Oh boy, but that was some parade! The streets were all full of people and the steam calliope made so much noise you’d think you were in a boiler factory. Oh, didn’t everybody stare at me! I guess my face was as red as the fancy wagons, but what did I care? On one of the streets I saw Harry Donnelle and the other fellows coming out of a candy store. They were all wiping their mouths with their handkerchiefs and Westy was rubbing his stomach with his hand, as if he had been eating something good. They just did that to jolly me, I bet. I should worry about them. Then they all began laughing at me, because I was trying to look fierce and bold. Maybe you think that’s easy. Gee, I guess we went through every street in Kingston, with people staring at me all the while, and kids hooting, but I didn’t care. Anyway, I was proud to ride on that wagon. Just when we were coming back into the circus grounds, I saw Harry Donnelle and the patrol and some other scouts waiting, so I climbed down, because I wanted to be with them. Mr. Costello came out and talked to us and said that I did fine. He said I was the idol of thronging multitudes—that’s just what he said. I was good and thirsty, I know that. Gee, didn’t Harry Donnelle laugh. Mr. Costello said, “The boy scouts are an honor to this great and glorious country and I should like to take our intrepid young friend to Europe to appear before the high nobility.” Harry said that I was a modest kid and that he guessed one continent was about all I could carry in my pocket. He said that some day maybe I’d pick up Europe if I happened to be passing that way. Then Mr. Costello gave us all tickets to the show that night and after that he made me a speech and said how I was beloved by all the world renowned personages in the side show. He said that Madame Whopper told him I was a little gentleman. A scout is courteous—oh joy. Then he put his arm over my shoulder and walked away with me and told me not to talk very much about Jib Jab being human, because he wanted the people to decide for themselves. He said it wasn’t telling a lie, because he never said Jib Jab wasn’t human. He just said, “Is he human?” He said it’s all right to ask a question. Gee whiz, nobody can deny that. CHAPTER XXI WE VISIT THE SIDE SHOW Those scouts that we met were nice fellows. They were hiking back to Newburgh; that’s where they lived. They told us they had hiked up along the river to visit a place named Elm Center, about ten or fifteen miles west of Kingston. They said they had a bivouac camp just outside the city and that they had stayed there for a couple of days, so as to take in the circus.