ture," said one of the men "So they'll get him alive if they
can."

"Did any other lions escape?" asked the doctor's son.

"No; but one of the big monkeys is missing---the educated one."

"Do you mean Abe, the educated chimpanzee?" queried Snap.

"That's the fellow---the one who eats, drinks, smokes and does
all sorts of stunts. He's missing, and the circus men are
more worried over him than over the lion. One man said the
chim---what-do-you-call-him was worth a thousand dollars."

"I believe that---being educated to do so many things," said Whopper.
"He sat up to a table to eat just like a man."

"Did you hear how the lion and the chimpanzee happened to get away?"
asked Giant.

"Why, there was a report it was the fault of four rascals who used
to work for the circus---three men who were discharged for getting
drunk, and a boy who did stunts on the trapeze and ran away."

"That boy!" cried Snap. "Oh, I don't think he had anything to
do with it."

"Well, that's what the circus men say. If they catch the men
and the boy they'll have the whole crowd locked up."

"I am sure the boy is innocent," said the doctor's son.

"I got shot by somebody hunting that lion," said Giant. "Do you
know who fired his shotgun out yonder?"

"Oh, that was Hank Donaldson. He's always blowing about what he can
do with a gun, and he was so worked up and nervous he killed Mack's
dog and smashed the plate-glass window in the new five-and-ten-cent
store. He got scared to death when somebody told him a boy over here
fell from the roof and got hit. Is it bad?"

"No, but it might have been."

"You ought to pitch into Hank. He ought to know better than to fire
so promiscuous-like in the city streets. He meant well, but if he
had killed you, what then?" And the man passed on, shaking his
head earnestly.

In the morning Giant felt quite like himself and insisted upon
leaving off the bandage that had been placed over his forehead.

"I don't want to become an object of curiosity," he explained. "Even
as it is, I suppose lots of folks will want to know all about it."

While the boys were eating the door bell rang, and the hired girl
announced a man to see the lad who had been shot. The visitor
proved to be Hank Donaldson, a big, burly fellow, now nervous to
the degree of collapsing.

"I---I hope yer don't think I did it a-purpose," said Donaldson.
"'Cos I didn't---I only wanted to shoot that 'ere lion, 'fore
he ate sombud