han these!"

Everybody thought everything was splendid, and the boys were well paid
for their efforts.

"Now," said Bert, "here are our crystal fish from the deep sea!" (These
were Tom's goldfish.) "You will notice how bespangled they are. They
say this comes from the fish eating the diamonds lost in shipwrecks."

"What a whopper!" called someone back of the scenes whose voice sounded
like Tom Mason's.

Snap! went Bert's whip, and the boys did not interrupt him again.

"The last part of our menagerie is the cage of prize butterflies," said
Bert. "These butterflies are rare and scarce and--"

"Hard to catch!" remarked someone not on the programme.

"Now there will be ten minutes' intermission," the announcer said, "so
all may have time to see everything in the menagerie.

"After that we will give you the best number of the programme, our
chariot race."

"Oh, that's going to be Tom!" exclaimed Roy.

"No, it's Bert," said Flossie.

"Well, Jack has our goat-wagon," said Mildred.

"I guess there'll be a whole lot in the race," said Freddie, "and maybe
they'll have firemen."

During the intermission August sold a whole big basket of peanuts, and
the people wanted more. They knew all the money was to go to the
fresh-air camp, which was probably the reason they bought so generously.

"I don't know when I have enjoyed myself so much," declared Mrs.
Manners, fanning herself. "I had no idea boys could be so clever."

"That's because you only have girls," laughed Mrs. Bobbsey.

"Don't you think we ought to give them a treat for working so hard?"
whispered Mrs. Herold to Aunt Sarah. "I would be delighted to have them
all to dinner," she added, in her society way, for the Herolds were
quite rich.

"That would be very nice, I'm sure," Aunt Sarah replied; "boys always
have good appetites after having a lot of fun."

All this time there was plenty of noise back of the scenes, and it was
evident something big was being prepared.

Presently Bert and Harry came out and lowered the tent flap, first
making sure all the little sightseers were outside.

"They're comin'!" exclaimed Freddie, clapping his fat hands.

"Oh, I'm just so nervous!" whispered Flossie! "I hope none of the
animals will get loose."

"Now, ladies and gentlemen," called Tom Mason, appearing at the tent,
"if you will just turn round the other way in your seats and face that
ring we will give you an exhibition of cowboy life on the plains!"

C