“That will be fine,” Mr. Costello said; “just a little glance of the eye
to strike terror as you look from left to right. Our advance agent will
do the rest. There is not much time, but he will see that the people are
advised of their opportunity. The boys of Kingston will thrill with
pride and glory. Step up to the seat, my young friend.”
I said, “I don’t believe I can look fierce enough, honest I don’t.”
Harry Donnelle was just sitting there on the fence laughing so hard I
thought he’d fall off. All of the fellows began guying me and saying I
was a fool to be scared and that they wished they had the chance. But
gee whiz, I was never part of a circus before, and I didn’t want to sit
’way up on the top of that fancy wagon and just look fierce. I bet you
wouldn’t, either.
Pretty soon we were driving away and Mr. Costello looked awful big
sitting there beside me. He kept cracking his whip all the time.
“So long, see you at the parade!” the fellows shouted.
“Don’t get nervous,” Harry called.
“I should worry,” I called back; “I don’t care what becomes of me now.”
* * * * *
They had big red shutters with gold designs to cover up the cage so no
one could see Marshal Foch, and the keeper sat on the step in back. Oh
boy, how that Mr. Costello did drive; and he could crack the whip so it
sounded like a rifle going off.
Pretty soon we came pell-mell into Kingston and I could see the circus
posters in all the store windows and on the fences. The pictures of Mr.
Costello looked just like him, kind of brave and bold like, and he
always had a whip in his hand. I guess he slept with that whip under his
pillow, hey?
While we were passing along one of the streets, a half a dozen scouts
shouted to me and I gave them the scout salute.
Mr. Costello said, “Those intrepid young gentlemen will be proud of
their young comrade; the whole city will do you honor for your daring
and dauntless deed.” I noticed that whenever he strung together a lot of
words they all began with the same letter. It sounded fine, too.
I said, “I know one thing, and that is I’d like to have a rich, red,
rare, racy, raspberry soda, just now.”
“You will soon be able to regale your ravenous and rapacious capacity
among the freaks of two continents who will accord you a warm and
wonderful welcome,” he said.
Gee, you couldn’t beat him at it, that was one sure thing.
CHAPTER XIX
JIB JAB, IS HE HUMAN?
Jiminy crinkums, I may be a nut (that’s what the troop calls me anyway),
but I’m not a freak and, believe me, when I saw who I was going to have
dinner with that day—_good night!_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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