Mother, aren't we going to the circus?" he asked
quickly.

"Well, I didn't hear anything about it," said Mrs. Brown slowly.

"Can't you take us, Uncle Tad?" pleaded Sue, for she, as much as did her
brother, wanted to see the big show.

"Well, I suppose I _could_ put off my fishing till another day," said
Uncle Tad slowly. "Are you _sure_ you two want to go?"

"Are we!" cried Bunny.

"Oh, I want to go--so much!" and Sue showed just how much by putting her
arms around Uncle Tad's neck and hugging him as hard as she could. That
was her way of showing "how much."

"Well, if it's as much as that I guess I'll have to take you," laughed
Uncle Tad. "Mind you, I don't want to go myself," and he looked at Mrs.
Brown in a queer way. "I don't care anything about a circus--never did
in fact. But if an old man has to give up his fishing trip, just to take
two children to one of the wild animal shows, why I guess it will have
to be done, that's all. But really I don't want to go," and he shook his
head very seriously.

"Oh, Uncle Tad!" cried Sue. "Don't you want to see the elephants?"

"Nope," and the old soldier kept on shaking his head "crossways," as
Bunny said.

"And don't you want to see the lions?"

"Nope."

"Nor the tigers?"

"Nope."

"Not even the camels and the monkeys and the men jumping over horses'
backs, nor the giraffes with their long necks--don't you want to see
_any_ of them?" Sue was talking faster and faster all the while.

Uncle Tad did not say anything, but a funny look came into his eyes, and
Bunny was almost sure the old soldier was laughing on one side of his
face at Mother Brown. Then Bunny cried:

"Oh, Sue! He's just fooling! He wants to go as much as we do!"

"Oh, Uncle Tad, I'm so glad!" cried Sue. "I love you--so--much!" and
again she hugged him as hard as she could, and kissed him too.

"Now I'll surely have to go," he chuckled.

Breakfast was soon over, and by that time Bunny and Sue were so excited
that they did not know what to do. Somehow they managed to get properly
dressed, and by that time other circus wagons came along.

These wagons were gilded and painted more gaily than the first that had
gone past. And from some of them came low growls or roars.

"Oh, they've got lions inside," said Sue, opening her eyes wide.

"And tigers, too," added Bunny in a wondering voice. "But I want to see
the elephants," he added.

Pretty soon the big elephants came along, and behind them