And now it was nearly time for the show to begin! People were already crowding in at the gate, for Mr. Galliano’s circus was famous.
The lights were shining brilliantly in the ‘big top’ as the circus-folk called their show-tent, and Lotta was almost beside herself with excitement.
At last it was Jimmy’s turn with Lucky. What a shout went up as the little boy ran into the ring, bowing to everyone, with Lucky at his heels. Jimmy looked fine in his glittering suit with its short red cloak—like a little prince, Lotta thought.
Lucky went all through her marvellous tricks, and when at last Jimmy cried, “Spell me the name of the man who has the finest circus!” and Lucky fetched out eight letters from the pile and arranged them to spell ‘Galliano,’ the people clapped till their hands hurt them!
This was usually Lucky s last trick—but tonight there was more to come. Lotta suddenly rode in on Black Beauty! The people stared in astonishment. Many of them had been to Galliano’s circus before and they had not seen this trick.
The little girl looked lovely in her silver fairy-frock. She jumped off Black Beauty and led her to Jimmy.
“Up then, up!” cried Jimmy to Lucky, and up the little dog jumped!
Off went the pony, and Lucky rode on his back in delight. Down she came when Jimmy called, and then up again whilst the pony was galloping. Everybody cheered. The dog was even cleverer than they had thought! Lotta held out a paper hoop. Lucky jumped through it and landed back safely on Black Beauty. Again she jumped through another hoop. She had been so perfectly trained that she knew exactly what to do.
That was enough for the first night. Mr. Galliano came into the ring to crack his whip and end the turn. Jimmy and Lucky bowed and ran out.
Lotta was about to follow on Black Beauty, when somebody got up and shouted: “Let’s see the little girl have a turn! Up you go, Missie, and let’s see what you can do!”
Everybody shouted and clapped. They wanted to see Lotta, too, do something, for they felt sure she could. Lotta did not dare to ride round, for she had heard Mr. Galliano’s whip crack and knew she must go. Mr. Galliano stood wondering what to do. It was Oona’s turn next. Should he give Lotta a chance, though?
“Go on, Missie,” yelled the people. Mr. Galliano turned and nodded to Lotta, who was trembling with excitement.
“Get up and do what you can,” he said. And Lotta jumped on to Black Beauty’s back. At last she had got her chance—at last, at last, at last!
GOOD LUCK FOR THE CHILDREN
LOTTA knew that Black Beauty felt her excitement too. The pony was longing to show what he could do. He was a real circus-animal, and loved the smell of the sawdust and the flaring lights.
Mr. Galliano cracked his whip again. Lotta made a sign for music. The band struck up a merry tune, and Black Beauty pricked up his ears. Like most horses, he loved music, and would not have minded practising all day long if only he had had tunes played to him!
“Round you go!” said Lotta in his ear, and the pony began to dance round and round, his hoofs keeping perfect time to the music.
The bandsmen were astonished. They were used to making the time of their music follow the dancing of the horses, but this pony followed the time of their music as if he could hear the beats properly!
So the band played in perfect time, and Black Beauty danced round and round, lifting his hoofs daintily and tossing his lovely head with its white star. The watching people thought him beautiful, but only the circus-folk knew how clever it was for a horse to keep such good time with the music.
The music stopped. The drummer rolled loudly on his drum—the signal for Lotta to gallop him round and round and begin any trick she knew.
She called to Black Beauty, and he at once galloped at top speed round the ring, his hoofs making a muffled clatter on the sawdust. Lotta gave a yell, and Black Beauty stopped at once, as he had been taught. Lotta flew over his head, turned a half-somersault, and landed neatly on her feet.
But everyone had thought that she was going to be thrown and hurt, and they shouted. Even Mr. Galliano was startled, but when he saw the neat way in which Lotta landed on her feet like a falling cat, he knew it was a clever trick.
The pony went galloping round the ring by himself. Lotta waited till he came round again and then deftly leapt up on to his back once more. At her next yell the pony stopped again, and once more Lotta went hurtling over his head, to fall on her feet. This time the people knew what she was doing, and they clapped loudly.
