“Then we’re even. But here comes the acrobats. I like to watch ’em,” he added, as the procession came to an end, amid a blare of trumpets, and the show proper began.
It was like any other traveling circus, better than some, but not as good as the large ones, even though the gaudy posters did announce that the “Combined Bower & Brewster Aggregation of Monster Menagerie, Hippodrome, Amphitheatre and Colossal Exhibition challenged comparison with any similar amusement enterprise in the entire world.”
“Look at that clown!” exclaimed Ferd. “Why, there’s a whole lot of ’em,” he added. “Gosh! but this is great! I never saw such a good show! I don’t know which way to look!”
In fact, so many things were going on at the same time that it was difficult to select any particular feature for observation.
There were men and women on high trapezes, others doing balancing feats on elevated platforms, still others performing on the backs of horses, while in a ring near the two boys ten elephants were being put through their paces.
Jack had often been to a circus before, and now, from a reason for which he could hardly account, he paid particular attention to the antics of the clowns.
“I believe I could do as good as some of them, with a little practice,” he thought. “What is needed is some sort of funny stunt to make the people laugh. It doesn’t much matter what it is, as long as it’s funny.”
The clowns did seem to cause considerable laughter. Some of them had trained dogs, pigs or roosters which they used in their act. Others had a partner who aided them in provoking smiles or shouts of glee. Some did acrobatic stunts, some sang or danced, and one, with the help of a companion, acted as a barber using a whitewash brush to spread the lather on his partner’s face.
“This is the kind of life that would suit me for a while,” said Jack to himself. “I’d like to travel with a circus, and I believe I could do as good as some of those clowns, if I had a chance. What’s more, I’m going to try for a job here. I’ll ask the boss canvasman if there isn’t a chance. I’d just like to be with the show, and maybe I could earn enough money in the season to pay my way to China, and see what has happened to my folks.”
This thought so occupied Jack that he paid little attention to the performance. He made up his mind he would seek out one of the managers, as soon as the show was over, and make his request.