THE SHOW BROKE UP
"Why, what's the matter? Why don't you stay an' watch the animals?"
asked Bob, in a tone intended to convey reproach and surprise that one
of the projectors of the enterprise should desert his post of duty.
"Watch the animals?" screamed Reddy, in a rage; "you go an' watch 'em
awhile instead of eatin' doughnuts, an' see how you like it. Mr.
Stubbs's brother picked a hole in the bag so my cat got out, an' she
jumped on the calf, an' he tore 'round awful till he let the hen an'
Mrs. Simpson's cat loose, an' I got knocked down an' scratched, an' the
whole show's broke up."
Reddy sat down on the ground, and wiped the blood from his face after he
had imparted the painful news; and all the party started for the tent
as rapidly as possible.
It was a scene of ruin which they looked in upon after they had pulled
aside Mr. Mansfield's flag, and one well calculated to discourage
amateur circus proprietors.
Mr. Stubbs's brother was seated amid Reddy's paper and paint, holding
the crowing hen by the head while he picked her wing-feathers out one by
one. Mrs. Simpson's cat and kittens each had one of Bob's mice in its
mouth, while Reddy's cat was chasing one of the squirrels with a
murderous purpose. The calf was no longer an inmate of the tent; but a
large rent in the canvas showed that he had opened a door for himself
when the cat scratched him; and afar in the distance he could be seen,
head down and tail up, as if fleeing from everything that looked like a
circus.
The destruction was as complete as it could well have been made in so
short a time, and the partners were, quite naturally, discouraged. Toby
retained sufficient presence of mind, amid the trouble, to rescue the
crowing hen from the murderous clutches of Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the
monkey scampered up the tent-pole, brandishing two or three of poor
biddy's best and longest wing-feathers, while he screamed with
satisfaction that he had accomplished at least a portion of the work of
stripping the fowl.
"The show's broke up, an' that's all there's to it," said Bob,
sorrowfully, as he gazed alternately at the hole in the canvas and his
rapidly vanishing calf.
"Are the squirrels all gone?" asked Joe, driving the cat from her
intended prey long enough to allow Master Bushy-tail to gain a refuge
under the barn.
"Every one," replied Reddy. "The calf kicked the box over when he come
towards me, an' it looked as if there was as many as a hundred come out
jest as soon as the cover was off. I could have caught one or two; but
somehow Mrs. Simpson's cat got out of the basket jest then, an' she flew
right on to my face."
The marks on Reddy's cheeks and nose told most eloquently with what
force the cat "flew," and search was at once made for that pet of the
Simpson family. She, with her kittens, had taken refuge under the barn
as soon as the boys entered, and thus another trouble was added to the
load the circus managers had to bear, for that cat must be returned to
her mistress by night, or trouble might come of it.
The mice were entirely consumed, two tails alone remaining of what would
have been shown to the good people of Guilford as strange animals from
some far-off country.
The squirrels were gone, the calf had fled, the hen was in a thoroughly
battered condition, and nothing remained of all that vast and wonderful
collection of animals except Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the rabbits,
protected by the cage which their master's thoughtfulness had provided.
[Illustration: TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER]
"I guess I'll take the rabbits home," said Leander, as he lifted the box
to his shoulder. "It wouldn't do to have only them for animals, an' it
hain't very certain how long they'll stay alive while that monkey's
'round."
"He's broke up the whole show, that's what he's done," and Ben shook his
fist at Mr. Stubbs's brother, while he tried to soothe his half-plucked
hen.
"What _are_ we goin' to do?" asked Toby, almost in despair.
"I know what I'm goin' to do," said Ben, as he again placed the hen
under the basket; "I'm goin' to crawl under the barn an' try to catch
that cat, an' then I'm goin' home with my hen."
It seemed to be the desire of all the partners to get home with what
remained of their pets, and as Ben went under the barn on his hands and
knees, Leander started off with his rabbits, Bob went to look for his
calf, Reddy gathered up his bundle of paper, and Joe seized his
pasteboard box, all going away where they could think over the ruin in
solitude.
But high up on the post the cause of all this trouble chattered and
scolded, while his master sat on the ground, looking at him as if he
wondered whether or not it would ever be possible to reform such a
monkey.