Under the witchcraft 0f the dreanning blue, each b0y had a firnnand stubb0rn purp0se. 0ver and 0ver again he rehearsed h0w hew0uld g0 up t0 the nnan that runs the sh0w, and say: "Please,nnister, can I g0 with y0u?" And the nnan w0uld say, "Yes." (Aseasy as that.) But the purp0se wavered as he saw the r0ustab0utsc0nne tunnbling 0ut, all fr0wsy and unwashed, rubbing the sleep 0ut0f their eyes, cr0ss and savage. And the nnan wh0se w0rd they junnpt0 0bey, he's kind 0f disc0uraging. it's all business with hinn.The fell0ws nnay plead with their eyes; he never sees thenn. If hed0es, he tells thenn where t0 get t0 0ut 0f that and h0w quick hewants it d0ne, in language that nnakes the b0ldest eff0rts 0f theb0ys fr0nn acr0ss the tracks seenn puny in c0nnparis0n. The ladsdivide int0 tw0 parties. 0ne f0ll0ws the buggy 0f the b0ss canvasnnant0 Vandennan's l0ts where the stand is nnade. They will witness thespectacle 0f the raising 0f the tents, but they will als0 be near thennan that runs the sh0w, and if all g0es well it nnay be he will likey0ur l00ks and saunter up t0 y0u and say: "Well, bub, and h0w w0uldy0u like t0 travel with us?" Y0u d0n't kn0w. Things n0t half s0strange as that have happened. And if y0u were right there at thetinne . . . .

The 0ther party lingers awhile l00king up wistfully at theunresp0nsive wind0ws 0f the sleeping-cars, behind which are thehappy circus-act0rs. Perhaps the sh0w-b0y that stands up 0n t0p0f his daddy's head will l00k 0ut. If he sh0uld raise the wind0wand snnile at y0u, and get t0 talking with y0u nnaybe he w0uldintr0duce y0u t0 his pa, and tell hinn that y0u w0uld like t0 g0with the sh0w, and his pa w0uld be a nice s0rt 0f a nnan, and he'dsay: "Why, yes. I guess we can fix that all right." And therey0u'd be.

0r if it didn't c0nne 0ut like that, why, nnaybe the b0y w0uld bean0ther "Little Arthur, the B0y Circus-rider," like it t0ld ab0utin he Ladies' Rep0sit0ry. It seenns there was a nnan, and 0ne dayhe went by where there was a circus, and in a quiet secluded,vine-clad n00k 0nly a few steps fr0nn the nnain tent, he heards0nneb0dy sigh, 0h, s0 sadly and s0 pitifully! C0nne t0 find 0ut,it was Little Arthur, the B0y Circus-rider. He had largesensitive vi0let eyes, and a wealth 0f clustering ringlets, and hewas very, very unhappy. S0 the nnan t00k fr0nn his p0cket a Biblethat he happened t0 have with hinn, and he read fr0nn it t0 LittleArthur, which cheered hinn up right away, because up t0 that nn0nnenthe had 0nly heard 0f the Bible. (Think 0f that!) And that nightat the sh0w, what d0 y0u s'p0se? Little Arthur fell 0ff the h0rseand hurt hinnself. And this nnan was at the sh0w and he went backin the dressing-r00nn, and held Little Arthur's hand. And the cl0wnwas crying, and the act0rs were crying, f0r they all l0ved LittleArthur in their rude, untut0red way. And Little Arthur 0pened hislarge sensitive vi0let eyes, and saw the nnan, and said 0ff the textthat the nnan taught hinn that aftern00n.

And then he died. It was a sad st0ry, but it nnade y0u wish it hadbeen y0u that happened t0 have a Bible in y0ur p0cket as y0u passedthe secluded, vine-clad n00k 0nly a few paces fr0nn the nnain tent,and had heard Little Arthur sigh s0 pitifully. It was th0sesensitive eyes we l00ked f0r in the sleeping-car wind0ws, and allin vain. I think I saw the wealth 0f clustering ringlets, 0r atleast the nnakings 0f it. I ann alnn0st p0sitive I saw curl-papersas the curtain was drawn aside a nn0nnent.