“At the slightest pre-text!” he repeated, and continued, suiting the action to the word:  “I will now hammer upon the box and each and all may see these genuine full-blooded Michigan rats perform at the slightest pre-text!  There! (That’s all they do now, but I and Sam are goin’ to train ’em lots more before this afternoon.) Gen-til-mun and lay-deeze I will kindly now call your at-tain-shon to Sherman, the wild animal from Africa, costing the lives of the wild trapper and many of his companions.  Next, let me kindly interodoos Herman and Verman.  Their father got mad and stuck his pitchfork right inside of another man, exactly as promised upon the advertisements outside the big tent, and got put in jail.  Look at them well, gen-til-mun and lay-deeze, there is no extra charge, and re-mem-bur you are each and all now looking at two wild, tattooed men which the father of is in jail.  Point, Herman.  Each and all will have a chance to see.  Point to sumpthing else, Herman.  This is the only genuine one-fingered tattooed wild man.  Last on the programme, gen-til-mun and lay-deeze, we have Verman, the savage tattooed wild boy, that can’t speak only his native foreign languages.  Talk some, Verman.”

Verman obliged and made an instantaneous hit.  He was encored rapturously, again and again; and, thrilling with the unique pleasure of being appreciated and misunderstood at the same time, would have talked all day but too gladly.  Sam Williams, however, with a true showman’s foresight, whispered to Penrod, who rang down on the monologue.

“Gen-til-mun and lay-deeze, this closes our pufformance.  Pray pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible.  As soon as you are all out there’s goin’ to be a new pufformance, and each and all are welcome at the same and simple price of admission.  Pray pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible.  Re-mem-bur the price is only one cent, the tenth part of a dime, or twenty pins, no bent ones taken.  Pray pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible.  The Schofield and Williams Military Band will play before each pufformance, and each and all are welcome for the same and simple price of admission.  Pray pass out quietly and with as little jostling as possible.”

Forthwith, the Schofield and Williams Military Band began a second overture, in which something vaguely like a tune was at times distinguishable; and all of the first audience returned, most of them having occupied the interval in hasty excursions for more pins; Miss Rennsdale and governess, however, again paying coin of the Republic and receiving deference and the best seats accordingly.  And when a third performance found all of the same inveterate patrons once more crowding the auditorium, and seven recruits added, the pleasurable excitement of the partners in their venture will be understood by any one who has seen a metropolitan manager strolling about the foyer of his theatre some evening during the earlier stages of an assured “phenomenal run.”