got dreadfully
hungry. The eating seemed to keep his heart down; it was trying to get
into his throat all the time; and he knew that she was being good to him,
but if he had not known it he would have believed his mother was just
doing it to mock him.

Pony had to go to the circus with his father and sisters, and to get on
his shoes and a clean collar. But a crowd of the fellows were there at the
tent door to watch out whether the circus man would say anything to him
when he went in; and Jim Leonard rubbed up against him, when the man
passed with his dog and did not even look at Pony, and said: "He's just
pretending. He don't want your father to know. He'll be round for you,
sure. I saw him kind of smile to one of the other circus men."

It was a splendid circus, and there were more things than Pony ever saw in
a circus before. But instead of hating to have it over, it seemed to him
that it would never come to an end. He kept thinking and thinking, and
wondering whether he would like to be a circus actor; and when the one
came out who rode four horses bareback and stood on his head on the last
horse, and drove with the reins in his teeth, Pony thought that he never
could learn to do it; and if he could not learn he did not know what the
circus men would say to him. It seemed to him that it was very strange he
had not told that circus man that he didn't know whether he could do it or
not; but he had not, and now it was too late.

A boy came around calling lemonade, and Pony's father bought some for each
of the children, but Pony could hardly taste his.

"What is the matter with you, Pony? Are you sick?" his father asked.

"No. I don't care for any; that's all. I'm well," said Pony; but he felt
very miserable.

After supper Jim Leonard came round and went up to Pony's room with him to
help him pack, and he was so gay about it and said he only wished _he_ was
going, that Pony cheered up a little. Jim had brought a large square of
checked gingham that he said he did not believe his mother would ever
want, and that he would tell her he had taken if she asked for it. He said
it would be the very thing for Pony to carry his clothes in, for it was
light and strong and would hold a lot. He helped Pony to choose his things
out of his bureau drawers: a pair of stockings and a pair of white
pantaloons and a blue roundabout, and a collar, and two handkerchiefs.
That was all he said Pony would need, because he would have his cir