ON the following week the circus moved down through Pennsylvania. Fine weather favored the show, and the crowd at each performance was very large.

"This is going to be a banner season," said Giles, the treasurer, "unless we get tripped up as we were last season."

He referred to a serious matter, namely, that of thousands of stolen tickets, which during the previous summer had been secured and sold by outside speculators.

This season a few tickets had thus far been missing, but the number was not sufficient to cause a serious loss.

Leo's performances in the ring improved every day. Already was he as good as Jack Snipper, and soon he would outrival the other acrobat in every way.

Leo's acts, while disguised as a clown, were highly amusing, even better than some of the regular clowns, of which there were eight.

"He could do clown and get big wages, even if he didn't know a thing about gymnastics," remarked Natalie Sparks.

Natalie was now a warm friend to Leo, much to Snipper's disgust.

The second-rate gymnast had always been enamored of the Fire Queen, but he could make no progress in his suit.

One day he met Natalie in the dressing-tent when no one else was present.

He began to talk familiarly to her, and then attempted to kiss her.

"Don't you dare!" she cried angrily.

"I guess you won't mind very much," said Snipper, and then, despite her struggles, he bent over and stuck his repulsive face close to her fair cheek.

But just then Leo came on the scene. For a moment he stood in amazement.

"Leo, make the horrid fellow go away!" panted Natalie.

"Do as Miss Sparks wishes, Snipper!" cried the young gymnast.

"Mind your own business!" grumbled Snipper.

"This is my business," returned Leo warmly.

And rushing up, he collared the second-rate gymnast and hurled him halfway across the tent.

Snipper was clearly in the wrong, and, as Natalie had called on Leo for a.s.sistance, he did not dare raise a row.

He sneaked out, shaking his fist at Leo as he did so.

"Oh, Leo, I am very thankful you came in," panted Natalie as soon as she could recover.

"So am I," went on the boy honestly, and then, as he looked at the beautiful girl, both blushed.

Following the scene just recorded, Jack Snipper was more ugly than ever.

Whenever he met or pa.s.sed Leo he would mutter something under his breath.

"Look out for him, Leo," said d.i.c.k Pomeroy, the tumbler, one day. "He's cutting a club for you."

"I've got my optics peeled," laughed Leo.

That afternoon, after the performance, Leo was walking around outside, near the side-show.

Presently he saw something that at once interested him.

A "flim-flam worker," as such criminals around a circus are called, was trying to swindle a countryman out of twenty dollars.

He was working an old game, which consists in getting an outsider to hold the stakes in a bet with another flim-flammer.

The game is to mix the stakeholder up and make him put up his own money, and then secure all the cash in sight.

Leo was interested for two reasons.

In the first place, he did not wish to see the countryman swindled.

In the second place, he knew that swindlers of any kind were not allowed to work in the vicinity of the "Greatest Show on Earth."

The flim-flam man was about to receive the countryman's money when Leo stepped up.

"Drop this," he said quietly.

"Wot yer givin' us, sonny?" came in a hoa.r.s.e growl from the swindler.

"I say drop the game." Leo turned to the countryman. "Put away your money, or you will be swindled out of it."

"By gum! Is thet so?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the farmer, and he at once thrust the cash out of sight.

At this the would-be swindler turned on Leo.

"I'll thrash you for that!" he howled, and rushed at the young gymnast, while the two partners in the deal did the same.

Leo knew it would be foolish to attempt to stand up against all three, so he gave a peculiar whistle, known to all circus hands.

A cry of "Hi! Rube!" arose and soon several circus detectives reached the spot. But the swindlers vanished before they could be captured.

The countryman, whose name was Adam Sloc.u.m, was much pleased over what Leo had done, and insisted on shaking hands. He invited Leo to call on him when the circus came to the next town.

"Thank you, I'll call," said Leo.

Snipper had witnessed the scene between the swindlers and Leo. When the three men went off he followed them.

All four met at a low resort half a dozen blocks from the circus grounds.

Snipper knew the men. As a matter of fact, he would have left the circus and joined them in their work, but he had his reasons for remaining as an employee of the "Greatest Show on Earth," as will be seen later.

The four men had a conference, which lasted over an hour.