Chums of the Camp Fire

y s-s-

window, and watched that wonderful thing that had come to pass in a single night, just a

an? Has the w-w-world really turned upside d-d-down? Am I in Africa, or

r passed day and night, coming through a long pipe from a distant spring; there was a strange sucking sound,

as though in search of breakfast. Then even the skulking tawny figure that was partly hidden under the cage containing his wildcat moved; and he could make ou

as busted in the storm, and a

s customary stutter. Bandy-legs would have been quick to draw attention to

had really hit upon the truth. What tickled Toby most of all was the fact that the escaped ani

somehow the first animal may have been attracted by the very odor of which his mother was beginning to

elephants, dromedaries, ostrich, zebra and even the toothless old performing l

his speech; "animals are wise to the fact that a few people care for them, and I'm one of that select bunch. And you can belie

t some energetic action must be taken in order to notify the owners of

gave him a cold chill to imagine that great yellow-maned lion scrambling up the grape-arbor near by, and finding entrance to

bells would begin to jangle and ring, but at that

soon as he could get Central he begged to be c

was described on the posters that decorated all the bill boards in town. But when citizens were in any sort of trouble it was only right they should put it up to the police. What were those men paid for, but to shoulder all the burde

" said a voice

ou, C-c

can I do for you this m

J-j-jucklin s-s-

so. "Well, what's happened this Sunday, Toby? Storm knock a chimney down at your place? It wo

g-g-get to town la

o pay, and I guess most of the churches'll have thin a

nimals escaped, d-d

that all the live stock that could get a move on took French leave. Right now the whole outfit is scouring the roads for ten mile

t away, Chief; w-w-woul

"Let's see, I heard it over the wire, and Mr. Jenks was all broke up over the catastrophe, so he mixed things up some; but I remember he said all the camels and the elephants had lit out, ditto their trained ostrich that draws a cart around the rin

d!" said Toby, filled with such a sense of importance that

the other end of the wire was stagg

, and seeing things? I know you're fond of wild animals, and have got a little collection yourself; but ex

h, and the zebra there right now, 'cause I s-s-saw the whole lot. D-d-don't know how m-m-many more might be around on the other s-s-side of the ho

w, getting some breakfast, and I can

ld on,

e is ther

s-s-sort of reward for the recovery of hi

his property. And I'll see what I can do for you, Toby. It ought to be worth fifty dollars to you, that's right. But don't detain me any lon

that possibly there might be something in it for the genial Chief also, which

conds too late to prevent this, however, for just as he reached the kitchen, and discovered the back door open, a figure came tearing through like mad. It

en it; "de Noah's ark am drapped down on top of dis wicked town durin' de night, an' der's de animiles awalkin' 'round our garden two by two, de elephants an' de camels an' de lions. Oh! what-ebber am we agwine to do, chile?

menagerie connected with the circus that was passing Sunday in Carson, meaning to give

klin house had his or her face glued to a window pane, watching the remarkable sight to be seen in th

itnessed some of the strangest things that ever came to pass on the quiet of a

aries, and after them the striped zebra trotted, showing somet

ning the curious spectators to keep away from its feet because it co

eing discharged frequently so as to inspire old Nero with alarm, drove the beast toward the open door of the wagon, the spectator

y had thought to call up his chums on the 'phone early in the affair, so that not only Max, but St

ned shut up in their houses the livelong day, not daring to venture out for fear lest they be pounced upon by a st

which had been repaired and hoisted. These circus men are able to meet sudden emergencies. They know

continued to scour the adjacent country, searching for such animals as ha

beasts of prey that had been at liberty were now all safely secured again-which Toby and his chums knew was a barefaced lie, for the men were still hunting along all the roads and the woods within ten m

Mr. Jenks, informing him that he was the boy who had been the means of sending information in first a

hank him in the bargain. Toby was quite satisfied, but he could not

along with him in the bargain, a privilege Toby was pretty certain he would avail himself o

ild beasts had really been a shrewd dodge whereby a novel feature could be introduced into advertising practices; but others scoffed the idea, and pointed to the fact that even through Monday sq