Part 47 (1/2)
Griswold had disappeared, but he resolved to follow the man's trail, if the thing could be done.
”Ought to have one of our Indians along,” he thought. There were sixteen of the redmen traveling with the ”Greatest Show on Earth.”
But the path through the brush was plain enough. It led to the road which Leo had originally pursued when coming out for a walk.
When our hero reached the road he saw an old farmer driving along.
Evidently the old man was just coming from town.
”Hold on, sir, I want to talk to you!” cried Leo.
”What's the matter?” asked the farmer, surveying our hero's torn and muddy clothing in curiosity.
”Did you meet a man on his way to town-a man with a queer walk?”
”I did.”
”Take me to that man and I'll give you a five dollar bill.”
The old farmer was greatly astonished.
”Who be you?” he questioned cautiously.
Leo told him.
The farmer at once agreed to run down Hank Griswold, if it could be done.
Leo jumped into the wagon and off they went.
The chase, however, was a useless one. Griswold had taken to a side road and could not be found.
”But I'll catch him some day,” said Leo to Carl, ”and then I'll make him tell why he attacked me.”
”Perhaps he was hired to do it,” ventured the young magician.
”That is what I think,” returned Leo, with a grave shake of his head.
Carl was doing very well. He had several new tricks, some of which he thought would please the children. One was called ”Milk or Water,” and was brought out the day after Leo had the adventure just described.
”I will now show you how easy it is to change water into milk,” said the young magician as he mounted the platform in the circus ring. ”Will some one kindly hand me a gla.s.s of water? I have the milk here,” and he took up a small pitcher and pa.s.sed it around for inspection.
The gla.s.s of water was brought and he placed it on the table and covered it with a handkerchief. Then he tapped the gla.s.s and also the pitcher.
Removing the handkerchief, he held up the gla.s.s. Sure enough, there was the white milk, as plain as day. Taking up the pitcher, Carl turned it upside down to show it was empty.
”Now we'll change them back,” he said. Another tap, and lo! the gla.s.s was full of water and the milk was in the pitcher again.
A burst of applause followed.