Now Bert put on top of the soap boxes Harry"s canvas schoolbag stuffed full of papers.
"This is the United States mail," he said. "We will understand that the coach has stopped for a few minutes."
Sable was going along splendidly by this time, and everybody said what a pretty little horse he was.
"He"s goin" to steal the mail box now!" whispered Flossie to Freddie.
"I hope Sable won"t fall or anything."
Snap! snap! went the whip as the horse ran faster and faster.
All of a sudden Tom got a good tight hold on the reins, then he pulled up alongside of the mail coach, leaned over, grabbed the mail bag, and spurred his horse at full speed around the ring.
"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted everybody.
"Well done!" called Uncle Daniel.
"Couldn"t be better!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey.
Tom waved his hat now and patted Sable affectionately, as all good riders do when their horses have done well in the ring.
The men admired the little horse so much they came up and asked the "cowboy" a lot of questions about him, how old he was and who broke him in.
"One more number," called Bert. "The chariot race."
At this all took their seats again, and out trotted two clowns, Jack and August, each riding in a little goat wagon.
The goats were decorated with the Fourth of July buntings and the wagons had the tailboards out and were tipped up like circus chariots.
The clowns pulled up in line.
"One, two, three!" called Bert, with a really big revolver up in the air.
"Ready! Set! Go!" Bang! went the revolver (a blank cartridge, of course) and away started the chariots.
Jack wore a broad green belt and August had yellow. Jack darted ahead!
"Go it, green!" shouted one group of boys.
"Pa.s.s him, orange!" called another crowd.
Now August pa.s.sed Jack just as they crossed the line.
"One!" called Bert. "We will have ten rounds."
In the next the wagons kept almost even until just within a few feet of the line, then Jack crossed first.
"Two!" called Bert, while all the boys shouted for their favorite.
In the next three or four turns the riders divided even. Finally the last round was reached and the boys had tied; that is, both were even when the round started. This of course made the race very interesting, as both had equal chances of winning.
"I"ll put a dollar on green," called Mr. Bobbsey. "For the fresh-air fund."
"I"ll put one on orange," called Uncle Daniel, "for the same charity."
Then the ladies all wanted to bet, but Bert said it was against the rules to allow betting.
"We will take all the money you want to give us," said Bert, "but we cannot allow betting on the races."
"All ready!" called the ringmaster, holding his revolver high in the air again.
Bang went the gun!
Off went the chariots!
My, how those little goats did run!
"Go it, green!"
"Go it, orange!"
Shout after shout greeted the riders as they urged their steeds around the ring.
Suddenly Jack"s chariot crossed in front of August.
"Foul!" called Bert, while Jack tried his best to get on his own side again.
"Back! back!" yelled Jack to his horse (goat), but the little animal was too excited to obey.
Finally fat August Stout, the funniest clown: dashed home first and won the race!
"Hurrah for Nero!" called everybody. "Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted the boys long and loud.
The circus was over!
The money was counted, and there was exactly twenty-three dollars to be given the poor children in the Meadow Brook Fresh-Air Camp.
Wasn"t that splendid? And to think everybody had such a good time too!
Freddie and Roy were allowed to ride home in the goat wagons, and they tried to race along the way.
A committee of five boys, Bert, Harry, Jack, Tom, and August, took the money over to the fresh-air camp the next day, and the managers said it was a very welcome gift, for new coats were needed for some sick children that were expected to come out from the city as soon as provision could be made for them.
"Somebody dropped a two-dollar bill in the ticket box," August told his companions. "Then there were the other two dollars from the race, besides some fifty-cent pieces I don"t know who gave. Of course we couldn"t make all that just on five-and ten-cent seats. And I took in two dollars on the peanuts besides."
"Well, we"re all satisfied," said Harry. "And I guess everybody had a good time."
"Sure they did," spoke up Tom, "and I hope Bert will come out here next year to help us with another big circus. They"re the best fun we ever had."