Lotta jumped back on to Black Beauty. She was enjoying herself, and so was the pony. How glad the little girl was that she had practised so hard each morning!
She knelt up on the pony’s back. She stood up, a graceful little figure, bumping up and down with the pony, her long silver wings outspread, and her silvery dress glittering like moonlight.
Jimmy thought she looked lovely—and what a clever, daring little girl she was!
Lotta stood on one foot and waved the other in the air! Then she lightly leapt round and faced the back of the horse. She stood on one foot again and waved to the people, whilst all the time Black Beauty galloped solemnly round the ring.
Mr. Galliano was astonished to find how well Lotta had trained her pony in such a short time. But he was even more astonished at Lotta’s next trick of slipping right underneath Black Beauty and coming up the other side of him!
“Too dangerous, yes, too dangerous!” muttered Mr. Galliano to himself. There wasn’t a sound as the little girl did this daring trick; but goodness, how everyone clapped and cheered when they saw Lotta sitting safely up on the pony once more, waving cheekily to them!
Lucky suddenly came bounding into the ring. He wanted to do a trick with Lotta too! The little girl, who was about to bow and gallop off, gave a shout.
She galloped near Lucky, swung right down from the pony, and picked up the little dog! She set him on the seat in front of her. Then she stood up again on the galloping pony and shouted to Lucky. “Up then, up!”
And Lucky stood up too! So there they were, the two of them, standing cleverly on the pony as it raced round the ring! Jimmy ran into the ring to watch.
Mr. Galliano’s whip cracked. Lotta must gallop out. So out she went through the thick red curtains, waving her hand and smiling, the prettiest little figure that anyone could wish to see!
The people stood up and cheered her. They had not expected to see this. She had been one of the successes of the evening, one of the best things in a very good show.
The little girl was almost crying with joy when she leapt off Black Beauty. She could hear the people still clapping and cheering, and she knew she had been a success.
“Oh, Jimmy, Black Beauty was wonderful tonight!” she cried. “He did everything perfectly. He’s the finest pony I have ever known.”
“And you are the best little circus-rider I have ever seen!” cried Mr. Wally, as he passed with Sammy the chimpanzee. “A splendid show, Lotta! You must have practised very hard indeed.”
“She did,” said Jimmy proudly. “She practises every single morning.”
Then up came Lou, Pepita, and Juanita, full of admiration and praise for Lotta and Black Beauty. They were not at all jealous of the little girl’s success, for they were kindly folk, and Lotta had been a great help to them in looking after their string of beautiful white horses.
After the show was over, Mr. Galliano sent for Jimmy and Lotta, but this time they went gladly, for they knew they had not been fetched to be scolded.
“You are not afraid to come and see me this time—no?” said Mr. Galliano, smiling his big smile at them both, his top-hat almost over one ear. “You are good, hard-working children, yes! You, Lotta, may go into the ring with Jimmy each night, and work up a turn together. It is better that you two children should be together in the show. You shall be the two Wonder Children, yes!”
“Thank you, Mr. Galliano!” they said, both together, their hearts full of joy. To do a turn together! This was even better
than they had hoped. What fun they would have with Lucky and Beauty in the ring! What tricks they would teach that lively, clever pair!
Already Jimmy was seeing Lucky dressed like Mr. Galliano, in riding-breeches, red coat, top-hat, and whip, riding on Black Beauty! And Lotta, too, was making pictures in her mind of all the things they would do together!
“Won’t Lal and Laddo be pleased when they come back and find I’m in the ring too!” cried Lotta, when she got back to the Browns’ caravan and told Jimmy’s father and mother all about everything.
“I hope they will,” said Mrs. Brown, ladling out hot soup, which the children always had after the show at night. “You know, they said they didn’t much want Lotta to go into the ring whilst they were away, as they thought the rest would do her good, and she could learn her lessons better and be taught how to be neat and clean.” “Oh, Mrs. Brown! I have learnt my lessons well, and I really have tried to be neat and clean!” cried Lotta. “I know how to read and write now, and I can do quite hard sums!
