"Teddy Tucker, you are an ungrateful boy."
"I"m a sore boy; that"s what I am. Don"t speak to me till I get down again. Then I"ll talk with you and I"ll have something to say, too. I want that fifty dollars for putting the banner up, too."
"Well, wait till you get down, anyhow," retorted Phil impatiently.
Teddy made his way down, muttering and growling every foot of the way, followed by Phil at a safe distance, the latter chuckling and laughing at Teddy"s rage.
Young Tucker had nearly reached the base of the pole, when once more he missed his footing.
Billy Conley was just below him, ready to a.s.sist, when Teddy landed on him, both going down together.
Teddy uttered a yell that could have been heard more than a block away.
As the two struggled to get up, both Teddy and Billy threatening each other, rapid footsteps were heard approaching them down the street. In a moment they saw the flash of a policeman"s shield.
"We"re caught!" cried Conley. "Run for it!"
"Halt!" commanded the officer. He was almost upon them now.
Phil was still up the pole, where he clung, awaiting the result of the surprise below.
"What does this mean?" demanded the bluecoat.
"It means you are it!" howled Teddy, bolting between the officer"s legs, causing the bluecoat to fall flat upon the ground.
"Run! Run!" howled Teddy.
Phil sprang from the pole and all hands made a lively sprint for the car.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE DESERTED VILLAGE
But Teddy had distinguished himself. When the town awakened next morning there were loud clamorings for the arrest of the showman who had dared to unfurl a circus advertis.e.m.e.nt from the top of the city"s flag pole. The showmen guilty of the deed were many, many miles away by that time, engaged in other similar occupations.
At McAlister, a booming western town, the opposition were still hard on the heels of Car Three. Try as he would Phil Forrest was able to shake them off no longer than a few hours at a time.
A new plan occurred to him, and immediately upon his arrival at McAlister he wired Mr. Sparling to send a brigade into the next town ahead, to bill the place, in order that Car Three might make a jump and get away from its rivals.
A brigade, it should be known, is a crew of men that does not travel on a special car. They go by regular train, traveling as other pa.s.sengers do, dropping off and billing a town here and there, as directed by wire.
The answer came back that the brigade would relieve him at the next stand.
While this had been going on young Tucker had been listening to a most interesting tale of a deserted town some twenty miles beyond where they were then working. The deserted town was known as Owls" Valley. It had been a prosperous little city up to within two months previous, when, for reasons that Teddy did not learn, the inhabitants had taken a sudden leave.
This information set Teddy Tucker to thinking.
A deserted village? He wished that he might see it.
He had heard of deserted villages, and this one was of more than ordinary interest, because, the moment he heard of it, a plan presented itself to his fertile mind.
"I"ll bet they will not only nibble at the bait, but will swallow it whole," he decided exultingly after he had thoroughly gone over the plan, sitting off by himself on a pile of railroad iron.
"I"ll take Billy into my confidence. Billy will spread the word, and then we shall see what will happen."
When Billy came in Teddy called him aside and outlined his plan.
Billy returned from the conference grinning broadly, but Teddy was serious and thoughtful.
However, he decided not to tell Phil what he had done.
Perhaps Phil might not approve of it. Phil was so peculiar that he might visit the rival cars and tell them that certain information they had obtained was not correct.
Be that as it may, a few hours later three car managers visited the station, leaving orders that their cars were to be switched off at Owls" Valley.
"That fellow, Forrest, thought he would play a smart trick on us and slip into a town not down on his route, where he was going to have all the billing to himself," said the manager of the yellow car, late that evening.
"Where is Owls" Valley?" asked one of his men.
"About twenty miles west of here. It will be a short run.
He will be a very much surprised young man when he wakes up in the morning and finds us lying on the siding with him."
The train to which the cars were to be attached was not to leave until sometime after midnight. When it finally came in all the advertising car crews were in bed and asleep. Teddy Tucker, however, was not only wide awake, but outside at that.
"Couple us up next to your rear car, and put the other fellows on the rear if you will," he said to the conductor. "They are going to Owls" Valley, but we are going through. Please say nothing to them about what I have told you. Here"s a pa.s.s for the circus."
The rest was easy. Soon the train was rumbling away, with Teddy the happiest mortal on it. But he did not go to bed. Not Teddy!
He sat up to make sure that his plans did not miscarry.
Owls" Valley was reached in due time, and the Circus Boy was outside to make sure that no mistake was made. He did not propose that Car Three should, by any slip, be sidetracked at the deserted village.
Very shortly afterwards they were again on their way, and Teddy went to bed well satisfied with his night"s work. When the men woke up early next morning a new train crew was in charge, for the advertising car was making a long run.
Phil was the first to awaken. As was customary with him he stepped to the window and peered out.
"Why, we seem to be the last car on the train. There were three opposition cars behind us when we started out last night.
I wonder what that means?"
Quickly dressing, he went out on the platform. Leaning over he looked ahead. Car Three was the only show car on the train.
"That is queer. I do not understand it at all."
Hurrying in to the main part of the car Phil called to the men.
"Do any of you know what has become of the opposition?" he asked.
"Why, aren"t they on behind?"
"No one is on behind. We are the last car. Those fellows have stolen a march on us somewhere. I can"t imagine where they dropped off, though; can you?"
"Maybe they have switched off on another road," suggested a voice.