"You bet," replied Chris.

"You'll get a ticket apiece, all right, as long as I'm on the job," said
Sam, giving them the pail not much more than half full of water.

"That's a whole lot easier to carry," Jerry assured Sam, as they started
for the tub.

It seemed to Jerry that he and Chris had been carrying water for hours
by the time the last tub was full. He felt almost starving. The sun
seemed to be 'way up and he was so tired and hot that he was about ready
to drop; but he found that when the work was done and Sam gave each boy
a ticket it wasn't very late, after all.

"It's just nine o'clock," said Sam, "and you kids'd better scoot home
and get some breakfast. Just show your mothers them tickets if they
scold you for stayin' so long and I guess they'll hush right up. The
matinee starts at 2:15, but if you want to see the menagerie, you'd
better come about half-past one or right after the parade."

Those magic pieces of paper, which Jerry and Chris held tightly in their
hands for fear of losing them, made them forget their hunger and
weariness and they set off for home at full speed. They raced breathless
into the house and found that Mrs. Mullarkey and Nora had finished
washing the breakfast dishes.

"Look, mother!" cried Chris, panting for breath after almost every word,
"we've got tickets for the circus for helpin' carry water for the
el'funts!"