d Man.

When Detective Gubb reached the circus grounds the glaring banners had
not yet been erected before the side-show tent, but all the tents
except the "big top" were up and all hands were at work on that one,
or supposed to be. Two were not. Two of the roughest-looking
roustabouts, after glancing here and there, glided into the property
tent and concealed themselves behind a pile of blue cases, hampers,
and canvas bags. One of them immediately drew from under his coat a
small but heavy parcel wrapped in an old rag.

"Say, cul," he said in a coarse voice, "you sure have got a head on
you. This here stuff will be just as safe in there as in a bank, see?
Gimme the screw-driver."

"'Not to be opened until Chicago,'" said the other gleefully, pointing
to the words daubed on one of the blue cases. "But I guess it will
be--hey, old pal? I guess so!"

Together they removed the lid of the box, and Detective Gubb, seeking
the side-show, crawled under the wall of the property tent just in
time to see the two ruffians hurriedly jam their parcel into the case
and screw the lid in place again. Mr. Gubb's mustache was now in a
diagonal position, but little he cared for that. His eyes were
fastened on the countenances of the two roustabouts. The men were easy
to remember. One was red-headed and pockmarked and the other was dark
and the lobes of his ears were slit, as if some one had at some time
forcibly removed a pair of rings from them. Very quietly Philo Gubb
wiggled backward out of the tent, but as he did so his eyes caught a
word painted on the side of the blue case. It was "_Pet_"!

Mr. Gubb proceeded to the next tent. Stooping, he peered inside, and
what he saw satisfied him that he had found the side-show. Around the
inside of the tent men were erecting a blue platform, and on the far
side four men were wheeling a tongueless cage into place. A door at
the back of the cage swung open and shut as the men moved the cage,
but another in front was securely bolted and barred. Mr. Gubb lowered
the tent wall and backed away. It was into this cage that the body of
Mr. Winterberry was to be put to make a public holiday for yokels! And
the murderer was still at large!

Murderer? Murderers! For who were the two rough characters he had seen
tampering with the case containing the remains of the Pet? What had
they been putting in the case? If not the murderers, they were surely
accomplices. Walking like a wary flamingo, Mr. Gubb c