ought so the first look. I reckon that
bill was some of a liar herself, not lying outright, but jest hinting a
lie. They is a lot of mean, stingy-souled kind of people wouldn't never
lie to help a friend, but Doctor Kirby wasn't one of 'em.

"But," I says, "when that crowd finds out Alonzo ain't going up they
will be purty mad."

"Oh," says he, "I don't think so. The American public are a good-natured
set of chuckle-heads, mostly. If they get sore I'll talk 'em out of it."

If he had any faults at all--and mind you, I ain't saying Doctor Kirby
had any--the one he had hardest was the belief he could talk any crowd
into any notion, or out of it, either. And he loved to do it jest fur
the fun of it. He'd rather have the feeling he was doing that than the
money any day. He was powerful vain about that gab of his'n, Doctor
Kirby was.

The four of us took around about five thousand bills. The doctor says
they is nothing like giving yourself a chancet. And Saturday morning we
got the balloon filled up so she showed handsome, tugging away there at
her ropes. But we had a dern mean time with that balloon, too.

The doctor says if we have good luck there may be as many as three, four
hundred people.

But Jerusalem! They was two, three times that many. By the time the
show started I reckon they was nigh a thousand there. The doctor and
the Blanchet Brothers was tickled. When they quit coming fast the doctor
left the gate and made a little speech, telling all about the wonderful
show, and the great expense it was to get it together, and all that.

They was a rope stretched between the crowd and us. Back of that was the
Blanchet Brothers' wagon and our wagon, and our little tent. I was jest
inside the tent with chains on. Back of everything else was the balloon.

Well, the doctor he done a lot of songs and things as advertised. Then
the Blanchet Brothers done some of their acts. They was really fine
acts, too. Then come some more of Doctor Kirby's refined comedy, as
advertised. Next, more Blanchet. Then a lecture about me by the doctor.
All in all it takes up about an hour and a half. Then the doctor makes
a mighty nice little talk, and wishes them all good afternoon, thanking
them fur their kind intentions and liberal patronage, one and all.

"But when will the balloon go up?" asts half a dozen at oncet.

"The balloon?" asts Doctor Kirby, surprised.

"Balloon! Balloon!" yells a kid. And the hull crowd took it up and
yel