they are any sort of wild
bird or animal you like," said the farmer.

The children promised to be kind to the roosters. They did not put them
in cages that day, as it was too soon.

That afternoon Tom White, Nellie Bruce, Jimmie Kenny, Sallie Smith and
Ned Johnson came over to see Bunny and Sue. They all went out to the
barn, and there they got ready for the circus. Bunny and Sue, as well as
the other children, were to be dressed up in funny clothes, which their
mothers said they would make for them.

Bunny was to do some "acts" on the trapeze, and fall down in the hay.
Then he and Sue were to do part of a little Punch and Judy show they had
once given, though Bunny, this time, had no big lobster claw to put on
his nose.

"All ready now!" called Bunny, when his friends were in the barn. "All
ready to practise for the circus!"

CHAPTER XII

THE LITTLE CIRCUS

"Bunny! Bunny Brown! What am I going to be in the circus? I want to be a
clown!"

"Yes, I want to be a clown, too, and throw water over another clown,
like I saw in a circus once!"

"Well, you're not going to throw any water on me!"

"Yes I can if Bunny Brown says so! It's _his_ circus!"

Tom White, Jimmie Kenny and Ned Johnson were talking together in one
corner of the barn. Ned wanted to be a clown, and throw water on some
one else. Jimmie did not want to be the one to get wet, nor did Tom
White.

"Bunny, can't I be a clown?" asked Ned.

"I'm going to be a wild animal trainer--make-believe!" exclaimed Sue,
"and I'm going to be near the cage where the blue-striped tiger is. I'm
going to make him roar."

Sallie Smith looked a bit scared.

"Oh, it's only make-believe," Sue explained.

"Yes, I know," said Sallie. "But--Oh, dear! a blue-striped tiger!"

"Oh, it's only our big dog Splash," went on Sue. "First I was only going
to let Bunny stripe his half of Splash. But a half a blue-striped tiger
would look funny, so I said he could make my half of Splash striped too.
It will wash off, for it's only bluing, like mother puts on the
clothes."

"And we're going to have a striped zebra, too," said Bunny.

"Oh, let's see it!" begged the three boys.

"It's only one of grandpa's calves," cried Sue, "but it really has green
stripes on it. Bunny put them on, and they're green paint, and they
won't come off 'till they wear off, grandpa says, and the calf ran away,
and kicked Bunny over and----"

"Oh, Sue, don't tell everything!" cried Bunny. "