_What Billy Did on Sunday_
Billy, after running out of the circus, stood in the shadow of ashed under a large tree. From his hiding place he could perceiveall that was going on at the circus as it was bright moonlight,beside all the workmen had lights fastened in their caps so theycould see without the bother of carrying a lantern around.
First Billy saw them hitch the draft-horses to the animal wagonsand vehicles they had for carrying baggage. Then the big tentclosed as if it were an umbrella, and it was rolled up and put ina wagon made purposely for hauling it; then all the riding horseswith the men and women performers on their backs, started theprocession. Next came the cages filled with animals and last thebaggage vans and feed wagons.
After they were well on their way Billy trotted on behind keepingwell in the shadows. They had been crawling silently along thehighways like a huge snake for a long while when all of a suddenthe long line came to a sudden halt.
There was great noise and confusion ahead and, of course, Billy'scuriosity called him to the front immediately to see what was thematter. In passing the wagons which had been left by theirdrivers to go forward and find out the cause of the sudden stop,Billy accidentally ran into his friend, Senorita Burroetta, whichmeans Miss Baby Buro, as his friend was called.
"How are you, Betty?" For in their short acquaintance Billy hadshortened her name to that. "I did not know you with that pack onyour back. Aren't you tired carrying that heavy load?"
"Yes," answered Betty, "and the girth pinches me. They did notget it on straight and every time I step it hurts me awfully."
"Here let me see if I can't fix it," said Billy.
"Oh never mind, I can stand it, for it isn't the first time theyhave buckled a piece of skin in; beside you could not unbuckle itwith your teeth or feet."
"No, but I can chew the girth in two if you don't mind beingpinched a little more while I am doing it," said Billy.
So Billy commenced to chew the girth which he could get at easilywhere it stuck out from Betty's side to pass over the load on herback; and we know better than Betty that Billy was good atchewing rope and straps in two. Soon the girth began to give andBetty swelled herself out and the girth split in two and let theload on her back slip to the ground.
Then the goat and Burro ran ahead to see what all the scoldingand loud talking were about. When they got there, they found theelephant had broken down a little bridge that crossed the narrowstream and there was no way to get the wagons over. The elephant,before crossing, had put his forefoot out to try the strength ofthe bridge and with a little shake the bridge had collapsed anddropped into the water. Had he stepped on it without trying it,he would most likely have been killed for it surely would havegone down with him on it.
The only way now to get across was for the wagons to drive downthe steep embankment, through the water and up the other side.This they proceeded to do, but Billy and Betty jumped the space.Then they scampered on ahead after the horseback riders who hadgone before.
As they ran they could hear the lion's roar and the hyena's laughwhen their cages were driven into the water, and the water roseon them, while the elephants kept up such a trumpeting that itawoke all the country folks who were near enough to hear it, andthey thought the Day of Judgment had come and it was Gabriel'strumpet they heard.
A poor, ignorant Swedish family that lived on the bank of thestream by the bridge were awakened by the noise but were afraidto get up and look out of the window to see what all thecommotion was about.
At last the brave husband by coaxing and threatening succeeded ingetting his wife out of bed. As she had never been to a circus inher life or seen anything but the picture of wild animals, shewas nearly frightened to death at what she saw passing in themoonlight, and ran back to bed and put her head under the coversand would not speak a word, though her husband threatened to kickher out of bed. Poor woman, she could not tell him what she saw,for she did not know the name of the animals.
At last her husband got up courage enough to go to the window andlook out as his wife had, but he stayed less time than she didfor just as he got there the lions gave a mighty roar and all theanimals followed suit, for the lions' cage was passing throughthe water and they did not like the cold water crawling up theirlegs and of course they thought they were going to be drowned;while the Swedish workman thought he was going to be chewed upalive, and flew back to bed with teeth chattering and held on tohis wife for protection; and had a lion really come after them hewould probably have thrown his wife at the lion's head for him toeat, while he made good his escape.
All this time Billy and Betty were trotting along side by sidegossiping about people in the circus, and all the time it becamelighter and lighter as it was getting nearer sunrise.
About five o'clock they saw, away in the blue distance, a tallchurch steeple and they knew they must be nearing the town wherethe circus was to be held.
As they came nearer they could hear the sound of the church bellring out on the stillness, calling the people to early morningmass, and soon they could see the people going to church, and themothers take their children by the hand and pull them into thechurch as they did not want them to see anything so wicked as acircus procession on Sunday morning.
Billy noticing this, said, "Let us give the children a treat.When the people are all in the church we will walk in and seewhat it looks like inside."
