| Show j Ij I 1 I i I ANNE THIS HAS HAPPENED Sall Sally Ford ward of the state or orphanage orphanage or or- form the time she is four is farmed out to CI Clam Clem ln Carson when she Is 16 and meets David Nash athlete and student who Is working on the farm for the tho sum sum- mer Carson makes Insulting re remarks le e marks about Davids David's friendship for Sally and the student strikes him hima a terrific blow Saily Sally and David run away and join a carnival David as cooks cook's i helper and Sally in a a. sideshow disguised dis clis- clis guised a as Princess Lalla crystal I gazer Nita Hula dancer who knows the police are after David and Sally and who is Infatuated with David threatens to expose Sally if she doesn't keep hands off oW the tle young oung student I The carnival goes next to Capital Capital Cap Cap- ital Itai City where SaU Sally spent so many years ears in the orphanage She soon forgets her fears fear of detection and relies relics on her successful disguise of the crystal gazer She is confused one afternoon by a handsome well well- dressed Easterner who teasingly reads her fortune In the cr crystal stal She forgets him bin however when when- she sees her ier er little friends the wards of the orphanage troop in with a beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- sad sad-e sad eyed ed woman Sally is completely l terrified when one of the orphans recognizes her and shouts her name Gus the barker however er comes comes comes' to her rescue rescue escue and diverts attention to the freaks Soon the children troop out and Sally her gives her attention to the beautiful woman woman who Is addressing the he blacke black- black e eyed ed Easterner The They apparently know each a ach h other for they greet other e each ch os Enid and Van Now go on on with Ith the story CH CHAPTER APT VIII I The storm broke with such sudden sudden sulden sud sul- sudI I den and devastating fury that the performers erf in the Palace of Wp ders tent had little time to obey the white hopes frantic bellow of of- warning I The terrified audience e milled like lIJe stamp stampeded ded c cattle choking up both exits tent that leading out into the midway and the flap I at the back of the tent through which performers passed in in- inand and out between hows At each exit the fear-crazed fear carnival visitors w were re by bya a a dazing Impact of t wind and and- hail hall and rain driven back into the temporary shelter of the tent Sally w was ws s fighting her wa way to toward toward toward to- to ward the alle alley exit her liei frail small bady hurling hurting itself futilely against men men who had lost all thought of chivalry knew only that death threatened TI The region was was' ho notorious rious for its Us c cyclones clones and the horror lQ of such sucha a It calamity was stamped on every ever pallid face Children screamed women shrilled for help called frantically for their offspring separated separated sep sep- from them in that mad rush for the exits Sally had almost won the alley aHey exit when she remembered Pitty Sing the midget tiny helpless Miss lIss Tanner who was paying paying- herto herto her herto to carry her to and from the tent who must even now be cowering in in- her chair baby unable even to reach th the gr ground und without assist assist- ance It was was- not not quite so hard to push her wa way back Into the center of oft t the tent ent crazed men and women offered little resistance to anyone who was so foolish as to tempt death under undera a a. collapsed d tent She had almost reached readied the midgets midget's platform when she suddenly sud sud- suddenly denly felt herself herselt lifted into a pair of strong arms arm swung ugh high a above ove the hands of f the last of the crowd that was wall battling It its way to th exits TIer Her cry a instinctive Ive un unreasoning unreasoning reasoning re direct from her heart David Oh Da David H A mocking laugh answer answered d her hera herand herand a and 4 he she mel jn in in the arms she could see ee his face Cace It was not David at all but the theman theman theman man whom hom Enid had called Van an Hi His face wa was wa laughing Iaus I ga gay mocking untouched d. d by by- bythe the the- shameful pallor of fear rear exultant rather in the excitement ent of ot the storm His dark eyes were were wide Avide shining even through the the fitful darkness made by the flickering kering of th the crazIly swinging gas Jas Jets It Jt glorious he h chal- chal her above th the ike uproar of nd ind rain hall hail and the frightened animal l sounds sounds' of human human- beings in fear of leath Ive got to find the