d professional jealousy we lose our
two star attractions, for that blamed snake is so kinked up that he
isn't good for anything except to cut up into barrel hoops.'

"The Signor was ashamed of himself and hadn't a word to say, so he just
kept quiet and tried to get used to his new shape and taking a
bird's-eye view of things. Merritt and I were feeling pretty blue when
along comes Tody Hamilton, the circus press agent, and as soon as he saw
what had happened he made a run for a trolley car.

"'Don't let 'em get away!' he yelled back over his shoulder. 'This is
the biggest scoop on record and I'm off for the printing-office.'

[Illustration: _"Jake was having the time of his life, and the harder
the elephants pulled the tighter he squeezed the Signor."_]

"'It'll make a good newspaper story, all right; but where do we come in
on it?' says Merritt, looking mournfully at Adipose.

"Well, a couple of hours later I had to go into the city to order some
new togs for the Signor, who looked as if he were dressed in a
particularly baggy bathing suit since he had been stretched out, and the
first thing I saw was a procession of sandwich men marching down the
street. The ink wasn't dry on the posters, but Tody had been busy, and
there in flaming red letters was the announcement--

JUST ARRIVED AT THE
BIG SHOW!

DON'T MISS SEEING THEM!!!

LENGTHY LOUIS, THE TALLEST
MAN IN THE UNIVERSE!!!

CIRCULAR SAM, THE MOST GIGANTIC
HOOP SNAKE EVER CAPTURED!!!

THE LIONESS SKIRT DANCE AND THE INCONSIDERATE PYTHON

THE LIONESS SKIRT DANCE AND THE INCONSIDERATE PYTHON

The conventional skirt dance has long ceased to be a novelty on the
vaudeville stage, but as it is performed by "La Belle Selica" in the
Arena at Dreamland it holds the interest of that most exacting
audience--a crowd of Coney Island pleasure seekers. It is not because
Selica is pre-eminent among dancers, but on account of the unusual and
dangerous stage setting; for she performs in the large exhibition cage,
surrounded by a half dozen lionesses, each animal seated on a separate
pedestal. Any one of the huge beasts could crush the dancer with a
single blow of a massive paw, and the great jaws which snap viciously at
her tiny feet as she kicks them before their faces are sufficiently
powerful to crush the shin-bone of an ox.

She is apparently without fear of them, for she dances gracefully from
one to the other, flickin