The promise of all these delights proved irresistible to Jerry and Chris
and they left the children and were almost first in line, but the ticket
taker refused them admittance.

"Those tickets are not good to the side show," he said. "They admit you
to the main tent."

Stunned at this disaster, Jerry and Chris slunk under the ropes at the
entrance and rejoined Danny and Nora and Celia Jane. They stood in
silence as the crowd surged around the ticket seller for the side show
and watched the people stream through the door. Never had the lack of
"twenty-five cents, only a quarter of a dollar", meant so much to any
small boy as it meant to Jerry and Chris. Some of the people were
already going into the main tent, passing up the glories of the side
show. Jerry wondered if they, too, didn't have the necessary quarter of
a dollar.

"It would be just grand to see all them freaks," sighed Celia Jane. "If
I could only see just half the circus."

Jerry, his ticket still in his hand, looked up and saw Danny glancing
covetously at it.

"What'll you take for your ticket?" he asked eagerly. "I'll give you
anything of mine you want."

"I won't trade," replied Jerry, stuffing the ticket into his blouse
pocket. "I'm a-goin' to see the circus."

Danny made the same proposition to Chris but Chris also refused. There