with round eyes, and listening with little gasps of astonishment or
delight to the roaring of lions, the snarling of tigers, the chatter
of the monkeys, the groaning of camels, and the music of the very
brass band shut up in a red bin.

Five elephants were tossing their hay about in the middle of the
menagerie, and Billy's legs shook under him as he looked up at the big
beasts whose long noses and small, sagacious eyes filled him with awe.
Sam was so tickled by the droll monkeys that they left him before the
cage and went on to see the zebra, "striped just like Ma's muslin
gown," Bab declared. But the next minute she forgot all about him in
her raptures over the ponies and their tiny colts, especially one mite
of a thing who lay asleep on the hay, such a miniature copy of its
little mouse-colored mamma that one could hardly believe it was alive.

"Oh, Ben, I _must_ feel of it!--the cunning baby horse!" and down went
Bab inside the rope to pat and admire the pretty creature, while its
mother smelt suspiciously at the brown hat, and baby lazily opened one
eye to see what was going on.

"Come out of that, it isn't allowed!" commanded Ben, longing to do the
same thing, but mindful of the proprieties and his own dignity.

Bab reluctantly tore herself away to find consolation in watching the
young lions, who looked so like big puppies, and the tigers washing
their faces just as puss did.

"If I stroked 'em, wouldn't they purr?" she asked, bent on enjoying
herself, while Ben held her skirts lest she should try the experiment.