“There’s Joe!” said Benny.
“And Betty,” said Meg. “I will get Betty ready for the circus.”
“Ready?” said Sarah. “What do you mean, ‘ready’?”
“You’ll see,” said Jessie.
“You’ll see,” said Henry.
“What will I do?” asked William.
“You’ll see!” the children said together, laughing.
“And who will be a clown?” asked Jake.
“You’ll see!” they all said, shrieking with happiness.
Benny fell backward on the bed in an excited heap. Joe licked his face.
“We’ll invite Rubin and Belle. That’s his wife. And his grandchildren are visiting. And Thomas and Elliot from down the road. Remember? They’re in our class at school. Everyone can come!” said Jessie. “Maybe we could sell tickets.”
“No tickets,” said Papa, shaking his head. “No one has money for such things.”
“We can’t even afford tickets,” said Jake with a smile.
“Then it will be a free circus!” said Violet. “I can’t wait. The very first free circus in town!”
Mama laughed.
“You’ll have to wait until tomorrow for planning. Go to sleep! Hush, everyone.”
There was quiet in the bedroom after Mama, Papa, Sarah, and Jake left.
Joe yawned a dog yawn with a squeak at the end. It was still quiet.
“I like living in this small dot of a town,” said William after a while.
“So do I,” said Meg.
“Do you, Henry? Jessie?” asked Meg.
There was silence.
Henry and Jessie were asleep.
More silence.
And then Benny whispered.
“I do.”
Chapter 7
Betty Joins the Circus
It was vacation, but everyone was up. Everyone was busy.
Jessie unrolled her very long list. It almost touched the floor.
“My list has grown!”
“I’ll say,” said Henry, laughing.
Jessie read the list out loud.
“Circus List. One: Costumes for clowns? Who will the clowns be? Two: How do we make clown wigs? Yarn? Does Mama have yarn? Three: How do we make an elephant trunk? Paper?”
“Papa’s big, gray winter socks!” shouted Benny.
“Benny’s right. We can stuff them,” said Violet. “Then sew up the ends,” said Meg.
“What if he’s wearing them?” asked William.
“We’ll tickle him and take them away!” said Benny.
Everyone laughed.
“Can I be the animal trainer?” asked Benny.
Jessie smiled.
“What do you know about animal training?” she asked.
Benny stood up.
“Come, Joe,” he said.
Joe came and sat in front of Benny.
Benny held out his arm.
“Go,” said Benny.
Joe jumped over Benny’s arm, turned around, and jumped over again.
Jessie was so surprised she couldn’t speak. So was Meg.
“I never ever saw Joe do a trick in his whole life,” said Meg.
“Well, he does tricks now,” said William. “I think we should vote Benny as the animal trainer!”
“Yay!” said Benny.
“Yay!” they all said.
Mama and Sarah baked for the circus party. Papa and Jake worked on the barn roof, and the children worked, too.
Violet sewed in the bedroom.
Meg worked with Betty behind the barn where no one could see.
“What is she doing?” asked Sarah.
“Don’t know,” said Jake. “It’s a secret.”
“Even from us?” asked Sarah.
“Mostly from us,” said Jake.
Benny and Joe worked in the backyard, Joe happy with bites of leftover dinner.
Henry juggled with three and four cloth balls sewn and stuffed by Violet.
Jessie and William sat with their heads close to each other, writing and laughing secret things.
The list grew longer.
Two days of this.
Their neighbor Rubin came by.
“I hear there is an event,” he called up to Papa and Jake, who were hammering shingles on the barn roof.
“There is,” called Papa. “How did you know?”
“There’s a sign on my fence post,” said Rubin.
Papa and Jake laughed.
“You coming?” asked Papa.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Rubin. “Belle is coming. The grandchildren, too. We’ll bring cookies and a jug of lemonade.”
“Bring a chair for Belle, too,” said Papa.
Rubin laughed.
“And one for me.”
Mama and Sarah brought trays of sandwiches out under the red maple tree for lunch. They spread blankets on the ground.
“Do you have lunch for us, too?” asked Papa, coming down the barn ladder.
“For all of us,” said Mama.
Jake came down the ladder, too, Joe running over to leap up to bite his shoes.
“Joe! I’ll fall!” said Jake, laughing.
Jake jumped down from the ladder and Sarah kissed him.
“I promised you I’d do that,” she said.
“You did,” said Jake, blushing.
Under the tree was cool and quiet.
Joe stretched out and eyed Benny’s sandwich.
“Papa?” said Violet. “I need a wooden box.”
“What for?”
“Secret.”
“How big?” asked Jake.
Violet held her hands out and made the shape of a big square.
“Aha!” said Jake.
“What does aha mean?” asked Violet.
“It means I have one in my car. I keep tools in it.”
Violet smiled.
“Could I borrow it?”
“You bet.”
“One more day,” said Henry.
“One more day!” they echoed.
Papa reached out to give Joe a bite of his sandwich.
“One more day,” he whispered to Joe. “Give me a smile, Joe.”
