THE BIG SHOW
“William! William!” shouted Mr. Martin to his small son. “Come back!
Look out for the elephant!”
But what with the excited cries of those in the crowd, anxious to get
out of the way of the animal, with the calls of the beast’s driver,
perched on the elephant’s head, and with the noise of the steam calliope
(which was coming along) it was impossible to make Trouble hear.
There he stood, almost by himself now, for the crowd had rushed away
from him in fear of the elephant. But Trouble was not afraid. There he
stood, holding out his bag of peanuts. In fact, it was this that had
caused the elephant to get out of line with the others in the herd, and
make a dash for the sidewalk. The huge beast either saw or smelled
Trouble’s peanuts.
The animal now seemed beyond the control of his driver, for though the
man on the big head of the elephant shouted and jabbed him with the
sharp ankus, or hook, the beast would not obey. On he swung toward
Trouble, and Mr. Martin was not close enough to catch up his little son
in time, it seemed, to prevent his being trampled on.
But just when it appeared that one of the immense feet would be set down
on William, there darted out of the crowd an elderly gentleman with very
white hair. He had been standing on the edge of the crowd, with an
elderly, sweet-faced woman.
“Oh, Harry! Be careful!” cried this woman, as her husband made a dash
for William.
“I’ll be careful; but I must save that little boy!” the white-haired man
said.
A moment later he had snatched Trouble up out of the path of the
elephant, and there was a sigh of relief from the crowd. So quickly did
the elderly gentleman grab up the little boy that Trouble’s bag of
peanuts was shaken from his hand and fell to the ground.
The elephant saw this, and, with a squeal of delight, picked the nuts up
in his trunk, and thrust them into his small mouth. For an elephant’s
mouth is very small, compared to so large a beast—nothing like as large
as the mouth of a hippopotamus.
“Oh, William! William! why did you do that?” cried his father, as he
reached the side of the elderly gentleman, who held the little fellow.
“Why did you go down off the stoop?”
“’Cause I wanted to give peanuts to a nellifunt.”
“Well, the elephant nearly gave you something you didn’t want—a hard
bump, my little man!” exclaimed the elderly gentleman. “You should be
more careful.”
“Indeed he should,” declared Mr. Martin. “I am greatly obliged to you,
my dear sir,” he added. “You probably saved William’s life.”
“Oh, I guess it wouldn’t have been as bad as that,” said the
white-haired rescuer, with a smile. “These circus elephants are
generally very gentle and well trained. I never heard of an elephant
stepping on a person unless in a rage, and this elephant doesn’t seem
mad. I think he was just anxious to get the little fellow’s peanuts, and
so rushed out of line.”
That is how it had happened. And now, having gotten the treat, the big
animal allowed his driver to guide him back into the parade line again.
The crowd, once the scare had passed, surged back toward the curb again,
to view the remainder of the procession. The elderly gentleman just had
time to pass Trouble into his father’s arms when they were almost swept
off their feet by the surge of the throng. Mr. Martin was anxious to get
back to Mr. Harrison’s house, from the vantage point of which his wife
and the Curlytops had seen the rescue. But before he went he wanted to
know the name of the old gentleman who had snatched Trouble from under
the elephant’s big feet.
“Won’t you tell me where you live, so I may call and thank you more
formally?” asked Mr. Martin, as he took a firmer hold of his little son.
“Oh, it wasn’t much of anything—I mean on my part,” said the
white-haired man, as he made his way toward his sweet-faced wife. “I
am——”
But just as he was telling his name there came another rush on the part
of the crowd, and he was swept away from Mr. Martin before the
Curlytops’ father could hear what was said.
“I can’t see good down here! I want to see the nellifunts and the
parade!” cried William, for the crowd was closing in around him and he
could not peer over the heads of the people.
“Trouble, you were a bad little boy to go down there all by yourself,”
said his father, as he struggled to make a path through the throng to
get back to the stoop. “You must never do it again.”
“No, sir, I won’t,” the little fellow promised, and then he thought of
nothing more except the parade, which again he could view as his father
mounted the steps.
“Oh, what a fright I had!” murmured Mrs. Martin, as she took William
from his father’s arms and stood him on the stool once more. “Trouble,
why did you do it?”
