"All of the animals look starved," said Dick, loudly.

"Dat am a fac'," added Aleck.

"This is a bum show," cried a burly farmer boy standing close by. "Why,
they have more animals nor this in a dime museum."

"Will you fellows shut up?" cried Giles Frozzler. "This show is all
right."

"Of course you'd say so--you're the feller wot put out them bills," said
the burly country boy.

"If you don't like the show you can get out."

"All right, Mr. Billman, give me back my quarter."

"Yes, give me my quarter and I'll go too," put in one of the
shopkeepers of Oak Run.

"And so will I go," added a woman.

"Me, too," came in a voice from the rear of the crowd.

"Oh, you people make me tired," grumbled Giles Frozzler, and then,
fearing that the people would really demand their money back he sneaked
off, leaving the monkeys to continue the destruction of his head
covering.

CHAPTER XV

ACTS NOT ON THE BILLS

It was now almost time for the ring performance to begin. Dick had
purchased so-called reserved seats for the crowd, paying an additional
ten cents for each seat, but when they reached the tent with the ring
they found that the reserved seats were merely a creation of fancy on
the part of the circus owner. Giles Frozzler had had imitation chair
bottoms painted on the long boards used for seats and each of these
buttons was numbered.

"This is a snide, sure," said Sam.

"Well, there is one thing about it, they can't crowd you," answered
Dick. And that was the one advantage the "reserved seats" afforded.
On the common seats the spectators were crowded just as closely as
possible, until the seats threatened to break down with the weight put
upon them.

There was a delay in opening the ring performance and for a very good
reason. In the dressing tent Giles Frozzler was having great difficulty
in persuading his leading lady rider and his clown to go on. Both
wanted their pay for the past two weeks.

"I shall not ride a step until I am paid," said the equestrienne, with
a determined toss of her head.

"And I don't do another flip-flap," put in the clown.

"Oh, come, don't talk like that," argued Giles Frozzler. "I'll pay you
to-morrow, sure."

"No."

"I'll pay you to-night--just as soon as the performance is over. Just
see what a crowd we have--the money is pouring in."

At this the lady bareback rider hesitated, and finally said she would
go on. But the clown would not budge.

"I may be