barn was
in German, so I had to give it up.

[Illustration: I stood on the barn steps with a long whip.--_Page
260._]

In the moonlight that evening the fat lady in the red dress, and two
little girls came to see to the horses. Afterwards they sat for a long
time out on the barn steps watching the moon. The two little girls had
long light hair down their backs and short dresses above their knees.

I leaned against the dining-room window with my nose pressed flat, and
stared at them. Oh, what a delightful time those little girls had!
Think! to travel that way--just travel--travel--travel, to ride on those
lovely horses, and wear such short fancy skirts, and have your hair
flowing loose over your back.

I never was allowed to go with my hair loose,--and I suppose I shall
have to stay in this poky town all my days; and never in the world shall
I get a chance to ride on a horse, I thought.

At night I lay awake and heard the horses stamping and thumping up in
the barn. After all, even this was good fun, almost like being in the
midst of a fairy tale.

The next day I was again late to school. There was not a single one of
the swarthy fellows to be seen around the barn, so I climbed up on the
wall and stuck grass through a broken window-pane to the big white
horse. I patted him on his smooth pinky nose: "Oh, you sweet, lovely
horse!"--I must go down for more grass, the very best grass to be found
he should have.

"Inger Johanne, will you be so good as to go to school? It's very
late"--it was Father calling from the office window; so there was an end
to that pleasure.

Down by the steamboat-landing, in the big open square, the circus tent
had been set up. Karsten and I were down there two hours before the
performance was to begin. I was the first of all the spectators to go
inside. It was a tremendously big, high tent, three rows of seats around
it, and a staging of rough boards for the orchestra. Anything so
magnificent you never saw. At last the performance began.

But to describe what goes on at a circus, that I won't do. About
ordinary things, such as are happening every day at home, I can write
very well, as you know, but anything so magnificent as that circus I
can't describe.

I was nearly out of my wits, people said afterwards. I stood up on the
seat--those behind me were angry, but that didn't bother me at
all--clapped my hands and shouted "Bravo!" and "Hurrah!" Towards the
last the riders, when they ca