Now that a Zoo was actually on its way, Gadsby had to call in various
groups to talk about what a Zoo should contain. Now, you know that
_all_ animals can't find room in this orthographically odd story; so,
if you visit Lucy Zoo, you'll miss a customary inhabitant, or two. But
you'll find an array worthy of your trip. So a call was put in two big
daily journals, asking for bids on animals and birds; and soon, from
north, south and criss-cross points, a hunting party or a city with
too many zoo animals on hand got in touch with Branton Hills, with
proposals for all kinds of animals, from kangaroos to bats; and our
Organization had a lot of fun planning how many it could crowd into
City Park, without crowding out visitors. Finally a ballot put Lucy's
zoological population as follows:--
First, according to Lucy, "an awfully, AWFULLY big hippopotamus, with
a pool for its comfort;" a yak, caribou, walrus, (also with a pool,) a
long fox-run, bisons, gnus, stags, (it was a stag, you know, that got
this zoo plan going!), alligators, mountain lions, African lions, wild
cats, wild boars, llamas, gorillas, baboons, orang-outangs, mandrils;
_and_, according to Gadsby's boys, a "big gang" of that amusing, tiny
mimic always found accompanying hand-organs. Also an aviary, containing
condors, buzzards, parrots, ibis, macaws, adjutant birds, storks, owls,
quail, falcons, tiny humming birds, a sprinkling of hawks, mocking
birds, swans, fancy ducks, toucans; and a host of small singing birds;
and oh! without fail, an ostrich family; and, last, but most important
of all, a big first cousin of old Jumbo! A big glass building would
hold boa constrictors, pythons, cobras, lizards, and so forth; and down
in back of all this, an outdoor aquarium, full of goldfish, rainbow
trout, various fancy fish and blossoming aquatic plants. All in all it
would furnish a mighty amusing and popular spot which would draw lots
of out-of-town visitors; and visitors, you know, _might_ turn into
inhabitants! And so things finally got around to Inauguration Day; and,
knowing that no kid could sit still in school on such an occasion, it
was put down for a Saturday; and, so many happy, shouting, hopping,
jumping kids stood waiting for His Honor to cut a satin ribbon in front
of Sarah Young's Rainbow Arch, that grown folks had to wait, four
blocks back. As Gadsby was roaming around with Lucy, to find if things
should start moving, old Pat Ryan, from Branton Hills' railway station,
was hunting for him; finally locating him in a lunch room, and rushing
in with:--
"Say! That big hop-skip-and-jump artist is down in my trunk room! I got
a punch on my jaw, a crack on my snout, and a kick on my shins a-tryin'
to calm him down!"
"A kick and a punch? What actions!" said Gadsby. "I don't know of any
hop-skip-and-jump artist. How big a man is it?"
"Worra, worra! It ain't no man at all, at all! It's that thing what
grows in Australia, and--"