The Circus Comes to Town

of an Elep

remember, but it just wouldn't come and finally he gave up trying. After playing with Kathleen until Mother 'Larkey put her in t

t brought him to a dead halt and then set him running breathlessly to join the Mullarkey

xclaimed, in eager excitement a

eplied Danny, in that superio

e idea oozing out of his bare to

y. "I'm tired of ante-over and run-

interrupted Celia Jane. She turned

swered. "'Maginary you're an e

e el'funt!"

the el'funt,"

sed his lips tightly. Danny didn't have any rig

el'funt' first, did

id Nora, the conciliator, "seein' i

?" Danny asked in a tone that said as pl

'funt!" ins

first choice,"

ns about being el'f

ng the fence and he summoned up all his courage. "I won't play," c

of the time," Danny promised,

cry," returned Jer

cus with just a el'f

anny decisively and turned to

re'n one el'funt?" J

ied in scorn. "I guess one el'funt's enough for one

ry. "I ain't neve

ave I," re

nary something?"

," interposed Nora, "but the

Darner said there was one at Jenkins' corner and one on

hat. It's usually me who thinks of everything. I'll be t

nd Jerry felt that his legs were ready to give out and send him sprawling in the street before he got there, but he kept running just the same. Celia Jane tagged along, far in the rear, and called to Jerry to wait for her, but a boy couldn't

ich showed trapeze performers turning somersaults in the air, a clown pl

ncin' pony!" cr

rope-walker

erry plaintively, feeling l

mething before they were all taken?" aske

e air hanging by his han

have in the picture to catch

to try," Danny stated. "Maybe the picture

ey all squatted on the ground, nonplussed at the picture of half a

they?" J

of a fish," retur

"Who ever saw a fish with hair on

y. "I'd like to know what kind of

confessed, "but what k

said Danny au

ish and half anima

anny began but was

" she said. "Trained s-e-a-l-s, seals. Tha

Danny. "He can have a ball of carpet ra

" Jerry protested. "I k

throw it to another and that seal catch it on its nose like it does in the picture, you ought to be able to ba

ome, for Jerry to balance on his nose in place of a balloon, and gave Danny an old green wrapper, just ready to be cut up into carpet rags, out of whi

l his back, chest and neck ached from throwing his head back to balance the ball of carpet rags on his nose, that he didn't like trained seals and

if she remembered to keep one end of her balancing pole touching the ground all the time. Mrs. Mullarkey had decided that Celia Jane didn't need any

sew for sour apples, as Nora very readily told him. Two small palm-leaf fans, fastened to an old cap of his father's so that they flopped with every movement, served as

users with straw, flattening it out until it bore a f

you're making?

's tail!" said Danny. "A

up, displaying it i

re small like a ro

guess a el'funt's about the biggest animal in the wor

e, like a rope,

sked Danny. "Just tell me how

, feeling all his obstinacy aroused by

Jane interposed, going to her elder brother's

ither," asse

dn't know," insi

d Jerry, "but I know el'funts

been to a circu

at I re

seen a el'funt?

kind of seems as

if you had seen a el

esponded Jer

cus or seen a el'funt, I guess you do

e little, like a ro

s tail?" ask

y they haven't so much ha

posed Danny, "an' it wouldn't have a little tail like a cow.

mitted, "but th

see the picture of the elephant jumpi

ture'll show whether they're smal

and darted at a run out of the woodshed, followed by the others. As they lined up in front

no tail at all!" ex

hant seemed to be headed straight towards them. Jerry f

r. Smarty Know-it-all didn

t see it, but it's t

so big that when you stand right in front of it, its

wouldn't," Jerr

sserted, taking sides against Jerry. "A e

big it would s

e children collectively. "I ain't goin' to all the work of makin' a tail