"The steam calliope!" Johnnie Green cried. "And that's the end of the parade."
XXII
THE CIRCUS GROUNDS
The Green family ate their luncheon in the carryall on Main Street, after the circus parade had passed. They didn't forget to give old dog Spot something to eat out of the big basket that they had brought with them from home. Although they hadn't expected him to go to the village with them, there was more than enough food for everybody. Even Johnnie Green's appetite wasn't equal to all the goodies that his mother had provided.
People were already starting for the circus grounds on the outskirts of the village. Johnnie Green noticed them uneasily.
"We don't want to be late for the show," he reminded his father.
"We'll get there in time," Farmer Green assured him.
And they did. Soon they followed the crowd through the village streets until they came in sight of the "big top," the great tent with flags flying above it, and smaller tents all around.
Farmer Green turned the bays into a yard near-by, where he unharnessed and fed them. Then he tied one end of a rope to Spot's collar and fastened the other end to a carriage wheel.
"There!" he said. "Now we're ready."