On his way back to the police station, the policeman stopped at the circus to see if the murderer had been caught or if there had been no murder after all, but just a cry of murder. He found the lady giving a last pat to her elaborately dressed peroxide-colored hair and laughing at a little monkey in a cage and a gold colored parrot with a green tail sitting on a perch on one side of her tent, while the parrot was saying in a singsong voice: “Never again! Never again!” But the monkey sat all crouched up in one corner.
“Oh, officer, is that you? Did you find the man that murdered me?”
“I sure did and he is the gamest young man I ever tried to arrest on the false accusation of a crazy-headed girl!”
“Get right out of here! How dare you call me crazy-headed?”
“Because that is what ye are! You scream ‘Help! Help! Murder! Murder!’ and disturb the peace.”
On hearing this Polly began to cry: “Help! Help! Murder! Murder!”
“Shut up, will ye, ye evil-eyed bird, or I will drown you!”
“Shut up! Shut up! Hear him! Hear him!” squeaked Polly, at which the policeman beat a hasty retreat to the music of the circus lady’s laughter and Polly’s screeches.
CHAPTER XV
THE CIRCUS BREAKS CAMP
