IN WHICH DAN JOINS THE VERY BIGGEST CIRCUS
“Never had Gray Ears taken such stupendous strides,” said Diggeldy Dan,
as he once more went on with his story. “So fast did he move that in
less than a minute we had reached the edge of the light that spread like
a fan round the tents. And then we plunged into the midst of it to find
ourselves in the very back yard of the circus.
“Through the maze of red wagons the two of us went, past little white
tents that shimmered with light, and next—in much slower and more
methodical fashion—picked our way through the groups of playful, plumed
ponies, each decked with trappings that shone like the stars. Past these
went the both of us—past these and strange men and strange women, too,
all dressed in gay costumes of every color and hue. But at sight of the
latter, Gray Ears warned me to drop down on his back and hide quickly
away in the long, winding vines. And when I had done so—without once
being seen—he headed straight for the rear of the greatest of tents,
from whence came the sound of the circus.
“How it fell on the air and fell on the ear—a mingling of music and the
hum of the crowd, blended with hoof-beats and laughter! Now naught save
a curtain divided us from the all of it, and this Gray Ears thrust back
with a swing of his trunk. And then, in the space of much less than a
wink, what wonders came into view!
“There were people to the left of us, people to the right of us, and
still more across from us, all terraced in masses around a tent so
tremendous that its far ends were lost in a shadowy haze. There were
pretty ladies to the left of us, pretty ladies to the right of us, and
pretty ladies in front of us, all mounted on horses that ran round the
rings. There was a ringmaster to the left of us, another to the right of
us, and a third just before us, each arrayed in the latest of
fashionable dress. And, high up above us, were splashes of red and
dashes of blue that were reflected from the sides of the massive round
poles that held the huge tent in its place. There was the sheen of the
sawdust and the gray of the roof; the clusters of golden lights that
flooded the air and flooded the ground, and the clusters of silver
lights over the rings at the ends that looked in the distance like bits
of the moon.
“And into the midst of this hoopla and whirl, into the heart of the Very
Biggest Circus stepped Gray Ears, with me hidden away on his back. So
quickly, indeed, had he come through the doorway that those in the rings
and those in the crowd did not know of his presence until he was well
into the tent. And then he was discovered from all sides at once.
“‘Hey, lookit! Hey, lookit!’ cried those to the left and those to the
right.
“‘Well, of all unheard-of things!’ the pretty ladies exclaimed as they
brought their mounts to a halt.
“‘Now tell us at once,’ the three ringmasters demanded, each stamping
his foot as if to resent it, ‘what’s the meaning of this strange
interruption!’
“‘Yes, do so, right now!’ every fair rider protested as she gave a toss
of her head to prove that she meant it.
“But for answer Gray Ears merely kept on his way, down the track that
circled the tent. Still onward he went around the most distant ring—one
of those with the cluster of silvery lights that looked like bits of the
moon. And trailing behind in most persistent fashion came the trio of
ringmasters all talking at once and urging that Gray Ears begone to his
station.
“Yet never a sound did the big fellow utter until he had reached the
ring in the center.
“‘Cling fast and be ready,’ then came his command as the end of his
trunk brushed the vines near my ear. And kneeling and holding the
placard on high, he gravely bowed to the crowd and bowed to the riders
and bowed to the ringmasters three.
“‘Found!’ they all cried as they read the words I had written, ‘Found by
Diggeldy Dan!’
“‘But who,’ puzzled all in the very next breath, ‘is this one called
Diggeldy Dan?’
“‘And where may he be?’ questioned the ringmasters three, as they all
cracked their whips for attention.
“‘Yes—
where—
is—
he?’
demanded four separate voices, each of the four of them supplying a
word. While into the ring stepped the men who had spoken, all wearing
black suits and high hats of silk and mustaches as dark as the tips of
their boots.
“‘We,’ said the first.
“‘Will,’ added the second.
“‘Reward,’ spoke the third.
“‘Him,’ finished the fourth.
“And each drew a purse from his pocket.
“At the very same moment Gray Ears put down the card and, lifting both
me and the vines from his back laid the queer-looking bundle at the feet
of the four. No sooner had he done so than I thrust the branches aside,
jumped to my toes and bowed low to those at whose feet I’d been placed.
“‘Who—
may—
you—
be?’
exclaimed the four in surprise.
“‘Why, the one who found Gray Ears,’ I cried in reply, ‘none other than
Diggeldy Dan!’
“Now at the sight of my face and my polka-dot suit and the sound of my
ting-a-ling name, all the children immediately rose in their seats and
began to shout and to sing:
“‘O, Dan, Dan, Diggeldy Dan,
O, Dan, Dan, Diggeldy Dan:
Do play some pranks for us, Diggeldy Dan!’
“But at this the four frowned and held up four separate hands, whereat
the three ringmasters again cracked their whips and called for all to be
silent. And then the four opened their purses.
“‘No! No! Not a penny!’ cried I, as I watched them, ‘for it’s not that
kind of a reward that I’d like best to request.’
“‘Ah, ha!’ said the first.
“‘Oh, ho!’ winked the second.
“‘What then?’ queried the third.
“‘Is your wish?’ asked the last.
“‘Just to stay with you always,’ I answered the four of them, ‘to be one
of your clowns, to cut pranks for the children, and sometimes see Gray
Ears, the Elephant.’
“‘Granted most gladly,’ each and all of them cried, while the children
added their welcome; ‘this very night you shall take your place with the
rest, so make ready at once to join with them.’
“I answered this speech with another low bow and then skipped to where
Gray Ears was standing. At a nod of his head I mounted his foot and held
fast to his knee while, amid shouts of delight from the children, the
big fellow set off in very grand style toward his home in the menagerie
tent.
“‘Gray Ears,’ I questioned, as we came almost to it, ‘now do tell me
what it was you said to the watchman and what it was you whispered in
the policeman’s right ear?’
“‘Why,’ began he, ‘But see what is happening! There! On down the tent!’
“What I saw as I looked was whole dozens of clowns pouring in through
the curtain we had passed when we came. Peal after peal of merriest
laughter attended the sight of them. But amid it and the music we could
hear voices calling:
“‘O, Dan, Dan, Diggeldy Dan,
Where’s Dan, Dan, Diggeldy Dan?’
“‘What I whispered,’ said Gray Ears, again answering my question, ‘was
simply, “The children are waiting for us.” And, from the sound of the
shouts that are now greeting our ears, I think I wasn’t far wrong. So go
now; go to those who are calling your name.’
“As he finished he gave me a gentle shove with his trunk and turned to
go into the menagerie tent, while I skipped gayly away to join the rest
of the clowns.
“And with that,” ended Dan, “you have heard the whole of my story.”
“Did Gray Ears ever run away any more?” asked Camel.
“Time’s up! Time’s up” called Hippo, who had on this day been placed in
charge of the Watch.
“Away to your places, then,” ordered Diggeldy Dan, “and to-morrow we’ll
meet once again. For though my tale’s at an end, we may safely depend
that another will soon follow after.”