Hurrah for the Circus! Read online

  Mr. Galliano spoke again. “I said, come out, Jimmy, yes!” he said. And there was something in his voice that made the little boy obey at once. He gave a parting rub to Ruby and a pat to Queenie, and then slipped out of the little cage-gate. He locked it, and unlocked the outer door. He slipped out of that, and locked it.

  And then how everyone came round him and patted him and praised him. But somebody was crying! And that was Mrs. Brown, Jimmy’s mother, who had not dared to say a word whilst Jimmy was rescuing Jemima but was now so glad to see Jimmy safe that she could not help crying.

  “Now, now, Mrs. Brown,” said Oona the acrobat, patting her shoulder. “You should be proud of Jimmy, not cry tears all down his neck.”

  “If this sort of thing is going to happen often, I declare I won’t stay in the circus!” wept Mrs. Brown, really upset. “I’m not used to a circus life. I’m not used to all these scares!”

  “Mother, I was quite safe!” said Jimmy. “I could do anything with those tigers. What about Jemima? How is she?”

  Lilliput had taken the little monkey back to his caravan. He had given her half a teaspoonful of brandy, and the little monkey had opened her eyes. She clutched Lilliput with her tiny hands, and trembled, for she had been very frightened.

  Lilliput talked to her and soothed her, stroking her soft little brown head. He had forgotten he was ill. He thought only of his beloved little monkey.

  “She is not hurt—no?” said Mr. Galliano, looking into the caravan. “Just her fright and the tumble, poor beast. Give her some hot milk, Lilliput. She will soon forget. How did she come to get into the tigers’ cage? You can tell me—yes?”

  “Ask Lotta,” said Lilliput, not looking up. “She said something about that boy Fric.”

  Galliano sent Sticky Stanley to fetch Lotta, Fric, and Jimmy. All three came to his caravan, looking rather scared, for Mr. Galliano did not usually send for any one unless he had a scolding for them.

  Mrs. Galliano sat in the caravan, mending Galliano’s enormous socks. Galliano sat at the table, drumming on it with his hand. The three children came up the steps and stood in front of him.

  “You will each tell me your tale—yes?” said Mr. Galliano. “You first, Fric. And the truth, please.”

  Fric did not want to tell Mr. Galliano anything, but as he felt sure that the ring-master already knew the truth, he thought it was better to tell it.

  “I saw Lotta carrying Jemima on her shoulder,” he said sulkily. “I don’t like Lotta, so I thought I would give her a fright. I snatched Jemima away—and the monkey bit me, so I had to let her go. She ran into the tigers’ cage, and when I saw that the tigers were angry I didn’t dare to go in and get her.”

  “So!” said Mr. Galliano, his face one big frown. “You do not like someone, so you get a little monkey into trouble, one who has done you no harm! You are a bad boy, yes. Now, you, Lotta, speak. How is it that Fric does not like you?”

  “He doesn’t like me because I knew that he let Jimmy have the keys of the tigers’ cage at night,” said Lotta, in a low voice. “And I said I would tell you, Mr. Galliano, if he did not stop giving Jimmy the keys, because I was so afraid the tigers might hurt Jimmy. He isn’t a real circus-boy, and he wouldn’t know that tigers are not to be trusted.”

  “So!” said Mr. Galliano again, his eyebrows lifted so high that they nearly disappeared into his thick black hair. “And now you, Jimmy? What have you to say?”

  Jimmy was very red. He began to feel that it was partly his fault that Jemima had been so nearly killed. If he hadn’t made Fric give him the keys, then Lotta wouldn’t have been frightened about him, and wouldn’t have spoken to Fric like that—and Fric wouldn’t have tried to upset Lotta by snatching poor Jemima away.

  “Mr. Galliano, sir,” he said, “ifs quite true. I did get Fric to give me the keys. I knew Roma would never let me into the cage if I asked him. And I went in at night and made friends with all the tigers.”

  “Such a thing is not allowed in any circus, no,” said Mr. Galliano sternly. “A careless boy might let all the tigers out, or if he were not so clever as you with animals, he might be badly hurt, yes! You have saved Jemima, through your friendship with the tigers, so I will say no more but this. You will promise me, Jimmy, in the future never to enter any animal’s cage unless you have my permission. That is understood—yes?”

  “Yes, Mr. Galliano,” said Jimmy meekly. “May I go on making friends with the tigers, please, sir?”

