The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-03
CHAPTER VI.

carried and confined a couple of polar
| bears.
CHAPTER VI.
1t was quite dark in the menagerie
and only the flicker of a couple of gas
oline lights in the center kept the place
from being as dark as ink. For that
reason the boys could hardly see each
other, and so While did not know that
tears were slowly trickling down the
cheeks of his companion.
For few minutes neither spoke.
They hardly moved, and the silence
was unbroken, except by the heavy
breathing of the animals.
Once in a while some beast would
groan or growl, or possibly snore, bur
thls did not worry Willie, who mag
| lned that shortly Woo Wang would tell
him to get ready to start for home.
But Woo Wang did nothing of the
| kind
Well Woo, call your magic into play
and get me home as soon as you can.
Mother and father will be very much
worried about me-"
Instead of answering, Woo began to
sob. Willie was thunderstruck. Hell
| 10, ne called in an anxious tone.
What's the matter with you?"
Oh, Willie" he said presently, I'VE
are in an awful fix"
| DuI yOu due d y, replied VIII
| lie in great establishment, so you can
do as you choose"
That's just the trouble" said Woo.
Il am a fairy and can do almost any
thing and everything, but there is one
thing l can not do, and that is to es-
cape when 1 am under lock and key
If Mr.. Rice had not locked the door
I could have taken you out of here in
jiffy, but once a fairy allows any
one to lock a door, or gate on him and
make him a prisoner he can not get
away"
But can't you unlock the lock?"
81 can not"
The longer Willie thought of their
| predicament the more desperate he
became. STOPPING again he grabbed
the bars in one corner of the cage
and shook them until they ratified. The
noise started some of the animals to
growing and bowling.
Suddenly Willie stopped and ex-
claimed:
"Hurrahl Come here, Woo; I can
get out of here. Whoop!"
Woo ran over to the corner where
Willie was STOPPING near the floor.
Without speakin, the boy reached down
to the floor seized one of the bars
which had in some manner been par
tally loosened and with a great eff
fort, which sent the blood rushing to
=
pulling it away and leaving an open
space of about two feet square.
Through this hole the boys crawled as
quickly as they could and jumped to
the ground.
The floor of the cage was about
three feet from the ground. This fact
the boys did not realize, so they STEP
ped out as though it were only foot
or two from the earth. OF course, this
was bad thing to do, and the result
was that they fell in heap on the
grass.
They arose just in time to be
grasped in the big hands of Mr.. Rice,
who had heard the animals roaring
and had returned to see what was the
matter.
AHA, and so you thought you would
get away from us, did your" he yelled
in anger. You kids need a good whip
ping, and this seems to me to be just
the time and place to do it,"
You won't whip either of u.s." said
Woo in a very determined manner.
II won't, eh?" and Mr.. Rice tighten
ed his grip and gave Woo an extra.
good shake, land why won't I?'
Because we are going to leave this
tent in about ten seconds" answered
Woo
"Oho. you are, are your" Mr. Rice
laughed, the idea of these two boys
escaping from his clutches was too
much for him. "Ha, ha, ha. Well,
we'll, we'll. Now 1 should just like to
see you get away from me this time,
you young rascals. Oh. no. ha, he
He burst into fit of laughing, and
for some time could not speak, but he
finally continued: 80 you mean to
leave us here all alone, do you? Won't
you please show me how you intend to
get away from me?"
"All right" Woo answered, and he
smiled to think what a surprise party
he had in store for the Snowman.
"Now just keep your eyes on me for
just two seconds and see what hap
pens"
This made Mr.. Rice angry, and he
seized Woo by the throat with the EVIL
dent intention of striking him blow
with his huge fist. With a curse he
raised his arm. But it never fell, or, If
ii did, it didn't touch Woo.
At that very instant there was a
boom, bang! which sounded through
the tent like the explosion of a pow
der mill.
Mr. Rice was lifted off his feet by
the force Of the explosion. which blew
him straight through the hole in the
bars and into the old cage.
| Recovering himself he crawled
quickly through and jumped to the
ground. All this had not taken more
than two seconds, but not boy was
in sight.
The sound of the explosion had
alarmed all the circus people and they
| streamed into the tent as quickly as
! possible. In a very short space OF
time three or four dozen circus men
We're searching in everv nook and cor
ner for two boys wearing red and
! blue tights covered with spangles.
! But Woo and Willie had disappeared
as completely as though they had been
/ fired from a gun.
All through the night men and wo-
/ men look "a in every place where a boy
/ could hide, but they sought IN vain.
when morning came all Mr. kice
/ had 10 show for his experience Of the
night before was a scratch down one
side 81 his face and very black eye
on the other. lie had received these
Injuries when he was thrown into the
esee BY me strange explosion
Willis Green never learned how he