Mrs. Spink did look closely. There was not the slightest doubt that the animal she beheld, although somewhat faked, was one of the monkey tribe. She confessed her error, she became contrite and tearful, and promised an apology if the Professor would not persist in his threatened action for defamation of character.
"I was told the wretch was seen with your company," said the tearful Mrs.
Spink.
When the widow was well out of range, Nickie crept from the tent of the
Egyptian Mystic, and breathed a great sigh of relief.
"I shall probably never make love to a widow again," he said, sadly; "they are so ungrateful."
He was dressed in his ordinary clothes, and the creature in the Missing
Link's cage sprang towards him spitting and clawing spitefully. It was
Ammonia, the Gorilla, in the Missing Link's skin, padded and faked to
twice his size to deceive a poor, weak woman.
"I believe after all we ought to frighten something in the way of compensation out of the gorgon," said Nickie, vengefully. Our reprobate hero was a man who knew no remorse of conscience.
CHAPTER XIV.
MARDI HAS A NIGHT OFF.
PROFESSOR THUNDER was hurt in his professional pride by the signal failure of his Museum of Marvels in Rabbit township. In the first place, the great impresario had been guilty of a grievous blunder in selecting Rabbit for a two-night's pitch, but things had been going so remarkably well of late, due mainly to the eccentric adventures of the Missing Link, that the boss was getting proud, and was beginning to feel that his astounding galaxy of unparalleled attractions would draw well in the dead centre of the Old Man Plain. Rabbit township was making his error plain to him.
Usually when the caravan bounded into a township, with the little bells on the horses jingling gaily, and Madame Marve, dressed in a somewhat brief and too youthful costume, enthroned on the box seat, playing a rattling tune on the cornet, the people turned out in crowds to welcome it, and the children swarmed, eager for a peep at the hidden mysteries.