How could Philemon wake at that early hour? It was his wont not only to "sleep like a top all night," but also to "sleep at morn."
Tom, however, agreed to manage that. So when Philemon went to bed at night, it was with one end of a piece of stout twine tied to his ankle, while the other end hung out at the open window.
Neither Elias, John, nor Romeo Augustus, who shared his chamber, spied the cord. Philemon waited till they were sound asleep before he arranged it.
The sun had not begun to show his face above the horizon when there came a brisk twitch on the twine. Philemon was broad awake in a twinkling, and rolled out of bed to dance a one-footed ballet, by reason of a series of jerks given to the cord by the sprightly Thomas below. It was only after Philemon had knocked over two chairs and a cricket that he managed to hop wildly to the window, and to call out in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, "You"ll wake the whole house if you don"t quit," that Tom condescended to desist; and a few minutes later the two comrades were climbing into the back of Silas Elder"s cart, all ready to start for "The Great Moral Show."
The cart was not s.p.a.cious, and its springs were few and far between, as Philemon"s bones bore witness. He began, all at once, to wonder if it might not have been _polite_ to have mentioned to his parents that he intended to be absent the greater part of the day.
He recollected, with a pang, that it was his mother"s custom to be anxious when one of her six precious boys was long out of her sight.
Suddenly, "Look there! there! there!" shouted Tom Tadgers.
Sure enough; there--there--there, in the distance, was a caravan moving slowly toward Tucker"s Corner. It must be--it is N. Ticeum and B.
Phoolum"s show.
Nearer and nearer it came. Tom and Philemon jumped out of the cart, that they might be ready to join the "gigantic procession."
And now they were in its midst. To be sure, the glories of "the stupendous gilded chariot" were shrouded by brown canvas; the monkeys, tigers, and the hippopotamus were shut up in their cages; neither were the giraffe and kangaroo visible as yet. But here were the elephants marching majestically along; here was the educated bull, with a ring through his nose; and so near that Philemon could have touched him was the living skeleton in all his enchanting leanness.
Philemon actually danced up and down in ecstasy. The man who seemed to have charge of affairs caught sight of his beaming face, and broke into a good-natured laugh.
"Hallo, my little chap, would ye like a ride to-day?" said he, and before Philemon knew what was going to happen, he found himself astride of the back of a huge gray elephant.
Was there ever such a morning! It did seem as if the sun fairly outdid itself, such billows of light did it pour forth. The rollicking breeze danced round and about the caravan, and would by no means be left behind. The corn in Farmer Tucker"s field waved its silken ta.s.sels in a delighted frenzy. All the golden-rod and asters were alert to see the sight.
At last the coverings were taken from the gilded chariot; fifes and drums struck up a tune. All the Skowhegan boys came flocking out of town to meet the caravan. Some one put an American flag into Philemon"s hand.
What an honor! The lad"s heart swelled with pride. He held his head high. He was actually a part of "The Great Moral Show."
So absorbed was he in his new dignity that he did not notice that they were nearing the bridge which stretched across the Kennebec River, just outside of Skowhegan. Neither did he observe that the elephants were separating themselves from the rest of the train, until, just as the gilded chariot pa.s.sed on the bridge, the animal Philemon rode broke into a trot--and what a trot!--starting down the river-bank, followed by the other four elephants. Philemon clung with both his hands.
Into the stream plunged the beasts, wading clumsily along until the water was breast-high, when they began to swim. Philemon stuck like a little burr to the gray back.
At last the elephants gained a foot-hold once more. But they were by no means ready to give up the cool water. They snorted; they tramped; they plunged; they sucked the water into their trunks, and poured it out again in great streams. Never had Philemon had such a shower-bath. One of the elephants lay down and rolled playfully over and over. Philemon was frightened nearly out of his wits: suppose his elephant should do likewise? Instead of that, he rose to within a few feet of the bank, and, having first treated his rider to a few extra bucketfuls of water, twisted his trunk round one of Philemon"s legs.
There was a jerk, a dizzy whirl through the air, and our friend lay "high," but by no means "dry," upon the earth.
