The circus come to our town,
En' everything was upside down.
En' crowds of people lined the street
To see the p'rade. En' such a heat!
'Twas like our winter furnace. Whew!
'Twas hotter'n that, en' some more too.
En' pa he got the tickets. Then
We pushed en' jammed 'en somehow when
I got my seat, I couldn't see
For that fat man in front o' me.
En' bye-en'-bye the band played rag,
Then come a man en' waved a flag.
En' nen they bust right through the tent,
As if they didn't care a cent!
The elephants, horses, kangaroos,
En' clowns with lots o' howdy-do's.
En' pretty ladies wearin' tights,
En' ridin' bare-back all their mights.
En' gosh! there was so many rings
All goin' on at once with things,
I couldn't see fer lookin'. My!
But them trapezers swung up high!
En' nen a clown come close to me
En' laughin' said, "Hello, sonny!"
Jes' then a lot o' monkeys rode
On ponies, en' there come a load
O' camels rockin' fit to break
The ladies' backs. En' nen a snake
Got twisted all around a bear,
I thought he'd kill him then en' there.
En' 'fore I noticed the next race,
That bear went runnin' 'round the place,
A-chasin' all the boys en' men.
The saw-dust flew, I tell you then!
It wasn't on the bill, pa said.
That made the fat man shake his head.
En' front o' him two elephants
Dressed up in funny lookin' pants,
Was dancin' en' a-swingin' 'round,
Until they shook the very ground.
En' nen the chariot race! oh, gee!
That was the best of all to me.
'Ceptin' when the b'loon went up
En' got as small as our tin-cup.
En' pa said, "Let's us go en' see
The side shows." That jes' suited me.
En' nen he bought me lots to eat,
En' lemonade to cool the heat.
I didn't care how hot it was
So long as they was pleasin' us.
En' nen I got the stomach-ache,
But not as bad as from that cake
That grandma gave one day to me
When ma was not around to see.
En' pa said, Christian Science might
Help me if I could see it right.
I sayd, "I know a got a pain,
Fer I can feel it good en' plain!"
En' nen he laughed en' patted me,
En' I felt better 'mediately.
En' nen there come a thunder-storm,
En' pa says, "That's because it's warm."
Well, maybe so; but sure as guns,
It made it hotter'n two suns.
En' when I got back home again,
I told the whole show over then,
So's ma, who thinks it's such a sin,
Could see it jes' as if she'd been.
I think boys ought to make a rule
O' goin' to circus 'stead o' school!
