Bikey the Skicycle and Other Tales of Jimmieboy

ch were the finest imaginable sea-monsters doing all sorts of marvellous things; and then, too, the book the Imp had turned on evidently had some reading matter in it

eatures of the hand-organ; was as soft and sweet in parts as the music-box in the white-and-gold parlor, and once in a while would play deliciously out of tune like a real circus band. After the band-wagon there followed the most amusing things that Jimmieboy ever saw, the Trick Oysters, twelve in number, and all on foot. Next came the mounted Scallops, riding ten abreast on su

upon the canvas, and as strains of lovely music came from

fish wal

begins

'round the T

r get out o

geon is

to all t

up to t

s him by

t of Van Amberg," thought Jimmiebo

book went

now will ple

the peo

e stands u

doth di

g, and after kissing his hand to Jimmieboy and bowing to the rest of the audience-if there were any to bow to, and Jimmiebo

Jimmieboy, whereup

the ring in

Giraffe

ut any ef

ake into

plum-cake into crumbs. "That isn't anything to do. I could do t

d not reply to this criti

r and the S

he litt

ere, before

es and fu

ress suit and a tall hat on his head, followed closely by a Lobster wearing a jester's coat

to say, as he reached out his claw a

eturned

ld really l

ry gla

feeling pr

'twill sno

SEE YOU, SHARKEY,"

Lobster. "It is exceedingly pleasant to one

cuse me, L

uld ask

and whispe

r words

to a creature with a mouth as large as yours, because your smile is necessarily a tremendous one. I never like to tell

a little song, and as I see you have a bass-drum in y

ecause I know you are anxious to hear the Shark's song-as also was Jimmieboy-which went as follows:-that is, the words did; the tune I cannot here reproduce,

t most co

a mouth

babes at o

ly can

pounds of

of oran

thousand

low at

enough for

ng like

upon a pl

y things

it is I h

h a doz

sing all

enty-ni

captured b

me in

y I did we

ht I ke

e morning c

y, sir,

swallowed u

t me high

my captors

d both

each one of

a moment

ed every

hat coun

had the l

y one wer

topped, and Jimm

ou?" asked the Lobste

don't know whether I died or not. I presume I did, unless I swallowed myself and got into the la

d Lobby. "What's the differe

I'm ver

s I'm ra

u're unlik

I do no

d the

ugh. The reason I am different from Christmas is just this-now don't lose this, children-with Christmas comes Santa Claus, and with me comes Lob

I do not

ll C-A

really m

t answe

ed the

things you can do that I can't do, there are also some things I can do that you can't do. Now the thing that is brown like a cent, is bigger than a cent, is worth less th

id the strains of music from the band marched out of the ring, and Jimmie