"THE LION IS LOOSE!"
"I'll show you how it works," he called out, with a grin, and without
a word of warning he whirled it about the legs and bodies of the boys,
who jumped with pain and started to run.
He followed them just as the teacher did before, delivering blows
rapidly, every one of which fairly burned and blistered where it
struck. Bud laughed and enjoyed it, because he was inflicting
suffering, and he would have caused serious injury had not one of the
men shouted to him to stop.
Bud obeyed, catching the end of the lash in the hand which held the
whipstock, and slouching back to his position, said:
"They wanted me to give 'em free tickets, and 'cause I wouldn't they
told me they were going to crawl under the tent; so I thought I would
let 'em have a little taste beforehand."
"You mustn't be quite so ready," said the man; "some time you will get
into trouble."
"It wan't be the first time," said Bud, looking with a grin at the poor
boys, all three of whom were crying with pain; "and I reckon I can get
out ag'in, as I've done often enough."
Fred Sheldon, after edging away from the other lads and his friends,
all of whom were pitying him, recalled that he had come into the
village of Tottenville to see the constable, Archie Jackson, and to
tell him about the robbery that had been committed at the residence of
the Misses Perkinpine the preceding evening.
Archie, a short, bustling, somewhat pompous man, who turned in his
toes when he walked, was found among the crowd that were admiring the
circus and menagerie, and was soon made acquainted with the alarming
occurrence.
"Just what might have been expected," he said, severely, when he had
heard the particulars; "it was some of them circus people, you can make
up your mind to that. There's always an ugly crowd going along with
'em, and sometimes a little ahead. It's been some of 'em, I'm sure;
very well, very well, I'll go right out and investigate."
He told Fred it was necessary he should go along with him, and the boy
did so, being informed that he would be permitted to attend the show in
the afternoon.
The fussy constable made the investigation, assisted by the sisters,
who had become much calmer, and by Fred, who, it will be understood,
was an important witness.
The officer went through and through the house, examining the floor
and chairs and windows and furniture for marks that might help him in
ferreting out the guilty parties. He looked very wise, and, when he was
done, said he had his own theory, and he was more convinced than ever
that the two burglars were attachés of Bandman's menagerie and circus.
"Purely as a matter of business," said he, "I'll attend the
performances this afternoon and evening; I don't believe in circuses,
but an officer of the law must sometimes go where his inclination
doesn't lead him. Wouldn't you ladies like to attend the show?"
The sisters were quite shocked at the invitation, and said that nothing
could induce them to go to such an exhibition, when they never attended
one in all their lives.
"In the meantime," added the bustling officer, "I suggest that you
offer a reward for the recovery of the goods."
"The suggestion is a good one," said Aunt Annie, "for I do not believe
we shall ever get back the silverware unless we make it an inducement
for everybody to hunt for it."
After some further words it was agreed that the constable should have
a hundred posters printed, offering a reward for the recovery of the
stolen property, nothing being said about the capture and conviction of
the thieves.
Nor would the conscientious ladies consent to make any offer that
could be accepted by the thieves themselves, by which they could claim
protection against prosecution.
They would rather bear their irreparable loss than consent to compound
crime.
"I know Mr. Carter, a very skillful detective in New York," said
Archie Jackson, as he prepared to go, "and I will send for him. He's
the sharpest man I ever saw, and if the property can be found, he's the
one to do it."
The confidence of the officer gave the ladies much hope, and they
resumed their duties in their household, as they had done so many times
for years past.
As the afternoon approached, the crowds began streaming into
Tottenville, and the sight was a stirring one, with the band of music
inside, the shouts of the peddlers on the outside, and the general
confusion and expectancy on the part of all.
The doors were open early, for, as is always the case, the multitude
were ahead of time, and were clamoring for admission.
As may be supposed, the boys were among the earliest, and the little
fellows who had suffered at the hands of the cruel Bud Heyland forgot
all their miseries in the delight of the entertainment.
On this special occasion Fred had rolled down his trousers and wore a
pair of shoes, although most of his playmates preferred no covering at
all for their brown, expanding feet.
The "performance," as the circus portion was called, did not begin
until two o'clock, so that more than an hour was at the disposal of the
visitors in which to inspect the animals.
These were found to be much less awe-inspiring than they were
pictured on the flaming posters and on the sides of their cages.
