A Threat. AS THE choking sensation increased, Nancy's hand flew to her throat

AS THE choking sensation increased, Nancy's hand flew to her throat. To the girl's horror she felt a cord around her neck. It was being drawn tighter and tighter.

She tugged at it frantically but could not remove or even loosen the cord. Objects in the circus were swimming before Nancy's eyes and her breath was coming in gasps.

Ned turned just as she was about to black out. Nancy reached out toward him, then fainted. Aghast, he caught her and quickly unwound the cord.

«Nancy! Nancy!» he whispered. «What? Who—?»

She gave a tremendous gasp and a slight tremor ran through her body. Ned massaged her neck and arms. In a few moments her breathing became normal again.

Nancy sat up and looked around her. Then, suddenly recalling the awful ordeal of a moment ago, she clutched her throat. When she found no cord constricting it, she looked questioningly at Ned. Had she imagined the whole thing?

«Are you all right?» Ned asked anxiously.

«Y-yes. What happened to me?»

He told her, pointing to a souvenir whip on the floor. Then he added, «I'll find out who did this devilish thing! It must have been the work of a maniac!»

Nancy now recalled having heard someone sit down in the seat behind her. He must be the guilty person! But turning around, Nancy saw that the seat was now vacant. Getting up, she walked to the box directly back of theirs and spoke to a woman in it.

«Did you notice the man who was sitting behind me?» she asked.

«Why, sort of,» the woman replied. «Why?»

«He tried to choke me,» Nancy told her.

«What!» the woman cried, looking about her nervously.

Ned had followed Nancy and now asked the woman if she could give any description of the man.

«I'm afraid not. I was watching the show.»

The woman said that the only reason she had noticed the man at all was because he had obstructed her view for a couple of seconds as he took his seat. He had bothered her the same way when he had left.

«You'd better report him to the police,» the woman advised.

«I will,» Ned replied. «I'll be back in a minute, Nancy.»

The girl returned to her seat. Idly she picked up the short whip which had been used to strangle her. It was the type sold as souvenirs at the circus.

Seeing one of the vendors, Nancy summoned him. Suspended around his neck was a large basket in which he carried cold drinks, boxes of popcorn, bags of peanuts, and a variety of souvenirs, including the toy whips.

«Did you make a sale to a man who was sitting behind me?» Nancy questioned the vendor.

«Naw,» he replied. «Whaddaya want to buy?»

Nancy put a hand in her pocket and pulled out a fifty-cent piece, saying she would take a bag of peanuts. As the vendor made change, she asked him whether he had sold one of the whips to anyone near by.

«I ain't sold one of these here ringmaster's whips all evening,» the vendor said disgustedly, «I dunno what's the matter with everybody. Business is mighty slow.» He moved off.

«Ringmaster's whip,» Nancy repeated, her mind flying to Kroon.

As she thought about the recent episode, the young sleuth decided that the person who had tried to choke her must have brought the whip with him—perhaps in his pocket. When Ned returned, she whispered to him:

«I'm inclined to think the choker might have been somebody connected with the circus.»

Ned agreed and said that the box might be reserved for circus personnel. He remarked that this would narrow their search for her assailant, although the policeman to whom he had reported the incident felt little could be done without a better clue than the whip.

«But let's wait until after Lolita's act before we investigate,» Nancy said. «She especially wanted me to be here this evening.»

As soon as the act started, Ned was glad that they had waited. Not only was the Cinderella performance artistic, but intricate and difficult as well. One misstep on the part of Lolita or any of her princes could possibly mean their death or at least a nasty fall!

Nancy hardly dared breathe during the show, hoping that Lolita really did feel better and that she would not faint again. Did the aerialist know that Pietro had not performed? Would this make a difference to her? Nancy felt sure that there was a strong attachment between the two.

«Oh!» the crowd suddenly gasped.

Lolita had almost missed grabbing the hands of one of the princes in a swing from trapeze to trapeze. But she made it and her audience settled back, their hearts beating excitedly.

