The Circus Boys on the Plains; Or, The Young Advance Agents Ahead of the Show Read online

  CHAPTER II

  OFF FOR NEW FIELDS

  "Teddy, Teddy, wake up!" commanded Phil, hauling his companionfrom his berth in the sleeping car.

  Teddy scrambled out into the aisle of the car and promptlyshowed fight.

  "Here, what are you doing, waking me up this time of the night?"he demanded.

  "I have great news."

  "News?" questioned the boy, showing some slight signs of interestin the announcement.

  "Yes, news, and good news, too."

  "All right, I'm easy. What is it?"

  "We are to join the advance."

  "Advance of what?"

  "The advance of the Sparling Shows, of course," glowed Phil.

  Teddy grew thoughtful.

  "What, and leave the show?"

  "Certainly."

  "Not for mine!"

  "Oh, yes, you will! You know, we wish to learn all we can, andneither of us knows anything about that end of the business.It is a splendid opportunity, and we should be very grateful toMr. Sparling for giving us the chance. Besides, it will be avery pleasant life. We shall be traveling in a private car,with no responsibilities beyond our work. Will it not be fine?"

  "I--I don't know. I shall have to try it first. I decline tocommit myself in advance. When do we go?"

  "Tomorrow."

  "Pshaw! Boss Sparling seems to be in an awful hurry to getrid of us. All right, I'll go. I need a rest, anyway--formy health. I've been working too hard so far this season."

  "Too bad about you," scoffed Phil. "We leave from Saginaw asearly tomorrow as we can get away. We shall have to get a fewthings from our dressing-tent trunks, then pack up the thingswe do not need, sending them on with the show."

  "Do I take my donkey?" questioned Teddy, half humorously.

  "Your mule? The idea! Now, what would you do with a donkeyon an advance car, I should like to know?"

  "He might make things interesting for the rest of the crowd."

  "I should say he would! But, from what little I know of theadvance, you will have plenty to interest you without having anill-tempered donkey along. Good night, Teddy. This is our lastnight with the show for a long time to come."

  Phil made his way to his own berth, where he promptly went tosleep, putting from his mind until the morrow all thought of whatlay before him.

  Early the next morning both lads were awake; by the time theirsection pulled in at Saginaw they had nearly completed thepacking of their personal baggage.

  The rest was quickly accomplished, after they had eaten theirbreakfast under the cook tent. All preparations made, a finalinterview with Mr. Sparling had, and good-byes said, the CircusBoys boarded a train just as the strains of the circus band wereborne to their ears.

  "The parade is on," said Phil as their train moved out.

  "And we are not there to ride in it. We'll have to get upsome sort of a parade for Car Number Three, I'm thinking,"smiled Teddy.

  Late that afternoon the boys reached St. Paul.After considerable searching about they finally found CarNumber Three. Mr. Snowden was not on board, so, telling theporter who they were, the lads made themselves comfortable inthe office of the car, a roomy compartment, nicely furnished,equipped with two folding berths, a desk, easy chairs andother conveniences.

  "This is pretty soft, I'm thinking," decided Teddy.

  "It is very nice, if that is what you mean," corrected Phil.

  "That's what I mean. Do we live in here?"

  "No; I should imagine we are to berth at the other end ofthe car."

  "Let's go look at it."

  The other end of the car comprised one long apartment withfolding berths and benches for laying out the lithographs.At the far end was a steam boiler, used in making paste withwhich to post the bills. That compartment had nothing eitherof elegance or comfort.

  "Do the men sleep on those shelves up there?" questioned Teddy ofthe porter.

  "Shelves, sir? Hi calls them berths, sir," answered the porter,who was an Englishman.

  "Humph!"

  "What do you think of our new home, Teddy?" smiled Phil.

  "I've seen better," grumbled the Circus Boy. "I think I preferthe stateroom. Where's the boss?"

  "He's out just now looking over the work."

  Teddy, with a scowl on his face, went outside to take a lookat the car from the outside. The car was a bright red, withthe name of the Sparling Shows spread over its sides ingilded letters.

  "If the inside were half as good-looking as the outside, it wouldbe some car," was Teddy's conclusion, after walking all aroundthe car. "I think I'll go back and join the show."

  "Oh, be sensible, Teddy," chided Phil. "We shall be verycomfortable after we once get settled. Here comes Mr. Snowden,I think."

  Approaching them, the boys saw a thin, nervous-appearing man ofperhaps forty-five years of age.

  "Are you Mr. Snowden?" asked Phil, politely.

  "Yes; what do you want?"

  "I am Phil Forrest, and this is my friend, Teddy Tucker. We havecome on to join the car."

