A Back-yard Circus[255]
The Ancient Roman Circus—The Circus of To-day—How Several Boys gave a Circus—Preparing the Yard for a Circus—Making the Ring—Good Circus Seats—A Tent—Decorating the Tent—A Ticket Office—A Turnstile—The Side Show—Cages for Side Show—Animated Animals—The Elephant—The Giraffe—The Two-legged Wild Horse—The Wild Man of Borneo—A Monkey's Make-up—The Ring Master—The Clown's Suit—The Attendants—Ideas for a Performance—A Slapper—Looping the Hoop on a Giraffe—A Chariot—Parades—The Advertising Signs.
CHAPTER XX
Suggestions for Fourth of July[272]
The First Fourth of July Celebration—Pyrotechnics Costly and Dangerous to Make—The Making of Harmless and Inexpensive Fireworks—A Fire-cracker Cannon—To fire the Cannon—A Fire-cracker Mortar—Mimic Battles with Paper Soldiers—Another Toy Cannon—To fire the Cannon—Firing Fireworks from Kites—Firing a Pack of Fire-crackers from a Kite—Shooting Nigger-chasers—Japanese Lanterns hung from Kite-strings—A Shooting-torch—A Final Set-piece.
CHAPTER XXI
Halloween[281]
Ancient Superstitions and Origin of Halloween—A Magazine Bean-blower—A New Style of Tick-tack—A Clockwork Tick-tack—The Goblin-man—The Disappearing Rope.
CHAPTER XXII
A Back-yard Toboggan-slide[291]