But anyhow it was very fine, and pretty soon Bully and Bawly and their papa and grandpa were in the tent looking at the animals. They fed the elephant peanuts until they had none for themselves, and they looked at the camel with two humps, and at the one with only one hump, because I s’pose he didn’t have money enough to buy two, and then they went in the tent where the real show was.
Well it went off very fine. The big parade was over, and the men were doing acts on the trapeze, and the trained seals were playing ball with their noses, and the clowns were cutting up funny capers. And all at once a man, with a shiny hat on, came out in the middle of the ring, and said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, permit me to call your attention to our jumping dog, Nero. He is the greatest jumping dog in the world, and he will jump over an elephant’s back!”
Well, the people clapped like anything after that, and a clown came out, leading a dog. Everybody was all excited, especially when another clown led out a big elephant. Then it was the turn of the dog to jump over the elephant. Well, he tried it, but he didn’t go over. The clown petted him, and gave him a sweet cracker, and the dog tried it again, but he couldn’t do it. Then he tried once more and he fell right down under the elephant, and the elephant lifted Nero up in his trunk, and set him gently down on some straw.
Then the clown took off his funny, pointed hat and said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am very sorry, but my poor dog is sick and he can’t jump to-day, and I have nothing else that can jump over the elephant’s back.”
Every one felt quite disappointed at that, but still they were sorry for the poor dog. The clown led him away, and the other clown was leading the elephant off, when Bully said to Bawly:
“Don’t you think we could do that jump? We once did a big jump to get away from the alligator, you know.”
“Let’s try it,” said Bawly. “Then the people won’t be disappointed. Come on.” So they slipped from their seats, when their papa and grandpa were talking to Uncle Wiggily about the trained seals, and those two frog boys just hopped right into the middle of the circus ring. At first a monkey policeman was going to put them out, but they made motions that they wanted to jump over the elephant, for they couldn’t speak policeman talk, you know.
“Ah ha! I see what they want,” said the kind clown. “Well, I don’t believe they can do it, but let them try. It may amuse the people.” So he made the elephant go back to his place, and every one became interested in what Bully and Bawly were going to do.