"Well, well, boys!How are you?"
"Oh, we're fine," glowed Phil."And we are glad to be back again, let me tell you.""No more so than your old friends are to have you back.Same old act?""Yes."
"What have you boys been doing this winter?" "Studying and exercising.""Yes; I knew, from your condition, that you have been keeping up your work.Got anything new?""Not much.Trapeze."
"Good!I'll bet you will be in some of the flying-bar acts before the season is over.We have a lot of swell performers this season.""So I have heard.Who are some of them?" "Well, there's the Flying Four.""Who are they?" questioned Teddy.
"Trapeze performers.They're great--the best in the business.And then there's The Limit.""Talk United States," demanded Teddy."The Limit?Whoever heard of that?""In other words, the Dip of Death." Teddy shook his head helplessly.
"That is the somersaulting automobile.A pretty young woman rides in it, and some fine day she won't.I never did like those freak acts.But the public does," sighed the old circus man."The really difficult feats, that require years of practice, patrons don't seem to give a rap for.But let somebody do a stunt in which he is in danger of suddenly ending his life, then you'll see the people howl with delight.I sometimes think they would be half tickled to death to see some of us break our necks.There's a friend of yours, Phil.""Who?"
"Emperor, the old elephant that you rode last year.They are taking him to the menagerie tent.""Whistle to him, Phil," suggested Teddy.Phil uttered a low, peculiar whistle.