A LION IS LOOSE
Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue lost no time in getting dressed that
morning, and hurrying out to the tiny dining room where their mother was
getting breakfast.
"Did you see it?" gasped Sue.
"Have the elephants gone past yet?" Bunny inquired, his eyes big with
excitement.
"Oh, you mean the circus," said Mrs. Brown. "No, I haven't seen any
elephants yet. The big wagons just started to go past."
"Then let's hurry up our breakfast and watch for the elephants and the
tigers," cried Bunny, greatly worried lest he miss any of the animals.
"You have plenty of time," said Uncle Tad, who was out near the back
steps of the automobile, sorting his fish lines and hooks. "The circus
has just started to go past. Those wagons have in them the tent poles,
the canvas for the tents, the things for the men to eat and the big
stoves. These are always unloaded first--in fact, they are sent on ahead
of the rest of the show.
"Not until later in the morning will the animals and the other wagons
come along. The circus must have unloaded over at Kirkwell," and he
pointed to a railroad station about a mile away. "The tents are going up
on the other side of this town, I heard some of the circus drivers say."
"Oh, won't we have fun watching them go past?" cried Sue. "I wonder if
they'll have a parade? If they do, and it goes past our house--I mean
our automobile--we can see it better than anybody, can't we?"
"Yes. But the parade won't come this far out into the country," said
Uncle Tad. "It will go through the streets of the town."
"Where are you going?" asked Bunny, suddenly looking at the old soldier.
"I thought I'd go fishing over to Blue Lake. Looked yesterday as if
there were plenty of fish there. Want to go with me, Bunny Brown?"
"Huh? An' the circus comin' to town?" asked Bunny, clipping the end off
his words. "Say, Mother, aren't we going to the circus?" he asked
quickly.
"Well, I didn't hear anything about it," said Mrs. Brown slowly.
"Can't you take us, Uncle Tad?" pleaded Sue, for she, as much as did her
brother, wanted to see the big show.
"Well, I suppose I _could_ put off my fishing till another day," said
Uncle Tad slowly. "Are you _sure_ you two want to go?"
"Are we!" cried Bunny.
"Oh, I want to go--so much!" and Sue showed just how much by putting her
arms around Uncle Tad's neck and hugging him as hard as she could. That
was her way of showing "how much."
"Well, if it's as much as that I guess I'll have to take you," laughed
Uncle Tad. "Mind you, I don't want to go myself," and he looked at Mrs.
Brown in a queer way. "I don't care anything about a circus--never did
in fact. But if an old man has to give up his fishing trip, just to take
two children to one of the wild animal shows, why I guess it will have
to be done, that's all. But really I don't want to go," and he shook his
head very seriously.
"Oh, Uncle Tad!" cried Sue. "Don't you want to see the elephants?"
"Nope," and the old soldier kept on shaking his head "crossways," as
Bunny said.
"And don't you want to see the lions?"
"Nope."
"Nor the tigers?"
"Nope."
"Not even the camels and the monkeys and the men jumping over horses'
backs, nor the giraffes with their long necks--don't you want to see
_any_ of them?" Sue was talking faster and faster all the while.
Uncle Tad did not say anything, but a funny look came into his eyes, and
Bunny was almost sure the old soldier was laughing on one side of his
face at Mother Brown. Then Bunny cried:
"Oh, Sue! He's just fooling! He wants to go as much as we do!"
"Oh, Uncle Tad, I'm so glad!" cried Sue. "I love you--so--much!" and
again she hugged him as hard as she could, and kissed him too.
"Now I'll surely have to go," he chuckled.
Breakfast was soon over, and by that time Bunny and Sue were so excited
that they did not know what to do. Somehow they managed to get properly
dressed, and by that time other circus wagons came along.
These wagons were gilded and painted more gaily than the first that had
gone past. And from some of them came low growls or roars.
"Oh, they've got lions inside," said Sue, opening her eyes wide.
"And tigers, too," added Bunny in a wondering voice. "But I want to see
the elephants," he added.
Pretty soon the big elephants came along, and behind them came camels
and troops of horses. There were also a number of small boys and some
girls who were following the circus to the lot where the big tents were
already being put up.
"Say, I just like to see them!" cried Bunny as the elephants swung past
the "Ark," which some of the country boys took to be one of the circus
wagons broken down. "Elephants are great! I guess I'm going to be an
elephant rider when I grow up, instead of a policeman," he said, as he
saw men sitting on the heads of the big elephants while they lumbered
heavily along.
"It would be fun to ride on one of them," said Sue. "But come on, Uncle
Tad. Take us to the circus. We want to see the parade."
"We want to see _everything_," added Bunny.
"The side shows and _everything_, and, please, Mother, may we have some
peanuts and popcorn?"
"Oh, I don't want you eating a lot of things that will make you ill,"
said Mrs. Brown.
"I mean to feed to the elephants," said Bunny. "Elephants love popcorn
and peanuts a lot. Of course Sue and I could eat a little," he added.
"Well, a _very_ little," agreed his mother. "Elephants are not made ill
so easily as little boys. But get ready, if you are going."
It did not take the children and Uncle Tad long to get ready. As it was
quite a distance from where the "Ark" was stationed beside the road to
the circus ground, Uncle Tad hired Mr. Jason to drive him and the
children over in the wagon.
"Oh, I see the tents!" cried Bunny, as they neared the ground.
"And I hear the music!" added Sue. "But we mustn't miss the parade."
The children were just in time for this, and when they had seen the
procession wind its way about the streets they went back to the big
white tents. Then the circus began.
What Bunny and Sue saw you can well imagine, for I think most of you
have been to a circus, once at least. There were the wild animals--the
lions and the tigers in their cages, the funny monkeys, the long-necked
giraffes--and then came the performance. The clowns did funny tricks,
the acrobats leaped high in the air, or fell into the springy nets. All
this the children saw, and they ate some popcorn and peanuts, but fed
more than they ate to the elephants.
Uncle Tad seemed to enjoy himself, too, though, every once in a while
he would lean over and say to Bunny and Sue:
"Aren't you tired? Let's go home!"
And the performance was not half through! Bunny and Sue just looked at
him and smiled. They knew he was joking.
But the circus came to an end at last, and though they were sorry they
had to leave, Bunny and Sue were, late in the afternoon, well on their
way to their automobile camp again. They talked of nothing but what they
had seen, and every time they spoke of the show they liked it more and
more.
"I wish we could go again to-night," said Bunny.
"It isn't good for little children to go to a circus at night," said
Uncle Tad. "You've seen enough."
Of course Daddy Brown and Mother Brown had to hear all about it over the
supper table, and they were glad the children had had such a good time.
At night when they sat around a little campfire on the ground near the
automobile, they could hear, in the distance, the music of the circus.
In the middle of the night Mr. and Mrs. Brown were awakened by hearing
the noise of many persons rushing past on the road alongside of which
their automobile was drawn up. Also the chugging of automobiles and the
patter of horses' feet could be heard.
"I wonder what it can be," said Mrs. Brown. "Is it the circus coming
back again?"
"No, they would be going the other way. I'll see if I can find out what
it is."
Slipping on a bath robe, Mr. Brown went to the back door of the
automobile. He saw a crowd of people rushing along.
"What's the matter?" he called.
"One of the circus lions is loose," was the answer, "and we're chasing
it!"
[Illustration: BUNNY AND SUE FED THE ELEPHANTS.
_Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on an Auto Tour._ _Page_ 218.]