The Circus Boys On The Mississippi | Page 7

business of yours," growled Diaz.
"That remains to be seen. I'll decide whether it is any of my affair or
not. Phil, what does this mean?"

"Just a little matter between ourselves. Thank you for helping me out."
"Did he attack you, Phil?"
"He did, but he no doubt thought he had sufficient provocation. Perhaps
we should not be too hard on Mr. Diaz."
"Then the best thing to do is to tell Mr. Sparling. I--"
"Please don't do anything of the sort," begged Phil. "In the first place,
Diaz's anger was directed against Teddy, and I had to mix myself in
their quarrel. Teddy did something to him a few weeks ago that made
the clown very angry, and I don't blame Diaz."
"Was there any excuse for his pitching into you in this manner?"
"Well," laughed Phil, "perhaps the situation did not demand exactly
that sort of treatment."
"How did you come to let him get you so easily?"
"I fell over something."
"Oh, that's it?"
"Yes. I wasn't trying to hit him. I could have done so easily, but I felt
that I was in the wrong."
"Humph!" grunted the head clown. Then he turned to Diaz.
"See here, you fellow!"
"What you want?" demanded Diaz in a surly tone.
"I want to advise you to let those boys alone in the future. They have
been with this show a long time, and they are highly thought of by Mr.
Sparling. Were he to hear what you have done tonight I rather think
you would pack your trunk and quit right here. I shall not tell him. Next
time I see you doing any such thing you will have to answer to me. I'm

the head clown here, and I won't stand for one of my men pitching on a
boy."
Teddy was chuckling to himself over the severe rebuke that Miaco was
administering to his clown.
"Do you boys intend going on tonight?" Miaco demanded suddenly,
turning on Teddy.
"Certainly," answered Phil.
"Then I should advise you to be getting into your makeups."
"Why, what time is it?"
"A quarter to eight."
"Whew! Come on, Teddy."
A few moments more and peace had been restored in the dressing tent,
though Diaz was muttering to himself as he laid the powder over his
face, preparatory to his first entry into the ring.
"I am afraid we have not heard the last of Diaz, Teddy," confided Phil
to his companion. "You see what your moment of thoughtlessness has
brought upon us, don't you?"
"You didn't have to mix in the row. I could have handled him."
"I am forced to admit that you are right. I sought to avoid trouble and I
was the direct cause of a lot of it. There goes the first call. Hurry up!"
The Circus Boys had, indeed, made an enemy. It was noticed, however,
that Manuel, the assistant of Diaz, had taken no part in the row. The
young man had calmly proceeded with his making up without
appearing to take the slightest interest in the affair. Whether or not his
apparent indifference was merely assumed was not known.
The two boys were not performing on the flying rings this season. They

had retained all their other acts, however, though the star act was the
flying trapeze, in which Phil Forrest was now one of the leading
performers.
Teddy rode his donkey, January, took part in the ground tumbling,
acted as shadow again for the clown Shivers, besides making himself
generally useful in some of the other acts.
As for Phil's bareback riding, he occupied the center ring in this act, as
he had done the season before. He had come to be perhaps the most
useful man with the Sparling show.
"I advise you to look out for that fellow. He is a dangerous customer,"
warned Miaco under his breath, as Phil sat down on his horse during a
rest in the performance.
The Circus Boy nodded his understanding, but appeared little disturbed
at Miaco's warning. Like the seasoned circus man that he was, he had
learned to take things as they came, making the best of every situation
when he came face to face with it.
Diaz and his assistant were entering the ring as Phil left it. They began
throwing their hats, winning great applause, for their act was a clever
one of its kind. At about the same time, Teddy Tucker and January
came on, the Circus Boy howling, January braying and bucking,
beating the air with his heels, for he had been taught some entirely new
tricks during the winter.
The ringmaster held up his hand for silence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you, January. As January is
the first month of the year, so is this January