have another egg. I will leave it in my cabin and keepwatch on the thing. In that way I shall catch the fellow, if hetries to steal it again. I shan't put it in the trunk. Oh, I'lltalk a lot about that wooden egg."
"I am in hopes we shall hear no more about eggs all the restof the trip, after I give you another," said the showman."Your idea is not a half-bad one at that. If you catch theman we are looking for I will make you a nice present."
"What kind of a present?" asked Teddy with an eye to business.
"What would you like?"
"I'll have to think it over. There are so many things I want,that I do not know which I want most."
"I thought you had money enough to buy whatever you needed.By the way, how much money have you saved, Teddy?"
"Let me see," reflected the lad, counting up on his fingers."Why, I must have a little more than three thousand dollars inthe bank. Mrs. Cahill is taking care of it for me, you know."
"Fine, fine! That is splendid. What are you going to do withall of that money?"
"I think I will buy out the Sparling shows, someday, when you gettired of the business and want to sell at any old price,"answered the boy boldly.
The showman laughed heartily.
"So you think you would like to own a show, do you?"
"Yes, sir, I am going to--Phil and I."
"May I ask when this interesting affair is coming off--thispurchasing of a real circus?"
"I told you. When you get tired of the business we are going tobuy you out."
"You have it planned, eh?"
"Yes, sir; that is, I have. Phil doesn't know anything aboutthat yet. I haven't told him."
"I thought not. So, while I am paying you to work for me, youare planning to take my show away from me, are you?" questionedMr. Sparling with a smile.
"No, Sir; we are not trying to do anything of the sort. You havebeen too kind, and I thank you for all you have done for me,and--and all you have put up with. You ought to have 'fired'me a long time ago--I guess you ought to have done it before Istarted in the Show business. I'm glad you didn't," added Teddy,glancing up with a bright smile.
It was the first time Mr. Sparling had ever heard the littleCircus Boy express his appreciation. He patted thelad affectionately.
"I hope you are feeling quite well, today, my boy. You nevertalked this way before. What caused your sudden changeof heart?"
"I--I guess it was the baboon," answered Teddy whimsically."Or else, maybe, it was the bump I got when I hit the deckof the 'Fat Marie.'"
Phil came up and joined them at that moment, waiting for histurn to go on in his trapeze act for the evening performance.Mr. Sparling surveyed him keenly. He noted the trim, athleticfigure, the poise of the head and the steady clear eyes thatheld one irresistibly.
"You are looking very handsome tonight, Phil," said the owner.
"Thank you, sir. 'Handsome is as handsome does,' as the sayinggoes," laughed the Circus Boy. "Are you having the net watched,Mr. Sparling?"
"Yes, my lad. Two men are keeping close tab on the big spiderweb all the time, except in the afternoon, when no one would dareto tamper with it for fear of being detected."
"I am not so sure of that. You see, I have a personal interestin that net, seeing that I have to risk my bones over it twiceeach day."
"Don't worry. It will be well watched, Phil."
"I take the first drop in it, you know, so if it should give wayyou would be minus Phil Forrest."
"Teddy tells me you and he are thinking of buying out theSparling shows, eh?"
"Why, Teddy, how could you say such a thing?" demandedPhil, reddening.
Teddy expostulated, explaining that it was merely a dream in hisown mind, repeating that Phil knew nothing of it.
"I do intend to own a show, as I have told you before,Mr. Sparling, as soon as I have enough money. I am afraid,however, that that day is a long way off."
"Perhaps not so far off as you think, Phil. Perhaps both ofyou may own a show much sooner than you even dream," said theshowman, significantly. "Well, good night, boys if I do notsee you again."
"What do you think he meant by that?" questioned Teddy.
"I am sure I do not know. Perhaps he thinks we have a futurebefore us and that we shall make rapid advances. I hope so,don't you, Teddy?"
"I think I would rather find my egg than have most anything elsejust now."
"Oh, hang your egg! There goes my cue. I must get out, now.Bye, bye. You are a lucky boy not to have to work on thishot night."
Phil waved his hand and tripped out into the arena. A fewminutes later he was soaring through the air with thegracefulness and ease of a bird on the wing.
The boys did not meet again until bedtime, for Phil had turnedin immediately upon reaching the boat. Teddy, of course, wasthe last one to go to bed, but he was soon asleep afterreaching there.
Phil, on the contrary, had lain awake for some hours, thinking.He was still seeking a solution to the mystery that had beendisturbing them almost from the beginning of the season.Twice had an effort been made to do him serious injury at least.Who could have taken so violent a dislike to him as to wish tocause his death? There seemed to be no answer to the question.
"I can think of no one, unless it is Diaz," muttered the boy."Yet he surely was not one of those who were plotting out on thelot that night. He would not have had time to get back to theboat ahead of me. Then again, Teddy was sure that the clown hadbeen back for more than an hour. He may have had something to dowith laying the trap in the ring for Dimples and myself."
"I am afraid I am not on the right track at all," decided Philat last, with a deep sigh.
He was still awake when the "Fat Marie" shook off her mooringsand with a long blast of her siren, drifted out into the streamand began pounding down the river.
Phil got up, stretched himself, looked out
of the window, thendecided to go on deck to get the breeze, for the heat wasstifling in his stateroom. Teddy was sound asleep.
The deck seemed to be deserted. Phil walked over to the rail andleaning both elbows upon it closed his eyes dreamily.
It must have been fully an hour later when Teddy awakenedsuddenly, with a foreboding that something was not as itshould be.
"Phil!" he called.
There was no reply.
"_Phil!_" repeated Teddy in a louder tone.
Failing to get a response, Teddy arose and found his companion'sbed empty. Teddy, knowing that Phil seldom ever left thestateroom after retiring, decided to go out to look for him.He investigated the cabin, then going out on dock peered intoevery shadow, calling softly for Phil.
Failing to get any trace of his chum, Teddy returned to hiscabin, put on his slippers and went down to the lower deck, wherehe made inquiries of the watchman, but with no better success.
Teddy Tucker began to feel alarmed. He hurried to the upper deckagain, once more going over it carefully, as well as the insideof the boat.
A terrible suspicion began to force itself upon him.
"Man overboard!" bellowed the Circus Boy. "Man overboard!"He ran through the corridors shouting the startling cry, thenout to the deck repeating it as he ran.
The cry was taken up by others as they rushed from their cabins,Mr. Sparling among the number.
"Where, where?" shouted the showman. "Who--who--"
"It's Phil! He's gone. He's over there, somewhere, I don'tknow where!"
The Circus Boys on the Mississippi; Or, Afloat with the Big Show on the Big River Page 22