“Ever try the rings?”
“Yes, but not so high up as those that Rod and his partners perform on.”
“Height doesn’t make much difference. Get them to let the rings down so you can reach them, then each day raise them a little higher, if you find you can work on them.”
“Thank you. Perhaps I’ll try it this afternoon. I am anxious to be a real performer. Anybody could do this. Though it’s easy, I think I might work up this act of ours to make it rather funny.”
It will be observed that Phil was rapidly falling into the vernacular of the showman.
“If you’ve got any ideas we’ll thresh them out. Emperor will be willing. He’ll say yes to anything you suggest. What is it?”
“Don’t you think Mr. Sparling would object?”
“Not he. Wait till I get the bulls chained; then we’ll talk.”
After attending to his charges, Mr. Kennedy and Phil stepped behind the elephants and sat down on a pile of straw against the side walls of the menagerie tent.
Phil confided at length what he had in mind, Kennedy nodding from time to time as Phil made points that met with the trainer’s approval.