Hello! hello!" said a voice over the wire.

"That you, C-c-chief?"

"It certainly is; what can I do for you this morning?" came the voice.

"This is T-t-toby J-j-jucklin s-s-speaking to you!"

"I see it is," replied the official, who knew Toby very well, and
doubtless his stuttering also. "Well, what's happened this Sunday, Toby?
Storm knock a chimney down at your place? It would only make six I've
heard from, not to speak of the church spire being out of plumb again."

"D-d-did the circus g-g-get to town last night, C-c-chief!"

"Did it? Well, I should say yes. There's the dickens to pay, and I guess
most of the churches'll have thin audiences this morning, when the news
leaks out, Toby."

"Y-y-you mean the animals escaped, d-d-don't you, Chief?"

"They surely did," came the reply over the wire. "Wind blew the
round-top down, upset some of the cages, and made such a big panic that
all the live stock that could get a move on took French leave. Right now
the whole outfit is scouring the roads for ten miles around, but I
haven't heard that they've run across anything yet. The whole country
will be just plumb crazy when it gets known."

"W-w-what was it g-g-got away, Chief; w-w-would you mind tellin' me?"

"Certainly not, Toby; you know I'd do a heap to oblige you," the head of
Carson's police force went on to say, for Mr. Jucklin had considerable
influence in politics, and the Chief knew which side of his bread was
buttered, as well as any one could. "Let's see, I heard it over the
wire, and Mr. Jenks was all broke up over the catastrophe, so he mixed
things up some; but I remember he said all the camels and the elephants
had lit out, ditto their trained ostrich that draws a cart around the
ring like a hoss; and there was some monkeys that broke loose too, yes,
and now I think of it he did mention a striped animal which he called
the zebra; and I think he said a lot of lions and tigers, and also a few
others I can't recall for the moment!"

"Well, part of the lot are camped right now in our back yard!" said
Toby, filled with such a sense of importance that he neglected to
stumble over a single word of this sentence.

Evidently the man in blue uniform at the other end of the wire was
staggered by this unexpected communication.

"What's that, Toby?" he exclaimed; "you wouldn't try to deceive me, I
hope? Sure you haven't been dreaming, and seeing things? I know you're
fond of wild animals, and have got a little