And now my hair is short, I’m sure I look as tidy as Jimmy!”
Mrs. Brown looked at Lotta’s head with its close-curling mop of hair and laughed.
“You’ve been a very good little girl,” she said, “and you deserve all this. Now the next thing to look forward to is your father and mother coming home. They will soon be back in the circus.”
“It will be lovely to have them again,” said Lotta. “But oh, I shall miss living here in your nice caravan with you and Brownie and Jimmy and Lucky and Lulu, Mrs. Brown.”
“Well, you must just see that you keep your own caravan pretty and nice,” said Mrs. Brown. “And you know that you can come here to us whenever you like—your little bed will always be ready for you.”
Lotta got up and gave Mrs. Brown a hug. She felt so happy that night that she could have hugged anyone, even the bears!
The two children got into their bunks at last, but they couldn’t go to sleep. They talked and talked about the happenings of the show that night till Mrs. Brown could bear it no longer. She was tired herself and wanted to go to sleep.
“Another word from either of you and I shall get out and give you each a good spanking!” she said. And so afraid of Mrs. Brown’s hard hand were the two Wonder Children that not another sound was heard from either of them!
THINGS GO WRONG
AND NOW, each night, Lotta and Jimmy went into the ring together, with little dog Lucky and Black Beauty the pony. The people loved to see the beautiful pony, with his four white feet and his brilliant white star on his forehead. They loved Lucky too, and Mr. Galliano was pleased to see what a great success the two children were, with their well-trained animals.
The circus stayed for some time and then, as it always did, packed up and went on the road once more. It was full summer now, and the countryside was beautiful. Poppies nodded along the wayside, and Lotta picked a bunch, weaved them into a garland, and hung it round Beauty’s black shining neck.
When the circus procession went through the towns now, Lotta, dressed in her shining circus-frock, rode proudly on Black Beauty, and waved to the astonished children that lined the roadside to watch her pass. Sometimes Lucky rode with her, and he too waved a cheeky paw, much to everyone’s delight.
And once even Jemima came to ride with Lotta and Lucky, and such a crowd came to see that a policeman had to come and push the people away so that the procession could go on!
Really, it was all great fun, and the children enjoyed themselves tremendously.
One day Lotta had a letter from her mother. She could not read handwriting very well, .although she could now read books, so she gave it to Jimmy to read to her.
“DEAR LOTTA” (said the letter), “we hope to meet you at the next show-place. We have written to Mr. Galliano. I hope you have been a good girl. We have not had any letters from you for some time, so we do not know how you are getting on. You will soon have to start practising again, so that you may join us in the ring. We have some fine new horses.—Love from LAL.”
Lotta was pleased with her mother’s letter. “Oh, Jimmy!” she said, dancing about and making Lucky dance about too. “Oh, Jimmy! My mother doesn’t know that I go into the ring every night! Won’t she be surprised! Oh, isn’t it lovely, I shall see Lal and Laddo at our next show-place!”
The children looked out for Lal and Laddo at the next show-place, but they had not yet arrived in the camp. Lotta was longing to show her mother and father her lovely Black Beauty.
The camp settled in as usual, and once more the ‘big top’ went up, and the caravans and cages took up their places in the field.
The next day two great travelling horse-boxes drew up outside the field and began to try to get in through the wide gate. On the sides of the vans were painted in large red letters, ‘Lal and Laddo’s Wonder Horses’. Lotta gave such a scream of delight that Mrs. Brown dropped the spoon into the stew she was stirring.
“It’s Lal and Laddo!” she shouted. “Oh, it’s my father and mother back again!”
She flew like the wind to the field-gate and looked anxiously for Lal and Laddo. She saw Laddo at once, and rushed to him. She leapt into his strong arms, and he hugged and kissed his little daughter, delighted to see her looking so well and happy.
“My, how you’ve grown!” he said. “We’ve missed you, Lotta.”
“Where’s my mother—where’s Lal?” cried Lotta.
Laddo’s face grew sad.
