Part 15 (1/2)
”Unfortunately for him,” Cannonball answered, ”Sonny Grant recognized him when he took over the circus. Ned Barrow had been in Yarwell for a short stretch. He was 'going straight' with the circus, when Sonny recognized him and forced him to take his orders, on threat of exposure. He'll go back to Yarwell now, for his attempt on Spitfire's life, if we can prove it, for a much longer stretch than he had before.”
And then, that was as long as anyone present could contain himself any longer. Merry Andrews yelled ”Yippee!” and turned a standing back somersault; and Trixie Cella, in spite of the tears in her eyes that were almost blinding her, grabbed Spitfire when he moved his feet and looked as though he were going to try to do the same thing. Joy Maybeck's father began to hug his wife and Joy and her sister, while he said over and over in a dazed voice, ”We own one third of the circus!”
Everyone was so excited that they all began to talk at once-until Socker Furlong did an imitation of a drum ruffle, the way he had heard Trixie and Spitfire do it from the pedestal board when they were practicing their flying; and when everyone stopped talking for two or three seconds he shouted, ”Ah, heebie, hebby, hobby, holey, go-long! La-ay-dies an' gen-n-n'men! At the t-a-able at the fa-a-a-ar end of the room is arranged the gr-r-r-e-ates-st a-s-sortment of delicate delicac-i-ie-es ever before as-s-sem-bled under one tent! Crisp, br-r-rown turkey from the pl-l-ains of Guatemala, j-u-u-icy ambrosial ham from the mountains of Tibet, spiced peaches from the lowlands of Poland, and delicious i-ces from the polar circle! Move up a li-ittle closer, la-ay-dies an' gen-n-n'mun!”
”Jiminy crimps!” Djuna said to Joy Maybeck, who was laughing happily beside him. ”He ought to be with the circus!”
”He's going to be, if I have anything to say about it!” Joy leaned down to whisper in Djuna's ear. ”Can you keep a secret?” she added.
”Oh, sure!” Djuna said. ”I should say so!”
”Well, I think that if I can persuade him to give up that awful newspaper job, he's going to be the press agent for the whole circus!”
”Hoddy-doddy!” Djuna said and his face beamed. ”And he'd travel right with the circus all the time?”
”All the time,” Joy whispered gleefully.
”Could Tommy and I-” Djuna started to say, when the superintendent of the hospital came bustling in to interrupt him by saying, ”Mr. Peters must go back to his room now. He-”
”Hey, Djuna!” Spitfire shouted as she started to turn his wheel chair around. ”How would you and Tommy like to travel along with the circus for a couple of weeks when we start on the road next week?”
”Great glittering glories of Golconda!” Miss Annie exclaimed. ”I-I-”
”Could we, Miss Annie, could we?” Djuna shouted joyfully. ”Could we, please?”
”Well, I suppose so,” Miss Annie said doubtfully-but her eyes were twinkling-”now that you've made it safe!”
Merry Andrews turned another standing back-flip, and said, ”I'll teach you both how to do that while you're with us!”
”Jiminy crimps!” Djuna and Tommy said together, because that was all they could say.
But the little black terrier, Champ, danced around them on his hind legs, barking like mad. It was plain that he intended to lead every other animal in the next circus parade, including the real white elephant.
And everybody, while Socker marked time, joined in the chant that the circus men always sing as they drive the tent pegs into the ground: ”Ah, heebie, hebby, hobby, holey, go-long!”
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Chapter One.
Djuna Meets a Yellow Cat
THE BOY named Djuna peered anxiously out the window of the big, gray bus as the door opened and the driver called, ”Dolphin Beach! Dolphin Beach!”
Djuna picked up his heavy suitcase, took a firmer grip on the leash of his little black Scotty, Champ, and scrambled down the steps to the Federal Highway. The door clanged shut behind him, the overhead light turned green and the big bus rumbled into the northbound traffic.
Djuna looked carefully around for his friend Tommy Williams, and for Tommy's father and his car. There were all kinds of cars whizzing north and south on the highway; and Djuna, in spite of his mounting anxiety as he failed to see Tommy, was fascinated by the license plates of so many different states. When the traffic light turned red there were just as many cars whizzing east and west on the main street of Dolphin Beach, a street called Atlantic Avenue.
There were gaudy gas stations on all four corners of the intersection, and when Djuna could not see Tommy he made his way toward the one behind him that had a small sign above the door: BUS STATION.
An attendant wearing a blue jumper leaned down to pat Champ on the head as Djuna approached him and said, ”Do you know Tommy Williams?”
