, clenching his fists. "That
ringmaster ought to be cowhided."

Painfully the young acrobat started to pull himself up on the rope.
The ringmaster glared at him and then cracked his whip once more,
taking the young performer in the arm.

"Shame! shame!" cried Snap; and "Shame!" added the other boys
quickly.

"Shut up, you boys!" growled the ringmaster, turning quickly.

"Then let that boy alone," answered Snap loudly.

"If you don't shut up I'll have you put out!" roared the ringmaster.

The young acrobat had climbed the rope a distance of ten feet. Now
he appeared to grow dizzy, and of a sudden he lost his grip and fell
in a heap in the sawdust ring.

"You rat, you, I'll fix you!" hissed the ringmaster. "What do
we pay you for, anyway?"

He raised his long lash again, but before he could bring it down Snap
and Shep leaped from their seats, quickly followed by Giant and
Whopper and two well-dressed men.

"Don't you hit that boy," cried Snap loudly. "Don't you do it!"

"That's right---let the kid alone," added one of the well-dressed men.

"Go back to your seats---this is none of your affair," growled the
ringmaster.

"It is our affair," put in the doctor's son. "That boy is
sick---everybody can see it. He can't perform."

He purposely spoke in a loud voice, so that many heard him. At once
a murmur arose on all sides.

"That's right---the kid is sick---take him out of the ring."

"It's an outrage to try to make him perform."

"The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ought to
look into this."

Half a hundred men and boys stepped up to the ring, and for a few
minutes the discussion waxed warm. In the meantime the young
acrobat arose unsteadily to his feet. He was so weak he could
hardly stand.

"Get back to the dressing-room, and be quick about it," growled
the ringmaster to him. "I'll settle with you for this later."

"Down that ringmaster! Give him his own lash!" came from a burly
farmer. "We'll teach him to abuse a boy as is sick!"

This cry was taken up by several. Growing alarmed, the ringmaster
took to his heals and disappeared in the direction of the dressing-tent,
whence his young victim had already gone. Then the band struck up,
and the manager of the show sent out the clowns to do an extra stunt
to quiet the audience.

"I'm afraid that ringmaster will have it in for that boy," said Snap
to his chums.

"Poor boy!" murmured the doctor's son. "He didn't loo