Part 45 (1/2)
Phil's words were cut short by a shriek of terror frohted house followed by another and another
”He's there! Come on!”
Both boys vaulted the fence and ran to the front door By this time shriek upon shriek rent the air The lads burst into the house without an instant's hesitation
”Upstairs!” cried Phil, bounding up three steps at a time
A woman, pale and wide-eyed, had pointed that hen she saw the two boys in their circus tights and realized what they had coe roo, one n of the intruder
”Where--where is he?” de cards, and when so in the door here looking in He--he went down in the back yard Maybe you will be able to see hio in the room across the hall there There's a yard fenced off there for the dogs to run in”
Phil bounded across the hall followed by two of the men
”Does that stairway lead down into the back yard?”
questioned Phil
”Yes, yes”
”Was the door open?”
”Yes, yes”
”Is it open now?”
”Yes We can feel the draft”
”Show me into the room and I'll take a look”
One of the erly across the hall, turned the knob and pushed the door in ever so little Phil and Teddy, with torches still in hand, crowded in
As they did so their guide uttering a frightened yell, slammed the door shut, and Phil heard a bolt shoot in place
The boys found the the full depth of the house It had been rigged up, as a gys, parallel bars and other useful equipment
All this they saw instinctively But what they saw beyond all this caused the Circus Boys to pause almost spellbound
”He's in there! He's in there!” shouted half a dozen voices at the same moment Then the lads heard the people rush down the stairs and out into the street shouting and screa in the far corner of the roo its tail, its evil eyes fixed upon them, was the lion Wallace
”Wow!” breathed Teddy