The snake charmer, who had been behind the scenes of the tiny stage, came out in her beautiful pink velvet dress and spoke calmly.
"What is it, lady?" she called clearly. "What is the matter with you?"
"There it is again!" shrieked the woman. "It's the boa constrictor! I can feel it creeping over my feet!"
My goodness, that was enough to make any one nervous! Two or three more people began to cry that they, too, could feel the boa constrictor crawling over their feet on the floor of the tent.
There might have been a panic in another minute, but a carnival attendant who had heard the racket came pushing his way through the crowd of people, a powerful flashlight in his hand.
"What's the matter here?" he kept asking. "What's wrong? Hey, madam, keep still and tell me what's bothering you."
"A snake!" gasped the woman. "There! There! Get him, quick!"
Polly and Margy were holding hands tightly and Jess had a desperate clutch on Polly's skirt. Fred and Artie were close by. All leaned forward as the attendant swept the floor with his light.
Then every one began to laugh and the tent resounded to the sound of relief. There in the glare of the light, flat on his stomach, was Ward, his hair sticking straight up, his face red with the heat and his exertions, and the precious pass gripped tightly in his right hand.
"I got it!" he beamed. "Somebody stepped on it, but I found it all right."