Edith Francis Foster

Such a fine circus! Jack and Bob went, but Jimmy Crow was left at home. The two boys bought peanuts and fed the elephant and monkeys. Jack put his hand full of nuts between the bars, and a little brown monkey pulled his fingers open and picked out the peanuts.

T hen they saw the grand parade in the big tent—the elephant, the camel, the giraffe, the zebra, the cages with lions, and tigers, the hippopotamus and the bear. Then a pretty lady rode a white horse, standing up on the saddle and waving a flag. Other horses ran races, and jumped, and walked upright. The funny clown tried to ride a little donkey, and kept tumbling off.

A t the last, all the animals marched round again, and a funny thing happened. A big black crow came flying into the tent and lighted right on the elephant's back. He spread his wings, and danced up and down in time to the marching band. The people thought he was part of the circus, and clapped their hands and laughed, but Jack ran out into the ring, crying, "Oh, he's mine, he's mine! Please let me have him!"

T he clown got a ladder and climbed up the elephant, but Jimmy Crow kept out of his reach, and everybody laughed. So he came tumbling down again, and told Jack to try it. Jack climbed up and crept along to the elephant's head—and then Jimmy flew up on his shoulder, and the audience clapped louder still.

When Jack came down, the clown fished a penny out of his pocket, and offered to buy Jimmy Crow. "No, sir!" said Jack. "Not for a hundred dollars! I'd rather have my crow than this whole circus." Edith Francis Foster