on the railway, and the tramps who were heating coffee in
cans over by the cattle-pen.

Finally, some cattle arrived in the pen to be loaded into cars for the
city, and the boys had just decided to go and watch the men loading
them, when an engine came up the side-track with the most beautiful car
they had ever seen, behind it. The car was painted in all colours of the
rainbow, and in giant letters was printed the magic name of "The World's
Greatest Show."

The boys lost no time in getting down from the cattle-pen fence, and the
car had barely stopped when they were aboard. "Hooray," shouted Charlie
Huffman, "we'll all get jobs of passin' bills." And it was with this
end in view that they sought the advertising manager in the car, who
promised to give them all jobs when the circus came in two weeks.
The boys deluged him with questions of every sort. "Will there be any
elephants?" "Is there goin' to be a parade?" and "Will there be any
trapeze performances?" The poor man was finally obliged to lock the
door to keep them out, and the boys stood about the car until nearly
six o'clock, admiring the paintings, and speculating as to whether they
would be able to work their way into the circus or not, when it finally
came. Their speculations were interrupted by the appearance on the scene
of the Widow Sullivan with a good-sized maple switch, which she used
to good effect in getting the two Sullivans and Archie Dunn home for
supper. For Mrs. Dunn had given Mrs. Sullivan instructions before she
started, so that when Archie complained that he had been whipped by
"that woman next door," he received no sympathy whatever.

And when he went to bed at nine o'clock, he could hardly sleep for
thinking of the wonderful things which had happened this day. The coming
circus and the great Hut Club kept him awake until far after ten, so
that he got up too late for Sunday school the next morning, and was
punished accordingly.

The next week was a hard one at school, and the boys had but little
time to devote to the club. But after four o'clock in the afternoon
they sometimes got together and did various things which improved their
club-house. Some very fair chairs were constructed from empty soap
boxes, and various contrivances were put together to guard against the
intrusion of any East Siders or tramps while they were away at school.
There was no padlock used, and any one coming up to the hut would
imagine it a simple thing to enter--un