Surprising News

AS THE pretty caller stepped into the Drew home, Nancy suddenly recognized her.

«Lolita!» she cried.

The young man with her smiled as Nancy invited him to enter also.

«I'm sorry I didn't know you at first, Lolita,» said Nancy. «You look so different in street clothes.»

«And I rarely wear them,» the aerialist replied. «As a matter of fact, I borrowed these.»

The girl did not explain further, and Nancy wondered if perhaps poor Lolita had no street clothes of her own, since her father rarely let her leave the circus.

It suddenly occurred to Lolita that Nancy did not recognize her escort. Laughing, she said, «I'd like to present my fiancé, Pietro.»

Nancy's eyes opened wide. The clown was a very handsome man with features quite different from the garishly painted ones which Nancy remembered from his trick act on the ladder.

«I certainly didn't recognize you, Pietro,» she said, smiling. «And what's this about you two being engaged? I think it's wonderful!»

The couple blushed shyly and Lolita confided in Nancy that they had just decided an hour or so before that they would be married as soon as possible.

«There are two obstacles in my way, though,» said Lolita, her smile suddenly vanishing. «One is my father. I mean my foster father. He would never consent to my marriage if he heard about it.»

«But I'm not going to let that make any difference,» Pietro spoke up. «Lolita and I will go to another circus and find work.»

Nancy knew that both were excellent performers and any circus would be glad to have them. On the other hand, she recalled what she had heard about Kroon's hold on people. It might prove difficult for the couple to get away from him.

«What is your other problem?» Nancy asked. «Is it about the mystery you asked me to help you with?»

The young aerialist said that she wanted to learn more about her own mother and father before she married. Perhaps she was too sentimental, but if either or both parents were alive, she wanted them to attend her wedding.

«The Kroons never legally adopted me, you know,» Lolita explained. «They have just taken it for granted that I belong to them, and it was not until recently that I found out I don't.»

«Did the Kroons tell you that?» Nancy questioned.

«Oh, my goodness, no,» Lolita answered. «Pietro, suppose you tell the rest of the story.»

Nancy had led the way into the living room and now all three sat down. At this moment they heard a groan of disgust from the kitchen. The callers looked startled. Nancy tried to hide a smile and remarked that their housekeeper often sighed loudly.

Actually Nancy knew that Hannah Gruen was trying to attract her attention. The delicious soufflé which had just been taken out of the oven was not going to be eaten for some time and would be ruined as she had feared.

«Please tell your story,» Nancy urged.

The young man revealed that his father was a retired clown. During his career, he had been with Sims', but before that had performed in Europe with the same circus that the Flying Flanders had.

«So he knew my mother and father,» Lolita spoke up, «and told Pietro that the Kroons never really adopted me.»

«According to Mr. Kroon,» Pietro went on, «Lolita's parents were badly injured during their trapeze act. They were taken to a hospital and died. At that time, the Kroons took Lolita away.

«Just this morning I had a letter from my father, who lives in England, saying he had attended a circus outside the town of Tewkesbury. While looking through a pair of field glasses at the crowd, he had seen a woman he was sure was Lolita's mother.»

«Isn't that exciting?» Lolita cried.

«Indeed it is,» Nancy said. «Go on, Pietro.»

The clown said his father had hurried toward the woman but she had disappeared before he could reach her. Later, he had inquired in the town but no one he spoke to had ever heard of a Lola Flanders.

«As soon as I read about Lola, I went to Mr. Kroon and told him,» Pietro said. «I thought he would be glad to hear that Lolita's mother might be alive, but instead he went into a terrible rage. It ended by his telling me to mind my own business, that the whole thing was a lie, and that I could get out of the circus.»

«But you're not going to?» Nancy asked.

«Not until Lolita does,» the clown replied. «But things are in an awful state. Mr. Kroon has even forbidden me to speak to Lolita.»

Lolita explained that this was why her fiancé had not appeared in the ring the evening before. She had persuaded him, however, to take part in the show that afternoon.

«The only reason we were able to get away was because Mr. Kroon was having a conference with Mr. Sims, who has just returned,» she explained. «Even so, we thought we were being followed. I think we'd better hurry back, don't you, Pietro?» A worried frown creased Lolita's forehead.

«I wish you would stay and have luncheon with me,» Nancy said.

«Oh, thank you so much, but we wouldn't dare!» the aerialist cried. «My foster father would be sure to discover we'd left the circus. But you'll help me find my mother, won't you?»

