“Where are the animals?” asked the little boy, who was beginning to feel that all was not right.
“It’s a little further now,” was the answer. “They are feeding the polar bear, and the lion is mad because they didn’t give him his supper first, so we’ll have to wait a while.”
This seemed reasonable to Jimmy, who knew that bears and lions were fierce beasts, and had to be humored. So he said nothing, only he wondered more and more why he had been taken away from the music and lights, and the companionship of his brother. But he was so small that he had no suspicions.
On and on the two trudged. They had left the well-lighted streets, and were in a dark section of the city, where only an occasional gas lamp gave a fitful gleam that illuminated a small circle, and seemed to leave the rest in denser blackness than if there had been no light.
“I’m afraid!” Jimmy said, after a while. “I want to go home!”
“All right; we’ll go home after we see the animals!” said the youth, who seemed much elated over something.
“Don’t want to see any animals! Want to go home!” Jimmy cried. “I want Larry! Take me to Larry!” and he began to sob.
“Now wait a minute!” the lad leading him exclaimed. “I’m going to show you the finest steam engine you ever saw, and I’ll let you turn on the steam!”
“Honest and truly?” asked Jimmy, his mind suddenly turned from the idea of tears.
“Sure,” replied the youth. “It’s just around the corner. Come on, now, before it gets away.”