“Whew! That was a strenuous time,” panted Jack, as he took his place again on the wagon with his fellow clowns. “That was as good as part of the circus.”
“Yes, the crowd got its money’s worth,” replied Sam. “I suppose the old man will have to pay damages for those hats, however.”
CHAPTER XXII
IN A STORM
Once more the parade started, and it completed the circuit without further accident. To the delight of every one, the rain ceased, and the sun came out to dry off dripping tents, and drive away the moisture from the soaked ground.
“We’ll have a fine crowd out this afternoon and to-night, I think,” said Sam. “This is always a good town to show in.”
Events proved that he was right, and when it came time for the afternoon performance the big tent was taxed to its capacity to hold the throng gathered. All the performers seemed to have new vim and vigor with the advent of better weather, and the acts went off with a snap that had been absent during the wet spell.
“Now, Jack, show ’em what you can do,” advised Sam Kyle, as it came the turn of the clowns to enter the ring. “Make a good flight.”
Jack excelled himself, for he had added a new turn to his stunt, and this was the first time he tried it. This was to take with him, in a cage concealed on top of the muslin bag, a tame rooster that belonged to one of the clowns, who had temporarily given up using it, as he had a new act.
Chanticleer was put in a cage, and the sides of it were covered with white muslin, arranged on a frame work so that they would fall down when a spring was released, revealing the rooster on top of the airship. Until the sides fell down, however, it merely looked like a small square box on top of the distended muslin bag. Jack could bring the rooster into view by pulling on a cord.
Jack’s act was getting to be quite complicated. In addition to jumping off a high platform, he had to operate the wings of his machine with his feet, and just as he reached the ground he had to pull a cord that shot off a blank cartridge and allowed the balloon to seemingly fall apart, yank another that displayed the two United States flags, and now there was a third one, that would release the rooster.