The two mischief-makers hung around out of sight, until thepeople had stopped going in, then they walked boldly into thevestibule. Here they saw a marble basin filled with clear,cool-looking water. They stopped and drank it, not knowing it wasthe holy water the Catholics cross themselves with beforeentering church.
The church aisle was separated from the vestibule only by twogreen baize doors. These Billy and Betty pushed open with theirnoses and while the organ was playing and the priests werekneeling, Billy and Betty walked the whole length of the middleaisle, side by side, as if they were a bridal couple. When theyarrived at the altar, Billy stopped and commenced to eat someroses that were in a vase on the altar steps.
The congregation sat stupefied with horror to see these animalsin church and directly behind the kneeling priest and choir boys.The music made Betty lonesome and she threw up her head and letout such a loud, mule-like bray that it frightened the kneelingpriest and he jumped up as if shot for he thought he had heardBalaam's ass bray; but when he turned and saw standing behind hima live burro and a goat, his astonishment knew no bounds and hestood gazing at them with open mouth, while the choir boyslaughed and giggled and thought it a good joke.
Soon the ushers and deacons came to their senses enough to comeforward and try to drive the beasts out. But when Billy saw themcoming he ran up the altar steps into the pulpit, and Betty ranthrough the first door she saw open, which proved not to be theouter door but one which led into the room where the choir boysdressed.
When Betty appeared there, the boys laughed and screamed anddrove her out into the church again, and kicking up her heels sheran out of the church, braying for Billy. When Billy saw her gohe ran down the altar steps, upsetting a near-sighted deacon whowas coming up to help drive him out, and bleating to Betty thathe was coming he rushed through the door.
They trotted along side by side down the street until they cameto a beautiful place surrounded by a tall, iron fence. Throughthe fence they could see a large, brick residence with a cupolaon top. On one side of the house was the flower garden, while onthe other a fruit patch and vegetable garden. And oh, how goodthe fresh, green lettuce and beet tops looked to these tired,hungry travelers.
"Let us go in and help ourselves," said Billy.
"We can't get through the fence," said Betty, "and it is too highto jump."
"You remind me of Nanny, for she was always finding objectionsand obstacles to everything I wanted to do."
"Well, who in the world is Nanny? I should like to know," saidBetty.
"Why haven't I told you about her?" asked Billy.
"No, you
have not, Billy Whiskers, and I should like to knowright away."
"Well, I will tell you, Senorita Burroetta, and you need not beso cross about it either. She is my wife and a sweeter, dearerlittle wife no goat ever had before!"
Betty stopped stock still in the road and glared at Billy for asecond, before she could speak from astonishment. Then she said:"Billy Whiskers you are a gay deceiver and you know you nevertold me you were married and I am sure I always thought you werea bachelor."
"I am very sorry if it makes any difference to you, but I nevertold you because we have been so busy talking of other things andI have not had a chance."
"Oh, very well then," said Betty, "I will forgive you if you didnot mean to keep it from me."
So the two made up and commenced to look for a gate or way to getinto the garden. At last they saw where an iron bar or two of thefence had been broken, making quite a good-sized hole and throughthis they squeezed themselves and were soon having a feast offof Deacon Jones's prize cabbages, lettuce and beets, while thefamily, including the Deacon, were at church.
They were still eating when they heard the iron gates shut with aclang and looking up they saw the Deacon coming toward them,swinging his cane in frantic anger, showing that he had alreadyforgotten his Sunday-school lesson: "Let not your angry passionsrise."
Billy, with a mouthful of carrots, started to run toward thestables, trusting to find a way out and Betty with a twist of herbody and a squeal followed after him.
They were just going into the barn, the door of which wasstanding open, when a little, yellow dog ran out at them andcommenced to bark and bite at Betty's heels. She let one foot flyout quickly behind and Mr. Doggie went rolling over in the dirt,and at that minute Billy spied a little open gate that led intothe orchard and through this they both ran with the Deacon anddog still after them.
When they got to the other side of the orchard they came to arail fence. This Billy took at one jump, breaking the top rail ashe went over, and it was a good thing he did for it helped Bettyget over as she was not as high a jumper as Billy.
They were over the fence and a good way down the road before thedeacon got to the fence, and then he was so out of breath fromrunning that he gave up the chase, called off his dog, andthrowing two or three stones at them, turned and walked slowlyback to the garden to see what damage they had done.
Billy and Betty wandered around all day and at night went tosleep in a straw stack on the outskirts of the town.