t intervals.

"Come," answered old Benares.

At the end of a long, swift swing of his body, Thacher let go of Andy,
who spun across a ten feet space that looked twenty to the audience
below. Andy felt a light contact, old Benares' double grip caught
under his arms.

The act was the merest novice trick analyzed by an expert, but it set
the audience wild.

A prodigious cheer arose, clapping of hands, juvenile yells of
admiration. The band came in with a ringing march. Old Benares righted
himself, Andy with him.

"Su-paarb!" he said. "Can you hold on alone--one little minute?"

"Sure," said Andy.

The trapezist reached up and untied the descending rope, secured it to
the bar, and shouted to those standing below.

Two ring hands ran out into the sawdust, caught the other end, and held
it perfectly taut.

"Can you slide down it?" asked Benares.

Andy's eyes sparkled.

"Say, Mr. Benares," he replied, "if I wasn't rattled by all that crowd,
I could do it head first. I've done the regular, one leg drop,
fifty times."

"You are admirable--an ex-paart!" declaimed old Benares. "Who are you,
anyway?"

"Only Andy Wildwood. Do you think I could ever do a real circus act?"

"Do I think--hear them yell! You have made a hit. Good boy. Be careful.
Go."

Andy essayed an old rope performance he had seen done once, and had many
times practiced.

This was to secure one leg around the rope, throw himself outwards, fold
his arms, and wind round and round the rope, slowly descending.

The orchestra caught the cue, and kept time with appropriate music. A
second hush held the audience. Without a break, Andy descended the forty
odd feet of cable.

Nearing its end, he caught at the rope to steady himself. Then he
gracefully leaped free of it to the sawdust, and made a profound bow to
the audience amid wild thunders of applause.

CHAPTER XII

AN ARM OF THE LAW

The circus manager followed Andy, as the latter darted past the band
stand and into the passageway leading to the performers' tent.

His face was a blank of wonderment. The ringmaster joined him, and so
did one or two others as he hurried after Andy.

They found the latter holding to a guy rope, Andy's head was spinning.
The reaction from intense excitement made him weak and breathless for
some moments.

The audience was still in a pleasant flutter of commotion over the
unique act that had caught their fancy.

The Benares Brothers went on with their p