ary.

"At the slightest PRE-text!" he repeated, and continued, suiting the
action to the word: "I will now hammer upon the box and each and all may
see these genuine full-blooded Michigan rats perform at the slightest
PRE-text! There! (That's all they do now, but I and Sam are goin' to
train 'em lots more before this afternoon.) GEN-til-mun and LAY-deeze I
will kindly now call your at-tain-shon to Sherman, the wild animal
from Africa, costing the lives of the wild trapper and many of his
companions. NEXT, let me kindly interodoos Herman and Verman. Their
father got mad and stuck his pitchfork right inside of another man,
exactly as promised upon the advertisements outside the big tent, and
got put in jail. Look at them well, gen-til-mun and lay-deeze, there is
no extra charge, and RE-MEM-BUR you are each and all now looking at two
wild, tattooed men which the father of is in jail. Point, Herman. Each
and all will have a chance to see. Point to sumpthing else, Herman.
This is the only genuine one-fingered tattooed wild man. Last on
the programme, gen-til-mun and lay-deeze, we have Verman, the savage
tattooed wild boy, that can't speak only his native foreign languages.
Talk some, Verman."

Verman obliged and made an instantaneous hit. He was encored
rapturously, again and again; and, thrilling with the unique pleasure of
being appreciated and misunderstood at the same time, would have talked
all day but too gladly. Sam Williams, however, with a true showman's
foresight, whispered to Penrod, who rang down on the monologue.

"GEN-til-mun and LAY-deeze, this closes our pufformance. Pray pass out
quietly and with as little jostling as possible. As soon as you are all
out there's goin' to be a new pufformance, and each and all are welcome
at the same and simple price of admission. Pray pass out quietly and
with as little jostling as possible. RE-MEM-BUR the price is only one
cent, the tenth part of a dime, or twenty pins, no bent ones taken. Pray
pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible. The Schofield
and Williams Military Band will play before each pufformance, and each
and all are welcome for the same and simple price of admission. Pray
pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible."

Forthwith, the Schofield and Williams Military Band began a second
overture, in which something vaguely like a tune was at times
distinguishable; and all of the first audience returned, most of them
having occupi