  “You must ask Roma,” said Mr. Galliano. Then he turned to sulky Fric. “As for you,” he said, “you need a punishment, yes! I shall tell Roma to whip you well. Then perhaps you will think twice before you put an animal into danger—yes?”

  “Yes, Mr. Galliano,” said Fric, upset, because he knew that his uncle had a very heavy hand.

  “Now go,” said Galliano, waving them out. “You are more trouble than all the grown-ups put together, that is certain, yes!”

  The three children went out silently. Fric ran off by himself. Jimmy took Lotta’s hand. “Don’t worry, Lotta,” he said. “I did try to tell you my secret about going into the tigers’ cage, but you wouldn’t listen. Cheer up! It’s all right now.”

  Lotta made one of her dreadful faces, and squeezed Jimmy’s arm.

  “Well, you won’t want to be friends with that horrid boy any more,” she said happily. “That’s one good thing! Let’s go and see how Lilliput and Jemima are.”

  They were quite all right. Lilliput seemed better, except that his legs felt a bit weak.

  Jemima was sitting on his bed, drinking milk out of her little tin mug, and chattering away happily to Lilliput in monkey-language. She had a bruise on her back where Queenie had struck her, but it was not very bad. She was wearing a blue ribbon round her neck and was very proud of it.

  “She’s fine,” said Lilliput to Jimmy. “Jimmy, I’ll never be able to thank you properly for saving Jemima. You’re the finest boy I know! You come to me whenever you need any help, and you’ll always get it.”

  “Thank you, Lilliput,” said Jimmy, petting Jemima, whilst Lotta peeled a grape for the tiny monkey. “I don’t expect I’ll need any help, though!”

  But that’s just where Jimmy was wrong, as you will see!

  GOODBYE TO THE TIGERS

  THE show at Liverpool came to an end, and once again the tents were taken down, the caravans had their horses put between the shafts, and there was a great deal of noise and shouting. The tigers roared, for they hated any disturbance, and once Jimmy went into their cages with Roma to quiet them.

  Roma looked at the quiet little boy, and spoke to him.

  “Would you like to join me?” he asked. “You are wonderful with the tigers, Jimmy. If anything should ever happen to your dog, Lucky, you come to me, and I will find a place for you with the tigers.”

  “No, thank you, Roma,” said Jimmy at once. “For one thing, nothing will happen to Lucky, for I am very careful of her—and for another, I shouldn’t care to train tigers. They are not the right kind of animals for tricks. They don’t enjoy them. I only like teaching animals that love to learn.”

  “You speak stupidly,” said Roma, offended. “It is a grand thing to be a tiger or lion-tamer.”

  “Well,” said Jimmy, “it’s just not the sort of grand thing I like to do. I love going into the ring with Lucky! I’d much rather go with her than with tigers.”

  “It is true she is a marvellous dog,” said Roma. “You should sell her for a lot of money, Jimmy, and buy more dogs. Then you would have a whole troupe!”

  “Sell her!” said Jimmy, amazed. “I wouldn’t sell Lucky for anything. Why, I love her!”

  Fric was nearby, listening. He would not speak to Jimmy nowadays, for he blamed Jimmy and Lotta for the whipping Roma had given him. He was a spiteful boy and would dearly have loved to pay Jimmy back. But he did not see how to.

  The circus moved off to its next show-place in Greenville. This was a much more countrified place than outside
Liverpool, and Jimmy and Lotta were pleased. It was early summer now, and camping out was very pleasant. It was grand to wake up in the morning and hear the birds singing, the cocks at the nearby farm crowing, and the murmur of the bees in the hawthorn hedges.

  “The may is like snow, all over the hedge,” said Lotta, smelling it. “Let’s bathe in the stream when we go to get the water.”

  Lotta ran barefoot again, and Jimmy would have liked to, but his mother wouldn’t let him.

  “No,” she said firmly. “You’re not going to get into that kind of circus way, Jimmy. As for you, Lotta, run barefoot if you must, but don’t forget to clean your teeth and brush your hair!”

  Lotta was still not very good at keeping herself tidy enough for Mrs. Brown, for she was a proper little circus-girl, thinking that tidiness and prettiness were only to be kept for the ring at night. All the other circus-folk thought so too, and they went about in the oddest clothes all day, except for Mr. Galliano, who was always smart, and who, as his habit was, wore his top-hat right on one side when the show went well!

