The San Francisco call., 1910-07-10
ny ELIZABETH sYLE MADISON

grade, experienced anticipations more
thrilling than his companions for the
circus tents were to be pitched down
in his neighborhood near the railroad
He had therefore made his plans to be
UP at O'Clock to see as much Of the
show as possible when it arrived and
was being set up for half dollars were
scarce in Rob's home and there were
none to spare for circuses
Rob explained his plans to Aunt
Hannah, his only relative She was
only frail little old lady with soft
wrinkled cheeks, just family pink and
four little white curls clustered de-
murely on each side of her face. But
she always had a sympathetic ear for
boys troubles, due to the fact, per-
haps, that she herself had had a great
many troubles and had gone without
many things in her life.
And speaking about Aunt Hannah
/ must tell you about her garden for
it was part of herself The house
in which she lived with Rob was very
small and not bit pretty and was
built ike all the rest in that row
right up against the sidewalk in front
But in the back each house had a
little yard, and long ago. when she
first came to live there, Aunt Hannah
had worked very hard making a vege-
ground. She had succeeded so well
that the other folks in the row had
followed suit setting up a kind of
rivalry, until now every person in that
otherwise monotonous block had
scrap of green at the back door, vines
over the ungainly fences between
neighbor and neighbors and flowers
wherever there was room
The morning the circus arrived
Aunt Hannah, as agreed, called Rob
early and started him off on his day
of adventure. Strange to say she had
never seen circus, because her people
had been not only poor but religiouSly
strict. But today, after she saw Rob
disappear down the street she had a
keen longing to forget the struggles
of life and take Rob and go to see
the inside of the big, mysterious tents,
with the clowns-and to eat peanuts
and drink lemonade. Now if she could
only sell enough vegetables
Rob arrived at the circus grounds
just as the elephants were being un-
loaded. First of all he made friends
with Joe, one of the animal puts" or
under keepers by treating him to a
pocketful of Aunt Hannah's ginger
cookies, and by helping him carry hay
and feed to the elephants he had in
charge. When the elephants were
brought out TO water, the trunk of one
grasping the tail of the other, Joe
boosted Rob to the back of Mammoth,
the biggest and best natured old mon
ster in the circus and the leader of all
the rest. Joe taught Rob how to guide
the great beast with knees, heel and
prod and how to turn him to the right
with a long drawn call of 'Too-heew
and to the left with "Hee-law
From the back of the elephant Rob
saw the huge tents hoisted into place
by bands of 20 or 80 workmen. all
chn ttVe 0hn fIoxK IL
He saw the great vans of costumes
unloaded and distributed with speed and
exactness unrivaled even by army
methods.
He saw the giraffes, the camels the
sacred oxen and the dromedaries
brought out from their tents, CRYING
and whining like children. till they
were led up to the long troughlike
wagons, where their breakfast was
spread.
He saw the dogs let out for five min
utes exercise, each one coming down
from his kennel in the trayeling cars
by ladder, and returning to his mar
row quarters the second his name was
called.
Rob fingered around the circus
grounds most OF the morning watching
the animals, the tent raising. etc, saw
the parade form and start out and
followed IL through the town and back
to the grounds. where he again
helped" Joe feed and water the ele-
plants.
But trouble was brewing! From the
hills near the town came the exhilar-
ating smell of pines and cedars and
outdoor freshness. The afternoon sun
intensified the richness of every shade
and color in nature and the cool breeze
was tantaiizing. What a day this
would be in the free jungle NAM
moth, breaking through the discipline
of years, lifted up his voice and trum-
peted mightilyl
That was enough Triumph, defiant,