Last Links in the Mystery

WITH a great leap the huge lion sprang toward the door of the cage. Nancy Drew fought with every ounce of strength to get away from the insane ringmaster who was pushing her into the cage. Lolita screamed and tried to pull her foster father away.

A few yards back of Nancy was Ned Nickerson. And a short distance behind him, Pietro. Both young men raced forward.

Ned grasped Nancy and swung her away from the lion. The angry, confused beast landed one claw on the boy's hand and raked it badly.

Ned's action had startled Kroon, who fell backward. The lion hesitated a moment as though undecided whether to slink away or jump forward. For a fearful second everyone wondered whether the beast would get loose.

Pietro saw a long whip lying on the ground. Quick as a flash he picked it up and cracked it across King Kat's nose. The lion snarled and bared its teeth. One paw, halfway through the opening, was keeping Pietro from closing the cage door. With another crack of the whip he struck the lion's paw and the beast jumped backward with a roar of pain. The clown slammed and locked the door.

By this time there was terrific commotion in the circus. Every workman and many of the townspeople had come on the run to see what had happened. In the melee, Kroon disappeared.

«Oh, Nancy!» Lolita cried. «Are you all right?»

Nancy nodded. Recovering from her shock, she saw that Ned's hand was bleeding profusely.

«Ned!» she said quickly. «You must go to Dr. Jackson at once!»

Then, realizing that she had not thanked him for his brave rescue, she added, «Ned, you saved my life. How can I ever thank you?»

Ned gave a wry smile. «Don't even try, Nancy. I'm only thankful I was here to do it.» Pietro, too, came in for his share of praise.

Quickly Nancy looked around. «Where did Mr. Kroon go?» she asked.

No one had noticed him leave. Nancy, fearful that he would escape, asked Lolita to take Ned to the doctor.

«Pietro,» she said, «we must find Mr. Kroon.»

The man was not on the circus grounds and Mrs. Kroon also was missing. Pietro reported that the ringmaster's car was gone. Nancy telephoned State Police headquarters and spoke to the sergeant on duty. She was told that the police had just received word from New York to apprehend Kroon and were about to pick him up at the circus.

«Thank you, Miss Drew,» the sergeant said. «I'll send a detail out at once and we'll set up a road block.»

The Kroons were picked up a short time later on the highway and taken to headquarters. Nancy, Lolita, Pietro, and Ned were present at the interrogation.

Kroon, finding that denials of his crooked schemes were futile, and that even his two spies, the tramp clown and the giant, had not been entirely loyal to him, made a full confession. He did not spare the Tristams, on whom he put a great deal of the blame. At Kroon's request, Tristam had come to River Heights and stolen the horse-charm bracelet. He had brought it to Kroon, who years before had had a cheap duplicate of Lolita's horse charm made. He had kept the original, hoping to obtain the valuable bracelet. He had finally succeeded.

But when Nancy had stymied his plan to sell it, Kroon and Tristam together had engineered the kidnaping of Nancy and George. Learning that this had failed, Tristam had found out where Nancy had gone and followed her to New York. He had tried to stop Nancy's trip to England by engaging a professional thug to put the acid in her overnight bag.

While Kroon and Tristam had managed to steal the dividend checks which had come to Lola Flanders from her securities, they had never dared to try selling the securities themselves. Lolita was thrilled to hear that they were still intact for her mother.

When Kroon finished his confession, the police asked Nancy and the others if they had any questions. The girl detective spoke up.

«I have just one,» she said. «Mr. Kroon, who was it who went to the riding academy and attacked Señ or Roberto?»

The ringmaster said Tristam had done this also. Both he and Kroon felt that Hitch was in the way. Tristam had meant to attack the stableman, but had, in the semidarkness, mistaken Roberto for him. Just as he had discovered his error, Tristam heard voices in the distance and fled.

After all the angles of the mystery were cleared up, Nancy and her friends went at once to the Melville Hotel. Nancy suggested that no one attend the reunion of mother and daughter. Lolita smiled and thanked Nancy for being so understanding, but said that she wanted all of the others to come to her mother's room in fifteen minutes.

When Nancy and the young men arrived, they were thrilled to see the happiness on the faces of Lola and Lolita Flanders. Their praise of Nancy was boundless, and Ned and Pietro came in for their share.

«Mother and I have been talking over my wedding plans,» said Lolita, blushing a little, «Mother has a wonderful idea.»

The others listened eagerly as the pretty aerialist went on to say that Mrs. Flanders would like the wedding to take place soon—three days from then.

«This is partly because she wants her daughter and her new son-in-law in business with her,» Lolita explained.

Pietro looked puzzled. «In business?» he asked.

«Yes,» said Lola Flanders, taking hold of the young clown's hand. «I had a telephone call a little while ago from Nancy's Aunt Eloise. The New York police have discovered that Sims' Circus is a stock company and I own most of the stock.»

«Oh, that's perfectly wonderful,» Nancy said, delighted.

Pietro asked how Sims figured in the deal. Lola Flanders told him that at one period, when the circus was about to fold up, Lolita's father had bought the major portion of the stock. Kroon knew this and kept reminding young Mr. Sims of the fact whenever he stayed around the circus too long.

The ringmaster had confidentially told him that it was still a mystery as to whether Lola Flanders was alive. Some day she might show up and claim her rightful share. Since young Sims knew little about the running of a circus, he had gladly left this to the stronger-willed Kroon.

Pietro suddenly kissed his future mother-in-law. Then he said, «Bad as Mr. Kroon was, I certainly have him to thank for one thing. Sims' is still a fine circus.»

«Indeed it is,» said Lolita. «Mother, wait until you see a performance.»

Nancy asked what had happened to the Vascon troupe. Lolita said that when Rosa had been unable to perform, Mr. Kroon had discharged the whole equestrian troupe. Suddenly Lolita looked at Nancy.

«Oh,» she said, «it would be so wonderful if they would come back and we could have a full performance the night of the wedding. Nancy, would you ride in Rosa's place?»

The girl detective smiled and said she would be very happy to take part in the act.

The night of the gala performance Nancy's family and friends sat in Box AA, with Señ or Roberto, who had fully recovered from his injuries. Bess whispered to George:

«This is so marvelous I could cry. It's the best mystery Nancy ever solved.»

«It was swell,» George agreed. «But you just wait. Another good mystery will come Nancy's way and I'll bet it won't be long, either.»

George was right! Nancy had hardly recovered from her days at the circus when she was confronted with The Scarlet Slipper Mystery.

During the evening, it seemed as though each performer outdid himself. Nancy herself felt as if she had never done her stunt riding so well. The wedding plans had been announced to the audience, and after the finale, everyone stayed in his seat.

The happy bride and her real prince were married in the great circus ring. Then, as they walked out together smiling, to the tune of the Mendelssohn march, the applause was thunderous.

A reception had been arranged in the cafeteria tent. In one corner on a large table the wedding gifts were displayed. Prominent among them was the picture of Nancy Drew, standing on a horse in her circus costume. Lola Flanders had asked Eloise Drew for it. A little later the radiant bride said to Nancy:

«This will be a constant reminder of the most wonderful girl I have ever met!»

Then Lolita held up her arm on which she was wearing the beautiful horse-charm bracelet.

«Are you sure you want me to have this as a wedding gift?» she asked Nancy.

«Of course I do,» Nancy replied. «The bracelet came from a queen and now it has come back to one—the queen of aerialists!»

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