An Amazing Aerialist

«PIETRO!» Nancy called as the clown moved off. «Please tell me—»

But the performer did not turn around. I was not until he had completed a full circuit of the ring doing his amusing antics that he stopped to speak to her again.

«Where did you get the bracelet?» Pietro whispered as he completed a triple somersault.

Teddy Brown clapped so loudly he nearly drowned Nancy's answer. «A New York shop. But it came from Europe.»

«Do you know where the missing horse charm is?» the clown asked.

«No.»

«I do.»

«Who has it?» Nancy questioned eagerly.

Pietro had no opportunity to answer, for at that moment a whistle summoned all the clowns from the ring. Several acts followed. Nancy found them intriguing but could not keep her mind entirely on the circus. Her thoughts reverted constantly to the clown's words and his request that she meet him at the end of the show. Certainly there was some secret about her charm bracelet that was not pure legend!

Presently it was time for the main act. All the lights were dimmed, except the floodlights on the center ring. Kroon, dressed in striped trousers, Prince Albert coat, and wearing a high silk hat, walked to the microphone.

«Ladies and gentlemen,» he announced, «you are about to witness the world's most daring, most stupendous aerial act! Lolita, our Cinderella, will meet her prince in mid-air and dance for him. But at the stroke of twelve, this brief romance will end. Ladies and gentlemen, do not take your eyes off this colossal spectacle!»

As the ringmaster retired, the spotlights picked up a small Cinderella carriage being drawn along the tanbark by two white wooden steeds. In it sat beautiful, fairylike Lolita, dressed in a white, silver-spangled robe.

The applause was thunderous as attendants attached the carriage to pulleys and Cinderella was slowly pulled up a slanting wire to the top of the tent. Daintily Lolita stood up, discarded her robe, and stepped out in white satin acrobatic tights to a tiny platform which was suspended from the ceiling.

At once, additional floodlights showed four young men aerialists, signaling for her attention. Smiling, Lolita waited as each one swung toward her, executing a simple dance act on the trapezes to one-step, tango, rhumba, and polka tunes. But as each man knelt on the platform and indicated that he wanted to marry Cinderella, Lolita shook her head and he swung away.

As she stood there, acting discouraged, suddenly a handsome prince in a gleaming silver costume appeared in the spotlight beside her. The two smiled, then kissed.

«Prince Charming!» announced Bess, gazing enthralled at the performance. But her friends scarcely heard her. Their eyes were fixed on the acrobatic drama far above them. To the strains of a waltz, Cinderella would dance a few steps alone on a trapeze, then swing toward her prince. After executing some steps together on the aerial swing, she would leave him and repeat the solo, each time in more difficult rhythms. At the end of the third solo, Lolita promised to marry him.

After an embrace, the girl suddenly became aware of a striking gong. One, two— The prince held her close. Three, four— The girl tried to pull away. The gong kept striking! Eleven—twelve!

Cinderella swung toward the platform where the carriage had been. But alas, the sides of the gorgeous carriage and the white horses had tumbled off and dropped into a net below. Now, instead, merely a pumpkin, drawn by mice, remained. The aerialist in a barely perceptible motion had slipped out of her white satin spangled tights and now stood in a ragged black costume.

«Oh!» shrieked Teddy, to whom all this was very real. «Poor Cinderella! Nancy, when will the prince—«The little boy stopped abruptly.

Lolita, about to climb into the pumpkin, suddenly swayed, then seemed to lose her footing. She plunged downward toward the net.

There was a momentary hush as the audience wondered if this was part of the act. But the silence was followed by cries of alarm when Lolita lay still.

«Oh,» murmured Teddy. «Is she—»

«Lolita must have fainted,» Nancy told him, and in her heart she hoped it was nothing more serious than this.

From the shadowy stage entrances rushed many willing hands to help the stricken aerialist, among them Pietro. Ringmaster Kroon waved them all aside. Walking under the net, he hissed at Lolita, loud enough for Nancy to hear:

«Get up! You're making fools of all of us! The show will be ruined! Climb out of there and take a bow!»

Nancy leaned across to Bess, who seemed frozen with fear, and picked up a pair of field glasses which lay on her friend's lap. Through them she could see Lolita, her face chalk-white, slowly open her eyes. Pietro reached up and tenderly patted her cheek.

«Leave her alone!» Kroon thundered at the clown. «And get out of here!»

Pietro glared at his employer. It was evident that his fondness for the girl overshadowed obedience to the ringmaster. He stood still, speaking in low tones to Lolita. Finally, Kroon yanked the clown up by his big ruffled collar and sent him sprawling to the tanbark. Turning back to Lolita, the harsh manager cried:

«Stand up!»

This time the girl obeyed, rising slowly and stepping to the edge of the net, where she was helped down by attendants. Lolita took bow after bow amid tumultuous applause, but Nancy felt that the girl was using all of her will power to remain on her feet.

As Lolita left the tent, Kroon hurried into the ring. «And so,» he said, «Cinderella lost her prince. But only temporarily! If you want to see how he found her by matching the glass slipper she wore, come to this evening's performance. Reserve your seats on the way out! And now, our next act—»

Teddy tugged at Nancy's shoulder to get her attention. «But Cinderella didn't wear any glass slippers,» he remarked. «What did the man mean?»

«Maybe the prince has them,» Nancy suggested.

