ck of Silas Elder's cart, all ready to start for
"The Great Moral Show."

The cart was not spacious, and its springs were few and far between, as
Philemon's bones bore witness. He began, all at once, to wonder if it
might not have been _polite_ to have mentioned to his parents that he
intended to be absent the greater part of the day.

He recollected, with a pang, that it was his mother's custom to be
anxious when one of her six precious boys was long out of her sight.

Suddenly, "Look there! there! there!" shouted Tom Tadgers.

Sure enough; there--there--there, in the distance, was a caravan moving
slowly toward Tucker's Corner. It must be--it is N. Ticeum and B.
Phoolum's show.

Nearer and nearer it came. Tom and Philemon jumped out of the cart, that
they might be ready to join the "gigantic procession."

And now they were in its midst. To be sure, the glories of "the
stupendous gilded chariot" were shrouded by brown canvas; the monkeys,
tigers, and the hippopotamus were shut up in their cages; neither were
the giraffe and kangaroo visible as yet. But here were the elephants
marching majestically along; here was the educated bull, with a ring
through his nose; and so near that Philemon could have touched him was
the living skeleton in all his enchanting leanness.

Philemon actually danced up and down in ecstasy. The man who seemed to
have charge of affairs caught sight of his beaming face, and broke into
a good-natured laugh.

"Hallo, my little chap, would ye like a ride to-day?" said he, and
before Philemon knew what was going to happen, he found himself astride
of the back of a huge gray elephant.

Was there ever such a morning! It did seem as if the sun fairly outdid
itself, such billows of light did it pour forth. The rollicking breeze
danced round and about the caravan, and would by no means be left
behind. The corn in Farmer Tucker's field waved its silken tassels in a
delighted frenzy. All the golden-rod and asters were alert to see the
sight.

At last the coverings were taken from the gilded chariot; fifes and
drums struck up a tune. All the Skowhegan boys came flocking out of town
to meet the caravan. Some one put an American flag into Philemon's hand.
What an honor! The lad's heart swelled with pride. He held his head
high. He was actually a part of "The Great Moral Show."

So absorbed was he in his new dignity that he did not notice that they
were nearing the bridge which stretched across the K