Five Little Friends

by Sherred Willcox Adams

"Now Dandy," said Showman Bob, "shut your eyes." Dandy winked and blinked. Then he shut his eyes tight. "Keep your eyes shut till I call 'Come,'" said Bob. Then Bob started off with the ear of corn.

Dandy kept his eyes shut just one little minute. Then he opened them and began to peep. He peeped very slyly to see where Bob was hiding the corn. The children shouted with joy! Then Showman Bob came back. The corn was still in his hand. He pretended to be angry. He made Dandy hide his eyes once more.

Again Dandy peeped slyly to see where Bob was hiding the corn. At last Showman Bob took little Dot's hat and tied it over Dandy's eyes. How the children did laugh! Dandy looked so funny with a little girl's hat on.

Then Bob hid the ear of corn behind a box. He called, "Come, Dandy, come!" Dandy shook his head very hard. The hat rolled on the ground. Then Dandy began going round the show grounds. He stopped and sniffed at everything.

"Oh see!" said Peggy, "Dandy is looking with his nose!" Soon Dandy sniffed at the box and found the ear of corn.

"Come, Dandy, come!" called Showman Bob. Dandy came trotting up with the ear of corn in his mouth. But when Bob put out his hand for the corn Dandy kicked up his heels and away he went. He ran round and round like a pony in a circus.

The children clapped their hands and shouted. Dandy went faster and faster. It was very exciting. At last Dandy stopped running. Then Bob led him back to the pen. There the little pony munched the corn happily.

Next it was Peggy's turn to show Polly. Showman Bob brought out a table. Then he helped Peggy put Polly's big cage on it. Peggy lifted the black cloth. There was Polly! She was the greenest, reddest, funniest parrot you ever saw. She winked her eyes, shook her feathers, and called out, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" The children laughed; but they did not get up. So General Polly sang out, "Get busy! Get busy! Get busy!" The children soon knew what they must "get busy" about. Polly began to say in her most coaxing voice, "Polly wants a cracker! Poor Poll! Pretty Poll! Poor Polly wants a cracker!" This sounded so funny that everybody laughed.

Peggy had some crackers in her pocket. She took them out and let the children feed Polly. They poked bits of cracker through the wires of her cage. Polly was not very polite. She pecked and grabbed and talked to herself. But everything she did was so funny that the children enjoyed it.

At last Polly had all the crackers she wanted. Then she grew tired and cross. She began to scream, "Bad boy! Go away! Go away! Go away!" The children ran back to their seats. General Polly was left all alone.