Hurrah for the Circus! Page 6

  “That dog is worth a lot of money, yes!” he said. “You must get her back somehow before the show opens at Blackpool next week, for she draws a lot of people to the circus. The tigers have gone to join Mr. Briggs’s circus at Five-Ways, twenty miles from here. You can get there by train. Leave tonight. I think Roma will not know anything about this, for he would not do such a wicked thing, no!

  Fric is stupid, and only a boy. You will see that Roma understands that Fric is to be well watched in future, Lilliput—yes? He needs a very firm hand, and he does not get it, no.”

  Mr. Galliano was so upset about Lucky# s going that his hat was perfectly straight on his head, and he looked quite queer in it. He patted Jimmy on the shoulder and pressed some money into his hand.

  There was a lump in Jimmy’s throat, but he did not cry. He was too anxious even to think of tears. He and Lilliput ran to Jimmy’s caravan to tell Mrs. Brown, Brownie, and Lotta what they were going to do.

  Mrs. Brown quickly put Jimmy’s pyjamas into a bag, and kissed him goodbye.

  “What about Jemima and the other three monkeys?” asked Lotta. “Shall I see to them for you, Lilliput?”

  “I’m taking Jemima with me,” said Lilliput. “I’ve never been away from her since I had her. You see to the others for me, Lotta, there’s a good girl.”

  Lotta promised, and Lilliput and Jimmy said goodbye and ran to the station to get the next train to Five-Ways. They just caught it, and sat without speaking whilst it rushed along to the town of Five-Ways. Jemima had a lovely time. She got up into the luggage-rack and examined everybody’s bags and baskets. The other people in the carriage laughed loudly at her, but Jimmy was too sad at heart even to smile at Jemima’s funny ways.

  Lilliput had to put her under his coat at last because she tried to pick the flowers out of a lady’s hat. The monkey chattered a little, and then went to sleep.

  They got out at Five-Ways, which was a big station. Lilliput asked the porter where Mr. Briggs’s circus was.

  “Go down that street, keep up over the hill, and make for the Common,” said the porter. “The circus is camping in the big field at the beginning of the Common. Take a bus. It’s a long way.”

  So the two took a bus, and went through many dingy streets until at last they had a sight of the Common—and there, in a great field, was Mr. Briggs’s circus, with tents, caravans, and cages, just as Mr. Galliano’s had.

  “Now you leave this to me, Jimmy,” said Lilliput, as they went in at the gate and made their way to the big travelling-box of tigers they knew so well. “There’s Roma, look! Hi, Roma!”

  Roma turned, and stared in the greatest astonishment at Lilliput and Jimmy.

  “Have you come to join this circus too?” he cried. “I’m glad to see you. Hallo, Jemima! Got over your adventure yet?”

  “I want to see Fric,” said Lilliput in a grave voice.

  “Why?” asked Roma at once. “What has he done, the young scamp?”

  “Roma, Jimmy’s dog Lucky has disappeared,” said Lilliput. “I saw Fric coming from the direction of Jimmy’s caravan, carrying a bag—and we have an idea that he knows something about Lucky.”

  “The bad boy! The tiresome lad!” cried Roma, who often had reason to find fault with Fric. “But I haven’t seen anything of Lucky on our journey here, Lilliput. Are you sure that Lucky hasn’t run off somewhere, meaning to come back tonight?”

  “Lucky never runs far from me,” said Jimmy. “Where is Fric, Roma? Call him.”

  “He has gone shopping into the town,” said Roma.

  “Did he take a bag with him?” asked Lilliput quickly.

  “I didn’t see him go,” said Roma. “Wait here for a little, and he will be back. I am going to have my supper. Will you have some too?”

  Lilliput was hungry, and he sat down to share Roma’s sausages, but Jimmy felt sick and could eat nothing. He sat waiting for Fric to come back. At last he saw him coming in at the gate, carrying a bag full of something. Jimmy flew over the field at once.

  “What’s in that bag, Fric?” he shouted. “Give it to me!”

  Fric looked astonished and frightened. “Hallo,” he said. “This is a surprise. What are you here for?”

  “I guess you know all right,” said Jimmy, in a fierce voice. “Give me that bag!”

  Fric threw it to him with a laugh. Jimmy opened it with trembling hands. Inside there were potatoes and two tins of pineapple chunks. Nothing else. Jimmy dropped the bag on the ground and faced Fric.

