CHAPTER XIV
POLLY AND THE MONKEY CAUSE TROUBLE
ABOUT the middle of the next morning the animals were discussing their next move and telling one another what they had heard their trainers and caretakers say of the places they were going and which animals were going to Duluth and which to Bismarck, when a scream rent the air and Polly began scolding and squeaking in her loudest and most angry voice.
The lion roared out: “Can’t you be still and stop your squeaks for a few minutes at least? You chatter, chatter an endless chain of nonsense all day long and just when one is about to catch a little nap without being bothered by people sticking their canes and umbrellas into one’s sides, you have to squeak as if you were being killed.”
“Oh, don’t talk to me, you old grouch! You need not think you are the only one that can make a noise in this circus! I guess you let out an ear splitting roar whenever you wish without asking permission or thinking if you will disturb any afternoon naps!” and Polly gave another of her discordant squeaks and flew up onto a trapeze that was hanging from the top of the tent.
“I guess you would squeak too if you had had a handful of feathers pulled out of your tail by a monkey,” said the old maid camel.
“Oh! that is it, is it? The monkey is at his old tricks plaguing his enemy, the parrot,” replied the lion.
Here the conversation was interrupted by squeaks and more squeaks, followed by the loud chattering of a monkey. Every animal in its cage and those tied in the ring looked up to where Polly and the monkey were having a terrible fight high on the trapeze. First Polly would be seen swinging from the under side by her bill, then the monkey. Then they would both sit on the bar and fight each other. Polly would peck with her bill and strike out with her claws while the monkey would slap her and grab out a handful of feathers.
At last Polly had a chance to spread her wings and fly from the trapeze into the passageway that led from this tent into another where the performers’ dressing-rooms were. The monkey could not fly but he could do something almost as well. He could swing and jump, so he set the trapeze to swinging out farther and farther, then jumped and caught hold of a long rope that swung to the ground. This he caught and nimbly climbed down it. Once down, he ran into the passageway after Polly. Polly, turning, saw him coming as she was walking slowly along thinking she was rid of the monkey for a while at least. But when she saw him, her fright returned and with a squeak she spread her wings and flew until she saw an opening into one of the private dressing-rooms. Through this she flew and lit on the first thing she saw which, sad to relate, happened to be the golden head of the peroxide blonde bareback rider, who was in the act of bleaching her hair. She had the bottle raised over her head to pour some on her hair when Polly lit just where she was going to pour the liquid. Being so startled, she did not know what she was doing and poured the liquid just the same. It went all over Polly and slowly turned her green feathers to a bright golden color.