“I wanted to give peanuts to the nellifunt,” was all he said, never
turning his head, for his gaze was fixed on a cage load of monkeys which
came along just then.
“Who was the old gentleman who snatched Trouble from the elephant,
Richard?” asked Mrs. Martin.
“I don’t know, my dear.”
“You don’t know?” Mrs. Martin was much surprised.
“No. Just as he was trying to tell me his name and where he lived, so I
could take more time to thank him, the crowd surged in and he was swept
away. I’ll try to locate him later and tell him how much obliged we
are.”
“I hope you can. But it will be very hard to locate him in this crowd.”
“I’m afraid so,” murmured Mr. Martin. “But I would like to find that man
again.”
The Curlytops were looking with delight at the wonders of the parade.
William shared their joy, not worrying much about what had so nearly
happened to him.
While the procession is wending its way along I shall take just a few
moments to let my new readers know something about the Curlytops and the
adventures they have had in the books that come before this one.
Teddy and Janet Martin lived with their father and mother and William in
the Eastern town of Cresco. Mr. Martin kept a general store and had a
good business. Ted and Janet were always glad when they were allowed to
go to their father’s store, for there was much to see and do there.
But they had more exciting adventures than this. In the first book of
the series, called “The Curlytops at Cherry Farm,” I told some of the
things that happened when they spent their vacation in the country.
After that, as related in other books of this series, the Curlytops went
to Star Island, they were snowed in, they visited Uncle Frank’s ranch,
they went to Silver Lake, they had much fun with their pets—the animals
Uncle Toby collected. During the holidays the Curlytops had fun with
their playmates, and after that they went to visit a lumber camp in the
woods.
There, too, they had many good times and some strange adventures
happened to them. They had been home some little time when this story
opens.
Teddy, as I have told you, was about a year older than Janet, and
Trouble, or William, was aged about four. I have already given you the
reason why Ted and Janet were called “Curlytops,” so now, I think, you
are well enough acquainted with the children, and I may go on with the
story.
“Well, I think this is the last of the procession,” said Mr. Martin
when, finally, the calliope, or “steam piano,” as the children called
it, tooted its way along the street.
“Isn’t there any more?” asked Janet, with a sigh.
“No more,” her father answered.
“Circus parades can’t last forever,” said Mrs. Martin, with a smile.
“I wish they could,” remarked Teddy. “But, anyhow, we’re going to see
the big show this afternoon, aren’t we, Daddy?” he cried.
“Well, perhaps, maybe, I guess so,” teased the father of the Curlytops.
“Oh, aren’t we going? Haven’t you got the tickets for the seats? You
said you’d get reserved seats!” cried Ted and Janet in chorus.
“Maybe I have lost the tickets,” went on Mr. Martin, pretending to
search through several pockets, as the crowds in the street slowly
filtered away.
“Oh, if you have!” sighed Janet.
“Don’t tease them, Richard,” urged Mrs. Martin. “Of course you are going
to see the circus,” she said. “Daddy is only fooling.”
“The nellifunt—he eats peanuts!” observed Trouble.
“Yes, and he nearly ate _you_!” cried Janet, giving her little brother a
loving hug.
“I never was so frightened in all my life!” murmured Mrs. Martin. “Oh, I
thought you would never get down there to him, Dick,” and she looked at
her husband.
“I never would have gotten there in time to take him away from the
elephant,” said Mr. Martin. “If it hadn’t been for that old
gentleman——”
“We simply must find him and thank him!” interrupted Mrs. Martin. “Look
and see if you can locate him, Dick,” she urged her husband.
Mr. Martin tried, but it would have been hard to locate even a friend in
that moving crowd, to say nothing of trying to pick out a stranger seen
only once. The white-haired man and his gentle wife seemed to have
disappeared.
“It’s too bad you didn’t tell him your name, so he could find us,” said
Mrs. Martin.
“I never thought of that,” her husband answered. “But maybe I’ll see him
again, though he looked like a stranger in town.” Mr. Martin knew a
great many persons in Cresco because so many of them traded at his
store. He was certain he had never before seen this old man.
However, nothing more could be done. Pausing to thank Mr. Harrison for
the use of his stoop in viewing the parade, Mr. and Mrs. Martin slowly
made their way through the now clearing streets to their home. Norah
Jones and Patrick, the man-of-all-work, had just arrived.