  “What have you done with Lucky?” he demanded.

  “Lucky! Whatever are you talking about!” said Fric, a surprised look on his face. Just then Lilliput and Roma came up. Roma took Fric by the shoulder and spoke to him sternly.

  “Fric, you will say truly whether you took Lucky or not, and what you have done with her. Come now, speak up.”

  “I don’t know anything about Lucky,” said Fric sulkily, and not another thing could any of the three get out of him. He would say nothing but that. Lilliput looked at Jimmy in despair.

  None of them believed Fric, but if he chose to say nothing, what could they do? They had no real proof that he had taken the little dog away.

  “Turn out your pockets, Fric,” said Roma suddenly.

  “No,” said Fric. “Why should I?”

  “Did you hear what I said?” roared Roma. Fric sullenly turned out his pockets, and in one of them was a five-pound note!

  “How did you get that?” demanded Roma at once.

  “It’s my savings,” said Fric, putting the note back into his pocket. “Can’t I have savings?”

  “You’ve sold Lucky to someone!” shouted Jimmy, and he shook Fric till his teeth rattled in his head. “You’ve sold my little dog!”

  “I haven’t!” cried Fric. “Let me go!”

  Just then Mr. Briggs, the owner of the circus, came up. He stared at Jimmy and Lilliput and then nipped a thumb towards the gate.

  “Out!” he said. “You don’t belong here!”

  There was nothing more that Lilliput and Jimmy could do. Carrying the frightened Jemima, Lilliput and the little boy went towards the field-gate, Jimmy white with anger, for he felt perfectly certain that Fric had sold Lucky to somebody in the big town.

  “What can we do now, Lilliput?” Jimmy said, in a trembling voice.

  “We’ll take lodgings somewhere for the night,” said Lilliput, putting his arm comfortingly round the little boy. “Tomorrow morning we will go to old Ma Lightfoot. She knows all the circus-folk, and she’ll be able to tell us who that spiteful Fric might have gone to with Lucky. Don’t worry now, Jimmy; Lucky will be all right. Whoever has bought her will take great care of her, for she’s valuable. I reckon they hope to sell her to another circus, when they see the chance.”

  They looked for lodgings, and at last found a clean little house in a dirty street. The woman who took them in didn’t mind Jemima a bit. She said she had once had a man lodging with her who had two young bears—and after that, well, she didn’t mind anything!

  “You must have something to eat, Jimmy,” said Lilliput. “I’ll get the woman to bring up a meal.”

  So a lovely stew was sent up for the two of them, and although Jimmy felt sure he wouldn’t be able to eat any of it, because he was so worried, he found that he could—and felt much better after it!

  Lilliput was the best of friends to Jimmy that night. He wouldn’t let the little boy think and worry, but told him such lovely tales of circus-life that Jimmy simply had to listen! When they said good-night in bed, Jemima crept in between them, and put a little paw into their hands.

  “Cheer up, Jimmy,” said Lilliput. “We’ll get Lucky soon, never fear!”

  LOTTA DISAPPEARS

  THE next morning Jimmy awoke early and lay thinking about Lucky. Where was she? Was she missing him? Did she wonder why her little master was not with her to pet her and feed her? For the first time tears came into Jimmy’s eyes and he sniffed so loudly that Lilliput awoke. Jemim
a heard the sniff too, and awoke. She wriggled out of the bed, sat on the bed-rail and chattered at them. She looked so comical that Jimmy had to smile.

  “Breakfast!” said Lilliput, smelling a good smell of bacon frying. “Come on, Jimmy!”

  After breakfast the two, with Jemima, set out to find Ma Lightfoot. She lived in a tiny house, with three parrots, two monkeys, one fox-cub, three cats, and four dogs. Jimmy could hardly hear himself speak, because the parrots made so much noise. Jemima shrieked with joy when she saw the two monkeys in their cage, and at once sat on the top and chattered to them.

  Ma Lightfoot was a very fat, very kindly woman, with light, piercing eyes and big gentle hands. She had been in a circus when she was young, and had trained many animals. Now she kept animals for those who wanted to board them out for a while, so hers was always an exciting house to go to. You never knew if you were going to meet a young bear in the shed, or tame white rats all over the place!

  Lilliput told Ma Lightfoot all about Jimmy and Lucky, and she nodded her head.

