under the ropes and come in. The boy did so gratefully.

"The doors are not open yet, but you may go in. You will have
time to look over the animals before the crowd arrives, then you
can reach your seat before the others get in. Please let me see
those checks once more."

The assistant made a mental note of the section and number of the
seats for future reference and handed back the coupons.

Phil stole into the menagerie tent, relieved to be away from the
gaze and comments of the crowd that was massed in front.

"Gracious, I'm afraid I wouldn't make a very good circus man. I
hate to have everybody looking at me as if I were some natural or
unnatural curiosity. Wonder if I will know any of the show
people when they are made up, as they call it, and performing in
the ring? I shouldn't wonder if they didn't know me in my best
clothes, though," grinned the boy.

Phil had had the forethought to bring a few lumps of sugar in his
pocket. Entering the menagerie tent, he quickly made his way to
the place where the elephants were chained, giving each one of
the big beasts a lump. He felt no fear of them and permitted
them to run their sensitive trunks over him and into his pockets,
where they soon found the rest of the sugar.

After disposing of the sweets, both beasts emitted a loud
trumpeting. At such close quarters the noise they made seemed to
shake the ground.