Joe sat up and cocked his head to one side. His tongue hung out.
“Joe always smiles,” Benny said.
Wind rustled the leaves of the tree. Sun filtered down over them all. And from the side meadow, Betty looked at them all. She walked to the fence.
“Betty’s going to moo,” said Jake in a low voice.
And she did.
Chapter 8
Circus!
Circus day at last! It was sunny and dry.
No child was in sight, except for Violet. Her sewing was done.
Sarah and Mama carried out kitchen chairs and lined them up for the audience. Papa had brought balloons from town, and Violet tied them to the chairs.
They floated like colorful clouds.
“I wonder where Jake is,” said Sarah.
“Where’s Jake?” Mama asked Violet.
“He’ll be along in a bit,” said Violet with a smile.
“Secrets,” said Mama. “And where are the others?”
“In a bit,” repeated Violet.
“And Joe?” asked Sarah.
Violet took a breath.
“In a bit,” they all said together, laughing.
Rubin and Belle came with their own chairs and two grandchildren. Thomas and Elliot came riding their horse.
Two families from town came, waving the signs that had been tacked on fence posts. And there were others, including a big, friendly brown dog, who sat quietly.
Sarah and Mama served lemonade and cookies. Then everyone sat.
A curtain had been strung from the maple tree to the barn. Suddenly it opened! Jessie and Meg scurried out of the way, making everyone laugh.
And there was Henry, wearing a jacket with gold buttons and the black hat his father had worn on his wedding day. He had a small whip made from twisted leather. H
e snapped it.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!” he said loudly. “Welcome, children!”
“And dog!” said Thomas in the audience.
“And dog,” said Henry, grinning.
The audience applauded. Elliot put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Jessie and Meg peeked out from the curtain.
“Welcome to our free circus,” Jessie whispered loudly.
“The writer-director speaks,” said Mama to Papa.
“The boss,” said Papa with a smile.
“Welcome to our free circus!” called Henry. “Put your money away! You will see wondrous and amazing things here: jugglers, dancers, acrobats! Clowns, trained dogs, and the most stupendous surprise of all: an elephant! And a small surprise!”
The audience applauded and looked at one another in amazement.
“An elephant?” Mama said to Papa.
Papa shook his head.
“Wait and see,” Papa said.
“But first of all, we present Jake-O and Jess, our clowns!”
Henry snapped his whip. The curtain opened again. And there was Jake with a yarn wig and a huge dress. Jessie was dressed in a suit.
“Where did that suit come from?” asked Mama.
“Your closet,” said Violet.
“That’s my marriage suit!” said Papa.
Sarah laughed at the sight of Jake doing a cartwheel, the dress hanging like curtains around him.
“Those are my old curtains,” said Mama.
“Oof,” said Jake as he clumsily landed his cartwheel. His yarn wig tilted and covered his face.
The audience laughed and applauded.
Jessie and Jake ran around after each other, then collided in the middle, falling down, their feet in the air.
The audience laughed again.
Jessie and Jake-O bowed and fell over again.
More laughter.
Jessie and Jake blew kisses to everyone and left.
“I don’t believe this,” said Sarah with a smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Henry, snapping his whip, “the amazing, the spectacular Princess Meg riding bareback on her worthy steed!”
“What steed?” asked Sarah.
Out came Betty, colorful paper flowers around her neck. Meg, dressed in filmy fabric, a gold paper crown on her head, waved at the audience, and the audience waved back at her. “Yay, Betty!” called Rubin, who had always loved Betty.
Betty plodded slowly around the lawn, her wet, black eyes bright in the sunlight. All of a sudden, Meg got to her knees on Betty’s back. And then Meg stood up, her dress’s filmy fabric flying out behind her as Betty began to run, then gallop.
Meg held on to the rope with one hand and waved with the other.
The audience howled and clapped.
Meg jumped down from Betty and bowed. The paper flowers fell from Betty’s neck and she began to eat them.
The audience laughed as Betty looked at them, flowers hanging out of her mouth.
“And now for …” said Jessie from behind the curtain.
“I know. I know. And now for a great treat!” said Henry. “The young trainer with Joseph!”
“Who’s Joseph?” asked Mama.
But before anyone could answer, out came Benny, pulling his wagon with Jake’s toolbox on top.
“Hi, Mama!” he called, waving.
The audience clapped.
Benny stopped.
“Bow!” called Jessie.
Benny grinned and bowed.
And then he opened the box, and out jumped Joe!
“Joseph,” said Papa laughing.
Joe ran around the box and yard. And then Benny picked up a stick and held it out straight.
“Jump!” said Benny.
Joe jumped over the stick.
Cheering and applause.
“I never knew Joe could do that,” said Sarah.
Benny picked up a circle hoop.
“Hush everyone,” said Henry. “This is very difficult and needs complete silence!”
“Or a snack,” said Papa.
Everyone grew quiet.
Benny held up the circle.
“Now, Joe!” said Benny.
Joe sat.
“Now, Joe!” repeated Benny.
Joe looked.
