t with his hands in his pockets, was so impressive that even big Sam
repressed his excitement and meekly followed their leader, as he led
them from cage to cage, doing the honors as if he owned the whole
concern. Bab held tight to the flap of his jacket, staring about her
with round eyes, and listening with little gasps of astonishment or
delight to the roaring of lions, the snarling of tigers, the chatter of
the monkeys, the groaning of camels, and the music of the very brass
band shut up in a red bin.

Five elephants were tossing their hay about in the middle of the
menagerie, and Billy's legs shook under him as he looked up at the big
beasts whose long noses and small, sagacious eyes filled him with awe.
Sam was so tickled by the droll monkeys that the others left him before
the cage and went on to see the zebra, "striped just like Ma's muslin
gown," Bab declared. But the next minute she forgot all about him in her
raptures over the ponies and their tiny colts; especially one mite of a
thing who lay asleep on the hay, such a miniature copy of its little
mouse-colored mamma that one could hardly believe it was alive.

"Oh, Ben, I must feel of it!--the cunning baby horse!" and down went
Bab inside the rope to pat and admire the pretty creature, while its
mother smelt suspiciously at the brown hat, and baby lazily opened one
eye to see what was going on.

"Come out of that, it isn't allowed" commanded Ben, longing to do the
same thing, but mindful of the proprieties and his own dignity.

Bab reluctantly tore herself away to find consolation in watching the
young lions, who looked so like big puppies, and the tigers washing
their faces just as puss did.

"If I stroked 'em, wouldn't they purr?" she asked, bent on enjoying
herself, while Ben held her skirts lest she should try the experiment.

"You'd better not go to patting them, or you'll get your hands clawed
up. Tigers do purr like fun when they are happy, but these fellers never
are, and you'll only see 'em spit and snarl," said Ben, leading the way
to the humpy carrels, who were peacefully chewing their cud and longing
for the desert, with a dreamy, far-away look in their mournful eyes.

Here, leaning on the rope, and scientifically biting a straw while he
talked, Ben played showman to his heart's content till the neigh of a
horse from the circus tent beyond reminded him of the joys to come.

"We'd better hurry along and get good seats before folks begin to cr