  Once he wore it so much to one side after a very good show that it fell off, and Jemima had sprung down to get it. She dashed off with it, and took it to Sammy the chimpanzee, who, very pleased indeed with such a fine hat, put it on and walked all round the field with it! Every one roared with laughter except Galliano himself, who was quite annoyed to see his fine top-hat worn by a cheeky chimpanzee!

  Once more the show opened, and the people of Greenville and all round about flocked to see it. How they laughed at the funny antics of Sticky Stanley, how they clapped the beautiful dancing horses, and stared at Sammy the chimpanzee and marvelled at little dog Lucky!

  They thought that the six tigers were marvellous too, and it made them shiver and shake when they saw Roma and Fric walk boldly into the cage in the ring. Jimmy had never been allowed to go into the ring with the tigers, though he often helped Roma.

  “Soon I shall have your tigers curling round my feet like tame cats!” he said with a laugh. But Roma shook his head.

  “We leave Mr. Galliano’s circus when this show is over,” he said. “We are joining another circus, Jimmy. You will have to say goodbye to Queenie and Ruby and Basuka and the rest.”

  Jimmy was sad. He had grown to love the green-eyed, graceful tigers. He wondered what other animals Mr. Galliano would have next. He ran to ask Lotta if she knew.

  “Yes,” said Lotta. “Oona the acrobat has just told me. It’s bears!”

  “Bears!” said Jimmy. “Ooooh! That will be fun!”

  “Remember your promise to Mr. Galliano, Jimmy,” said Oona the acrobat warningly, as he stood on his head outside his caravan, practising for that night’s show.

  “Yes,” said Jimmy, “I won’t forget. When will the bears come, Oona?”

  “Not till we get to our next show-place,” said Oona, still balancing on his head, and working his legs above him as if he were riding a bicycle. He really could do marvellous things with his lean, wiry body! “There will be a whole week between the end of this show and the beginning of the next, Jimmy. Quite a holiday!”

  “Oh, what fun!” cried Lotta, and at once began to plan picnics and walks with Jimmy. “I shan’t be sorry to say goodbye to that horrid Fric!”

  Before the tents were taken down, and before the caravans were made ready to leave Greenville, the tigers left in their great travelling-box. Jimmy had asked Roma’s permission to say goodbye to each of them, before they left, and he was sad when he went into their cages for the last time.

  He had left Lucky in his caravan, for Lucky was frightened of the tigers, and would not come near their cages if she could help it.

  Lotta and Mrs. Brown were doing some washing down by the stream. Brownie was helping to pack up the cage that the tigers used in the ring.

  “Goodbye, Queenie; goodbye, Ruby,” said the little boy, rubbing the great tigers’ heads as they purred deafeningly into his ear. “Goodbye, Basuka; don’t forget me! Remember me when you are far away, for some day I will see you all again. Goodbye, all of you!”

  There was a shout from outside. Everything was ready. Jimmy slipped out of the cage, and Roma came to lock the travelling-box carefully and shut up the open side so that the tigers could not be disturbed by anything they saw whilst on the road.

  “Where’s Fric?” said Jimmy. “I must say goodbye to him.”

  “I saw him over by your caravan just now,” said Roma. “Tell him to come at once. I’m ready.”

  But there was no Fric by Jimmy’s caravan, and Jimmy ran back to Roma, who was just driving the heavy travelling-cage through the field-gate.

  “I can’t see Fric!” he called.

  “He’s just got in at the back!” shouted Roma. “Goodbye!”

  Fric did not peep out to wave goodbye. There was no sign of him. The engine of the powerful motor-van roared, and the tigers roared too. Down the road they went, very slowly—they were gone!

  Jimmy stared after them. Goodbye to the tigers—but it would soon be welcome to the bears! How exciting it was to belong to a circus! You simply never knew what was going to come next!

  He went over to Sticky Stanley and watched him practising running on his hands. Jimmy could still not walk properly on his hands. He watched Stanley turning quick somersaults, head-over-heels, heels-over-head, head-over-heels, so quickly that the little boy could hardly follow him!

  “Lucky might be able to learn that!” thought Jimmy. “I believe she could. I’ll get her and make her watch old Stanley.”

  He ran to his caravan and opened the door. He whistled softly.

