“Sure I’ll stay awake,” Jimmy replied. Jimmy thought the circus performance was nothing short of fairyland. It was the first he had been to since he was old enough to remember things, and the one in New York had all the gorgeousness that can be dreamed of. Larry, too, enjoyed himself. He was particularly interested in Nero, the lion, and pointed the ugly beast out to Jimmy. The brute kept in one corner of his cage, and growled. “His toothache bothers him yet,” explained one of the men, who remembered Larry’s performance. “I guess we’ll have to pull it.” “Pull a lion’s tooth?” inquired Larry. “I never heard of such a thing.” “Often done,” replied the trainer. “Much easier than yanking one from an elephant. If we decide to extract a molar from Nero’s jaw, I’ll send word down to the paper, if you leave me your name, and you can get a story out of it.” Larry thanked the man, and handed over a business card. Then he and Jimmy went and sat down in the seats where they could see the performance. It was all fine and exciting, but the stunt where the man seemed to be falling from his trapeze seemed to make the biggest hit, and Larry felt that he had a sort of proprietary interest in it, from having seen it practiced. However, as all good things must have an end, the circus had one also, and the performance was concluded shortly after eleven o’clock. “Are you sleepy?” asked Larry of his brother. “Not a bit,” replied the little chap, struggling to suppress a yawn. “My eyes hurt, that’s all.” “Oh!” said Larry, laughing, as he took hold of Jimmy’s hand, and began leading him toward an exit. There was a big crowd, and Larry soon found himself and his brother in the midst of a dense throng. He was pushed this way and shoved that way. All the while he kept tight hold of Jimmy’s hand. Suddenly he felt the little fellow pulled away from him. Larry looked down. There was no trace of the boy. “I must have been separated from him in the crush,” thought Larry. “I’ll find him outside the door.” He hurried out, and rapidly scanned the crowd for a glimpse of Jimmy. The boy was not in sight, and Larry’s heart began to sink. CHAPTER XXVIII AN ANXIOUS SEARCH “I guess he’s just mixed up in the crowd,” murmured Larry, trying to make himself believe nothing harmful had befallen Jimmy. “He’s so little that I can’t see him. I’ll soon find him, though.” Then Larry caught sight of a policeman he knew, and hurried up to the officer. “I’ve lost my little brother, Mr. Sullivan,” he said. “Where had I better start to look for him?”