The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Circus Comes to Town, by Lebbeus Mitchell

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Title: The Circus Comes to Town

Author: Lebbeus Mitchell

Illustrator: Rhoda Chase

Release Date: November 3, 2005 [EBook #16991]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: This is my Book]

[Illustration: "JERRY KEPT FASCINATED EYES ON THAT CHALKY WHITE FACE."

"The Circus Comes to Town." (See Page 128)]

The Circus Comes to Town

BY LEBBEUS MITCHELL

AUTHOR OF "_One Boy Too Many_" and "_Here, Tricks, Here!_"

[Illustration]

CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY PUBLISHERS --- NEW YORK

OTHER LEBBEUS MITCHELL
BOOKS PUBLISHED BY
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
ARE

ONE BOY TOO MANY

&

HERE, TRICKS, HERE!

THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN
COPYRIGHT, 1921,
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

_PRINTED IN U.S.A._

[Illustration: Contents]

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE
I. "ASK YOUR MOTHER FOR FIFTY CENTS" 1

II. THE BLACK HALF-DOLLAR 18

III. THE WIDTH OF AN ELEPHANT'S TAIL 37

IV. JERRY LEARNS THAT O-U-T SPELLS OUT 49

V. THE GREEN ELEPHANT BUYS AN AUDIENCE 65

VI. THE CHILDREN THAT CRIED IN THE LANE 80

VII. TICKETS TO PARADISE 97

VIII. THE CROCODILE TEARS OF CELIA JANE 112

IX. CLOWN OF CLOWNS 127

X. "GREAT SULT ANNA O'QUEEN" 142

XI. A BOY NAMED GARY 157

XII. THE DIZZY SEAT OF GLORY 171

XIII. "--AND ELEPHANTS TO RIDE UPON" 188

THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

CHAPTER I

"ASK YOUR MOTHER FOR FIFTY CENTS"

The apple seemed to Jerry Elbow too big to be true.

He held it out at arm's length to get a good squint at its bigness and
its redness. Then he turned to look wonderingly after the disappearing
automobile with the lady who had tossed him the apple for directing her
to the post office. A long trail of dust rose from the unpaved street