Show CAGED Courtney I I 1 I Ryley Q By ey I Cooper Cooper I 1 I by br Courtney Courtn Conner Conr WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED Joe Barry narry country youth In New York ekes eke out a living a u a. caretaker In a poor rooming house home and an accordion player In Louie Joule Bertolini's restaurant Lured by the open country he upends penda a night In the fields nelda near Newburgh Bertolini dl him Mm Friendless and broke he heI heIs hela I la Is offered by a man he knows know only as a. Martin l to Impersonate Impersonate Im personate a liquor runner facing heinli arrest It means mean the but Joe la Is desperate He lie defers defer decision until the next night and la Is given on ac RC count Next day Joe deposits ISOO noo In country bank giving hi hl hi name as aa Joseph Joeph Bradley BradlfY Outside a clr circus ua tent lent he sees acne an accordion accordion accor dion and an Is la tempted to play It It A girl Sue Dayton niece of the owner who admires admire the music urges urge him to Join the circus but hut Joe says aye he must mut first return to New York on business lie Jle has ha decided to refuse refu Martins of of- far fer In his hla room four tour men accost him Bewildered Joe sees aces the themen themen themen men who are detectives detective find large arge amount amounts a of money a machine ma chine gun and end two revolver lut day under arrest Joe Is la Identified by men who had seen Been him the night before near Newburgh New New- burgh when two prohibition agents agent were killed and robbed Joe finds he Is le charged with their murder and robbery He lie realizes realise Martins object object to to have him found guilty of the murders murden ex executed executed ex and the cue caie eloped closed A Aman Aman man known as all waiter walter at hurts hurt Joea Joe's case by his hla evidence Joe Jo keeps keep silent allent as aa to his hla previous days day's doings fearing to embarrass Sue Idue Dayton nayton lit His gives give Joe 20 Next Nut day having secured a revolver revolver ver shoots shoot It out with prison on guards guard and lind la le killed In the thi confusion Joe escapes escapee Using the 20 had given him he flees flee New York draw draws some of ot the money he had deposited and aM finds the Dayton circus looking upon It as ae a refuge He lie Is I. engaged en as al a performer playing the accordion with Sue his hla partner part ner In the act CHAPTER VI Continued VI-Continued Continued 17 17 Closer he be moved mo unnoticed In the attention of the audience upon her gj gyrations rations as the amiable old lerche ron loped about the ring and the hand played the music of her new number the lilt ant and sway of It got Into Joes Joe's blond blood lie he forgot about the tent lent he forgot that he ho never had done an anything any thing like this before In all nil hIs life he forgot everything except to sing It to tober her ber to sing It as ns If he meant It tt An electrician threw a 11 switch and the tent was dark sa save sn e for the flood nood floodlights floodlights lights bathing the ring and the spots which centered upon her and upon him hint as he made his entrance his fingers drawing the very soul from the beloved belo Instrument within his grasp his lips sending forth the words of a alove alove alove love song that he could sin sing because It was his song too And then the mounting roar of applause applause applause ap ap- for her and for him him him-at at last he vaguely realized that they were outside and that she had leaped from the back of her ber horse to grasp bunby him bun by the arms with strong strung excited fingers Oh you were wonderful l I she site ex claimed And he could only talk of her excellence excellence ex and ask Ilsk her wh why he shouldn't do a thing well when lien she was helping him hint Then there was vas Sluts Slats and Clown alley again After fter a long longtime longtime time Uncle Dan nan still t very nry ry excited ducked under r the lie side wall Better 1 ether get your jour our grip lust just as soon as youre you're through here said Uncle Dan Daft Take It down to t Car One tired and One lne That's where you'll sleep Ask for Bill BUI the porter Then Uncle Pan Dan all grinned Sues waiting for jou you says you jou OU might not know the way to the cars cars Yes sir Still he lie was allowing himself to drift these were treasured minutes which went so swiftly each begging that another follow At last he was outside upon the moon swept noon swept lot and beside her tier Sue was dressed now as asbe asbe ashe be he first had seen seln tier her Going Cuing down to the cars carst she asked I 1 thought mahe Id I'd better i show you the way way you jou might not know circus signals I Joe tins hat taken her ber arm as If to guide her over oer the roughness of th the I lot Kit the warmth of her tle flesh lesh h hUll hud crept through to the palm of his hued band and was thrilling onward to his heart I The girl did not draw away Onward they went past the place