CHAPTER XVIII
DOING A DOUBLE SOMERSAULT
Cool, confident a troop of motley fools and clean-limbedperformers filed out from the dressing tent, on past thebandstand and across the arena to the place where the springboardhad been rigged, with a mat two feet thick a short distancebeyond it.
With them proudly marched Teddy Tucker.
Mr. Sparling, in the meantime, was patting Phil on the back.
"I'm in a quandary, Phil," he said.
"What about?" smiled the lad, tugging away at his tights.
"I want you out front and yet it would be almost a crime to takea performer like you out of the ring. Tell me honestly, wherewould you prefer to be?"
"That's a difficult question to answer. There is a terriblefascination about the ring, and it's getting a stronger hold ofme every day I am out."
"Yes; I understand that. It's so with all of them. I was thatway myself at first."
"Were you ever in the ring?"
"I clowned it. But I wasn't much of a performer. Just did a fewsimple clown stunts and made faces at the audience. Then I gotsome money ahead and started out for myself. If I'd had you thenI would have had a railroad show long before this season," smiledthe showman.
"On the other hand," continued Phil, "I am anxious to learn thefront of the house as well as the ring. I think, maybe, that Icould spend part of my time in the office, if that is where youwish me. If you can spare me from the parade, I might put inthat time to decided advantage doing things on the lot for you,"mused Phil.
"Spare you from the parade? Well, I should say so. You arerelieved from that already. Of course, any time you wish to goout, you have the privilege of doing so. Sometimes it is achange, providing one is not obliged to go," smiled the showman.
"Most of the performers would be glad if they did nothave to, though."
"No doubt of it. But let's see; you have how many acts now?There's the flying rings, the elephant act and now comes thebareback act--"
"Yes; three," nodded Phil.
"That's too many. You'll give out under all that, and now we'retalking about doubling you out in front. I guess we will let thefront of the house take care of itself for the present."
Phil looked rather disappointed.
"Of course, any time you wish you may come out, you know."
"Thank you; I shall be glad to do that. I can do a lot oflittle things to help you as soon as I learn how you runthe show. I know something about that already," grinned the lad.
"If you wish, I will double somebody up on your flying rings act.What do you say?"
"It isn't necessary, Mr. Sparling. I can handle all threewithout any difficulty, only the bareback act comes prettyclose to the grand entry. It doesn't give me much time tochange my costume."
"That's right. Tell you what we'll do."
"Yes?"
"We'll set the bareback act forward one number, substitutingthe leaping for it. That will give you plenty of time to makea change, will it not?"
"Plenty," agreed Phil.
"How about the flying rings. They come sometime later, if Iremember correctly."
"Yes; the third act after the riding, according to thenew arrangement. No trouble about that."
"Very well; then I will notify the director and let him makethe necessary changes. I want to go out now and see your youngfriend make an exhibition of himself."
"Teddy?"
"Yes. He's going on the leaping act for the first time,you know."
"That's so. I had forgotten all about it. I want to see that,too.I'll hurry and dress."
"And, Phil," said the showman in a more kindly voice, even,than he had used before.
"Yes, sir," answered the lad, glancing up quickly.
"You are going to be a great showman some of these days, both inthe ring and out of it. Remember what I tell you."
"Thank you; I hope so. I am going to try to be at least agood one."
"You're that already. You've done a lot for the SparlingCombined as it is and I don't want you to think I do notappreciate it. Shake hands!"
Man and boy grasped each other's hand in a grip that meant morethan words. Then Mr. Sparling turned abruptly and hurried outinto the big top where the leaping act was in full cry.
Painted clowns were keeping the audience in a roar by theirfunny leaps from the springboard to the mat, while the suppleacrobats were doing doubles and singles through the air,landing gracefully on the mat as a round off.
The showman's first inquiring look was in search of Teddy Tucker.He soon made the lad out. Teddy was made up as a fat boy with alow, narrow-brimmed hat perched jauntily on one side of his head.There was drollery in Teddy's every movement. His naturalclownish movements were sufficient to excite the laughterof the spectators without any attempt on his part to be funny,while the lad kept up a constant flow of criticism of hiscompanions in the act.
But they had grown to know Teddy better, by this time, and nonetook his taunts seriously.
"That boy can leap, after all," muttered Mr. Sparling."I thought he would tumble around and make some fun for theaudience, but I hadn't the least idea he could do a turn.Why, he's the funniest one in the bunch."
Teddy was doing funny twists in the air as he threw a somersaultat that moment. In his enthusiasm he overshot the mat, and hadthere not been a performer handy to catch him, the lad might havebeen seriously hurt.
Mr. Sparling shook his head.
"Lucky if he doesn't break his neck! But that kind seldom do,"the owner said out loud.
Now the helpers were bringing the elephants up. Two were placedin front of the springboard and over these a stream of gaudilyattired clowns dived, doing a turn in the air as they passed.Teddy was among the number.
Three elephants were lined up, then a fourth and a fifth.
"I hope he isn't going to try that," growled Mr. Sparling,noting that the lad was waiting his turn to get up onthe springboard. "Not many of them can get away withthat number. I suppose I ought to go over and stop the boy.But I guess he won't try to jump them. He'll probably walkacross their backs, the same as he has seen the other clowns do."
Teddy, however, had a different plan in mind. He had espiedMr. Sparling looking at him from across the tent, and he proposedto let the owner see what he really could do.
For a moment the lad poised at the top of the springboard,critically measuring the distance across the backs of theassembled elephants.
"Go on, go on!" commanded the director. "Do you think this showcan wait on your motion all day? Jump, or get off the board!"
"Say, who's doing this you or I?" demanded Teddy in well-feignedindignation, and in a voice that was audible pretty much all overthe tent.
This drew a loud laugh from the spectators, who were now in aframe of mind to laugh at anything the Fat Boy did.
"It doesn't look as if anyone were doing anything.Somebody will be in a minute, if I hear any more of your talk,"snapped the director. "Are you going to jump, or are you goingto get off the board?"
"Well," shouted Teddy, "confidentially now, mind you. Come overhere.I want to talk to you. Confidentially, you know. I'm going tojump,if you'll stop asking questions long enough for me to get away."
Amid a roar of laughter from spectators, and broad grins on thepart of the performers, Teddy took a running start and shot upinto the air.
"He's turning too quick," snapped Mr. Sparling.
Teddy, however, evidently knew what he was about. Turning abeautiful somersault, he launched into a second one with theconfidence of a veteran. All the circus people in the big topexpected to see the lad break his neck. Instead, however, Tuckerlanded lightly and easily on his feet while the spectatorsshouted their approval. But instead of landing on the mat as hethought he was doing, Teddy was standing on the back of the lastelephant in the line.
His double somersault had made him dizzy and the boy did notrealize that he had not yet reached the mat on the ground.Bowing and s
miling to the audience, the Fat Boy started towalk away.
Then Teddy fell off, landing in a heap on the hard ground.He rose, aching, but the onlookers on the boards took it allas a funny finish, and gleefully roared their appreciation.