  “Yes,” she said. “I have heard of this boy and his clever dog. He has the same gift as I have—he understands and loves, and so all animals and birds are his friends. Be quiet, Polly; be quiet, Sally!”

  The parrots stopped screeching, and one tried to catch Jemima’s tail. Jemima threw a handful of seed at her. She screeched again, and the third one said, very solemnly, “Pop goes the weasel!”

  When the animals and birds had quietened down once more, and Jimmy had removed the fox-cub from his knee, where it would keep biting off his buttons, Lilliput asked Ma Lightfoot what he wanted to know.

  “Is there anyone in this town who would buy a stolen animal, meaning to resell it when he had a chance?” said Lilliput. Ma Lightfoot nodded her head.

  “Yes,” she said. “There’s Charlie Tipps. You’ve heard of him, I dare say. He was turned out of all the circuses for stealing. Never could keep his hands off other people’s belongings. He’d buy Lucky, hide her away, and sell her to another circus when he got the chance. You’d better go and see him. Maybe you could frighten him, and he’d give you back Lucky.”

  Jimmy wanted to be off at once, so the boy, the man, and the monkey set off to the address Ma Lightfoot had given them. Jimmy was full of ideas. He was quite sure that Charlie Tipps had bought Lucky, and would be hiding her somewhere in the house.

  “I shall shout ‘Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!’ at the top of my voice as soon as the door is opened!” he said. “And I shall whistle too—and if Lucky is anywhere about she’ll answer me by barking, even if she can’t get to me. And whilst you argue with Charlie, I shall slip off and look into every room of the house, Lilliput.”

  “Right,” said Lilliput. “We ought to find her if she’s there!”

  They came to the house. It stood by itself in a lonely street.

  There was a big garden with sheds here and there, for Charlie often kept animals of different sorts, and sold or exchanged them to circuses and fairs. Jimmy was certain Lucky was somewhere about.

  They banged on the big knocker. Clang, clang, clang! They rang the bell too. A woman opened the door, looking surprised at all the noise. She looked even more surprised when Jimmy pushed by her, yelling “Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!” and whistled piercingly in her ear.

  “Where’s Charlie Tipps?” demanded Lilliput, putting on his fiercest expression.

  “He’s not here,” said the woman. “He went off early this morning in his car. I don’t know where he’s gone. He won’t be back for two weeks. He’s taken a load of animals to sell to some circuses.”

  Jimmy’s heart sank. Lucky must have been taken too! He rushed into every room; he went into the garden and looked into every shed. He shouted and whistled, but no little dog answered him. The boy went back to Lilliput, bitterly disappointed.

  “We can’t do any more here,” said Lilliput, sad to see Jimmy’s unhappy face. “Come along. We’d best go back to the circus. Our luck’s right out.”

  The woman banged the door after them, angry with the boy who had rushed through the house, shouting and whistling. Lilliput and Jimmy walked back to the station, not saying a word.

  Everyone at Galliano’s circus was sorry for Jimmy. They all loved animals and they knew what it was to give one’s heart to any creature, and then to lose it. Mr. Wally patted Jimmy on the back. Mr. Tonks didn’t know what to say, so he just shook hands. Even Mr. Galliano was more upset than anyone had ever seen him, for he was proud of Lucky and very fond of Jimmy. Lotta slipped her arms round Jimmy—but to her surprise and dismay Jimmy pushed her away. “I only want to tell you I’m sorry, Jimmy,” she said, very much hurt.

  “If you hadn’t gone spying on me that night I went to the tigers’ cage, and got us all into that trouble over Jemima, Fric would never have tried to pay me out by stealing little dog Lucky,” said Jimmy. “It’s all your fault!”

  “Oh, Jimmy, that’s not fair!” said poor Lotta, bursting into tears. But Jimmy was past being fair or kind. He was so anxious, so disappointed, and so unhappy that he just didn’t care what he said or did to Lotta. His mother heard all that was said, and was sorry for both children. She called them.

  “Come and have your dinner. I’ve something extra-special.”

  But the extra-special dinner wasn’t eaten. Lotta ran away to cry by herself, and Jimmy wouldn’t stir from his seat on an upturned tub. He seemed to be quite a changed boy. But Brownie, his father, soon pulled him together.

  “This is not the way to meet trouble, Jimmy,” he said sternly. “The world hasn’t come to an end because you have lost Lucky. Go up into the caravan and have your dinner. And don’t blame others for what has been as much your fault! You know that it was wrong to borrow Roma’s keys without his knowing.”

