"Boys," said Polly, "I know just how to have a circus. First, we must make a ring. We will use sticks of wood from the wood pile. I asked father if we might.

"We will lay them down in a circle. You can each bring two sticks at a time. I will bring three."

It took some minutes to make the circus ring large enough. But, at last, it was done. The sticks of wood were laid end to end in a circle.

"Now let us have the circus," said Peter.

"First, Tim must go home and get Billy, his goat," said Polly. "Billy is to be one of the performers. Bring Collie, too, Tim."

Collie is Tim's dog. He is a wise and beautiful sheep dog.

Tim and Peter went up the bill. They found Hilly out by the barn.

"Come along, Billy," said Peter. "We need you in the circus."

Billy would not stir. He did not know what fun a circus is.

"I know how to get him," said Tim. "There is Collie. He will get Billy for us. He knows how to drive cows. I think that he can drive old Billy."

Tim called to Collie. At last Collie understood what he was to do. He ran behind Billy and nipped at his heels. This made Billy turn around. He put down his head. He chased Collie. He tried to butt him.

Peter and Tim started out of the yard. Collie followed them. Billy followed Collie. At last they were at Peter's. Polly was waiting in the ring with Wag-wag.

When Billy saw Wag-wag, he started after him. Wag-wag ran around in a circle. Billy chased him.

"Oh, look, look!" shouted Peter. "That is the first part of our circus. It is a race between a goat and a dog."

"That is all Billy needs to do," said Tim. "He must not work too hard. He may go home now. What will come next?"

"I have two things to come next," said Polly. "I fixed them while you were up after Billy. Here is the first. We will draw it around the ring."

Polly drew Peter's cart out from one of the tents. On the cart, there was a box. It had a cover. It had slats across both sides. Some kind of fruit had come in it.

There was no fruit in it now. Instead, there was a fierce, wild panther. It was the fiercest kind of panther, for it was black.

"Mew, mew, mew," cried that panther. And she walked around and around the cage trying to get out.

Polly said, "Be quiet, panther. You are a very wild animal. I must draw your cage around the circus ring. Everybody wishes to see you. In a little while I shall give you a whole sheep to eat."

"Mew, mew, mew," still cried the panther. Perhaps that meant, "I am not a panther. I am Blacky."

"I like animals," said Tim. "I wish that we had more."

"I have two more," said Polly. "I will show one to you in Peter's tent. Come now."

She took the wild panther out of the cage. She carried her to the tent.

She said, "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the most wonderful cat in the world. She can catch fish. None of you have cats that can do such a smart thing."

"Maybe that is so," said Tim. "But we can catch fish ourselves. What comes next?"

"You do," said Polly. "You must jump down from the very top of the cage. Go and get one of the back-kitchen chairs. We shall put the cage on top of it. You can jump from that."

Tim jumped several times. Then Peter jumped several times. Then they both turned somersaults.

At last they thought they would jump from the top of the cage together. They climbed up on the cage. But it was not strong enough to hold them.

The top smashed in. Off the chair they both tumbled, while Polly laughed and laughed.

She said, "I forgot to have any clowns. You are very good ones. Come into the other tent now. That is a side show. I have something wonderful there."

When they came to the other tent she said, "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the most wonderful thing in the world. It is a dwarf. This dwarf will never grow any larger. She will always stay just the size that she is now."

"Oh," said Tim, "that is Blacky's little kitten — the one that never grew up. Is she a dwarf?"

"Yes," said Polly. "Just think! Isn't it wonderful? How should you like to stay always just as little as you are now? "

"I should not like it," said Tim. "Why don't you feed her? I have to eat lots of things to make me grow."

"Feeding her doesn't make her grow," said Polly. "We have tried everything. She is just a dwarf. She will always stay a dwarf. Come out now. I have one more thing to show you. It is a dancing bear."

Polly went to the circus ring. She called to Collie. She took his forepaws in her hands. She made him stand up straight.

Then she said, "Come, dancing bear, come and dance." And she pulled Collie after her around the ring.

Peter and Tim clapped their hands.

Tim said, "I used to call Collie, Jersey cow. Perhaps I shall call him the dancing bear, now."

"That is all the circus today," said Polly. "But we need not put the ring back tonight. I asked father.

"Tomorrow we can have the same circus and ask the other children to come. We will charge ten pins for each child."

"All right," said Tim and Peter. "That will be fun. We will be better clowns tomorrow."