ung man. "I'll kill that fellow
to-night," he added to Lige Willetts. "Some one ought to have done it
long ago."

"What?"

"I _say_, WHAT IS IT?"

"I only wanted to say me and you certainly did fool these here Hoosiers
this morning, huh? Hustled them two fellers through the court-house, and
nobody never thought to slip round to the other door and head us off.
Ha, ha! We were jest a _leetle_ too many fer 'em, huh?"

From an upper tier of seats the rusty length of Mr. Martin erected
itself joint by joint, like an extension ladder, and he peered down
over the gaping faces at the Town Marshal. "Excuse me," he said sadly to
those behind him, but his dry voice penetrated everywhere, "I got up to
hear Jim say 'We' again."

Mr. Bardlock joined in the laugh against himself, and proceeded with
his wife to some seats, forty or fifty feet distant. When he had settled
himself comfortably, he shouted over cheerfully to the unhappy editor:
"Them shell-men got it in fer you, Mr. Harkless."

"Ain't that fool shet up _yit_?" snarled the aged Mr. Bodeffer,
indignantly. He was sitting near the young couple, and the expression
of his sympathy was distinctly audible to them and many others. "Got
no more regards than a brazing calf-disturbin' a feller with his
sweetheart!"

"The both of 'em says they're goin' to do fer you," bleated Mr.
Bardlock. "Swear they'll git their evens with ye."

Mr. Martin rose again. "Don't git scared and leave town, Mr. Harkless,"
he called out; "Jim'll protect you."

Vastly to the young man's relief the band began to play, and the
equestrians and equestriennes capered out from the dressing-tent for the
"Grand Entrance," and the performance commenced. Through the long
summer afternoon it went on: wonders of horsemanship and horsewomanship;
hair-raising exploits on wires, tight and slack; giddy tricks on the
high trapeze; feats of leaping and tumbling in the rings; while the
tireless musicians blatted inspiringly through it all, only pausing
long enough to allow that uproarious jester, the clown, to ask the
ring-master what he would do if a young lady came up and kissed him on
the street, and to exploit his hilarities during the short intervals of
rest for the athletes.

When it was over, John and Helen found themselves in the midst of a
densely packed crowd, and separated from Miss Briscoe and Lige. People
were pushing and shoving, and he saw her face grow pale. He realized
with a pang of sympathy how