  “Lucky!” he called. “Come along!”

  But Lucky did not leap out of the door as she usually did. Only Lulu, the black spaniel, put up her sleepy head and wagged a lazy tail.

  “Lucky!” called Jimmy sharply, looking quickly round the caravan. “Lucky!”

  But Lucky was not in the caravan. Jimmy ran to Mrs. Brown and Lotta, who were still by the stream.

  “Have you got Lucky?” he asked.

  “No,” said Lotta. “You shut her in the caravan.”

  “Well, she’s not there now,” said Jimmy. “Haven’t you seen her anywhere about?”

  “No,” said Mrs. Brown and Lotta. “We’ve been busy.”

  “She’s somewhere about, I expect,” said Mrs. Brown. “Dogs usually are!”

  Jimmy ran off. He hunted all round the circus. He asked everyone he met if they had seen Lucky. He looked under every caravan. He ran down the road and up. But there was no sign of Lucky at all. It was very strange and very worrying.

  “Now, boy, now!” said Mr. Galliano, when he saw Jimmy crawling out from under his gay caravan. “What are you doing there? Do you want to see how many wheels my caravan has—yes?”

  But Jimmy could not smile. “No, sir,” he said. “I’m looking for Lucky. She’s disappeared!”

  “A dog cannot disappear, no!” said Mr. Galliano. “She will turn up when it is her dinner-time, yes. That is the way of all animals—little boys too!”

  So Jimmy waited and watched until it was Lucky’s meal-time—but no Lucky came running up, hungry and eager. Lotta was worried too, and even Mrs. Brown looked puzzled.

  “I don’t see how Lucky can disappear all at once like this,” she said. “You don’t think, Jimmy, that she has been stolen?”

  “Oh, Mother, don’t say that!” cried poor Jimmy, his heart sinking. “Lucky, little dog Lucky, wherever can you be?”

  WHERE CAN LUCKY BE?

  COULD Lucky really have been stolen? But who would have stolen her? There had been no strangers round the camp at all. Jimmy was almost in despair as he ran to and fro, begging for news of Lucky.

  Lotta was crying. She loved Lucky, and she could not bear to see Jimmy’s white, anxious face. What would Jimmy do if he could not find Lucky? He would not be able to go into the ring any more!

  “It’s a good thing we have a week between the end of this show and the beginning of the ne
xt,” thought the little girl, rubbing her face dry as she saw Jimmy coming. “Any news, Jimmy?”

  “No,” said Jimmy. “I’ve asked everybody, but nobody has seen Lucky.”

  “Look, there is Lilliput beckoning to you,” said Lotta. Jimmy turned and saw Lilliput waving, and Jemima was beckoning, too, with her tiny finger!

  Jimmy went across to Lilliput’s caravan. Lilliput looked grave.

  “I’ve been thinking, Jimmy,” he began, “and I believe I know who has taken Lucky—if she has been stolen.”

  “Who?” asked Jimmy.

  “Fric!” said Lilliput. “I remember now seeing him coming from your caravan, and he had a bag in his hand and the bag was wriggling!”

  “What! Do you suppose he had poor little Lucky inside the bag?” cried Jimmy, a great rage creeping over him.

  “Yes,” said Lilliput. “And what’s more, if the tigers hadn’t been bellowing so, and the motor-van making such a noise, I guess I’d have heard whines coming from that bag, too!”

  “Oh, Lilliput, I believe you are right,” said Jimmy, in despair. “Fric was furious with Lotta and with me because he got a whipping from Roma—and he knew Lucky was worth a lot of money. What would he do with her?”

  “Sell her, I expect,” said Lilliput. “But it’s up to us to get her back before he does. We’ll go after Roma and Fric!”

  “But I don’t know where they’ve gone!” cried Jimmy.

  “We can find out from Galliano,” said Lilliput. “I’ll come with you, Jimmy. You saved Jemima for me, when she was in the tigers’ cage, and I told you I’d help you if ever you needed help.”

  “I didn’t think I’d need it so soon,” said Jimmy sadly. “You’re a good friend, Lilliput. I wouldn’t know how to follow Roma and Fric, if I had to go alone, or how to make Fric own up. You’ll be a great help.”

  They went to tell Mr. Galliano what they meant to do.. The ring-master looked as black as thunder when he heard what Lilliput had to say about Fric.