season had been prosperous, but the fall rains had set in and the
roads were heavy. The labor attendant upon getting from town to town
became arduous. Overworked men daily left the combination, and the
McAnay brothers were hired by the proprietor, who was glad to secure the
services of three able-bodied utility men.

One day early in November the Colossal Aggregation stuck in the mud, and
was unable to keep its engagement at a town in the mountains. The
proprietor decided not to show at the place, but push on to the
county-seat, where the circus was billed to appear on the following day.
The citizens of the village, however, demanded a performance for their
pleasure, and, as the proprietor refused to give one, there was every
chance of a riot. Finally a compromise was effected at the suggestion of
a man who wore green goggles, and who seemed to be a ruling spirit among
the villagers. He proposed that Barkup should give each man two tickets,
admitting him and his wife or sweetheart free to the show at the
county-seat. Barkup consented to this, and when the tickets were
distributed the circus passed on.

Blind Benner lay asleep in a closed van, and knew nothing of the
occurrence until in the evening, when Hunch graphically told of it.

"I tell yer," he concluded, "there was a tight fit uv missin' a fight,
an' Levi grinned as onconsarned as if he hed wings."

A great crowd attended the circus at the county-seat. There was a rush
and struggle for the pasteboard slips when the ticket-wagon was opened.
At times it seemed as if the vehicle would be overturned, but the
ticket-seller was as imperturbable as the man with green goggles, who
held his ticket between his fingers and calmly watched the embryo riot,
caused by those who had bought their tickets struggling to get through
the crowd pressing forward to buy.

A youth who had in his escort two buxom girls grew tired of being
hustled about. Going to the front of the wagon, he dropped on all fours
and, with heroic disregard of his Sunday suit, crawled to the rear.
Thrusting his head between a pair of active legs, he lifted their owner
into the air as he raised his burly form erect. In a moment he was
supplied with tickets and placed on the ground the man who had squirmed
upon his neck, departing as he came. Goggles laughed heartily, much
amused at the rustic's stratagem.

"How funny!" a woman remarked.

Goggles turned to see who had spoken. She had been pretty, but now