“Wasn’t it a grand parade, children?” cried jolly Norah. “It was elegant
entirely, wasn’t it?”
“Dandy!” declared Teddy.
“And Trouble ’most got stepped on by an elephant!” exclaimed Janet.
“No! Never! Did he?” gasped Norah.
“Yes,” affirmed Janet. “And——”
“A nice old man pulled him out from under the elephant’s foot,” broke in
Teddy, making certain Janet should not tell all the exciting news.
“Oh, fancy that now! Did you ever hear the like?” murmured Norah. “I’m
glad I didn’t see it! I’d never sleep a wink all night. Oh, the poor
little dear—to be stepped on by one of the big beasts!”
“But he didn’t step on me!” announced Trouble. “An’ he took my
peanuts—the nellifunt did, an’ I’m going to give more peanuts to more
nellifunts this afternoon at the big show, I am,” he declared.
“Well, be careful, darling,” begged Norah, who was very fond of baby
William. “And have you no idea who the old gentleman was who saved him?”
the girl asked Mrs. Martin.
“Not the slightest; no. Just as Mr. Martin was going to find out, the
crowd swept him away. Well, it can’t be helped, I suppose.”
The Curlytops, and Trouble also, were so excited about the prospect of
going to see the big circus that they hardly ate any lunch. However, by
keeping at them, their mother made them take enough to keep them from
being hungry very soon again.
Impatiently the children waited for the time to arrive when they could
start for the circus grounds. As it was a little distance off, Mr.
Martin decided to take the whole party in his car, since down near the
circus lots there would be room to park and police on hand to look after
the automobiles.
So then, behold, a little later, the Curlytops and their friends on the
way to the big show. It was soon reached, and when the car had been
safely parked, Mr. Martin led his party (including Norah and Patrick)
toward the main tent.
“We must see the animals first,” stipulated Ted. “Then we can go in the
other tent and see the performance.”
The animals were viewed in their circle of cages, and Trouble was
delighted when he was allowed to put several peanuts in the outstretched
trunk of the biggest elephant.
“I wonder if that’s the one which nearly stepped on him,” murmured Janet
to Ted.
“Oh, is this the lad who nearly caused the riot in the parade this
morning?” asked one of the elephant keepers, standing near the big
beasts.
“Yes, this is the chap,” answered Mr. Martin, with a laugh. “He got away
from us.”
“And my elephant nearly got away from me when he saw that bag of
peanuts,” laughed the man.
“Oh, then this is the same elephant?” asked Mrs. Martin.
“Yes. He wouldn’t have harmed your little boy. Burmah is as gentle as a
baby,” and the keeper let the elephant wind its big trunk around him
while he rubbed the animal’s chest. “He just got a bit excited; that’s
all.”
Trouble laughed, called the big beast “my nellifunt,” fed it more
peanuts, and then the party went into the tent where the performance was
soon to take place.
Soon after they were all in their seats, late comers being hustled off
the track by the circus men, there was a blast of music, a blare of
trumpets, and the opening procession started to wind its way around the
dirt ring. Inside the big circle were other rings and platforms. Sawdust
and finely chipped wood was scattered over the brown earth and the
grass, crushed under thousands of trampling feet.
“Oh, isn’t this wonderful—just wonderful!” murmured Janet, as the gayly
attired horses paraded around and the band played stirring music.
“It’s nifty!” Ted exclaimed.
Then Janet, turning her head to look sideways across the seated throng,
saw something that made her exclaim:
“Oh, Mother! Look!”
“What! Has Trouble fallen through the seats?” asked Mrs. Martin.
“No!” answered Janet. “But there’s the man who pulled Trouble out of the
way of the elephant! There he is, sitting right over there!” and Janet
pointed. “See him!”
Mrs. Martin had a glimpse of a white-haired gentleman with an elderly
lady sitting next to him in the row just ahead of the Curlytops, and a
little to one side.
“Look, Richard—the man who saved Trouble!” said Mrs. Martin to her
husband.
Just then William gave a cry of dismay. His bag of peanuts (which he was
saving to feed to the elephant on his way out) seemed to fly out of his
hand. The bag burst, showering the nuts on the head of the white-haired
gentleman.