y laughed at Ham's witty excuse.

"What's all this levity about?" asked Capt. Noah, entering the cabin.

"Coo!" said the little dove,
"Coo!" said she,
"And they all lived together
In the big green tree."

"Hello!" exclaimed Capt. Noah, forgetting his own question, "the dove
spouting poetry, eh? Well, we'll have to give an entertainment. There must
be lots of talent on board. Plenty of material for a circus, anyhow."

"How jolly!" exclaimed Marjorie. "I'll make a ring to-morrow," said
Japheth.

"I've already trained one of the little pigs to walk on its hind legs,"
said Ham. "It's the white one with the pink nose."

"The elephant and I are great friends," added Shem. "I think he'd do
anything I asked him. To-night when I rolled up his bale of hay, he said,
'Hey, young man, look out for my toes!' And then he stood up on top of the
bale on his hind legs just as they do in the circus. I'll bet I could make
him do a lot of stunts."

"Just you wait until you see my wrestling monkeys," cried Ham. "I've
taught two of them already. They'll be better than a moving picture show."

"My goodness, I think you have very clever boys," said Marjorie, who was
tickled to death to think they were going to have a circus.

Mrs. Noah did not reply at once. I guess she was thinking it over.

"Well, perhaps they are," she said by and by. "I never thought of it in
just that way. I'm afraid I've always thought them mischievous."

"What time shall we have the circus?" asked Ham.

"Not too soon after breakfast," said Capt. Noah. "I don't want any sick
animals aboard."

"We'll be careful," said Japheth. "Let's go to bed now so as to wake up
bright and early to-morrow."

[Illustration: The Laughing Hyena had to be put to bed for fear she would
laugh herself to death.]

THE CIRCUS

The ark goes sailing down the bay
Upon the rushing tide;
And the circus will commence to-day
With the animals safe inside.

This is the song the weathercock sang early the next morning.

Marjorie rubbed her eyes, and then jumped out of bed and looked out of the
window.

"Good morning," she said to the merry gilt rooster, "it's a fine day for
the circus. That was a pretty verse you just sang. Did you make it up?"

"Oh, yes," said the weathercock proudly. "Just couldn't help it, you know.
The circus doesn't come to town every day in the week."

Well, after that, Marjorie hurried down to the breakfast table, w