The hippopotamus, which was represented as crushing a large boat,
containing several men, in his jaws, was taken for a small,
queer-looking pig, as it was partly seen in the tank, while the grizzly
bear, the "Monarch of the Western Wilds," who had slain any number of
men before capture, did not look any more formidable than a common dog.
The chief interest of Fred and two or three of his young friends
centered around the cage containing the Numidian lion. He was of pretty
fair size, looked very fierce, and strode majestically back and forth
in his narrow quarters, now and then giving vent to a cavernous growl,
which, although not very pleasant to hear, was not so appalling by any
means as some travelers declare it to be.
Most of the boys soon went to the cage of monkeys, whose funny antics
kept them in a continual roar; but Fred and Joe Hunt, who were about
the same age, seemed never to tire of watching the king of beasts.
"Come, move on there; you've been gaping long enough, and it's time
other folks had a chance."
It was Bud Heyland, who had yielded his position on the outside for
a few minutes to one of the men, and had come in to look around. He
raised his whip in a threatening manner, but did not let it descend.
"I'm not in anybody's way," replied the indignant Fred, "and I'll stand
here as long as I want to."
"You will, eh? I'll show you!"
This time the bully drew back his whip with the intention of striking,
but before he could do so Archie Jackson, standing near, called out:
"You touch him if you dare!"
Bud turned toward the constable, who stood at his elbow, with flashing
eyes, and demanded:
"What's the matter with you?"
"That boy isn't doing any harm, and if you touch him I'll take you
by the collar and lock you up where you'll stay a while after this
miserable show has gone."
Bud knew the officer and held him in more fear than any one else in the
community, but he growled:
"This boy crawled under the tent, and he's no business in here."
"That's a falsehood, for I saw him buy his ticket. Come now, young man,
I _know something about last night's nefarious proceedings_."
It would be hard to describe the significance with which these words
were spoken, but it may be said that no one could have made them more
impressive than did the fiery constable, who said them over a second
time, and then, shaking his head very knowingly, walked away.
It may have been that Bud Heyland was such a bad boy that his
conscience accused him at all times, but Fred Sheldon was certain he
saw the red face grow more crimson under the words of the hot-tempered
constable.
"Can it be Bud knows anything about last night?" Fred asked himself,
attentively watching the movements of Bud, who affected to be
interested in something going on a rod or two distant.
He walked rapidly thither, but was gone only a short while when he came
back scowling at Fred, who looked at him in an inquiring way.
"What are you staring at me so for?" asked Bud, half raising his hand
as if he wanted to strike, but was afraid to do so.
Fred now did something which bordered on insolence, though the party of
the other part deserved no consideration therefor. The little fellow
looked steadily in the red, inflamed face, and with that peculiar grin
that means so much in a boy, said in a low, confidential voice:
"Bud, how about last night?"
Young Sheldon had no warrant to assume that Bud Heyland knew anything
of the robbery, and he was only following up the hint given by Archie
Jackson himself.
This may have been the reason that Fred fancied he could detect a
resemblance--very slight though it was--between the voice of Bud
Heyland and that of the tramp who sat at the table in the old brick
house, and who, beyond question, had a false beard on.
The young man with the whip in his hand simply looked back at the
handsome countenance before him, and without any appearance of emotion,
asked in turn:
"What are you talking about?"
Fred continued to look and smile, until suddenly Bud lost all
self-command and whirled his whip over his head.
As he did so, the lash flew through the bars of the cage and struck the
Numidian lion a sharp, stinging blow on the nose.
He gave a growl of anger, and half-rearing on his hind feet, made
a furious clawing and clutching with both paws. The end of the lash
seemed to have hit him in the eye, for he was furious for a minute.
Bud Heyland knew what the sounds behind him meant, and instead of
striking the young lad whom he detested so much, he turned about in the
hope of soothing the enraged lion.
He spoke kindly to the beast, and failing to produce any effect, was
about to call one of the men to bring some meat, but at that instant
every one near at hand was startled by a crashing, grinding sound, and
the cage was seen to sway as if on the point of turning over.
Then, before any one could comprehend fully what had occurred, a huge
form was seen to bound through the air in front of the cage, landing
directly among the terrified group, who stood spell-bound, scarcely
realizing their fearful peril.
"The lion is loose! the lion is loose!" was the next cry that rang
through the enclosure.
[Illustration: "The lion sprang through the air among the terrified
group." --(See page 71.)]