Part 24 (2/2)

Soon the strains of music told him this was where he was to begin his act. The boy swung gracefully to the back of his mount.

Instantly he had leaped to his feet Sully clapped his hands together approvingly.

”That's the way to do it. You've got the other fellow skinned forty ways!” he cried.

”In some ways,” replied Phil significantly. ”Otherwise not.”

The ring was in excellent shape, much to the boy's surprise, and the horse was the best he ever had ridden. In a few moments Phil began 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 leap over as his horse pa.s.sed under. This did not bother him in the least, though he had never tried the act before. It was a relic of the old circus days that few shows had retained.

But Phil was on the point of balking when a clown came out with a handful of hoops covered with paper.

”You want me to jump through those things?” he questioned, during a 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 feel like,” said the showman.

The band started up again and Phil sprang to his feet. A paper hoop was raised on the opposite side of the ring, the lad eyeing it hesitatingly.

”I'll go through it if I break my neck trying,” he muttered, shutting his lips tightly together.

Smas.h.!.+

The Circus Boy hurled himself through the tender paper, but the breaking paper stung his face like the crack of a whip lash, and Phil, 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 of surprised eyes on the showman.

”See here,” retorted the lad with rising color, ”I'm not in the habit of being talked to like that. If you don't like my riding I'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 that very same thing all through the season.

”Fine!” chuckled Sully. ”He's a star performer, even if he does give 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 hoops of fire flared up before him and on all sides of him.

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