CHAPTER XXI
A FULL-FLEDGED ACROBAT
The circus manager sat in a chair at the edge of a little sawdust ringthat had been marked out for the occasion. The ringmaster stood nearhim, in charge of the ceremonies.
"Now, then, my friends," observed this individual in a sharp, snappyway, "you people want a chance to get on as performers. That's good. Weare always looking for fresh talent. Show your paces. Who's first?"
A big, loutish fellow with an ungainly walk stepped forward. He waswrapped up in a tarpaulin. As he let it drop it was like atransformation scene.
It seemed that some of the mischievous candy peddlers had got hold ofhim. They had induced him to appear for trial in costume.
He wore a pair of tights three sizes too small for him. They hadpowdered his hair with fine sawdust and daubed his face with chalk anddyes. They had stuffed out his stockings until his calves resembledsticks of knotted wood.
The manager nearly fell over in his chair with repressed laughter. Theaudience was one vast chuckle.
"Well, sir," spoke up the ringmaster, with difficulty keeping a straightface, "what can you do?"
"I'd like to be a clown," grinned the victim.
"A clown, sir. Good. Let's see you act."
The fellow capered into the ring. One stocking came down, letting out aquart of sawdust. One tight split up to the knee as he made a jig stepthat brought the tears to the eyes of Billy Blow, who, with his boy, hadcome to witness the show.
Then the fellow sang a funny song. It was funny. His voice was cracked,his delivery dolorous. He began to shuffle at the end of it.
"Faster, faster, sir!" cried the ringmaster, snapping his whip acrossthe bare limb exposed. "Faster, I tell you!"
"Ouch!" yelled the aspirant.
"Come, sir, faster. I say faster, faster, faster! Purely ring practice,my friend. We do this to all the clowns, you know."
With the pitiless accuracy of a bullwhacker the ringmaster pursued hisvictim. The whip-lash landed squarely every time, biting like a hornet.The aspirant was now on the run.
"Stop! Don't! Help!" he roared. "I don't want to be a clown!" and with abellow he ran out of the tent, followed by the hooting candy peddlers.
"Well, who are you?" demanded the ringmaster of two colored boys whostepped forward.
"Double trapeze act, sir," said one of them.
"Oh, here you are. Let's see what you can do."
The ringmaster set free the temporary trapeze rigging.
These aspirants did quite well, singly. When they doubled, however,there was trouble.
The one swinging from the hands of the other lost his grip. He caughtout wildly, grabbed at the shirt sleeve of his partner to save himself.This tightened the garment at the neck. Then it gave way, buttons andall. Both tumbled to the ground. They began upbraiding one another, cameto blows, and the ringmaster sent them about their business, saying theshow could not encourage prize fighters.
The programme continued. There was an ambitious lad who was quite awonder at turning rapid cartwheels. Another did some creditable polebalancing. One old man wanted to serve as a magician. All had a chance,but their merit was not distinguished enough to warrant theirengagement.
Most of the crowd filed out when the last of the amateurs had done his"stunt." Benares then stepped up to the ringmaster and beckoned to Andy.
At his direction Andy threw off his coat and hat, and old Benares ledthe horse Andy had noticed into the main tent. It was a steady-paced,slow-going steed. The ringmaster got it started around the ring.
"Do your best now, Wildwood," whispered Marco, who with the clown andthe manager had followed into the main tent.
Andy was on his mettle. He made a run, took a leap and landed on theplatform on the horse's back just as he had done a hundred times backat Fairview.
"Very good," nodded the ringmaster, as Andy rode around the ring,posing, several times.
"Try the spring plank next," suggested the manager.
The single and double somersault were Andy's specialty. The apparatuswas superb. He was not quite perfect, but old Benares patted him on theshoulder after several efforts, with the words:
"Fine--vary fine."
Andy did some creditable twisting on the trapeze, the manager and theringmaster conversing together, meantime.
"Report to me in the morning," said the latter to Andy at last.
Marco followed the manager as he left the tent. He came back with apleased expression of face.
"It's all right, lad," he reported. "You're in the ring group as a sub.He tried to chisel me down, but I insisted on fair pay, and it's tendollars a week for you."
Andy was delighted. That amount seemed a small fortune to him. No dangernow of not being able to pay back to Graham the borrowed five dollarsand his other Fairview debts.
Benares took him in hand after the others had left. He gave him a greatmany training suggestions. He led him into the regular practicing tentand showed him "the mecanique." This was a device with a wooden arm fromwhich hung an elastic rope. Harnessed in this, a performer could attemptall kinds of contortions without scoring a fall.
Benares also showed Andy how to make effective standing somersaults by"the tuck trick," This was to grasp both legs tightly half-way betweenthe knees and ankles, pressing them close together. At the same time theacrobat was to put the muscles of the shoulders and back in full play.The combined muscular force acted like a balance-weight of a wheel, andenabled that neat, finished somersault which always brought downthe house.
"You ought to try the slack wire, too, when you get a chance," advisedBenares. "We'll try you on the high trapeze in the triple act, sometime. Glad you're in the profession, Wildwood, and we'll all give you alift when we can."
Andy felt that he had found some of the best friends in the world, andwas a full-fledged acrobat at last as he left the circus tent.
Andy the Acrobat Page 21
