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"The Circus" 217
Charlie is pulled off the ground and lands on his head.
On the high wire, knowing the safety appliance is on, Charlie does reckless and amazing stunts. Unfortunately the halter becomes detached. The prop man tries to warn him but he goes on. Suddenly he sees the halter loose above him and tries to grab it. His situation is made more ticklish by some escaped monkeys who crawl over his face and tear off his trousers while he is balancing. He falls, catches the wire, climbs underhand to the bicycle for the "ride for life," misses the catch below and lands in a store across the street from which he staggers out, dazed, to take a bow.
On his return to the circus he finds the owner mistreating Merna again. Charlie attacks the boss and the scene dissolves to his booting out of the tent.
"That night" Charlie, on the road again, huddles by his fire in the moonlight. Merna appears out of the darkness and tells him she has run away. "Can't you take me with you?" Charlie slips back to the circus to find Rex. Charlie explains to him the one way out, gives Rex his ring, takes him to Merna, sees the couple married in a country church, and showers them with rice.
The three return to the circus. The owner threatens his stepdaughter until Rex informs him, "You are now speaking to my wife." Forced to forgive them, he shakes hands but not with Charlie. The couple then refuse to go on with the show unless Charlie is rehired and the owner gives in. As Merna and Rex enter their wagon and ask Charlie to join them, he pantomimes that three is a crowd and shuts the door on the happy couple.
The circus moves on. Charlie stands in the empty ring as the wagons pass. Finally he is alone in the circle. Seated on a box, he sadly watches the caravan depart. Then he crumples up a piece of tissue paper with a star printed on it, kicks it away with his heel, and waddles jauntily toward the horizon as the scene irises out.