“That’s good, Dido!” called the man. “Now then, turn a somersault, and you shall have an extra bun!”
Dido must have known what the man said, for the bear suddenly got down on all four legs, put his head between his front paws, kicked up with his hind legs, and over he went! Dido turned as good a somersault as any boy could do, and when he stood upright again, and held one paw out through the bars of his cage, the boys and girls laughed harder than ever.
“Well, you have earned your buns, Dido!” cried the man, and he tossed half a dozen into the bear’s cage. Then Dido shuffled back into a corner to be by himself while he ate. The children stood watching the bear a little longer, and then some of them passed on to stand in front of the cage where Shaggo was kept.
After the keeper had passed on, to feed the lions and tigers of the zoo, Dido once more spoke to Shaggo.
“Here is an extra cinnamon bun I do not want,” said the kind bear. “Eat it, Shaggo,” and with a toss of his paw Dido sent the bun spinning through the bars of the buffalo’s cage. Shaggo sniffed at it and nibbled one end.
“Say, what’s the matter with you?” asked Dido. “You don’t seem at all like a lively chap, Shaggo.”
“I’m not,” answered the buffalo. “Something is wrong with me. It’s my shoulder, I guess. See how swelled it is.”
“You have got a funny lump there,” said the bear. “What do you think it is?”