midget midget midget- Pitty Sing king she shouted glint gling frantically to release herself The charming b barker has bas rescued rescued rescued res res- cued her Van shouted I was afraid some flome officious as ass ass had cheated cheat cheat- ed me ne of the pleasure Of rescuing you rou Ive I've waited waited all all aU day day day- But his sentence was broken In two t by the threatened long collapse of the Ule tent A pole center-pole struck him him a glancing Wow blow knocking him flat and Sally with him For what seemed like like- hours of ef nightmare she struggled to release herself from the steel like clasp of hl hi arms and the smothering embrace embrace em em- brace of ot the sodden rain-sodden canvas TO 10 add aad to the horror rain fell fen heavily upon the canvas that held them Ulem pinned helplessly to the earth hail hall pelted d he her hel flesh bitingly even through the dubious protection protection probe probe- tion of the canyas canvas and every moment moment mo mo- moment mo- mo ment they were in mortal danger of being trampled to death by the feet of the fleeing carnival visitors who had been clear of the tent when It had collapsed that Dont struggle Dont struggle came mocking voice olce pan panting tin a little with the effort of speaking under the smothering caul of canvas Lie LI Lie s e-s till still Ill I'll hold up the up-the the vas vas vas-so so you can you can breathe Shield your face with face with your your our arms Sorry I I muffed the mulled the role role role-ot of rescuer rescuer- of damsels damsels In In distress Oh Oh Sally cried angrily but doing her best to obey him t She crooked an arm over her face so that the hall hail no longer punished it it And she relaxed as much as possible her head on Vans Van's shoulder shoulder der her feet pushing futilely at atthe atthe atthe the sodden mass of canvas that weighted them down Vans Van's left lefthand lefthand lefthand hand was outspread just above her face holding the dripping cloth high enough above her nose to permit her to breathe in some degree of comfort Better he lie asked casually no fear at all ali in his voice and only a mocking sort of anxiety Well be safe enough I here until the tent is raised unless someone steps on us And by this time your OUr charmIng charming charming charm charm- ing employer the redoubtable Pop B Bybee bee has of course assembled his roustabouts to raise ralso the tent In Inthe Inthe inthe the expectation of ot finding burled buried treasure treasure ostrich ostrich men midgets and Turkish harem girls who read cr crystals j Arent you you- ever serious erious Arent Aren't you rou frightened Sally gasped i Serious Se Well ell hardly er e I the ilie man chuckled Frightened Frequently But I am so appreciative appreciative appreciative of this opportunity to be alone with you that I 1 could hardly quibble with fat fate to the extent of being frightened nt Rt the means which accomplished it Oh I wonder what's happened to to-to to to everybody Sally began to shiver with sobs To David To David Vans Van's mocking Voice came strangely out of ot the darkness Lucky David wherever wherever ever he Is ts now that your oUr first thought thou should go to him David and Sall Sally How do you ou like playacting playacting play pla acting Sally Ford The terror which the menace of violent death had held for her Iler now seemed a pallid weak thing be beside beside beside be- be side the stopping heart-stopping emotion which the New Yorkers Yorker's mocking amused voice uttered her real name called into being Her HeL head Jerked instinctively from the comfort comfort com corn fort or his arm Squirming away from him under the sodden b banket blanket ban blan an- an ket of canvas she curled into a tight little ball of agony her face cupped in her hands So that's wh why you bothered m me so she cried her voice muffled by her fingers Youre a detective You knew all aU the time You were go gobig going going go- go ing big to take tale me inc to jail Oh you you you- Oh David David Listen you ou little idiot Vans Van's voice came sharply bereft of oi its mocking note for fOl once Im not nota a detective Good heaven Do DoI I look like one Ive I've always aiwas understood understood understood un un- un- un that they have enormous feet and wear derbies and talk out of the corner of their mouths Mockery lockery was creeping back Did you think that a poor little tyke like Uko you ou was worth sending to NewYork New NewYork NewYork York for a detective to bay at your heels like a bloodhound I merely overheard the little Betsey's k keen n penetration of your disguise And AndI I took the trouble