Part 14 (1/2)
”I thought I had heard you mention that we were to do so.”
”Why do you ask that question?”
”I'll answer it by asking another,” smiled the Circus Boy.
”When do we make that stand?”
The showman consulted his route book.
”A week from next Tuesday,” he said. ”Anything wrong about that?”
”Yes.”
”What?”
”Nothing except that there is another show billed to play there the day before.”
”What?”
Mr. Sparling bent a keen gaze on Phil's face, to make sure the lad was not joking.
”Yes, the Sully Hippodrome Circus is billed there for Monday.”
”Where did you find that out?”
”I read it in a St. Catharines' paper down at the hotel this morning. I thought you would be interested in knowing of it.”
”Interested? Why, boy, it will kill our business. So Sully is cutting in on us, is he? I thought he was playing the eastern circuit. He threatened to get even with me.”
”Even?”
”Yes. Sully was once a partner in this show, but he proved himself so dishonest that I had to take legal measures to get him out. He got money from some source last season, and put a show of his own on the road. He has a twenty-five car show, I understand. Not such a small outfit at that. But I hear it is a graft show.”
”What's a graft show? I must confess that I never heard of that before.”
”A graft show, my boy, is a show that gets money in various ways.
They frequently carry a gang of thieves and confidence men with them, who work among the spectators on the grounds before the show, robbing them and getting a commission on their earnings.”
”Is it possible that there are such dishonest people in the show business?” marveled the lad.
”Not only possible, but an actual fact. I am happy to say, however, that there are few shows that will tolerate anything of that sort.”
”I'm glad I did not have the misfortune to get with one of them,”
smiled Phil. ”Are any of the big shows graft shows?”
”None of them. But about this heading us off?”
”Yes; what will you do about it?”
”We'll be there on Monday, too,” decided the showman after a moment's reflection.