The Washington weekly post., 1900-10-02
AT THE CIRCUS
OF CHURCH MOUSE

Church Mouse had so much money after
he came back from India that he decided
to start a circus.
There is nothing" said he, which will
make so much money as a circus, for red
lemonade costs only half a cent a barrel
and We sell 1t for cents a glass; and
there is so very much money in selling
candy at two sticks for a cent apiece that
really think that / ought to start very
fine circus"
SO he hired all the spiders he could find
TO make him a tent and had Patrick
OPossum cut some very fine tent poles
He pitched the tent right out in the mid
ole Of Deacon Jones meadow lot. He
got Ugly Dog to sell tickets, because no.
body would dare 10 give Ugly Dog any
bad money. Ugly Dog was such good
barker that all the animals and all the
birds could hear him as he said:
Here, birds and animals, is your su-
perior circus. Step right up and see the
fierce lion, brought from his native lair,
an6 the great and only striped tiger, who
can eat a man without asking by your
leave. Come on, birds and animals, for
this Is the only show on earth owned by
church mouse Circus, menagerie, and
hiphopadrome, all under one tent. Walk
right up"
Church Mouse had tried to get a real
live tiger, but he found that he could
not afford to pay for tigers ticket all
the way from India. so he got his friend
Field Mouse TO put on striped clothes
and look very fierce and oe the tiger.
Mole was the elephant and White Rabbit
put some wool around his neck for u
name and pretended that he was lion
This circus was held at night and the
glow worms came in free on condition
that they would hang from the top OF
the tent and give all the light that was
needed.
Church Mouse had been so careful IN
arranging the circus that when the ami
mails came they thought 1t was the finest
show which they had ever seen. When
they got to looking too closely at any
thing and began TO wonder If all lions
were white and had long ears. the lights
would go out all at once and they had 10
think about something else. Over In one
corner was little muskrst in tank ana
al the animals and all the birds. al
though they thought that they had seen
him before, believed that he was hip
popOtamus. The more they looked at him
the more they wondered. for he seemed
like such wonderful animal
When the time for the circus came. all
the birds and all the animals gathered
around the ring for which more than a
hundred ants had brought the sand There
was a loud clapping Of hands and the
T'umblebug Brothers came into the center
OF the ring kissing their hands to The
crowd and making low bow to every
body. They leaped up into the air and
turned somersaults and stood on their
heads, and Whiried around on their backs.
Every time they did anything wonderful
all the beasts and all the birds elappsd
their paws and clapped their wings and
said: Isn't this d very fine show IN
deed?'
Then ab1ut twenty ants all dressed no
in green. rolled two great big balls into
the middle Of the ring. Each Tumblebug
took one Of these balls. which was AS big
as he was himself. and ghirled il arounf
and up and down. and then he laid ON hls
back, and with his feet threw the bali
clear up into the air and caught IL again
Then the Tumblebugs threw the balls
back and forth to each other.
Nlmble Grasshopper came out. and be
jumped clear over the back OF the nake-
believe elephant and the make-bsIIev.
lion and came right down again On his
feet. Then Leap Frog came stuunh;I-.,
out into the middle OF the ring AN eo,,,
cred over with -four sna with r.d osIn,
on his face, and a little bit OF a WHIT
pointed hat on mis- head
W nen Is a mOuse when IL Il sain,t,x,s ..
All the animals and all the beast. 49,.
at each other and said: WHY va 49,,
understand. When L. a mouse wb.n I, =
Leap Frog looked an around ana ,...
SAC: Hnt Give it up2 Don'f kns,ss
an guess Too hard? Why. lt's Ve-,,
sasy indeed The answer II. paner =,
Ihen All the beasts and ali the sni,,sl.
iauxned Ike anything ''A's
hat a very good foke 49,, -.
How very clever aand Ism. 1, S,rsse. saso.
bef0re7f NfV~s"t oi II
Sow' then, said Church Mou.e vho
vs. 80, AZ dressed up IN long coat. ana nd
slik hat snd a long whip. "As ;hs ring
master of THIS show. I Want 10 lutros,,.ss
inf great and good friend Sig Ssfsyns,
asF, Hao eats Gre for break kfsst i-ssfs-.S
ei oatmeal. and drinks his coffee hoiitae
hgt re VIII roS DO himself the hn,a,
OF eating red hot poker a. tno,ish 4,
we're A Stick ~ moiasseH candy
y nen SsismandeT came ouf follousd IA,
- fsssse carrying a pan OF cozls
EYssyiElng that I have" ssla sala-