From the point where Lolita had fainted during the afternoon performance, the story was now carried to its completion, as Ringmaster Kroon had announced.

The handsome prince whom Cinderella had promised to marry while at the ball swung gracefully to her platform. In his hand was a glass slipper. There was a short ceremony at the top of the tent. When he found that it fitted Lolita's foot, he embraced her. Then came a most fascinating trapeze act, with the two swinging back and forth, first alone, then together. The pair kept in perfect time with the lilting background music. The audience went wild in its applause.

«She's magnificent!» Ned cried enthusiastically. «And that prince isn't so bad himself.»

Nancy was almost transfixed. She had often been to circus performances and had seen many aerial acts, but nothing could surpass this one.

«She's too good to remain with Sims' Circus,» Nancy told herself. «I don't see why she puts up with Kroon's cruelty.»

The happy couple on the thirty-foot-high trapeze swung themselves to the platform. As the clapping continued, Lolita suddenly looked in Nancy's direction. Sweetly and daintily, she blew a kiss to her new friend. Nancy smiled and waved in return.

The sides of the gleaming coach and the two white steeds and Cinderella's spangled dress were drawn up by pulleys. Lolita put on the beautiful white ball gown as the pumpkin and mice were covered by the stately carriage and horses. Then she and her prince stepped inside and were brought down to the ground. They stepped out, took bow after bow amid the thunderous applause, then hurried away.

«That was superb,» Ned remarked. «Anything else would seem tame. I'd just as soon go. How about you, Nancy?»

Nancy confessed that she was ready to leave, since she wanted to do some sleuthing. They hurried to the exit.

«Where do you suggest we start looking for that strangler?» Ned asked her.

«Suppose we find out about the box. The man must have had a ticket to it.»

The ticket booth was closed, but Nancy saw the attendant and asked him who owned Box AA.

«The house,» he said. «It's always kept for special people, like the mayor. I understand some well-known couple used it tonight. The rest of the seats in the box were vacant.»

Nancy suppressed a smile at the words «some well-known couple,» and thanked the ticket seller for the information. She and Ned walked on.

«I'm more convinced than ever,» she said, «that my attacker was someone who works here.»

«But why?» Ned asked. «You haven't any enemies in the circus. Or have you?»

«I must have, but I'm sure I don't know why, Ned.»

«Then you'd better leave this place and never come back.»

«And leave the mystery unsolved?» Nancy objected.

As Ned shrugged resignedly, Nancy said she would like to find out why Pietro had not taken part in the evening performance. She wondered if it might have something to do with the mystery surrounding Lolita.

Nancy learned from one of the other clowns that Pietro had been taken suddenly ill. His friend thought it was nothing serious, and that Pietro would be able to perform the next day.

«Would you mind giving him a note?» Nancy asked, thinking there might be another reason for his skipping the performance and she could talk to him more freely at home about the mystery.

«Glad to,» the clown replied.

Taking paper and pencil from her bag, Nancy quickly scribbled a message. She asked Pietro to come to her house before nine o'clock the next morning, as she was leaving at nine thirty for a riding lesson. If he could not come then, she suggested that he make it between shows and bring Lolita if possible.

Ned now insisted that the rest of the evening be spent doing something that had no relation to the mystery. Nancy laughingly agreed, and they joined a group of friends at Bess Marvin's home.

It was late when Nancy reached her own house and said good night to Ned. As soon as she was in her room, Nancy's mind reverted to her harrowing experience with the whip.

«What could have been the reason for it?» she wondered, pulling her dress over her head. A wild thought struck Nancy. Had Kroon found out she was interested in helping Lolita, and therefore was afraid of some mysterious affairs of his own being uncovered? If so, he might very well have wanted to put a stop to her sleuthing.

As Nancy looked down at the floor, she noticed a small folded sheet of paper. It must have dropped from her dress, she thought. Puzzled, she picked it up and opened the sheet. Nancy stared at the ominous, crudely printed message.

Stay away from the circus and everybody in it!