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Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on an Auto Tour, a novel by Laura Lee Hope |
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Chapter 22. A Lion Is Loose |
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_ CHAPTER XXII. A LION IS LOOSE Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue lost no time in getting dressed that morning, and hurrying out to the tiny dining room where their mother was getting breakfast. "Did you see it?" gasped Sue. "Have the elephants gone past yet?" Bunny inquired, his eyes big with excitement. "Oh, you mean the circus," said Mrs. Brown. "No, I haven't seen any elephants yet. The big wagons just started to go past." "Then let's hurry up our breakfast and watch for the elephants and the tigers," cried Bunny, greatly worried lest he miss any of the animals. "You have plenty of time," said Uncle Tad, who was out near the back steps of the automobile, sorting his fish lines and hooks. "The circus has just started to go past. Those wagons have in them the tent poles, the canvas for the tents, the things for the men to eat and the big stoves. These are always unloaded first--in fact, they are sent on ahead of the rest of the show. "Not until later in the morning will the animals and the other wagons come along. The circus must have unloaded over at Kirkwell," and he pointed to a railroad station about a mile away. "The tents are going up on the other side of this town, I heard some of the circus drivers say." "Oh, won't we have fun watching them go past?" cried Sue. "I wonder if they'll have a parade? If they do, and it goes past our house--I mean our automobile--we can see it better than anybody, can't we?" "Yes. But the parade won't come this far out into the country," said Uncle Tad. "It will go through the streets of the town." "Where are you going?" asked Bunny, suddenly looking at the old soldier. "I thought I'd go fishing over to Blue Lake. Looked yesterday as if there were plenty of fish there. Want to go with me, Bunny Brown?" "Huh? An' the circus comin' to town?" asked Bunny, clipping the end off his words. "Say, Mother, aren't we going to the circus?" he asked quickly. "Well, I didn't hear anything about it," said Mrs. Brown slowly. "Can't you take us, Uncle Tad?" pleaded Sue, for she, as much as did her brother, wanted to see the big show. "Well, I suppose I _could_ put off my fishing till another day," said Uncle Tad slowly. "Are you _sure_ you two want to go?" "Are we!" cried Bunny. "Oh, I want to go--so much!" and Sue showed just how much by putting her arms around Uncle Tad's neck and hugging him as hard as she could. That was her way of showing "how much." "Well, if it's as much as that I guess I'll have to take you," laughed Uncle Tad. "Mind you, I don't want to go myself," and he looked at Mrs. Brown in a queer way. "I don't care anything about a circus--never did in fact. But if an old man has to give up his fishing trip, just to take two children to one of the wild animal shows, why I guess it will have to be done, that's all. But really I don't want to go," and he shook his head very seriously. "Oh, Uncle Tad!" cried Sue. "Don't you want to see the elephants?" "Nope," and the old soldier kept on shaking his head "crossways," as Bunny said. "And don't you want to see the lions?" "Nope." "Nor the tigers?" "Nope." "Not even the camels and the monkeys and the men jumping over horses' backs, nor the giraffes with their long necks--don't you want to see _any_ of them?" Sue was talking faster and faster all the while. Uncle Tad did not say anything, but a funny look came into his eyes, and Bunny was almost sure the old soldier was laughing on one side of his face at Mother Brown. Then Bunny cried: "Oh, Sue! He's just fooling! He wants to go as much as we do!" "Oh, Uncle Tad, I'm so glad!" cried Sue. "I love you--so--much!" and again she hugged him as hard as she could, and kissed him too. "Now I'll surely have to go," he chuckled. Breakfast was soon over, and by that time Bunny and Sue were so excited that they did not know what to do. Somehow they managed to get properly dressed, and by that time other circus wagons came along. These wagons were gilded and painted more gaily than the first that had gone past. And from some of them came low growls or roars. "Oh, they've got lions inside," said Sue, opening her eyes wide. "And tigers, too," added Bunny in a wondering voice. "But I want to see the elephants," he added. Pretty soon the big elephants came along, and behind them came camels and troops of horses. There were also a number of small boys and some girls who were following the circus to the lot where the big tents were already being put up. "Say, I just like to see them!" cried Bunny as the elephants swung past the "Ark," which some of the country boys took to be one of the circus wagons broken down. "Elephants are great! I guess I'm going to be an elephant rider when I grow up, instead of a policeman," he said, as he saw men sitting on the heads of the big elephants while they lumbered heavily along. "It would be fun to ride on one of them," said Sue. "But come on, Uncle Tad. Take us to the circus. We want to see the parade." "We want to see _everything_," added Bunny. "The side shows and _everything_, and, please, Mother, may we have some peanuts and popcorn?" "Oh, I don't want you eating a lot of things that will make you ill," said Mrs. Brown. "I mean to feed to the elephants," said Bunny. "Elephants love popcorn and peanuts a lot. Of course Sue and I could eat a little," he added. "Well, a _very_ little," agreed his mother. "Elephants are not made ill so easily as little boys. But get ready, if you are going." It did not take the children and Uncle Tad long to get ready. As it was quite a distance from where the "Ark" was stationed beside the road to the circus ground, Uncle Tad hired Mr. Jason to drive him and the children over in the wagon. "Oh, I see the tents!" cried Bunny, as they neared the ground. "And I hear the music!" added Sue. "But we mustn't miss the parade." The children were just in time for this, and when they had seen the procession wind its way about the streets they went back to the big white tents. Then the circus began. What Bunny and Sue saw you can well imagine, for I think most of you have been to a circus, once at least. There were the wild animals--the lions and the tigers in their cages, the funny monkeys, the long-necked giraffes--and then came the performance. The clowns did funny tricks, the acrobats leaped high in the air, or fell into the springy nets. All this the children saw, and they ate some popcorn and peanuts, but fed more than they ate to the elephants. Uncle Tad seemed to enjoy himself, too, though, every once in a while he would lean over and say to Bunny and Sue: "Aren't you tired? Let's go home!" And the performance was not half through! Bunny and Sue just looked at him and smiled. They knew he was joking. But the circus came to an end at last, and though they were sorry they had to leave, Bunny and Sue were, late in the afternoon, well on their way to their automobile camp again. They talked of nothing but what they had seen, and every time they spoke of the show they liked it more and more. "I wish we could go again to-night," said Bunny. "It isn't good for little children to go to a circus at night," said Uncle Tad. "You've seen enough." Of course Daddy Brown and Mother Brown had to hear all about it over the supper table, and they were glad the children had had such a good time. At night when they sat around a little campfire on the ground near the automobile, they could hear, in the distance, the music of the circus. In the middle of the night Mr. and Mrs. Brown were awakened by hearing the noise of many persons rushing past on the road alongside of which their automobile was drawn up. Also the chugging of automobiles and the patter of horses' feet could be heard. "I wonder what it can be," said Mrs. Brown. "Is it the circus coming back again?" "No, they would be going the other way. I'll see if I can find out what it is." Slipping on a bath robe, Mr. Brown went to the back door of the automobile. He saw a crowd of people rushing along. "What's the matter?" he called. "One of the circus lions is loose," was the answer, "and we're chasing it!" [Illustration: BUNNY AND SUE FED THE ELEPHANTS. _Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on an Auto Tour._ _Page_ 218.] _ |
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