where her hr I little twit tent had been The circus was dismantling In to a dozen places IorI Tor or orthe I the first time lime Joe really understood 1 Its magic the speed pet and S by hy hyI I which It worked No o one line seemed to hurr hurry no ItO one ran about shouting orders orders or I ders no one gave gate an Indication of excitement yet jet rt It was everywhere l' Onward Sue and ond Joe went In that I silence which Is so fiO often orten eloquence Sometimes the girl broke It by hy a few fw bars bare of her tons song often orten she die only walked beside him In the contentment of newfound friendship Joes Joe's bind bend had Its awkward position fashion at her elbow Ills arm was inked with hers now At last lut as a Jumbled ambled glare showed from a 8 short distance ahead she Ebe chuckled and reverted to toa a pr previous philosophy It queer she asked So many H ople come to the circus feeling feel ing sorry for in WI because were we're show folk and wanderers I Act Actual Actually I ly Joe she used the name nome In casual friendliness Ive Ive seen them peek In Inthe inthe the cookhouse Just to see If we eat like other people They Tiley were at the loading landIng runs now where a tangle of men and horses and oM paraphernalia showed Itself In the gleam of or the carbides Shall we go goto goto goto to the grease Joint The uThe which 2 Oh It Isn't as bad as It sounds That's the circus cirrus name nome for the lunch counter Smoky Todd runs It it Through the maze of activity they went and to sandwiches and coffee At last Sue Dayton Dnton Da j ton turned toward the dimly outlined sleeping carsI cars I 1 guess youre you're tired she said Joe harry Carry raised a hand band across it a weary eyes ces Yes Yes I 1 am a little tired he be con cd So am nm I. I The excitement and everything thing Now ow that I 1 look back buck on onIt onIt onit It I 1 guess hUIS we ve were both pretty shaky and stage struck In the ring dont don't you jou OU 2 Posing that way and stage acting act ing a as we call It Is a lot different from straight circus work vork I suppose so I 1 guess I was ter Not halt half ns us bad as ns I was 1 I was all hands hands' I she confessed Anyway that was Just a dress rehearsal Well We'll hulk both be loads better tomorrow Joe did not answer lie He knew v there could be bo no tomorrow Sue Dayton talked happily on on Im Just dead arent aren't you Uncle Dan Dnn told toM you OU where you'd bunk didn't he ho In tho the Hundred and One car I Its It's just down two coaches This Is Ismy Ismy ismy my car cor here She held forth a hand band Good night Joe Joe she sold said Good good good night Sue came In a mumble lie caught her hand longing to press It In both of his to raise it t to his lips and hold hoM It there nut Hut he I IonlY only clasped It formally and said again Good night Sue She swung to the steps and within tho the car Joe Barry arry walked slowly back along the train stumbling In n the shadows At last be he halted In the fringe of darkness a n car car length away vay from the loading runs Tomorrow 1 I It clutched at Joes Joe's heart Ho lie could only think of tomorrow tomorrow to to- morrow as ns related to the past the fleeting Invisible things which chased him the clicking wires the reward sheets and description circulars Joe Barry raised his hand to his eyes with that old tired gesture Tomorrow Tomorrow- and then a n new thought came Tomorrow I What would she sho think tomorrow when she came on the lot to find Ond him gone gonet Without explanation Without Without a wort word of gratitude for all oil she and Uncle Dan had done for him Suddenly Suddenly Suddenly Sud Sud- denly he wondered If a n part of his supposed sup posed sacrifice had hind not been egotism after r all Something began hegan to whisper swiftly within his brain It wasn't anything to them what he had been and ami what he had done done done-as as long as they didn't know v. As long as os he be was faithful to them and repaid them for their kindness by giving everything thing that wa was In him what difference did It make lie He had hind been thinking about himself all nil this time not about her herand herand and that act oct she had set her heart on Besides on a n circus like this moving from town to town nobody might ever er know Maybe Mabe If he stayed here something would turn up that would let him prove his Innocence Innocence- that was It I He lie wasn't taking advantage tage of them by staying Maybe It was the Ote thing to do to hide tilde out ant and keep his bruin brain working to figure out Just how that trick had hall been worked on him and who had done It Besides Be no sides shIes he was Innocent wasn't he het It wasn't as If he had really committed a crime crIme- Front From far ahead a double whistle sounded the highball signal of the engineer Slowly the train trout began to move mote Just before It reached dangerous dangerous dan gerus speed a panting form overtook Car One Hundred and One and climbed aboard Its platform TO BE DE CONTINUED I |