The crowd gathered round. He heard Tom Tadgers"s voice in a terrified wail: "He"s dead! he"s dead!"
Then some one else spoke: "Bring water."
That was adding insult to injury. Up as straight as a ramrod sat the afflicted Philemon. "If anybody dares to put another drop of water on me, I"ll--I"ll--I"ll go _home_!" gasped he.
There was a burst of merriment at that tremendous threat, and the young hero was lifted on some one"s shoulder, and borne along in triumph.
Strange to say, he was not even bruised, and he almost forgot his mishap, when, an hour later, he was permitted to help in spreading tan around the open s.p.a.ce where Madame Lucetta Almazida was to ride the famous horse Pegasus, and perform her "world-renowned feat" of jumping through seventeen hoops and a "barrel wrapped in flames."
That noon Philemon was actually invited to dine with Mons. Duval, the "incomparable gymnast," and a host of other circus celebrities.
"You"re a plucky little fellow, and fit to feed along o" us," said Mons.
Duval, with a grin.
Philemon was much pleased by the compliment, which, though perchance not expressed in the most refined language, showed a kindly appreciation of his merits.
He entirely forgot Tom Tadgers, who, not having had the luck to meet with an accident, was left outside. In fact, Philemon saw Tom no more that day, and the latter, at the close of the afternoon, met Silas Elder once more, and rode peacefully home, where he went to bed, quite omitting to say a word to anybody about Philemon.
In the mean time that worthy ate his dinner with his new companions. He wondered vaguely what his mother would say if she knew where he was.
He might have wondered more had not one of the men poured a yellow liquid into a cup, and handed it to him.
"Drink this, my man," said he.
Then everybody laughed. The liquid was sweet. Philemon liked it. He drank every drop. Soon he began to feel very bright and merry; and when a new song was sung he joined l.u.s.tily in the chorus. He had a clear, high, ringing voice.
"Bless us!" exclaimed Mons. Duval. "Tip us a song yourself, boy."
Not a whit abashed, Philemon began to sing.
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Mons. Duval. "Tim Luker, what used to do our first tribble, was took sick this morning. What d"ye say, youngster, to being blacked up, and singing this evening to the circus along o" our minstrel troupe?"
That yellow liquid was in Philemon"s blood. His eyes sparkled, his cheeks flamed.
"Yes, I"ll sing," cried he, boisterously, "and I"ll go to the ends of the earth with you."
After dinner--it was strange--he felt very drowsy. Mons. Duval, for some reason, was extremely amused, and considered it a great joke.
"You lay down here and take a nap," he said, and actually took off his own coat to put over Philemon. The boy slept all that afternoon; indeed, he never opened his eyes till it was nearly time for the evening"s entertainment to begin.
The big dingy tent where the performance was to come off was lighted.
Philemon followed Mons. Duval into the small tent behind the large one, where those who were to take part awaited their several turns.
He stood meekly silent, while his face, hands, and neck were daubed with some sticky black stuff; and then, as bidden, he arrayed himself in some extraordinary baggy yellow clothes, and a big paper collar.
He caught sight of himself in a bit of gla.s.s. He looked like a little black imp. What would his mother say to see him? A feeling of intense shame surged over him. He crouched down in a corner, wishing he could hide himself from the eyes of all men.
Philemon looked around him, and there, close by, was a boy about his own age, with large brown eyes and white cheeks. He was dressed in flesh-colored tights.
"Who are you?" asked Philemon, as the boy stared and half smiled.
"I"m the "Phenomenal Trapezist,"" announced the lad, solemnly.
"What do you do?"
"Oh, I go up on the trapeze, at the tiptop of the tent, and my father and uncle--they"re the crack gymnasts, you know--they toss me about as if I was a ball. By-and-by I"m going to learn to hang by my toes, and take a flying leap, sixty foot, to the slack-rope near the ground."
"Aren"t you frightened?" exclaimed Philemon.
"Ye--" began the boy, and then quickly changed his tone, as a man clad in scarlet and gilt came near. "No, I ain"t scared. I like it."
"Of course he ain"t scared," said the man, roughly. "Come, Bill, it"s time for you and me to show ourselves."