beaten spasmodically by Rob.
“He’s company, so I’ll pay for both,” said Nat, handsomely, as he
stuck two crooked pins in the dried mushroom which served as
money-box.
With a nod to the company they seated themselves on a couple of
boards, and the performance went on. After the monkey act, Ned
gave them a fine specimen of his agility by jumping over an old
chair, and running up and down ladders, sailor fashion. Then Demi
danced a jig with a gravity beautiful to behold. Nat was called
upon to wrestle with Stuffy, and speedily laid that stout youth upon
the ground. After this, Tommy proudly advanced to turn a
somersault, an accomplishment which he had acquired by painful
perseverance, practising in private till every joint of his little frame
was black and blue. His feats were received with great applause,
and he was about to retire, flushed with pride and a rush of blood
to the head, when a scornful voice in the audience was heard to
say,
“Ho! that ain’t any thing!”
“Say that again, will you?” and Tommy bristled up like an angry
turkey-cock.
“Do you want to fight?” said Dan, promptly descending from the
barrel and doubling up his fists in a business-like manner.
“No, I don’t;” and the candid Thomas retired a step, rather taken
aback by the proposition.
“Fighting isn’t allowed!” cried the others, much excited.
“You’re a nice lot,” sneered Dan.
“Come, if you don’t behave, you shan’t stay,” said Nat, firing up at
that insult to his friends.
“I’d like to see him do better than I did, that’s all,” observed
Tommy, with a swagger.
“Clear the way, then,” and without the slightest preparation Dan
turned three somersaults one after the other and came up on his
feet.
“You can’t beat that, Tom; you always hit your head and tumble
flat,” said Nat, pleased at his friend’s success.
Before he could say any more the audience were electrified by
three more somersaults backwards, and a short promenade on the
hands, head down, feet up. This brought down the house, and
Tommy joined in the admiring cries which greeted the
accomplished gymnast as he righted himself, and looked at them
with an air of calm superiority.
“Do you think I could learn to do it without its hurting me very
much?” Tom meekly asked, as he rubbed the elbows which still
smarted after the last attempt.
“What will you give me if I’ll teach you?” said Dan.
“My new jack-knife; it’s got five blades, and only one is broken.”
“Give it here, then.”
Tommy handed it over with an affectionate look at its smooth
handle. Dan examined it carefully, then putting it into his pocket,
walked off, saying with a wink,
“Keep it up till you learn, that’s all.”
A howl of wrath from Tommy was followed by a general uproar,
which did not subside till Dan, finding himself in a minority,
proposed that they should play stick-knife, and whichever won
should have the treasure. Tommy agreed, and the game was played
in a circle of excited faces, which all wore an expression of
satisfaction, when Tommy won and secured the knife in the depth
of his safest pocket.
“You come off with me, and I’ll show you round,” said Nat, feeling
that he must have a little serious conversation with his friend in
private.
What passed between them no one knew, but when they appeared
again, Dan was more respectful to every one, though still gruff in
his speech, and rough in his manner; and what else could be
expected of the poor lad who had been knocking about the world
all his short life with no one to teach him any better?
The boys had decided that they did not like him, and so they left
him to Nat, who soon felt rather oppressed by the responsibility,
but too kind-hearted to desert him.
Tommy, however, felt that in spite of the jack-knife transaction,
there was a bond of sympathy between them, and longed to return
to the interesting subject of somersaults. He soon found an
opportunity, for Dan, seeing how much he admired him, grew
more amiable, and by the end of the first week was quite intimate