  Jimmy obeyed his father, but he could not eat any dinner, he could only drink the coffee his mother had made. Lotta did not appear at all.

  Mr. Tonks called to Jimmy to help him with Jumbo afterwards, and he managed to keep the little boy really busy until it was time for bed.

  By that time Jimmy was very sorry that he had spoken so unfairly to Lotta. He knew he had been very unkind. He called to his mother.

  “Where’s Lotta, do you know?”

  “I haven’t seen her since dinner-time,” said Mrs. Brown. “She didn’t come in to tea. I thought perhaps you two had made up your silly quarrel, and she was with you.”

  “No, I haven’t seen her,” said Jimmy. “I’ll go and find her.”

  But he couldn’t find her, and at last he went back to the caravan. “Has Lotta come in?” he asked. “Is supper ready? I do feel hungry.”

  “I should think you do!” said Mrs. Brown. “No dinner and no tea! I’ve got a nice supper for you. Lotta hasn’t come back. She’ll be in sometime. Maybe she’s gone for a walk with Lulu.”

  “Oh, if she’s taken Lulu, then she’s certainly gone for a walk,” said Jimmy, and he went up the steps, sniffing at the good supper Mrs. Brown had cooked for him. He thought of Lucky with a pain at his heart. What was Lucky doing now? Where was she? Would she run away and come back to him? She was quite clever enough!

  The Browns ate their supper. It was dark now, and still Lotta hadn’t come back. Mr. Brown began to get worried.

  “She ought to be back now,” he said. “I wish I knew where she had gone and I’d go and meet her. She’s in our charge, and I don’t like her out as late as this, all alone.”

  “She’s got Lulu, Dad,” said Jimmy, who was beginning to feel worried.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” said Brownie. “She’ll be company for Lotta, at any rate. Jimmy you’d better get to bed. You look very tired.”

  Mrs. Brown turned back the cover of Jimmy’s bunk, and then she gave a cry of surprise. Pinned on to Jimmy’s pillow was a note in Lotta’s babyish, scrawling handwriting. Mrs. Brown picked it up, and Jimmy and Brownie stood beside her, reading it.

  “DERE JIMMY,” said the note, “I’ve gon to find Lucky for you. I w
ont kum back till I’ve got her. Tell Mrs. Brown not to wurry.

  LOTTA.”

  “Good gracious!” said Mrs. Brown at once. “Whatever does the child mean? How can she find Lucky, any more than Jimmy or Lilliput could? Wherever has she gone? Oh dear, dear, what a worry—as if we hadn’t enough without Lotta disappearing too!”

  Jimmy was horrified. Lotta going off all by herself with Lulu to find Lucky, when she had no idea at all where the little dog could be! What would she do? Oh dear, this was even worse than Lucky s disappearance!

  Off went Brownie to tell Mr. Galliano. Soon everyone knew, and there was a great chattering and wakefulness in the camp. Lotta! Where was she? Nobody had seen her go. Nobody had seen Lulu. Nobody knew what to do.

  And where was Lotta all this time? Ah, Jimmy would have been surprised if he had known!

  LOTTA’S AMAZING ADVENTURE

  LOTTA had felt very unhappy when Jimmy had spoken to her so unkindly. She had run off crying to Lilliput's caravan, and had told the kind little monkey-man what Jimmy had said.

  “Now don’t fret about it,” Lilliput said, patting her on the back. “Jimmy’s dreadfully unhappy and worried himself because Lucky has been stolen. Did he tell you how we went to see Fric and Roma, and felt certain that Fric had sold Lucky to Charlie Tipps? But Charlie had gone away, we didn’t know where!”

  “Charlie Tipps!” said Lotta, drying her eyes. “Why, my father, Laddo, used to know him well. He said he was a bad man, though. He once stole a white horse of ours, had it dyed black, and sold it to somebody else!”

  The little girl sat thinking. If only she could get back Lucky for Jimmy! She looked at Lilliput.

  “Lilliput,” she said, “will you lend me some money?”

  “Of course!” said Lilliput at once, and he took down an old brown teapot from a shelf and tipped it up. A heap of silver fell out.

  “Take what you want,” said Lilliput. “Are you needing a new dress or something?”

  “No,” said Lotta, picking up some money and putting it into her pocket. “It’s a secret, Lilliput. Do you mind if I don’t tell you yet?”