rway of the barn
was a man. He leaned against a post, had just lit a cigar, and was
looking intently down the road in the direction of Centreville.

Some wagons rattled by and the man drew inside the barn out of view.
Andy made out that he was well-dressed and very active and nervous in
his manner.

"That man is waiting for some one," decided Andy, getting
interested--"yes, and he belongs to the show, I'll bet."

Andy reasoned this out from the facility with which the man hummed out a
tune he had heard the circus orchestra play.

The man paced restively to and fro. He went out into the road and looked
far down it. He returned to the barn and resumed his impatient pacing
to and fro.

Nearly an hour went by in this fashion. Andy began to consider that he
had become curious without much reason. He was about to drop back again
to his cozy bed when he heard the man utter an exclamation of
satisfaction.

He rubbed his hands and braced up, and as a new figure turned from the
road spoke in a cautious but distinct tone.

"That you, Murdock?"

"It's me, sure enough, Daley," came the reply.

"S--sh--don't use my name here. You know--"

"All right. No one likely to hear us in this lonely spot, though," spoke
the newcomer addressed as Murdock.

"Well, what have you to report?" questioned Daley eagerly.

"It's all right."

"You've fixed it?"

"Snug and sure. The show will have a big sensation to-night not down on
the bills."

The listening Andy heard the man called Daley utter a gratified chuckle.

"Good," he said.

"And there'll be a vacancy on the Benares Brothers' team to-morrow,"
added Daley, "so give me the twenty dollars."

CHAPTER X

A FIRST APPEARANCE

Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation. The jubilant
statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.

"I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.

He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for
as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.

"Twenty dollars?"

"Yes. Tell me how you fixed it."

"Why," answered Murdock with a cruel laugh, "you was laid off as one of
the Benares Brothers up at the show on account of drinking, wasn't you?"

Daley moodily nodded his head.

"They put on Thacher in your place. You and him are probably the only
two men in the profession who can do the somersault trapeze act with old
Benares. That puts you out of a job, for you're no good single."

"I guess that i