A BOLT FROM THE CLOUDS
"The old hen has laid an egg!The old hen has laid an egg!"The performance was moving merrily on, the gasoline lamps shedding a bright glow over the golden haze of the circus tent, when a diminutive clown rushed into the arena bearing something in his arms.
To the spectators it was just another clownish act, and they laughed uproariously.Thecircuspeople,however,realizedatoncethat something not down on the bills was taking place, and they cast wondering glances at the little clown, who was dancing about in high glee."Get out of here!" growled the ringmaster angrily."What do you mean by breaking into the performance in this way.Out of here,Isay!"
"The old hen has laid an egg!" repeated the clown, holding aloft the object that all might see.
Teddy Tucker, for it was he, cared nothing for the crowds occupying the seats.In fact, it is doubtful that he gave any thought to them at all.
"What do you mean?" demanded the ringmaster."The ostrich.Don't you see?""The ostrich?"
"Yes, she's laid an egg."
Quick to appreciate the value of the clown's interruption, the ringmaster took the great egg that Teddy had brought in, and held it aloft.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, as the band suddenly ceased playing, "wonders never cease in the Great Sparling Shows.You have been treated to startling feats of skill upon the lofty flying swings; you have witnessed desperately dangerous displays of unrivaled aerialism, and you are about to observe the thundering, furious Roman chariot races three times about the arena--""Say, what are you trying to get at?" growled Teddy Tucker."Give me back that egg.""But a sensation greater than all of these is in store for you, thoughyou did not know it.The tallest hen in the world has laid an egg for your instruction and amusement--the ostrich has immortalized the town of Milledgeville by laying an egg within its sacred precincts, and my friend, Teddy Tucker, in discovering it, has accomplished an achievement beside which the discovery of the north or south pole is a cheap side show."The audience yelled its approval and appreciation.
"Young man, what do you intend to do with this wonderful and rare specimen?""What do I intend to do with it?"
"Yes.Is it your purpose to present it to this beautiful little city, to be placed among its other treasures in the city hall?""Well, I guess not!" "What, then?"
"I'm going to eat it.That's what I'm going to do with it," answered Teddy in a voice loud enough to be heard all over the big top.
The people shouted.
"Give me that egg!" demanded the Circus Boy, grabbing the big white ball and marching off toward the paddock with it, to the accompaniment of the laughter and applause of the audience.
"Now that we have seen this remarkable Easter achievement, the performance will proceed," announced the ringmaster, blowing his whistle and waving his hand.
The band struck up; the performers, grinning broadly, took up their work where they had left off upon the entrance of Teddy Tucker with the giant egg.
The incident had served to put both performers and audience in high good humor.Mr.Sparling was not present to witness it.He was busy down by the docks, attending to the loading of such of the show's equipment as was ready to be packed away for shipment on the Sparling fleet.
Perhaps it was just as well for Teddy, that the owner of the show was not present, as he might have objected to the Circus Boy's interruption of the performance.
Teddy was irrepressible.He stood in awe of no one excepttheLady Snake Charmer, and did pretty much as he pleased all the time.Yet, beneath the surface, there was the making of a manly man, a resolute, sturdy character of whom great things might be expected in the not far distant future.
As the performance proceeded an ominous rumbling was suddenly heard.
"I think it is going to storm," Phil confided to his working mate on the flying trapeze.
"Sounds that way.Is that thunder I hear?" "Yes.""Guess it won't amount to much.Just a spring shower.You will find a lot of them along the river for the next month or so.""I have always heard that rivers were wet," replied Phil humorously, swinging off into space, landing surely and gracefully in the arms of the catcher in the trapeze act.
"I think we had better cut the act short.""Oh, no, let's go on with it," answered Phil."I am not afraid if you are not.""Afraid nothing.I remember still what a narrow escape we had last season just before that blow-down, when Wallace, the big lion, made his escape.That was a lively time, wasn't it?""Rather," agreed Phil.
The ringmaster motioned to them to bring their act to a close, and the band leader, catching the significance of the movement, urged his musicians to play louder.The crash of cymbals and the boom of the bass drum and the big horns almost drowned out the rumbling of the thunder.
Those up near the dome of the tent, still going through their acts, now heard the patter of heavy rain drops on the canvas top.The lights throughout the tent flickered a little under the draught that sucked in through the openings in the tent and the open space at the top of the side walls.
The audience showed signs of restlessness.
