“What do you want?”
“I was just going to say I’d exhibit your museum freaks for you. I and my friend there.”
“You!” gasped the professor. “Who are you?”
“I’m a professional stump speaker,” said the tramp, winking knowingly. “And my friend here’s a professional joke writer. And if you’ll just show us the freaks and give us a while to think up jokes, we’ll make you famous.”
“How much do you want?” inquired Smithers, suspiciously.
“Nothing. We’ll do it for love, to get you out of a scrape.”
The man gazed at them in doubt for a moment more, and then he turned upon his heel.
“Come,” he said, briefly, and led the way out to the gayly painted tent mentioned previously.
The four members of the Banded Seven who had stayed behind to see the rest of the show wandered out disconsolately after it was over. Mr. Smithers had previously announced from the ring that the marvelous museum was now on exhibition for the “purely nominal sum of ten cents,” also that Professor Salvatori would be on hand to deliver one of his famous addresses, assisted by Mr. So-and-So. Finding that this bait had been taken by most of the crowd, and not knowing what else to do with themselves, since their leader had deserted them, the four strolled into the much painted tent.
They were but little prepared for the amazing sight which greeted them after a few minutes’ wait. In the first place there were a number of glass cases with little platforms upon which the professor was to mount, and in the second there was a crowd of people wandering about staring curiously. Then suddenly the trumpet blew a blast, and with Mr. Smithers at their head, in strode—good heavens! Mark and Dewey!