Part 25 (1/2)

”Go through them!” shouted the show to let a little thing like that give you an attack of cold feet?” deht better of it

”Yip!--yip!” he cried sharply to the ring horse, riding straight at the first ring which he took without difficulty, though the hot flame on his cheeks made him shrink himself into a ss

The audience was applauding hiure appealed to thely than had any other performer in the show thus far One after another Phil took the flas until he came to the last one which he approached with more confidence than he had any of the others

He hurled himself at it with less caution than before As he entered the hoop of fire his elbows caught it, and instantly the lad felt the fire burning through his silk ring shi+rt

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 the air, as he had, with quick intuition, iined that it would

Phil threw a splendid backward so 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 before he could throw it off, his clothes, as well, were on fire

Throwing himself down in the sawdust the show loud imprecations and threats, while audience and perforht

He was up in a flash, expecting to find Phila dash for freedom

”Stop him!” he bellowed

Phil Forrest sat on the ru broadly at the predicament of the owner of the Sully Hippodrome Circus

CHAPTER XIV

A DASH FOR FREEDOM

”Well, you are a star rider, anyway,” announced Sully, with ee to take him back to the linen closet on board the private car

But Sully was less violent, and there was a twinkle in his eyes that Phil did not fail to catch

”He's planning so once more locked in his compartment ”I shouldn't be surprised if I had ridden a little too well today But it's going to be thenize reater applause than he had done at the afternoon perforined that the opportunities were greater for escape than in broad daylight Phil had reasoned it out the same way, but he was in no hurry He had done up hisabout his neck each tiht not be stolen while he was perfor, for, it will be remembered that the lad had no trunk in which to keep his valuables