”Can't say as I do,” the man drawled. He grinned as he saw the perspiration streaming down Djuna's face and added, ”Why don't you set down that heavy suitcase? Is Tommy supposed to meet you here?”
”Yes, sir,” Djuna told him. ”But I guess his father would have to bring him. He's a bean grower.”
”Harry Williams?” the man asked. ”Lives out on the Dixie Highway?”
”Yes, sir,” Djuna said eagerly. ”Do you know Mr. Williams?”
”Sure do,” the man said agreeably, and then he peered at Djuna more closely and said: ”You look kinda puckered out. You just get in?”
”I took the train from up North yesterday morning and sat up all night,” Djuna explained. ”I got into Miami this afternoon and took the bus back up here because my train didn't stop here.”
”Well, put your suitcase in the office there and stop sweatin',” the man said. ”Tommy or his pappy will show up. People ain't in such a hurry down here, the way they are up North. Makes 'em live longer. Take your Scotty for a walk and give him some suns.h.i.+ne. He'd look good with a tan.”
”Yes, sir. Thank you,” Djuna said as the man left to gas a car. He put his suitcase inside the door of the gas station and then led Champ over to the corner of the intersection. Above the Atlantic Avenue sign on the corner was a sign that had an arrow on it pointing east: TO THE BEACH. Over the traffic light in the center of the intersection was still another sign that had an arrow on it pointing west: TO THE BUSINESS SECTION. There were office buildings and stores on each side of Atlantic Avenue for about a block in each direction and then the street became residential. There were bright green lawns in front of the pastel-painted houses and around most of them there were bushes with cl.u.s.ters of salmon or red or purple flowers, and green hedges with scarlet blossoms that Djuna had never seen before. But there were beds of yellow lilies and varicolored petunias that were just like the ones he had seen in lawns up North.
About a mile down the road that led to the east, Djuna could see a bridge, and then a little farther on the road seemed to end. His pulse quickened as he imagined that where the road seemed to end there was a long sandy beach and beyond the beach the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
When the traffic light changed to green he scurried across the Federal Highway and sauntered down Atlantic Avenue toward the business section. He pa.s.sed a tackle-and-bait store that had all kinds of fis.h.i.+ng equipment in the window; a real estate office that had a map of Dolphin Beach in the window; a super-market that had a sign saying it was air-conditioned; a variety store; a drugstore that was featuring sun-tan lotion in the window; and a gift shop. Beyond that there was a light green stucco house with red flowers climbing over the roof, surrounded by a darker green lawn of Bermuda gra.s.s. A blood-red sun shone through a hazy sky in the west and great puffs of c.u.mulus clouds floated lazily on the horizon.
Djuna was wondering if the deep red flowers that climbed over the roof of the light green house were anything like rambler roses when he first saw the cat-an enormous yellow cat.
An old lady had come out on the porch of the light green house and was putting the yellow cat in a wicker carrying-basket when he first saw it.
Before Djuna realized what had happened, the end of Champ's leash was no longer in his hand and Champ was racing across the green lawn toward the porch as fast as his stubby legs would carry him. When the hair on the cat's back suddenly stood straight up and it started to spit, the old lady gave it a final shove into the basket and slammed the basket lid.
Djuna shouted, ”Champ!” as loudly as he could and started to run after him. Champ shouted back, ”Don't be silly-it's a CAT!”-at least that's the way his series of fierce barks sounded as he scrambled up the steps.
”Get that horrid little dog out of here!” the old lady screeched at Djuna as he reached the porch. The cat was spitting inside the basket as the little old lady lifted it off the floor, and Champ raced around and around her, trying to get at the basket.
”Gee!” Djuna panted as he managed to get a firm hold on Champ's leash. ”I'm awful sorry! He-he saw your cat before I did, and yanked the leash right out of my hand.”
”Well, it's a good thing for him I got my cat inside the basket,” the old lady said indignantly. ”He'd have scratched his hide off. Where did you ever get such a ridiculous-looking animal anyway?”
”Why, why, I've always had him,” Djuna said, and added lamely, ”He's a Scotty.”
”He looks as though he belonged on the end of a mop handle,” the old lady said tartly. ”Why don't you teach him to obey you?”
”He usually does,” Djuna told her quite seriously, and added, ”Down, Champ!” Champ sat down and looked up at him through the s.h.a.ggy black hair that drooped over his shoe-b.u.t.ton eyes. His long red tongue came out and he began to pant so hard he seemed to rattle.
”For goodness' sake!” the old lady said. ”Why don't you give him some water? He's thirsty.”
”Why-why-I-” Djuna stammered, ”I guess I forgot it. I was so excited about getting here I-”