George whispered to her, «Nancy, do you think this was just a come-on, or couldn't Lolita finish the act?»

«I'm afraid she's ill, George. I'll find out when I meet Pietro.»

The last act was a clever bareback riding performance with a triumphant final pageant which included the clowns. As soon as it was over, Nancy asked George to take Teddy home, then started for King Kat's cage to meet the circus clown.

The shaggy lion was stalking back and forth restlessly. «How handsome, but how cruel he looks!» Nancy thought. «Just like the ringmaster.»

Pietro was waiting and beckoned her to follow him a short distance away from the cage. The clown seemed very ill at ease, almost frightened, as he said:

«I'll talk fast. Visitors aren't allowed here. If Kroon should find me talking to you, he might discharge me, and that mustn't happen.»

«Can't we go some place where he won't see us?» Nancy asked. She did not want to miss the opportunity to hear everything the clown might want to tell her.

«No, no!» he said quickly. «This is the story. Lolita wears a horse charm on a necklace. It matches the charms on your bracelet and I noticed one is missing. Lolita once said she thought hers came from another piece of jewelry.»

«Oh, I must see the necklace!» Nancy said. «Please take me to Lolita.»

The clown shook his head. He said that the aerialist was resting and must not be disturbed before the evening performance.

«It's Kroon we must be careful about.» Pietro sighed. «I just don't want him to become angry at Lolita.»

«I understand,» Nancy agreed. «Go ahead with your story.»

Pietro said that Lolita was Mr. and Mrs. Kroon's adopted daughter. She had lived with them since she was eight years old.

«Have the Kroons and Lolita always been in the circus?» Nancy asked.

The clown nodded and said that Lolita's own parents had been trapeze artists.

«They were known as the Flying Flanders,» he explained. «I'm told they were very fine performers.»

«What were their names?» Nancy questioned.

«John and Lola Flanders. I never knew them,» the clown went on. «The story was that when Lolita was eight years old, her parents were killed in Europe while performing their flying act. It was then that the Kroons brought Lolita to the United States.»

«And you think Lolita's horse charm might have belonged on my bracelet?» Nancy asked.

«It's possible. I just thought you two might get together and find out.»

«I'll certainly do that,» Nancy promised.

She asked Pietro if Lolita's parents had taught their daughter to be an aerialist.

«Oh, yes,» he replied. «But after their death she was trained by other artists as well.»

The clown smiled slightly, then said that he considered Lolita the finest aerialist in the world.

«But her foster father makes her work too hard,» he said angrily. «Kroon doesn't care about anything but money.»

«He does seem rather dictatorial,» Nancy remarked.

The clown looked at her. «That's putting it mildly. Kroon is cruel, and besides, I don't trust him.»

Nancy wondered why Pietro distrusted the ringmaster, but the young man did not explain further. He changed the subject and said:

«About the horse charm. The one Lolita wears was given to her by her mother when she was only five years old. That was thirteen years ago. I suppose it's only coincidence that the charm looks like those on your bracelet,» he said.

«I'm not so sure of that,» Nancy rejoined.

Quickly she related what she knew of the charm bracelet's history; that the shopkeeper, from whom her Aunt Eloise had purchased the jewelry, had hinted at a mystery. The original owner, supposedly a circus performer, had sold the bracelet because she was in trouble.

Pietro stared at Nancy in amazement. «That might well be,» he said. «I have suspected for a long time that there's some secret in connection with the Kroons and Lolita. Whenever I suggest this to her, she becomes frightened and asks me not to talk about it.»

Suddenly a look of alarm came over the clown's face. «Here comes Kroon now. Run!» he advised. Like a shot he was off, dodging among the various animal cages and trucks until he was out of sight.

Nancy decided not to avoid the ringmaster. She wanted to speak to him and find out about Lolita's condition. But she had no opportunity. Kroon, instead of passing her, turned abruptly into a near-by tent. When she looked inside, he already had disappeared.

Nancy wondered whether or not to question any other circus people about Lolita's real parents. She concluded that it would be better to talk with the girl first. Nancy decided to attend the evening performance. Perhaps after it she would have a chance to interview the aerialist.

«I have a date with Ned,» she reminded herself. «I'm sure he'll be glad to come to the circus.»

At seven o'clock Ned Nickerson, Emerson College's star football player, arrived at the Drew home. Nancy showed him her gold horse bracelet and told him of the new mystery, then she asked him if he would take her to the circus.

«Glad to.» He grinned. «But listen here, young lady,» Ned said, «don't get yourself so mixed up with clowns and aerialists that you can't even find time to talk to me!»

Nancy chuckled, but she knew Ned had good reason to scold her. Many times when they had a date she changed the plans completely and involved him in some mystery she was trying to solve.

«Lolita is the most wonderful aerialist I have ever seen,» Nancy remarked as they neared the circus grounds.

«I just can't wait to see her,» Ned teased. «I think I'll hire myself out as one of those princes.»

Nancy made a face at him as he walked up to the ticket office.

«Two in the front row as near the center as possible,» Ned told the ticket seller.

«Sorry, sir,» the man replied, «there's not even standing room left.»

Nancy's heart sank. She stepped up to the window. «It's very important that I see the show this evening. Couldn't we just—?»

«Sorry, miss,» the man said firmly. «Not one more person can be admitted.»