Then the book went on again:
"The Oyster now will please come forth
And show the people here
Just how he stands upon his head
And then doth disappear."
This interested Jimmieboy very much, and he watched the canvas intently as one of the Trick Oysters walked out into the ring, and after kissing his hand to Jimmieboy and bowing to the rest of the audience—if there were any to bow to, and Jimmieboy supposed there must be, for the Oyster certainly bowed—he stood upon his head, and then without a word vanished from sight.
"Hooray!" shouted Jimmieboy, whereupon the book resumed:
"Now watch the ring intently, for
The Sea-Giraffe now comes,
And without any effort turns
plum-cake into crumbs."
"Huh!" cried Jimmieboy, as he watched the Sea-Giraffe turn the plum-cake into crumbs. "That isn't anything to do. I could do that myself, and make the plum-cake and the crumbs disappear too."
The book, of course, could not reply to this criticism, and so went right on.
"The Lobster and the Shark will now
Amuse the little folks
By making here, before their eyes,
Some rhymes and funny jokes."
When the book had said this there appeared on the canvas a really handsome Shark clad in a dress suit and a tall hat on his head, followed closely by a Lobster wearing a jester's coat and cap and bells, and bearing in his hand the little stick with Punch's head on the end of it.
"How do you do?" the Lobster seemed to say, as he reached out his claw and grabbed the Shark by his right fin.