Mrs. Wopp came down the path walking as briskly as her generous avoirdupois would permit. She was followed by Ebenezer Wopp whose coat seemed to cover some abnormal growth as though a watermelon might be there. It was a bundle of socks for his wife to mend during her visit to Mrs. Mifsud’s .
On such visits Mrs. Wopp enjoyed herself hugely. Her volubility was overpowering; as Mrs. Mifsud had been known to remark, “Not even a comma was there to clutch at to make good ones escape.” The faster her needle flew the faster raced her tongue. In view of the visit Mrs. Mifsud had surreptitiously stuffed one ear with cotton batting so that in the event of an extremely sanguinary onslaught, so to speak, at least one rampart of defence could be instantaneously thrown up. Ebenezer Wopp unlike his wife was expecting nothing but an afternoon of self-effacement though prepared to secretly admire to the full Mrs. Wopp’s conversation.
Moses and Betty were left to mind house, the admonishings of Mrs. Wopp being seasoned with if carelessly texts. The might , but Moses and Betty were invulnerable to all such assaults upon their of the day’s freedom with its already planned joys.
“Now Mosey, you be ticket man at the gate an’ I’ll hev the circus all ready,” cried Betty bounding into the house in the shortest possible time after the departure of the elderly merrymakers.
She emerged from the house her hair coiled on the top of her head and decorated with a strip of shining silver from an empty biscuit tin. Thus had she seen a circus lady dressed on one never-to-be-forgotten day. Around her small body was draped a yellow silk shawl of Mrs. Wopps. Her feet were encased in a pair of Ebenezer Wopp’s reddest socks, bound on by bright green ribbon ripped from her winter hat. From her fair hair floated a white aigret made of chicken feathers hastily wired together. Moses needed no aigret as a of red hair stood upright from the crown of his head.
“Here Mosey,” said Betty, “is a tin crown. You can fasten it on with this wire. See?”
In a moment the obliging boy’s head was by an empty tomato can, and under the of “Whacker Brand” he became attendant to the circus manageress. Thus helmeted he stood and gazed at Betty as though the hinges of his were loosening.
“Stir yerself Moses or I’ll hev the zoo ready afore yer tickets are .”
Moses began cutting make-believe tickets using the paper and scissors thrust into his hand by the capable manageress of the show.
Presently he raised his head and was confronted by Job the turkey wearing a tiny bright pink hat and a green ribbon round his neck. An antimacassar bearing wide and red stripes covered his back causing him to with peacock pride.
“Don’t Job look jist like Mariar Mifsud goin’ to meetin’,” gurgled Betty.
Next appeared Jethro in a high state of with a harness made of Moses’ skate-straps and with a tiny doll dressed to represent a monkey bound to his back.
“Jethro barks with his mouth an’ smiles with his tail,” said Betty.
“His tail’s druv in too far fer to waggle much though,” returned Moses eyeing the .
As many of the hens and chickens as could be persuaded were into the yard to add to the numerical strength of the menagerie.
Betty kept her tour de force till the last and Moses by riding into the yard on the back of a large cow. Molly had been padded to represent a camel and Betty rode perched insecurely on the hump of the lordly creature, holding Mrs. Wopp’s treasured red parasol to give the effect of a .
Molly enjoyed the attentions of Betty and chewed her cud. Whenever Betty leaned forward to the camel, Molly rolled out some square inches of tongue and licked the glowing cheek of her little mistress. An altogether adorable if somewhat familiar camel was the old black cow.
“Oh, Betty, you got ole man Noer stuck in the shade. His ark never turned out sich a fine camel as yourn, I bet,” cried Moses gleefully as he proceeded to sell tickets and to admit an astonishingly large number of imaginary people into the circus grounds.
“Now who wants to ride the camel? Who wants to ride the swayin’ tossin’ ship of the desert?” Betty turned to her audience; then to Moses she whispered as though she might be overheard, “You step forward an’ pay me two bits fer a ride.” Moses put a ticket into Betty’s hand and, not to be outdone in bravery, mounted the single-humped camel. Molly forgot her training in the sandy desert and lurched sadly.
“My feet’s purty well up my head,” cried the uncomfortable rider. But Betty insisted on his getting full value for his money, and dared him to until the round of the had been completed.
“Who wants to drive my trained bear an’ monkey? Only a stranger, only a dime!”
Moses, hot-headed youth, another coin for the thrilling experience of tearing over the bare earth holding in Jethro by the , and using words of meaning to the unwieldy monster. The monkey swayed painfully from the back of the excited Jethro.
By this time Betty was getting and instructed her assistant what next to shout and the most fetching modulations of voice to use. The change in program was in Moses’ voice, “An orstrich here, only fifty cents to see a live trained orstrich!” A huge swallow and he continued, “Brought from Carliforny and trained by the famousest lady Betty Wopp.” After further instructions he went on, “This orstrich is named Job Wopp. He lay the largest aig in the world, kin run faster than any horse, could strike you dead with the of his clawr.” Further whispering on the part of Betty and the address concluded, “Yet, ladies and gents, he is as gentle as a spring chicking.”
Everything was going when suddenly a stopped short the circus, and left Moses greatly . He inwardly complained that never yet was he “havin’ a good time but some orful thing happened to put a cloud ove............