he didn't seem to have the spirit
of his sister. Anyhow, they are neither of them playing to-day, and,
for my part, I thought the performance lame."

"Well, that's my opinion," said Fortune. "No American would go the
length of the road to see anything so poor and common. And so the
children are off--but the children were on. Now, I wish to goodness I
could see those children."

"I don't suppose they have anything to do with the lost children who
are spoken of in these posters," said the man. "They say they were
brown as gypsies, that the boy was timid, and the girl rode
wonderfully. She must have been trained for some time to ride as well
as she did."

Not being able to get anything more out of these folks, Fortune turned
on her heel and wandered in another direction. She crossed the
entrance to the great tent, and made for the exit at the opposite side
of the field. In doing this she ran right up against a fair-haired,
rather pretty circus girl.

"My dear," said Fortune, "you'll excuse my stopping to speak to you,
but will you tell me if I can get into the town by the gate yonder?"

"It's rather a roundabout way," answered the girl, "but you can go, of
course. You will have to walk quite a way down a country lane, then
turn to your left, and it will bring you to the other side of the
town."

"Fact is," continued Fortune, "I'm anxious to see some more of those
posters. I'm mighty took with them. They seem to describe a most
elegant little pair of children."

The girl uttered a sigh and changed color.

"Maybe, miss," said Fortune, fixing her with her keen eyes, "you can
tell me something about 'em? Now, if you could, and would, it would be
worth your while."

"Oh, I know nothing at all," said the girl, in alarm. "What should I
know?"

"How is it," continued Fortune, "that the little children belonging to
your circus were not present this afternoon? It seems a sort of
cheating of the public."

"The little children belonging to our circus?" repeated the girl. "But
we hasn't no children." She turned very white now, and suddenly
leaving Fortune, ran as fast as ever she could in the direction of the
tent.

Fortune followed her with her eyes. She saw a dark man peeping out.

"That girl is frightened; she's hiding something," thought the woman.
"There's no doubt the trail strengthens, and I, being an
American--well, well, 'taint likely I'm going to leave off now. Yes,
hot grows the trail."

Fortune pursued