The Crimson Flash.
by Roy J. Snell.
CHAPTER I
JOHNNY LOSES A FIGHT
In the center of the "big top," which sheltered the mammoth three-ring circus, bra.s.s horns blared to the rhythmic beat of a huge ba.s.s drum.
Eight trained elephants, giant actors of the sawdust ring, patiently stood in line, awaiting the command to make way for the tumblers, trapeze performers, bareback riders and the queen of the circus.
The twins, Marjory and Margaret MacDonald, just past ten years of age, and attending their first circus, stood pressed against the rope not an arm"s length from the foremost elephant. Suddenly the gigantic creature reached out a beseeching trunk for a possible peanut.
Sensing danger, Johnny Thompson, the one-time lightweight boxing champion, who, besides their maid, stood guard over the millionaire twins, sprang forward. Quick as he was, his movement was far too slow.
Marjory jumped back; there was an almost inaudible snap. The elephant stretched his trunk to full length--then in apparent anger uttered a hollow snort.
A broad bar of sunlight shooting over the top of the canvas wall was cut by a sudden flash. The flash described a circle, then blinked out at the feet of three waiting young women performers.
With a cry of consternation on his lips, Johnny Thompson sprang over the ropes. Bowling over an elephant trainer in his haste, he bolted toward the three girl acrobats at whose feet the miniature meteor had vanished.
Again his agile movement was far too slow. Six pairs of rough hands tried to seize him. Johnny"s right shot out. With a little gurgle, an attendant in uniform staggered backward to crumple in the sawdust. A ring-master, leaping like a panther, landed on Johnny"s back. Dropping abruptly, Johnny executed a somersault, shook himself free and rose only to b.u.t.t his head into the stomach of a fat clown.
And then what promised to be a beautiful sc.r.a.p ended miserably. A razor-back, or tent roustabout, struck Johnny on the head with a tent stake. Johnny dropped like an empty meal sack. At once four attendants dragged him beneath the tent wall into a shady corner. There, after tying his hands and feet, they waited for his return to consciousness.
Little by little Johnny came to himself, and began to fumble at his fetters.
"Wow! What hit me?" he grumbled, as he attempted to rub his bruised head.
"You fell and struck your head on a tent pole," grinned a razor-back.
"Some sc.r.a.pper, eh?" a second man commented.
"Dope or moonshine?" asked a third.
"Neither," exclaimed Johnny. "It was--darn it! No. That"s none of your business. But I"ll get it back if I have to follow this one-horse show from Boston to Texas."
"You won"t follow nothin" just at present," scowled the razor-back, eying his shackles with satisfaction. "That guy you hit had to go to the show"s surgeon."
"Wow!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed his companion. "And I bet this little feller doesn"t weigh a hundred and ten stripped! How"d he do it?"
"Let me loose and I"ll give you a free exhibition," grinned Johnny, as he settled back, resolved to take what was coming to him with a smile.
He was not a quarrelsome fellow, this Johnny Thompson. He had studied the science of boxing and wrestling because it interested him, and because he wished to be able to take care of himself in every emergency. He never struck a man unless forced to do so. The emergency of the past hour had spurred him to unusual activity. In a way he regretted it now, but on reflection decided that were the same set of conditions to confront him again, his actions would probably be the same. His one regret was that he had been unable to attain his end. His only problem now was to recover lost ground and to reach the desired goal.
Late that night, with stiffened joints and aching muscles, he made his way to the desolate spot where but a few hours before a hilarious throng had laughed at the antics of clowns and thrilled at the daring dance of the tight-rope walker.
In his hand Johnny held a small flashlight. This he flicked about here and there for some time.
"That"s it," he exclaimed at last. "This is the very spot."
Dropping on hands and knees he began clawing over the sawdust. Running it through his fingers, he gathered it in little piles here and there until presently the place resembled a miniature mountain range. He had been at this for a half hour when he straightened up with a sigh.
"Not a chance," he murmured, "not a solitary chance! One of those circus dames got it; the trapeze performer, or maybe the tight-rope walker.
Which one? That"s what I"ve got to find out."
Suddenly he leaped to his feet. A long-drawn-out whistle sounded through the darkness.
"The circus train! I"ve just time to jump it. I"ll stow away on her.
How"s that? A circus stowaway!"
Johnny dashed across the open s.p.a.ce and, just as the train began to move, caught at the iron bars of a gondola car loaded with tent equipment.
Climbing aboard, he groped about until he found a soft spot among some piles of canvas, and, sinking down there, was soon fast asleep. He had had no supper, but that mattered little. He would eat a double portion of ham and eggs in the morning. It was enough that he was on his way. Where to? He did not exactly know.
When Johnny leaped over the rope in the circus tent the previous afternoon, in his rush toward the lady performers, he had dodged behind the trained elephants. This took him out of the view of the twins, Marjory and Margaret. So interested were they in the elephants that they did not miss him, and not having noted the sparkle in the sunlight which sent Johnny on his mad chase, they remained fully occupied in watching the regular events of the circus.
The elephants had lumbered into the side tent, the tight-rope walker had danced her airy way across the arena, the brown bear had taken his daily bicycle ride, and the human statuary was on display, when Marjory suddenly turned to Margaret and said:
"Why, Johnny"s gone!"
"So he is," said the other twin. "Perhaps he didn"t like it. He"ll be back, I"m sure."
The maid was quite accustomed to looking after the millionaire twins, so when Johnny failed to put in an appearance at the end of the performance, they pa.s.sed out with the throng, the maid hailed a taxi and they were soon on their way home.
It was then that Marjory, looking down, noticed that the fine gold chain about her neck hung with two loose ends. Catching her breath, she uttered a startled whisper:
"Oo! Look! Margaret! It"s gone!"
Margaret looked once, then clasped her hands in horror.
"And father said you mustn"t take it!"
"But it was our first, our very first circus!"
"I know," sighed Margaret. "And wasn"t it just grand! But now," she sighed, "now, you"ll have to tell father."
"Yes, I will--right away."
Marjory did tell. They had not been in the house a minute before she told of their loss.
"Where"s Johnny Thompson?" their father asked.
"We--we don"t know."
"Don"t know?"
"We haven"t seen him for two hours."
"Well, that settles it. I might have known when I hired an adventurer to look after my thoroughbreds and guard my children that I"d be sorry. But he was a splendid man with the horses; seemed to think of "em as his own; and as for boxing, I never saw a fellow like him."