pped running. Then Bob
led him back to the pen. There the little pony munched the corn happily.
[Illustration]
Next it was Peggy's turn to show Polly. Showman Bob brought out a table.
Then he helped Peggy put Polly's big cage on it. Peggy lifted the black
cloth. There was Polly! She was the greenest, reddest, funniest parrot
you ever saw. She winked her eyes, shook her feathers, and called out,
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" The children laughed; but they did not get
up. So General Polly sang out, "Get busy! Get busy! Get busy!" The
children soon knew what they must "get busy" about. Polly began to say
in her most coaxing voice, "Polly wants a cracker! Poor Poll! Pretty
Poll! Poor Polly wants a cracker!" This sounded so funny that everybody
laughed.
Peggy had some crackers in her pocket. She took them out and let the
children feed Polly. They poked bits of cracker through the wires of her
cage. Polly was not very polite. She pecked and grabbed and talked to
herself. But everything she did was so funny that the children enjoyed
it.
At last Polly had all the crackers she wanted. Then she grew tired and
cross. She began to scream, "Bad boy! Go away! Go away! Go away!" The
children ran back to their seats. General Polly was left all alone.
For a time she liked this. She swung on her perch and made queer noises
to herself. Then she grew tired. She threw herself on the bottom of the
cage and began to moan, "Come quick! Come quick! Polly's sick! Polly's
sick!" Then Peggy came with the black cloth, and General Polly was taken
to her pen.
[Illustration]
Next it was little Dot's turn to show her cat family. She was too shy to
play showman as Bob had done. She just came out in front of the
children and stood there. Snowball was in her arms and Fluff and Muff
were on her shoulders. She put Snowball down. Then she gave her
shoulders a shake and Fluff and Muff scrambled down to the ground.
Next Dot took two red balls from her pocket. Each ball had a long rubber
fastened to it. It would bounce high without rolling away. Dot put a
ball near each kitten's paws. Just as Fluff and Muff sprang to get the
balls, Dot pulled the rubber. You never saw such surprised kittens! They
sat still and looked with wide-open eyes. These were queer balls indeed
that flew up into the air instead of rolling on the floor. This was
something new and strange.
The next time Dot bounced the balls Fluff and Muff were ready. Up they
jumped, wit
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