they went on, Bandy-legs in advance, for it was his next
turn with the target rifle.

"What makes you say that, Max?" demanded Steve, a little testily.

"Well, in the first place there's a queer feeling in the air that seems
to tell of a storm coming along," replied the other; "then if you look
away over to the southwest you'll see a low bank of clouds. There's some
wind in that bunch of clouds if I know anything about weather signs. And
besides the paper said we'd have a blow some time soon."

"Hope she gets over with before next week, when we want to hike up into
the woods for our first camp this season; that's all I can say,"
Bandy-legs observed over his shoulder, for he could hear what his chums
were talking about, being only a short distance ahead of them, though
closer to the shore of the pond.

"C-c-cracky!" burst out Toby, his face taking on an agonized look, as
though a sudden thought had struck him, and brought pain.

"What ails you now, Toby?" demanded Steve.

"Why, I was thinking of the c-c-circus that's expectin' to d-d-drop into
Carson around about m-m-midnight, that's what!"

"Say, that's a fact," Steve added; "they are showing this afternoon and
to-night over at Bloomingdale, and a train will fetch the lot to Carson
right after the last performance. If it storms they'll have a warm
session getting the cages of animals and the performing elephants off
the cars."

"I thought s-s-some of s-s-staying up and g-g-goin' down to see the
animals come to t-t-town," admitted Toby; and of course none of the
others saw anything wonderful about that, knowing his great love for
animals as they did; though Bandy-legs did see fit to try and josh him
a little when he saw the chance.

"You certainly missed the biggest thing of your life when you didn't
hire out to old Noah," he told Toby. "Just think what a treat it'd been
to him, fellers, to stand there and check off all the animals big and
little as they walked aboard the ark in pairs, the elephant and the
kangaroo, and the little monkey too. But a measly storm oughtn't to keep
you at home, Toby."

"But they won't get in till near two in the morning, I'm told,"
protested Toby; "and I guess my folks'd put the kibosh on my staying out
that late on a stormy night."

"Hurrah! did you hear him say all that without a single stagger?" cried
the boy with the bow-legs; "wisht my troubles'd be as easy to drop as
his stuttering is. But mine stick with me all the time.