  Mr. Snowden looked the lads over critically.

  "Humph!" he said. "Come inside."

  Whether or not his survey of them had been satisfactory neitherlad knew.

  "Now, what are you going to do on this car?" demanded the carmanager sharply, when they had seated themselves in his office.

  "That is for you to say, sir. We are at your disposal,"replied Phil.

  "What can you do?"

  "We do not know. This is entirely new work for us. We have beenperformers back with the show, you know."

  "Humph! Nice bunch to ring in on an advertising car!" gruntedthe manager. "Either of you know how to put up paper?"

  "I think not."

  "What do you mean by paper?" interposed Teddy.

  The manager groaned.

  "You don't know what paper is?"

  "No, sir."

  "Paper is advertising matter, any kind of show bills that areposted on billboards, barns or any other old place where we getthe chance. Everything is paper on an advertising car.Forrest, I think I'll send you out on a country route tomorrow.Know what a country route is?"

  "I think so."

  "Well, in case you do not, I will tell you. Every day wesend out men to post bills through the country. The routesare laid out by the contracting agent long before we get toa town. You go out in a livery rig, and you will have todrive from thirty to forty miles a day. You are an aerialperformer, are you not?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Then you will be able to climb barns all right. We will callyou Car Number Three's barn-climber. We'll see how good aperformer you really are. For the first few days I will send youout with one of the billposters; after that you will have to goit alone. If you are no good, back you go. Understand?"

  "I think so. I shall do the best I can."

  "And what do I do?" demanded Teddy.

  The car manager eyed him disapprovingly.

  "What do you do?"

  "Yes."

  "I have a nice gentlemanly job laid out for you. You willoperate the steam boiler and make up the paste for the next day.You'll wish you had stayed back with the show before I getthrough with you."

  "And I'll go there, too, if you talk like that to me," retortedTeddy, flushing angrily.

  "What's that? What's that?" snapped the manager. "See here,young man, I am in charge of this car. You will do as I tellyou, and if you get noisy about it I'll show you how we do thingson an advertising car. Get out of here before I throw you out."

  "See here, you, I won't be talked to like that. I'll wring yourneck for you, some fine day, first thing you know!" bellowedTeddy, now thoroughly aroused.

  The manager grabbed the lad by the shoulders and shot him throughthe screen doors before Teddy had an opportunity to object.

  Teddy, red-faced and boiling with rage, was about to projecthimself into the stateroom again when Phil motioned him togo away. Teddy did so reluctan
tly.

  "Where do we sleep, Mr. Snowden?" inquired Phil, hoping to getthe car manager in a more gentle frame of mind by changingthe subject.

  "Sleep on the roof, sleep in the cellar! I don't care whereyou sleep! You get out of here, too, unless you want me tothrow you out!"

  "I think you had better not do that, sir." Phil's voice was cooland pleasant.

  "What's that! What's that! You dare to talk back to me.I'll--"

  "Wait a moment, Mr. Snowden. We might as well understand eachother at the beginning."

  The car manager's words seemed to stick in his throat. He gazedat the slender young fellow before him in amazement. Mr. Snowdenwas unused to having a man in his employ talk back to him, andfor the moment it looked as though trouble were brewing in thestateroom of Car Number Three.

  "Say it!" he exploded.

  "I have very little to say, sir. But what I have to say willbe to the point. I am well aware that discipline must bepreserved here as well as back with the show. I shall alwayslook up to you as my superior, and treat you in a gentlemanlyand respectful manner. I shall hope that you, also, will treatme in a gentlemanly manner as long as I deserve it, at least."

  "You--you threaten me, you young cub--you--"

  "No; I do not threaten you. I am simply seeking to come to afriendly understanding with you."

  "And--and if--if I decide to treat you as I do the rest of mymen--what then?" sneered the manager.

  "That depends. I can answer that question when I see how you dotreat them. From what I have seen, I should imagine they do notlead a very happy existence," continued the Circus Boy with apleasant smile.

  "If I keep you on this car I'll use you as I please, and thequicker you understand that the better. Now, what do you proposeto do?"

  "I propose," said Phil, still preserving an even tone, "to do myduty and at the same time keep my self-respect. I propose, ifyou persist in directing insulting language at me, to give you athrashing that will last you all the rest of the season."

  Teddy, who had sat down on a pile of railroad ties besidethe tracks, could see and hear all that was going on inthe stateroom.

  "Soak him, Phil!" howled the boy on the tie pile.

  Snowden's eyes blazed and his fingers opened andclosed convulsively.

  With an angry growl he hurled himself straight at Phil Forrest.