As he neared the village Phil began to shout and wave his hat. After a time his shouts attracted the attention of some of the people on the circus lot, which was on his side of the village.  
“It’s Emperor coming back!” cried someone. “There’s somebody on him,” added another.
 
“I’ll bet the day’s receipts that it’s that rascally¹ Phil Forrest,” exclaimed Mr. Sparling, examining the cloud of dust with shaded eyes. “How in the world did it ever happen? I’ve been hunting all over the outfit² for that boy this morning. Young Tucker said he thought Phil had remained behind, and I was afraid something had happened to the boy or that he had skipped the show. I might have known better. What’s that back of him?”
 
“Somebody chasing them, boss,” a tentman informed him.
 
“And they’re going to catch old Emperor sure.”
 
“Not if I know it,” snapped Mr. Sparling. “Hey, Rube!” he howled.
 
Canvasmen, roustabouts, performers and everybody within reach of his voice swarmed³ out into the open, armed with clubs, stones and anything they could lay their hands upon.
 
“There’s a posse trying to catch Phil Forrest and old Emperor. Get a going! Head them off and drive them back!”
 
Every man started on a run, some leaping on horses, clearing the circus lot, riding like so many cowboys. As they approached the lad perched on the bobbing head of the elephant the showmen set up a chorus of wild yells, to which Phil responded by waving his hat. He tried to stand up on Emperor’s head, narrowly missing a tumble, which he surely would have taken had not the elephant given him quick support with the ever-handy trunk.
 
“They’re shooting at me,” cried Phil, as he swept by the showmen.
 
“Line up!” commanded Mr. Sparling.
 
His men stretched across the highway, with the mounted ones in front, his infantry⁴ behind. Soon the horsemen of the pursuing party came dashing up and brought their horses to a sudden stop.
 
“What do you want?”
 
“We demand the turning over of the elephant which one of your men stole from us. They’ve wrecked⁵ the blacksmith shop and there’ll be a pretty bill of damages to pay! Come now, before we take you back with us.”
 
Mr. Sparling grinned.
 
“Perhaps you don’t know that you are in the State of Ohio at the present moment, eh? If you’ll take my advice you’ll turn about and get home as fast as horseflesh will carry you. My lawyer will be in your town today, and he will arrange for the payment of all just damages. We decline to be robbed, however. We’ve got the elephant and we’re going to keep him.”
 
“And we’re going to have the boy that broke in and released him.”
 
“Ho, ho, ho!” laughed Mr. Sparling jovially⁶. “I guess you’ll have the liveliest scrimmage you ever had in all your lives if you attempt to lay hands on that boy. Come, now, get out of here! If you attempt to raise the slightest disturbance⁷ I’ll have the bunch of you in the cooler, and we’ll be the boys to put you there if the town officials don’t act quickly enough.”
 
“Boys, I guess it’s up to us,” decided⁸ the leader of the party.
 
“Looks that way.”
 
“Then what do you say if we stop and see the show?”
 
“Good idea!”
 
“I don’t care how many of you go to the show; but, mark me, it will cost you fifty cents a head, and at the first sign of disturbance you’ll see the biggest bunch of trouble headed your way!”
 
“It’s all right, Mr. Sparling. We admit we’ve been done.”
 
And that was the end of it. Mr. Sparling’s lawyer visited the town where the disturbance had occurred on the previous day, and at his client’s direction made a settlement that should have been wholly satisfactory to the injured parties. Ordinarily the showman would not have settled the case, in view of the fact that neither he nor any of his employees was directly responsible for the series of disasters. He did it almost wholly on account of Phil Forrest, who had asked him to.
 
“Well, young man, I’ve paid the bills,” announced Mr. Sparling that afternoon before the evening performance.
 
“Thank you,” glowed Phil.
 
“Stop that! If there’s any thanks in it, they’re coming to you. Between you and the elephant we’ll have another turn-away today. You have already put a good bit of money in my pocket, and I’m not forgetting it. I have made definite arrangements for you and your chum to have a berth⁹ in a closed wagon¹⁰ after this. You will be good enough to offer no objections this time. What I say goes.”
 
“I hope I did not do anything wrong in taking Emperor away. I’m afraid my conscience has troubled me ever since. But I didn’t intend to do anything wrong or to cause any further damage than already had been done.”
 
“You did perfectly¹¹ right, Forrest. That was a stroke of genius. As for damage, I tell you I have settled all of that. One of these days you come in when I’m not busy and we’ll talk about next season. I want you to stay with me.”
 
Phil left his employer, the lad’s face flushed and his eyes sparkling. Altogether, he was a very happy boy. The only real cloud that had darkened his horizon was that anyone should feel such an enmity toward him as to desire to take his life; or, at least, to cause him so serious an injury as to put an end to the career that now seemed so promising¹².
 
“I know why, of course,” mused¹³ the lad. “It was jealousy¹⁴. I am more sure than ever as to the identity of the man who did it. When I get a good opportunity I am going to face him with it. I’m not afraid of the man. As it is, he might try it again; but if he understands that I know he will not dare try it, fearing I may have told someone else.”
 
Having come to this wise conclusion, Phil proceeded to the big top, where he and Teddy Tucker were to take their afternoon practice on the flying rings, pausing on the way to pass a handful of peanuts to Emperor, who was again in his place, and give the elephant’s trainer a happy nod.
 
“I’ve noticed of late that Signor Navaro acts rather grouchy¹⁵ over you boys working on his apparatus¹⁶. You want to look out for these foreigners. Some of them are revengeful,” cautioned Mr. Miaco.
 
Signor Navaro was the leading performer in the flying-rings act. With him was his young son, Rodney Palmer and a young girl performer, whose father was a clown in the show.
 
Phil shot a sharp glance at Mr. Miaco, then dropped his eyes.
 
“I guess nobody would be jealous of me,” laughed the lad. “I’m only a beginner, and a clumsy one at that. All I can do is to ride an elephant and fall off, nearly killing¹⁷ myself.”
 
“Nevertheless, you take my advice.”
 
“I will, thank you.”
 
The boys be............