to inquire casual cas- cas ual y of the governor this evening just who who who-If If anybody Sally anybody Sally Ford might be beThen beThen be- be Then you gave me awa away away- David and me she accused him shuddering with sobs I Not at all How it does pain painI I me for tor you rou to persist In misunderstanding I standing me I 1 gave nothing away absolutely away absolutely nothing I merel mere mere- l ly 11 found out that David Nash and i Sally Ford are fugitives from Justice justice Jus jus- tice tice wanted on rather serious I charges har es After making the the acquaintance acquaintance acquaintance ac ac- ac- ac of Princess Lalla 1 I might add that I dont don't believe a word of the sil y story Besides I 1 have your Our own word for tor it It- It and he laughed that laughed that you ou are not that kind of a girl As a matter matter mat mat- ter of fact fact oh oh Were We're about to to tobe be rescued Sally Ford I 1 hear the ho heave of stalwart black boys bos And the storm is over except for fora a a. gentle like lady-like rain It was not till he mentioned the bl blessed sed fact that Sal Sally y realized that the storm was Indeed indeed- over The only sound besl besides the shouts of the white hopes engaging In raising the collapsed tent was the patter of rain upon the s os which still weighted down her het small cold bod body a as If she had been swimming Struggling to a sitting position under the alread already moving movinA mass of canvas the New Yorker cupp cupped d his hla hands about his mouth and shouted shout shout- ed Ship ahoy Ship ahoy In Inan Inan Inan an aside to Sally he chuckled chucked What That does one shout under the circumstances or or rather rathel un under er erthe the canvas of a collapsed carnival tent ten tent tent- t Sally managed a weak little laugh One shouts Hey rube she told him And hi his stentorian Hey rube struggled up through layers of i dripping canvas bringing speedy relief for the submerged rube and performer When at last ast the tent was vas raised Sally walked out Vans Van's arm still about her shiverIng shivering shiver shiver- Ing soaked body to find apparently the entire carnival force huddled In th the tho rain to welcome her ller drawn by that fateful cry of Hey He rube Jan th the the- giant was there sade sad- sad e eyed ed but smiling Pitty Sing l perched erched on one of his shoulders Noko oko the male midget on the theother other The girl nobody can lift Bit was Was' there ther too her right arm in splints a deep gash down her pale Palo cheek cheele Eddie Cobb wIo who they the told her is as s they chorused their welcome me had har been crying like a af f baby oy as he searched for her through the wreck of the carnival was cla clasping a drenched Kewpie doll don to hi his breast apparently the sole survivor of his gambling ambling wheel stock Pop and Mrs Irs n Bybee bee were there Mrs B BYbee bee clad only in a I black sateen petticoat and anda a a red sweater And in spite of his heavy heaY loss from the fury of the tho storm Pop was smiling hi his bright blu eyes twinkling twink ling a welcome me BUt but Sallys but Sail s e eyes es roved from face to lace face acl confidently con con- f at first grateful for their friendliness then widening with alarm alarm- wl For David was Wag not there heres here's David she cried then her voice growing shrill anti and frantIc Sh SIlO sho screamed at them Wheres Where's David Davil 7 Teil me me lies He's hurt dead dead Tell me She broke away from m Van ran to Pop rOI B Bybee bet and af tugged with her little blue- blue white hands washed free of their brown wn make makeup up at his wet coat 1 Reckon in hes he's safe and sound i the ri car Bybee reassured red I her but his blue e eyes es avoided hers pityingly she thought Was anyone killed In the storm Tell TeU me sue she insisted her bl eish lips twisting Into a piteous loop of pain Wo Ye cant can't find Nita nowhere now Babe the fat girl blurted out her eyes es wide with childish love of ex ex- ex We Wo thought she was buried burled under a tent but they've got all alJ the tents up now and she aint nowhere and Nita-and and David Nita Nita David David missing For she did not pot believe for an instant that Pop B Bybee bee was telling her the truth It seems to mc me Van interrupted interrupt interrupt- ed nonchalantly that dr dry clothes are Indicated for Princess LaUa Lalia May I escort you to your our tent and he lie bowed with mocking ceremony cere cere- mon mony before her herlie He lie saved in my life Sally ac acknowledged acknowledged ac- ac sudden suddenly half-angrily half for tor she she- resented with childish un- un |
