The two roosters, which Sue said were the wild “ockstritches,” behaved very nicely, picking up the corn in their cage as though they had been in a circus many times before.  Grandpa also let the children take the old turkey gobbler and put him in a box.

“What shall we call him?” asked Sue, just before the show was about to begin.

“Oh, he’ll be the elephant,” said Bunny.  “See, he’s got something hanging down in front like an elephant’s trunk.  And we didn’t get time to dress the pig up like an elephant.”

“But a elephant has four legs, Bunny, and the turkey has only two.”

“Oh, well, we can pretend he was in a railroad wreck, and lost two of his legs.  Circuses do get wrecked sometimes.”

“All right, Bunny.”

All the children who were to take part in Bunny’s and Sue’s show were in the barn, waiting for the curtain to be pulled back.  For grandmother and Mother Brown had made a calico curtain for the children.  Bunker Blue and Ben said they would stand, one on either side, to pull the curtain back when the show started.

Bunker was going to play his mouth organ, while Ben said he would make what music he could by whistling and blowing on a piece of paper folded over a comb.  You can make pretty good music that way, only, as Ben said, it tickles your lips, and you have to stop every once in a while.

Many children from nearby farms came to the little circus in the barn, and some of their fathers and mothers also came.  It was a fine day for the show.

“Are you all ready, Bunny?” asked Bunker, who, with Ben, stood behind the curtain.

“All ready,” answered the little boy.

“Here we go!” cried Bunker.  Then he played on his mouth organ, Ben tooted on the comb and the curtain slid back on the wires by which it was stretched across the stage, or platform, in the barn.

“Welcome to our show!” cried Bunny Brown, making a bow to the audience which was seated on boxes and boards out in front.  “We will now begin!” he went on.  “And after the show you are all invited to stay and see the wild animals.  We have a blue-striped tiger, a wild zebra and an——­”

“An elephant, only he lost two legs in a accident,” said Sue in a shrill whisper, fearing Bunny was going to forget about the turkey.

CHAPTER XIII

THE WILD ANIMALS

Everyone laughed when Sue said that, and Sue herself blushed as red as the ribbon on her hair, and the sash her mother had pinned around her waist.

“Does your elephant eat peanuts?” asked Daddy Brown, smiling.

“No, I don’t guess so,” answered Sue.  “He likes corn better.”

“Now the show’s going to begin!” cried Bunny Brown.  “Get ready everybody.  The first will be a grand trapeze act!  Come on, boys!  Play some music, please, Bunker!”

Bunker played a new tune on his mouth organ.  Then Bunny, Ned Johnson and Tom White got on the trapezes, for Bunny had decided that his one act, like this, was not enough.  It would look more like a real circus with three performers.