h I never thought I'd come clown t' this."

Nickie peered at the living skeleton from his cage. "I believe being a
missing link has its advantages." he said. "After all, a missing link
does have time off, but a living skeleton has no relaxations."

"Dry up, Mahdi, an' get on your perch," cried Madame Thunder, "The
Professor's openin' up."

The door was opened, and the Marvels heard Professor Thunder declaiming
on the astonishing quality of his exhibits.

"Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!" exclaimed the professor in his deep,
steam-organ tones. "Roll up, and see Mahdi and Marve--Mabdi the Missing
Link, the great man-monkey, captured in the gloom junge of Darkest
Africa, the Connectin' link 'tween man an' the beasts; Marve, the Mystic,
the prophetess, enchantess and Egyptian seer, who will read your future
in your palm, exhibit her educated pig, and display the occult science of
the Oriental wonder-workers!'

"Here they come," said Madame, arranging her rich Egyptian costume, made
by sewing a design of spangles on a curiously-patterned bed quilt.

The Missing Link hooked himself to the crossbar with one hand, drew up
his hairy legs, and remained suspended in a limp attitude, as two women,
with frightened children clinging to their skirts, entered the show.

Madame took charge of the audience, and lucidly explained the Darwinian
theory, beginning with Spider, the tiny ape, and tracing the descent of
man through Ammonia, the gorilla, to Mahdi the Missing Link, and Mahdi
romped about the cage, growled and gibbered, poking his amazingly human
face through the bars for fleeting moments.

When not engaged telling fortunes, performing a few primitive illusions,
or putting Ephraim, the Educated Hog, through his manoeuvres, Madame was
anything the occasion required. The Professor had great faith in her. She
had once carried the show through successfully when the Living Skeleton,
the Missing Link, Ammonia the Gorilla, and Ephraim were all incapacitated
through an influenza epidemic.

They had a big evening, the holiday-makers flocked in so freely that
Professor Thunder abandoned his position as "spruicher," or public
speaker, and took charge of the interior, acting as explainer and
interpreter, leaving his little daughter Letitia to take the sixpences at
the door.

The night was warm, and as the stream of patrons was incessant, Nickie
the Kid found his duties most oppressive, and had serious thoughts of
shedding his skin.

P