FullReads

Up in the centre of the field they raised three tall poles. They were almost as high as the Long White Finger of the Church. They drove many stakes into the ground. And around the tall poles they stretched almost as many ropes as there are on a ship.

Then they unrolled the white canvas and, when the Sun was just a little way up in the sky and the morning was all nice and shiny and bright, the great white tents were ready for the circus.

Back in the White-House-with-the-Green-Blinds, Marmaduke was eating his oatmeal. He asked a question that he very often asked:

“What do you think I saw?”

“Another dream?” said Jehosophat.

“No, it was real,” replied Marmaduke. “I saw a lot of wagons, hundreds ‘n thousands, in a big line miles long. And there were wild animals in the wagons.”

“I’ll bet that was a dream,” his big brother insisted, but the Toyman said:

“No, it wasn’t a dream, it was the circus coming to town.”

Then Father spoke up:

“That’s so, I most forgot.”

He looked at the Toyman:

“Frank,” he said, “I’ve got to go over to the Miller farm to buy some yearling steers. You’ll have to take the youngsters to that circus.”

The Toyman didn’t seem worried about that. He looked just “tickled,” “like a boy himself,” Mother said.

So, after dinner, old Methuselah was hitched up, and away they drove,–the Toyman, Jehosophat, Hepzebiah, and Marmaduke, with little Wienerwurst, as usual, in back. He was very happy, barking at all the carriages hurrying up the road to the circus.

They came to the field with the big white tents and were just going to turn in, when they heard music way off in the streets of the town.

“Why, I most forgot,” said the Toyman to Jehosophat. “There’s the circus parade over on Main Street. In the big city they have the parade and the circus all in one big building, but in the country towns they have the parade first in the street, and the performance after, in the tents.”

“Tluck, tluck!” he called to Methuselah, and jog, jog, jog, the old horse trotted into town. In Uncle Roger’s barn the Toyman unhitched him, and gave him some hay and some oats too, for it was a grand holiday. Then hand-in-hand the Toyman and the three happy children hurried over to Main Street.

So many people were crowded on the sidewalk that the children could hardly see. But Jehosophat ducked under the stomachs of two big fat men and sat on the curb-stone. And the Toyman held Marmaduke on one shoulder and Hepzebiah on the other. He was very strong. From their high perch they could look right over the heads of all the people at that great circus parade.

Hark! They were coming!

First the band. They were dressed in gay uniforms of red and blue, with gold tassels too, and bright brass buttons.

Ahead of them marched the leader of the band–the tall Drum Major. He had on a high fur cap, twice as big as his head. In his hand he swung a long black cane, called a “baton.” It had a gold knob on it, bigger than a duck’s egg.

He raised the cane and the music began!

Trrat—-trrat—-trrat–trrat–trrat! went the little drums.

Boom—-boom—boom–boom–boom! went the big bass drum.

hum—

hum—

hum—

Hum—

hum–hum!

sounded the shiny horns.

ter-loo

ter-loo

ter-loo

Loo-loo-loo

ter-loo-loo!

gaily whistled the little fifes.

Then they all sounded together in a grand crash of music that made all the people happy and excited, and they almost danced on the sidewalk.

And all the time the tall Drum-Major kept twirling that baton with the gold knob on it till Jehosophat’s eyes most popped out of his head.

My! how he could twirl it!

But other wonderful things were coming now, marching by very swiftly,–ladies on horses that pranced and danced; cowboys on horses that were livelier still; a giant as tall as the big barber’s pole; and a dwarf no higher than that tall giant’s knee.

And great grey elephants, all tied together by their trunks and their tails; and zebras like little horses painted with stripes; and cages on wagons, full of funny monkeys, making faces at all the people; and lions and tigers, walking up and down and showing their sharp teeth.