Leaving the town the next day, Leo and Carl struck out for a city five miles away, having heard that it was a good place in which to perform.
There was no stage running to the city, so the pair walked the distance.
When they reached the outskirts Leo suddenly stopped short and pointed to several billboards fastened to the side of a barn.
"What"s the matter?" asked Carl. "I don"t see anything but circus bills.
And the circus won"t be here until the day after to-morrow."
"It"s the "Greatest Show on Earth"-the circus I used to travel with,"
said the young acrobat.
"Oh, that"s so. Well, we needn"t come in contact with the crowd, if you don"t care to do so," said Carl.
For Leo had told his friend the whole story of the stolen circus tickets and Carl sympathized with him over the fact that he was under suspicion.
"If only I could get at the bottom of that affair." murmured Leo as they walked along one of the city streets.
"Those ticket thieves are sure to be run down some day," put in Carl, "and then your name will be cleared."
"They can"t be run down any too quick for me." answered Leo.
Since leaving the circus he had often thought of Barton Reeve, Natalie Sparks and his other friends. No communications had pa.s.sed between them for the reason that none of those traveling with the circus knew where Leo was.
In Chalburgh, for such was the city"s name, Leo and Carl were lucky enough to strike an engagement with a fat men"s a.s.sociation. The a.s.sociation gave a picnic in a large grove, and the pair performed on one end of the dancing platform. This engagement brought in eight dollars more, and when they were paid off the head man of the committee asked if they intended to remain in the city long.
"That depends," said Carl. "We"ll stay if we can find another opening."
"I might be able to find you an engagement with another society," said the fat man, who tipped the scales at three hundred and ten pounds. "I can let you know by to-morrow night, if you can wait that long."
Leo and Carl consulted together, and agreed to remain in Chalburgh, and the fat man took down their hotel address.
So the time went by until the day came when the circus was to perform in the city. Long before daybreak the wagons arrived and also the canvas and ring men. Leo could not resist the temptation to take a walk down to the circus-grounds for a look at the familiar scene.
While he stood there somebody touched him on the shoulder. It was Barton Reeve.
"How are you, Leo," said the menagerie manager heartily, as he held out his hand.
"I am pretty well, thank you," replied the young gymnast.
"Where have you been all this time?"
"Knocking around on my own hook," and Leo smiled faintly. He was glad to see Reeve still considered him a friend.
"I heard you had joined Wampole"s specialty company."
"I did, but I had to get out," answered the boy, and told of the theatrical manager"s doings and of how he was now giving private exhibitions with Carl.
"I wish you were back in our show," said Barton Reeve. "All of us miss you."
"Has Mr. Lambert discovered the ticket thieves yet?"
"No, but he"s got his eyes on several fellows who are following us around."
"Is Snipper still with you?"
"Yes. But n.o.body likes him. Natalie Sparks thinks Snipper may be in with the ticket thieves-that"s between you and me, of course," added Barton Reeve quickly.
"I have the same kind of an idea, Mr. Reeve. But the thing is to prove it."
"Of course. Until you can do that you had better remain silent."
While conversing, the two had been skirting the circus grounds, and now they came to a halt near a lemonade stand. Leo looked up, to see Jack Snipper not over fifty feet away.
"There is Snipper now," he exclaimed. "Who are those two men with him?"
Barton Reeve gave a look.
"I declare, they are two of the crowd that Lambert has under suspicion,"
he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed.
"The three are going somewhere," said Leo quickly. "If you have the time to spare, let us follow them."
Barton Reeve looked at Leo, and saw what was pa.s.sing in the young gymnast"s mind.
"I have the whole morning on my hands and will go willingly," he replied.
They set off side by side, taking care that Snipper should not notice them.
A half dozen blocks were covered, and the old gymnast and his two companions turned into a low-looking drinking resort.
Pa.s.sing the place, Leo and Barton Reeve saw the men take a drink and then walk into a back room.
At once Leo led the way through a side yard belonging to the drinking resort.
Here was a window opening into the back room, and standing close to this the two could hear and see all that was going on.
The men were counting over several bags of money.
This finished, one of them brought out several bundles of unsold tickets.
"When can you get more for us, Snipper?" asked one of the circus swindlers.
"I don"t know. They have discovered this loss already," replied the second-rate gymnast.
"Didn"t you put it off on the boy, as you said you would?"
"Certainly. But they think the boy is too good to steal," growled Snipper.
Then one of the other men began to figure up profits and mentioned how the money was to be divided.
"Hurry up," said Snipper. "I don"t want to stay away too long. It might excite suspicion."