Henry put his hand in his pocket and took out some dog snacks. He handed them to Benny.
Benny held them up, and Joe happily jumped through the hoop, then when Benny turned, jumped again, and then again.
He sat.
Benny gave him a snack.
Then Joe jumped through the last hoop and up onto the box.
Benny bowed.
Everyone clapped and whistled.
And Benny rolled Joe out of the yard and behind the curtain.
“And now,” said Henry, snapping his whip, “for our final act.” He looked quickly behind the curtain.
“Wait just a minute,” he added, “while we get the elephant and the small surprise ready!”
The audience was suddenly quiet.
“Ready?” asked Henry.
“Ready,” came a voice from behind the curtain.
“The master elephant trainer with a surprise!” Henry announced proudly.
The curtain opened and in came the elephant, led by William. The elephant was Boots, with a gray blanket and a stuffed elephant trunk.
“My socks!” said Papa. “I wondered where they were!”
“Elephant!” cried one of Rubin’s grandchildren.
“That’s Boots,” cried another child.
“Elephant!” called the audience.
And then the elephant was followed by a tiny gray-blanketed creature. It was the small surprise.
“A baby elephant!” cried a child.
It was Joe with a stuffed-sock trunk. He walked behind Boots, his trunk bouncing in front of him, while everyone clapped.
And then it was over. They all came out to take their bows: Jake-O and Jess, the clowns, Princess Meg with Betty, Benny with Joe in his wagon, and William, the elephant trainer. The group called for Violet, who came running to join them.
They bowed in a row. Boots, as always, was sweet and silent.
The audience applauded.
“This is the best day of my life,” said William.
Betty mooed.
The friendly brown dog got up and went home.
The circus was over.
Chapter 9
The Day After
Henry, Jessie, Violet, Meg, and William sat on a blanket under the maple tree. Benny was there, too, but he had fallen asleep after the long circus day. Joe stretched out beside him.
Papa had driven his car to town early to deliver buns to the bakery and check the mail.
“You were wonderful, all of you,” said Mama.
“Your costumes were fine, Violet,” said Sarah.
“Meg helped,” said Violet.
“And my box has a new cover now,” said Jake. “Did you do that?”
Violet smiled.
“I used the small screwdriver you gave me. And Papa helped me cut a board the right size.”
“Thank you, Violet.”
“You’re welcome. You were a funny clown, Jake.”
“Thank you again, Violet. Jessie was a good clown partner,” said Jake. “It took lots of practice for us to learn how to fall down together.”
Everyone laughed.
“Betty was good,” said Meg.
“You were good,” said Sarah. “Henry, you were a great announcer. You had to make it all work.”
“Maybe when I grow up I’ll be a circus announcer,” said Henry.
“I’d say, by the look of your globe inside, that you’ll be an explorer,” said Jake.
Henry thought.
“I like that,” he said, smiling. “An explorer.”
“The chief explorer,” said Jake.
“I like ‘chief,’ too,” said Henry.
“I loved being an elephant trainer,” said William. “I
really did. You know, there was a time yesterday when I really, really believed Boots was an elephant. And Joe!”
And then William repeated what he had said the day before.
“It was the best day of my life.”
They all looked up as Papa drove his gray car up the dirt road to the driveway. For a moment, Papa didn’t get out of the car. He just sat there in the car. Then, slowly, he opened the door and got out. He walked over to them. He carried a package.
He held the package out for Jake.
“Your part came,” he said.
Everything changed that morning.
In the heads of all the children, nothing was the same.
There would be no more walking to school together and playing tag all the way home.
No more stories of heroes and winged horses, even when the lights were out.
No more sleeping in the barn hideaway.
No more frosting buns in the kitchen.
No more watching Meg’s hair flying out behind her as she rode Betty.
No more circuses.
When Benny woke up and they told him, he burst into tears. He clutched Joe in his arms, rocking back and forth.
When Sarah saw that, she burst into tears, too.
“We won’t be far away,” said Sarah. “You will come and visit us.”
She wiped her eyes and wrote down an address on a piece of paper.
“Here is where we’ll be. Where should I put this so you can find it when you need it?”
“The cookie jar with our money,” said Jessie. “That’s the safest place.”
“That is what I will do,” said Sarah. “Don’t forget. We are in the cookie jar!”
This made the children smile even though they were sad.
“Jake won’t be able to leave today,” said Papa. “Maybe you can fill up today with fun.”
No one spoke.
“Chores first, of course,” Papa said cheerfully. “Go on, go on!”
Henry, Jessie, Meg, and William all went to the barn. Benny and Joe followed behind. Violet went to watch Jake work on the car engine. The hood was folded back, and when she bent over to look, Jake turned his head to look at her for a moment. Then he went back to work.
The barn was dark and cool and quiet.
Joe jumped into a pile of bedding hay. Benny sat with him.
“I’d like to put the smell of this barn into a little jar and take it with me,” said Meg.
No one said anything.
Henry and William began to shovel old hay out of the stalls and throw it out the back door in a pile.