two of them got out a fountain
pen, and they made out a check, and he said: "This is the first case in
the history of railroad wrecking that the agent has not had the heart to
try to beat the injured party down. This is certainly the most pitiful
case that has ever been known, and if your father ever comes to his
senses you can tell him he is welcome to the money."

The agents shook hands with pa and I, and went away to their train, and
pa winked at me, and a wrecking train came and we got on a special, and
got to Pittsburg before breakfast, and pa is going to buy me a dog out
of the money.

Gee, but there is all kinds of money in the circus business. Pa is going
to wear his pants hind side before until we get out of Pittsburg.

CHAPTER XII.

The Bad Boy Causes Trouble Between the Russian Cossacks and the Jap
Jugglers--A Jap Tight-Rope Walker Jiu-Jitsu's Pa--The Animals Go on
a Strike--Pa Runs the Menagerie for a Day and Wins Their Gratitude.

I did not mean any harm when I told the Japanese jugglers that they
ought to kick against having those Russian cavalrymen in the show, the
fellows who ride horses standing up, in the wild-west department, 'cause
I had listened to their Russian talk, and it seemed to me they were
spies who were looking for a chance to do injury to the "poor little
Japs." I could see that I made the Japs mad the first thing, and then I
told them that pa and all the managers of the show felt sorry for the
little Japs, 'cause some day the big Russians would ride right over
them, and kill them right in the ring. I said that everybody thought the
Japs ought to resign from the show, for fear of a clash with the
Russians, or else they ought to have some grown persons to act as
chaperones.

You ought to have seen the look of scorn on the faces of the Jap
jugglers when the interpreter told them that the circus people were
afraid the Russians would hurt them. They jabbered awhile, and then the
interpreter told me that the ten little Japs could whip the 20 Russians
in four minutes. Probably it was none of my business, and I never ought
to have repeated it, but in a circus everybody wants to know everything
that is going on, so when the big leader of the Russians asked me what
those brown monkeys were talking about, I told him: "Nothing particular,
only they say the ten of them could lick you 20 Russians in four
minutes."

Gee, didn't that Russian talk kopec and damski, and froth a