cripps."

The manager turned aside to hide his emotion.

"Friends," he resumed an instant later, "you break me all up with this
kind of talk. You're a royal, good lot. I've wired Mr. Harding that he
must help us out. Stick to your posts, and no one shall lose a dollar."

There was not a dissent to his proposition as he completed calling the
list of performers. Andy's action shamed some into coming into the
arrangements. The manager's words encouraged others. While some few
answered grudgingly, the compact was made unanimous.

"There's a crowd of hard roughs trying to make trouble," concluded Mr.
Scripps. "Leave that to the tent men. Give the best show you know how,
try and please the crowds, and I guess we'll win out."

Every act went excellently at the evening performance up to about the
middle of the programme.

Andy did his level best. He won an encore by a trick somersault old
Benares had taught him.

Billy Blow was at his funniest. He had the audience in fine, good humor.
Little Midget over-exerted himself to follow in his father's lead.

Marco was a pronounced success. Miss Stella Starr made one of her horses
dance a graceful round to the tune of "Dixie," and the audience
went wild.

Andy, in street dress, came into the canvas passageway near the
orchestra as the trick elephants were led into the ring. The manager
nodded to him. Andy saw that he was pleased the way things were going.

For all that, he observed that Mr. Scripps kept his eye pretty closely
on a rough crowd occupying seats near the entrance.

They seemed to be of a general group. They talked loudly and passed all
kinds of comments on the various acts.

Finally one of their number shied a carrot into the ring, striking the
elephant trainer.

The latter caught his cue instantly at a word from the ringmaster. He
picked up the vegetable, made a profound bow to the sender, juggled it
cleverly with his training wand, one-two-three, and turned the tables
completely as the smart baby elephant caught it on the fly.

Cat calls rang out derisively from a lot of boys, directed at the group
of rowdies from the midst of whom the carrot had been thrown.

Then a man arose unsteadily from that mob and stumbled over the ring
ropes.

The ringmaster, his face very stern and very white, stepped forward to
intercept him.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Man insulted me. Going to lick him," hiccoughed the rowdy, his eyes
fixed on the elephant trai