“Mind you keep away from my side of the ring,” cautioned Ted as he met Jack on the big circular track. “If I find you interfering with me again I’ll take matters into my own hands. I don’t care for Sam Kyle. If you bother with me and spoil my act, you’ve got to take the consequences.” “I’m not going to bother you,” replied Jack. “That’s a hot act you have,” went on Ted. “I wonder the old man lets you get away with it. What in the world people can find in that to laugh at I can’t see. It’s on the blink, I think.” Jack did not consider that any good would come of answering the mean clown, and he passed into the dressing-tent, as his turn was over for the afternoon. He encountered his friend Sam, who was washing up after the performance. “I saw Ted talking to you,” began the veteran clown. “Is he bothering you?” “No--not much,” replied Jack, determined to fight his own battles as far as he could. “If he does, let me know, and I’ll speak to the old man about him.” “Oh, I guess I can get along.” “All right, only you know I’ll stand by you. Say, I’ve got a suggestion for you.” “What is it?” “Why don’t you make the paper-covered hoops you now use more in the shape of wings? You can easily do it, for the wood frame is light and not hard to bend.” “That’s a good idea. I guess I will, until my regular machine is ready. I’ll have that Monday or Tuesday, Mr. Delafield said.” “That’s good. And say, while you’re about it, why don’t you color the wings? Get some paint and daub ’em up so’s they’ll show off better. And you might get up a different sort of suit. I’ve got lots of material.” “Do you think it would be a good idea?” “Sure. Change and variety is what we’ve got to give the public. Besides, the old man likes to see a change in the acts once in a while. Brighten things up a bit, and I think he’ll appreciate it.” “I will,” replied Jack, and that afternoon he made some paper affairs that looked more like wings than did the hoops, while he sewed some bright-colored patches on his white suit and made up to look like some grotesque bird. “That’s fine!” exclaimed Sam as he saw his protégé getting ready for the ring that night. “You’ve got the right knack, Jack. You’d ought to have been in this business before.” “I like it,” said the runaway lad. “It just suits me, so far, though it hasn’t been all easy sailing. But I sometimes think I’ve made a mistake. I should have stayed with the professor, for that’s where the first news of my folks will come, and I’m getting worried about them. I’m afraid they may have been killed by the fanatical Chinese.” “Oh, I don’t believe anything as bad as that has happened,” replied Sam. “I read the papers every day, and while there are dispatches telling of trouble in China, no Americans have suffered.” “But the trouble is we can’t seem to get any trace of my folks,” went on Jack. “The authorities don’t know where they are, and how can they tell whether anything has happened to them or not?”