iting."

"I'll join," said Puss; "here's my paw!"

"And here's my hand," said the clown.

"And here's mine," cried the circus-lady.

"Come with me," said the clown, "and I'll put your name on the program
and you shall be a regular circus performer from now on."

And that is how Puss, Jr., joined the circus.

PUSS, JR., PROVES TO BE A WONDERFUL CIRCUS PERFORMER

It was about eight-thirty o'clock in the evening. The big tent was all
aglow with lights. A long line of people reached from the dusty roadway
to the ticket-office. Flaring torches threw strange streaks of light
over the field, lighting up the circus-wagons with their gleaming red
bodies and yellow wheels.

Now and then the roars of the lions and the trumpetings of the elephants
could be heard, then the music of the band, a bugle-call, a shrill
voice, a snap of whips--all the familiar sounds of a traveling circus,
as the evening breeze ruffled the many flags that decked the great white
tent. Puss, Jr., stood by the side of the clown in the tan-bark ring and
looked about him. On all sides were eager faces. Hundreds of children
screamed and yelled as the clown came forward and motioned for silence.
When the sounds had died away he spoke, loud and clear:

"Ladies and gentlemen and little children, we have with us to-night the
son of the famous Puss in Boots, the well-known nursery character,
dearly loved by old and young. Puss, Junior, is in search of his father,
but in the meantime has consented to join our circus. I venture to say
that no other circus in the world has so wonderful a cat among its
performers. You will all be charmed to see him act. His first
performance will be to ride around the ring on our beautiful Arabian
horse, White Marvel!" As the clown finished Puss jumped nimbly to the
horse's back and commenced riding around the ring as if he had been
accustomed to this sort of thing all his life.

The children clapped their hands, and the grown-ups smiled and nodded
approvingly. The white horse broke into a gallop, but Puss stood first
on one leg and then on the other, bowing gracefully here and there. Not
once did he lose his balance, although he wore his red-topped boots, and
to stand on the bare back of a horse under such conditions is not the
easiest thing in the world.

When the clown brought out a wooden ring covered with tissue-paper the
crowd held its breath. Would Puss, Jr., dare jump through it? Around
galloped the big whit