Page:Dapples of the Circus (1943).pdf/87

 them that nearly spoiled their appetites for dinner.

They spent a wondering half-hour roaming through the menagerie tent and inspecting the animals and birds from all parts of the commonly known world, and some from parts very little known. They especially enjoyed feeding the elephants peanuts.

When the mammoth three-ringed show finally opened in the big top the boys were perched upon one of the high seats in readiness for all the circus had to give. Nor were they disappointed. It was as the bills had announced, larger and more stupendous than ever before. Tumblers and trapeze men and women kept them in breathless suspense. Men and women seemed to perform in the very top of the tent just as unconcernedly as though they had been only a few feet from the ground. The bands blared, and wild animals performed, while the clowns sweated and screamed to keep the crowd good-natured.