The Circus Comes to Town

ult Anna

little higher than the others, and whistling and clapping their hands. And clear around the tent were other sections of seats, all filled with men and women and children. Eyes wide open with wonder at the smell and

o get right inside of Jerry, for his heart b

ying to find places on the board seats and he joined the throng. He remembered that Whiteface had told him to take any seat there

it contained Mr. Burrows, the man who had let him carry water for the elephants even if he was too young, but he didn't pay much attention to him, for there was such a variety of different things t

other side of the tent, he became aware of a smell that was most enticing, quite different from the smell of the circus,-the sawdust and the animals and the crowd. He had just ide

delicacy, he fished out the dime from his blouse pocket and gave

ing and turning somersaults and throwing each other about in the air, and then his eyes wandered to the acrobats going through the most surprising contortions on a platform. He hadn't seen half enough of that when his attention was captured by the form of a wom

ach other and picked up handkerchiefs from the ground while their horses were running lickety-split. They

e like that. And the dancing ponies and the trained seals and the dog that wound in and out among the spokes of a buggy wheel and all the other acts thrilled Jerry and made him almost dizzy, they came so fast; but best of a

clowns swarmed in again, Jerry saw one of them stop and lo

those about him, s

ace! He

ade that funny clicking no

id the clown and

among the hundreds of boys and grown-ups back of Jerry. T

wards him. He didn't look around for Danny and Chris,

lapped their hands, too. Jerry shut his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them

other clowns did then except that as they left to go to another part of the circus, one of them, who wore the biggest and longest

e. The bulldog stood perfectly still until Whiteface held out a stick; then the clown jerked upon the strap which he

he signaled to the dog by jerking on his collar that it was

's face as he looked up at the spectators every time the dog jumped the stick. Jerry did not awake to the fact that the bulld

joined in the laughter at the easy manner in which the clown had fooled them. The look that Whiteface turned on Jer

og with what seemed to be a death-grip on the seat of his clothes caused Jerry and the rest of the children to shriek with laughter. With that look of mock terror on his face, the clown started t

hed, another clown came along with a big head that looked like some kind of a bird's head. It was way up

n his bird-head sidewise and suddenly gave a loud kis

an up the aisle back of Jerry, amid a roar of delight from the crowd. The girl hid

ot up and the woman and the girl took their seats while Jerry and the boy sat down in the front ro

seeing the circus and getting acquainted with Whiteface, if that had been possible. He wished Kathleen and Nora and Mother 'Larkey could see it. Never in all his lif

echo from the past; he had heard it before. It was the music he had thought he heard when he stood before the cir

g ahead. Among them Jerry espied Whiteface, and in his ex

Jerry's tongue, and in a sort of rhythmical chant he was repeating

water for the ellifants, Great Sult Anna O'Queen

not know that he had risen to his feet and w

ng silence the childish treble of Jerry's voice was

nna O'Queen,

ter for the

its trunk and trumpeted aloud. Jerry was not frightened at all by that cry, but held out his arms toward the elephant, cryin

y towards the tier of seats where Jerry stood, l

e about Jerry and then some women a

was an uproar of terror as the people left their seats and surged ba

which Jerry, from his seat high in the air on the

orseful voice, high and shrill above

d aloud and waved his arms. Why were all those p

d come running ab

lbow!" exclai

ack. Jerry looked at her. She was a very pretty woman in a most wonderful

commanding Sult Anna to lower him and the man started

e elephant! She

ll!" cried an amaze

Whiteface called to the frightened and

nny and Chris, frightened but curious, and Mr. Burrows. The performance was going on in other parts of the big tent and the spectators the

speed with which he had hurried to the scene. "We can't have

ephant song, and Sultana, I believe, recognized him. She trumpeted twice, reached out her trunk a

t Jerry, still sitting

It's the orphan boy who helped carry

ed the beautiful lady in the p

her weeping. He wondered why she

r. Burrows. "Get the boy down, Bowe, and take him

ing to her gently, patting her shoulder. Her kee

Anna, down!"

h when Jerry was literally placed by

he clown of Jerry, loo

had edged in close to the little crowd surroundi

his pare

ents," replied Danny

said

" called the beautiful

nt keepers went to Sultana's side and caught the wo

e lady ran to Jerry and he found hims

Don't you know me