Teddy, however, had a different plan in mind. He had espied Mr. Sparling looking at him from across the tent, and he proposed to let the owner see what he really could do.
For a moment the lad poised at the top of the springboard, critically measuring the distance across the backs of the assembled elephants.
"Go on, go on!" commanded the director. "Do you think this show can wait on your motion all day? Jump, or get off the board!"
"Say, who's doing this you or I?" demanded Teddy in well-feigned indignation, and in a voice that was audible pretty much all over the tent.
This drew a loud laugh from the spectators, who were now in a frame of mind to laugh at anything the Fat Boy did.
"It doesn't look as if anyone were doing anything. Somebody will be in a minute, if I hear any more of your talk," snapped the director. "Are you going to jump, or are you going to get off the board?"
"Well," shouted Teddy, "confidentially now, mind you. Come over
here.
I want to talk to you. Confidentially, you know. I'm going to
jump,
if you'll stop asking questions long enough for me to get away."
Amid a roar of laughter from spectators, and broad grins on the part of the performers, Teddy took a running start and shot up into the air.
"He's turning too quick," snapped Mr. Sparling.
Teddy, however, evidently knew what he was about. Turning a beautiful somersault, he launched into a second one with the confidence of a veteran. All the circus people in the big top expected to see the lad break his neck. Instead, however, Tucker landed lightly and easily on his feet while the spectators shouted their approval. But instead of landing on the mat as he thought he was doing, Teddy was standing on the back of the last elephant in the line.