for
the 'Greatest Show On Earth' opens its afternoon performance at two
o'clock sharp precisely to the minute! and I, for one, cannot,
positively cannot, miss the Grand Entrance! Umm. I see them now, in
fancy's eye, the cream colored horses, the glittering spangles, the
acrobats in tights, the monkeys, the--the----"

"Oh! Don't say any more, dear Master, or I shall have to ride over
with Jim this morning and see the street parade!" cried Molly
Breckenridge clasping her plump hands in absurd entreaty, while every
lad present looked enviously upon the thus honored James.

"_I_ could buy circus tickets if I put my whole mind to it. How about
you, Littlejohn Smith?" observed Monty.

"Give me the cash and let me try!"

Danny said nothing but his eyes were wistfully fixed upon vacancy,
while Frazer Moore sadly stated:

"All I ever did see about a circus--so far--was the parade. I run away
to that--once."

"And got a lickin' for it afterwards, I remember," commented Mike
Martin.

This was too much for the discipline of that dear old "boy," Seth
Winters, and he cried:

"See here, lads! I can't stand for that. Nor need I be afraid of
fatigue for _you_. Nothing will tire a single boy of the lot, to-day,
except missing some part of this delectable Show! Scamper! Scatter!
Trot! Vamoose! In short, run to the stables and see if there are
horses enough to go around, counting in the workers. There'll none of
them be needed at Deerhurst to-day. Then you can all ride to town with
our treasurer and put your horses up at the big livery on the High
Street back of the town. See to it that they are made perfectly safe
and comfortable for the day, and tell the proprietor that they are to
be looked after for me. Here, Jamie lad, is an extra ten dollar bill.
Use it judiciously, for anything needed, especially for luncheon for
eight hungry boys. Better get that at some reputable restaurant and
not on the grounds. Also, one of you meet the rest of us at the
station at one o'clock with the tickets. Our whole big Party will make
our own Grand Entrance!"

"Oh! thank you, thank you!"

With a simultaneous cry of rapture the lads sped stablewards, leaving
some rather downcast girlish faces behind them.

"I--I can ride horseback," said Molly B., with a sigh.

"So can I; and 'tain't far to our house. I guess Pa Martin'd have let
me have old Bess to ride on," responded the other Molly.

"Shucks! Molly M. How'd you look, rockin' along on