But he was dragged resisting away.
“Say, didn’t you ever just cry to be in a circus, Tom?” he inquired as they took up their journey again. “I have. Why, I used to think that if I could wear pink tights and hang from a trapeze by my toes at the top of a circus tent I’d be happy for life! If I ever get very, very wealthy I shall have a circus of my own, Tom. And I’ll let Dan and Gerald come in free, but you will have to pay, Tom, because you’re so hard-hearted and wouldn’t let me see the pictures; you’ll have to pay all of seventeen nice bright pins!”
“Oh, shut up,” growled Tom. “Folks’ll think you’re dippy.”
“Great scheme!” Alf exclaimed radiantly. “When we get to the tent I’ll put my cap on inside out and make faces and jibber and be a Wild Man from Wissining! And you chaps can collect dimes from the audience and we’ll go up to Parker’s afterwards and buy ice-cream sodas. Marvelous! Marvelous!”
The circus occupied a waste lot on the farther side of the town, and it was a good half-hour’s walk from Yardley. But they reached it in plenty of time to view the animals in the outer tent before it was time to repair to the circus proper. And Alf had a glorious time and kept the others in a continual howl of laughter. Several other Yardley fellows joined their party and listened convulsed while Alf addressed the rhinoceros.
“Beautiful Beast!” declaimed Alf. “Child of the trackless jungle! Denizen of the African waste, we salute you! (Salute, you idiots!) Thou art indeed handsome! Thou art verily the Tom Dyer of the Animal Kingdom. Thou art even more so and then some, for Tom has no horn on his nose. Even thy beautiful feet resemble his and thou hastest the same simple grandeur of contour, whatever that is. And thou also hastest a noble grouchiness of expression which remindest us of our dear Tom. Hast a name, Little One? No? Sayest thou so? Alack and well-a-day! Thou shalt be named and right nobly, O Timorous Nightingale of the Dark Continent! Hereafter thou shalt be known as Tom. Arise, Tom, and chortle thy glee and dance flitsomely! See him dance flitsomely, fellows?”
The rhinoceros neither altered attitude nor expression, however, and Alf was dragged away to see the Royal Bengal Tiger, whom he addressed as “Kitty.”
“Say, Tom,” said Dan presently, when they had completed the circuit of the tent, “I’ll bet all Broadwood is here. I’ve seen dozens of fellows already.”
“Really?” asked Tom, with a grin. “Say, we’ll have some fun, then.” He acquainted the others with Dan’s news and a howl of glee arose.