“She’s ill,” he said. “She was taken ill yesterday on the way here, and I have had to leave her in hospital. But she will be better in a month or two, Lotta, so don’t worry. She had a fall when we were away, and hurt her back. She would not rest it properly, and now it is very bad again, and the doctor says she must stay in bed for five or six weeks.”
Lotta’s face crumpled up and she began to cry. She had so much looked forward to her mother coming back again.
“We’ll go and see her tomorrow,” promised Laddo. “Don’t fret, Lotta.”
The little girl blinked back her tears. She was dreadfully disappointed. She had looked forward so much to showing her mother her lovely new pony, and to seeing her face when she saw Lotta in the ring. And now she wouldn’t be able to show her Black Beauty for ages and ages!
“Why can’t Lal come to the camp and rest in our own caravan instead of in a far-away hospital?” she asked. “I can look after her! I can do everything nicely now. Mrs. Brown has taught me.”
| “Well, Lotta,” said Laddo, “I’m afraid I won’t be able ! to join this circus now Lal is away. I must work with a partner, you know, and the only one I can get in Lal’s place is Madame Fifinella, and she belongs to another circus. I’m afraid I will have to go there, I just came here to see you and to tell you the news. I must see Mr. Galliano too. Perhaps he can keep on Lou and his sisters.”
Lotta walked into the field with Laddo. The little girl was too horrified even to cry. Everything was going wrong—just when things had seemed so lovely too!
She hadn’t got her mother, and wouldn’t have her for weeks. Now even her father, Laddo, was going away to another circus. Would she have to go with him? Another circus would not allow her to have a turn all to herself. And how could she possibly bear to leave Jimmy and Lucky?
But she knew her father would want her, for he loved her and would not wish to leave her behind, now that he had come home again. She left him to go and see Mr. Galliano, and then she ran behind the Browns’ caravan, sat on an upturned pail, and let the tears run down her cheeks.
Lulu the spaniel came up and licked the tears as they fell.
Lotta suddenly felt as if she wanted Black Beauty to comfort her and not Lulu. She ran to the stable where he stood, and he turned his lovely head towards his little mistress. At once he knew she was unhappy and he put his long nose on to her shoulder, whinnying gently.
Jimmy found them there when he went into the stable and he stood still in astonishment. “Lotta! Whatever’s the matter?”
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Lotta told him everything, between her tears, and the little boy looked more dismayed than Lotta had ever seen him. Lose Lotta! Lose Black Beauty! Not have Lal and Laddo back after all! This was dreadful.
He sat down on a tub, feeling his legs suddenly weak. Lotta wiped her eyes and looked at him. “Can’t you think of anything that would make things better?” she asked him in despair.
Suddenly an idea came into Jimmy’s mind. He jumped up and took Lotta’s hands. “Lotta!” he said. “I know! / know! Why shouldn’t you be Laddo’s partner? He doesn’t know how well you’ve been doing in the ring! He doesn’t know you’ve got a pony of your own! He can train you to do anything he wants done in a very short while, because you have been practising so well lately.”
“Oh, Jimmy,” cried Lotta, her eyes shining like stars at once. “Do you really suppose he’d let me? I am sure I can do everything that Madame Fifinella can! And I don’t mind how hard I have to work! But what about Lal, my mother?”
“Well, you silly, if you and Laddo are working together in our circus, you can have Lal back in your own caravan and look after her till she’s better!” cried Jimmy. “You say she only wants a good rest—well, she’ll be much happier here with us, seeing you do well in the ring, than away by herself in a strange place!”
“Jimmy—oh, Jimmy, I believe you’ve thought of the very idea!” cried Lotta.
“Let’s go and tell Mr. Galliano this very minute!” said Jimmy. “Quick, before he fixes up for Lou and Pepita and Juanita to stay on! Let’s hope Laddo hasn’t already fixed up with Madame Fifinella!”
Black Beauty whinnied gently. He was pleased to hear a happier sound in Lotta’s voice. The little girl jumped on his back and cantered out into the open, her face still tear-stained but her eyes eager and bright. Jimmy followed her, with Lucky and Lulu at his heels.