«I certainly will,» Nancy assured her. «By the way, my father is a lawyer. Suppose he tries to learn what he can through friends in England.»

Lolita said that would be wonderful. She hoped Mr. Drew would have good news for her.

Before the couple left, Nancy remarked that she expected to attend the afternoon performance in order to get pointers on trick bareback riding. She asked Lolita if it would be possible while she was there for her to talk with Mrs. Kroon.

«I don't know,» Lolita replied, «but do try, Nancy. She'll probably be in my trailer. Maybe you can find out something from her. She's very nice when my foster father's not around, but she certainly is afraid of him.»

«Do you know why?»

«No, I don't. Well, good-by for now.»

As soon as Hannah Gruen heard the front door close, she burst into a mild tirade about people who did not announce their coming and arrived just at mealtime. Nancy laughed and sat down to eat the delicious soufflé which she said was not ruined after all.

«And nobody in the world can make soufflé like a certain person I know named Hannah Gruen,» she added.

The housekeeper was mollified and asked Nancy what the callers wanted. After hearing the story, she remarked:

«Poor Lolita! I hope she'll be able to get away from that dreadful foster father of hers.»

«Don't tell anybody,» said Nancy, «but I'm going to help her do that very thing!»

Nancy arrived early at the circus and went at once to find Mrs. Kroon.

On purpose the young detective wore her new charm bracelet and made a point of jingling it as she introduced herself to the ringmaster's wife. Although Mrs. Kroon eyed the bracelet, she made no comment.

«I'm interested in circus riding,» Nancy said. «I understand that you used to perform in the circus yourself.»

«That's right,» Mrs. Kroon said, but offered no further information.

«Did your daughter Lolita inherit her talent from you?» Nancy asked.

Instantly Mrs. Kroon's expression changed from one of pleasantness to fear, then anger. Instead of replying, she said:

«How did you get in here? Visitors aren't allowed in this section. Our private lives are our own business. I shan't answer any questions and I'll thank you to leave at once!»

«Oh, I'm sorry,» Nancy said. «Perhaps I am a little too curious. Please forgive me.»

«You're more than that,» Mrs. Kroon fairly screamed. «You're a nuisance.»

Nancy decided not to press the irate woman further and backed out of the trailer. She noticed that several circus performers were standing around, listening. At first she was embarrassed, but a remark one of the onlookers made put her at ease.

«Don't mind Mrs. Kroon,» a woman said in a low voice. «Her bark is worse than her bite. Lolita's her adopted daughter and she's awful touchy on the subject.»

«I see,» said Nancy.

She started off but changed her mind. Coming back, she asked the woman:

«Are Lolita's own parents living?»

The woman exchanged glances with the other performers standing close by. Finally she said:

«I may as well tell you. There's a story going around that Lolita's real mother is alive and that the Kroons don't want anybody to know this. Personally, we think there's something very strange about the whole thing.»

Nancy asked if the woman could give her any further details. But at this moment the group of performers saw the ringmaster approaching and hurried out of sight.

Nancy herself turned the corner rather abruptly to avoid meeting the man. She hurried off to the big top and found her seat. It was alongside one of the entrance aisles.

As she waited for the show to begin, Nancy mulled over the various angles of the mystery. Had Lola Flanders pawned the bracelet? And why? Was she the person who needed help? Were the Kroons back of her trouble?

Nancy was brought out of her reverie by the band striking up. Presently the parade started. This and the act of the clowns interested her as much as it had at the first performance. Pietro waved to her. Many of the actors seemed to recognize her and nodded. She felt as if they were all becoming friends of hers.

Nancy paid particular attention to the first bareback riding act. As Dan Webster had suggested, she counted the rhythm of the horses' motions and found that the riders were experts at timing themselves to the movements whether they were standing on the animals' backs, running, or somersaulting. One of the attractive girl riders seemed very young. But she was more proficient than the others and did a great deal of solo work while the older ones stood by.

The young rider had just completed a mid-air double somersault and landed on the horse's back, amid tumultuous applause, when an object came whizzing through the air and hit the horse on the nose. The mare reared and bucked, throwing the young rider.

At once there was great confusion among the riders and their frightened horses. In the midst of it, Nancy spotted something familiar lying on the tanbark—the object which had struck the horse.

Nancy gasped. It was a whip exactly like the one which her assailant had used!