Part 24 (1/2)
”Yip! Yip!” answered Phil.
The lad leaped up into the air just as if he had been hurled there on springs. As he leaped his legs were curled up under him, and his working mate saw that he was not going to land on the back of the horse at all. Still she dared not speak to him, now. She knew that to attract Phil's attention at that moment might mean a bad fall for him, for a performer must have his mind on his work when attempting any dangerous feat.
To the surprise of everyone who witnessed the act, Phil Forrest cleared the back of the ring horse, fairly flying past the astonished eyes of Little Dimples.
He landed lightly well outside of the ring curbing, on the soft turf.
The audience broke out into a roar of applause and a ripple of hand clapping ran over the arena from the appreciative performers. They wholly forgot themselves in their surprise and approval of the feat.
”Wonderful!” breathed Mr. James Sparling. ”That boy is worth a thousand dollars a week to any show.”
”Have I forgotten how to jump?” demanded the Circus Boy exultingly, as the ring horse slowed down to a walk, Phil stepping along by the side of it looking up into the eyes of Little Dimples.
”Indeed you have not. It was wonderful. Don't you ever dare try it again, however. Why, suppose you had dropped on an iron tent stake? You would have at least been disabled for life.”
”I presume I should have been. I happened to know there were no stakes where I landed. I made sure of that before I made the leap.”
”You are a wise boy, even if an imprudent one. We try the shoulder stand next, do we not?”
”Yes.”
”I haven't the routine in my mind yet. Don't you dare let me fall.”
”Supposing we save the shoulder stand until the last. Let's do the somersault first,” suggested Phil.
”Very well; I don't care.”
The music started and the little couple began their work again.
Dimples sprang up to the hip of the Circus Boy, leaning far out to one side, holding to one of Phil's hands, a very pretty though not perilous feat for a sure-footed ride.
This they varied by throwing themselves into several different poses.
”Now the turn,” breathed Phil.
He deftly lifted the little woman down to the horse just in front of himself. Having done so, Phil grasped Dimples firmly about the waist with his strong, muscular young hands.
”If you drop me I'll never speak to you again.”
”I shall not drop you. You know the cue?”
”Yes.”
The lad nodded to the ringmaster, indicating that the latter was to urge the horse on to a faster gallop.
”Now what are those two children going to do?” wondered the owner of the show. ”One is as daring as the other. It's a wonder they have gone along without knocking themselves out. I believe they are going to do a turn.”
That was exactly what they were preparing. ”Now,” said Phil sharply.
The pair rose from the back of the ring horse as one person.