Miss Lavinia was given back her three thousand dollars the next day, and Sim Dewey was sent to prison on a long term.

Mr. Harding came on to the city the following day.  He recovered all except a trifle of the stolen circus money.  That evening he sent a sealed envelope by special messenger to Andy.  It contained five one hundred dollar bills—­Andy’s reward for capturing the embezzling circus cashier.

The next afternoon Andy invited five of his special friends and several of his acquaintances to a little dinner party.

Miss Starr, Billy Blow the clown, Midget, old Benares, Thacher, Luke Belding and Mark Hadley were his guests of honor.

Andy had found a starting place in the circus for Mark, whose ambition was to become a great magician.

They were a merry, friendly party.  They jollied one another.  They saw nothing but sunshine in the sawdust pathway before them.

“You are a grand genius!” declared old Benares to Andy.  “My friends, one thought:  in six weeks up from Andy the school boy, to Andy the acrobat.”

“Hold on now, Mr. Benares,” cried Andy, smilingly.  “That was because of my royal, good friends like you.”

“And your own grit,” said Marco.  “You assuredly deserve your success.”

And the other circus people agreed with Marco.

For the time being Andy heard nothing more of Tapp, Murdock and Daley.  The days passed pleasantly enough.  He did his work faithfully, constantly adding to his fame as an acrobat.

Between Andy and Luke Belding a warm friendship sprang up.  Luke had much to tell about himself.  As time passed the lad who loved animals had many adventures, but what these were I must reserve for another volume, to be named, “Luke the Lion Tamer; or, On the Road with a Great Menagerie,” In that we shall not only follow brave-hearted Luke but also Andy, and see what the future held in store for the boy acrobat.

“Andy, are you glad you joined the circus?” questioned Luke, one day, after a particularly brilliant performance in the ring.

“Glad doesn’t express it,” was the quick answer.  “Why, it seems to be just what I was cut out for.”

“I really believe you.  You never make work of an act—­like some of the acrobats.”

“It must be in my blood,” said Andy, with a bright smile.  “Anyway, I expect to be Andy the Acrobat for a long while to come.”

And he was.

The end.