"Oh, no; nothing of any consequence," jeered Teddy. "I was
struck by lightning, that's all."
"What!"
"Hit by balls of fire--and the big hen laid an egg."
"See here, what are you driving at--"
"And crushed, utterly crushed by my best friend, Phil Forrest.
Now, what do you think of that?"
"Teddy, please hitch your tongue to the roof of your mouth for
a moment. Now, Phil, tell me what happened. I get so dizzy when
Teddy is talking that I almost imagine I am going to be seasick."
"Pshaw!" growled Teddy.
"We did have a little trouble."
"Tell me about it."
"The storm came up while the aerial acts were on. We all
shortened our acts at the direction of the ringmaster, and it
was well we did so. We had not all gotten down when a bolt of
lightning struck the main center pole."
"You don't say! Here, men, stow those canvas wagons forward!
You must learn to trim the boat, giving her an even load
all over! Did the bolt do any damage?"
"Slivered the pole."
"Wreck it?"
"Yes. Not worth carrying off the lot."
"What else?"
"Some excitement--"
"Panic?"
"No, but I think there would have been had it not been for my
friend, Teddy Tucker.
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