THE CIRCUS AND THE SCARECROWS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 141, 9 March 1940, Page 18

THE CIRCUS AND THE SCARECROWS

An Autumn Tale Told by Kiwi.

tpifE scarecrow at Smillt’s Larin stood near enough to the fence of the iniiize-ptitltlock to look over into the orchard, -lust at this time of the year I lie maize is ripening gold beneath its wrapping of green and yellow' silken scarves, null the fruit iu the orchard is shilling bright with bloom, so there really was need of soiueeue, if only a scarecrow. Io stand 'by and keep off the birds. But Jake —that was what Bobby Smit It called Hie scarecrow— Jake ditl not like his life. ••Nothing over happens,” be complained to the scarecrow in the Eraser farm maize-paddock. The Erasers boundary was just across I he other fence from Jake, but the next-door farmers were such rivals that bey even hud a scarecrow each, for tlteir next-door maize fields, though one would have done for I he two it they Could have agreed which maize-field was to have it. Scarecrow Jake, who bad been Hie lirst arrival, when I he Smiths’ maize had begun Io peep above the ground, was not a bit sorry that the Eraser scarecrow was there. Indeed, he tidd himself, as he flapped his sleeves wearily, he 1,-ad stood so long iu the one place watching I be maize grow, that he could never have stood it if it had'not been for Scarecrow Eraser fo talk to. “Nothing happens. ever.’' tie sighed again. -I'm not so sure.” said seareerew Eraser, tlionghlfully. "We can see the road from here, with only the one paddock of lucerne between. ( beard my fartiiei telling his son today that I hero would be a circus going by. It seems the big trucks and elephants

and €><» on are not allawed on the main highways—they take too long to lumber along and get in the way. So they have to take this back road to town, and 1 was thinking we might see the procession. •‘Really?” said Scarecrow Jake, perking up. “I’d love to see a circus. In fact. I'd give half the straw from my stuffing if only I could .see some real live monkeys and clowns.” j “Pooh, you are a silly scarecrow,' said Scarecrow Fraser, derisively. “You won't see them, for they will a’l be in Ihe wagons.” “Just my J nek,” said Scarecrow Jake mournfully, and he sagged against his pole in disappointment. He stayed like that for a long lime, when ue was suddenly aroused from his dejection by a shout: from Scarecrow Fraser. “Here they come! Look at the gailypainted wagons.” Scarecrow Fraser liked circuses too, but be was not going to lei Jake know it too well. '•The first: wagon is red. with yellow trimmings." called Jake, excitedly, "t'nn von imagine what the farm animals would do if our farmers used bright wagons like that?” “Pooh." said Scarecrow Fraser again. “'l'he.v are not as showy as circus folk.”

Bui Jake hardly took any notice ot him. for he liked the showy wagons, though he looked in vain for a .funny, hairy, brown monkey, or a laughing clown face. But the circus wagons went rumbling by, gorgeous and gleaming. and when Hie last one had passed all that Hie Iwo scarecrows had seen was the end of the elephant's trunk as it curled out ot its wagon. Even the horses were in Hie vans, and so not a clown nor a monkey had Jake see:!. He leaned sadly against his pole. But wait, could that be a monkey climbing up a tall stalk of maize directly in front of him? A funny little monkey with a hairy brown face? No, surely he was dreaming. Jake blinked—

"Hi. I’ve gol a monkey iu my pad dock!” If was Scarecrow Eraser ca 1ing. in a high-pitched, excited voice. Then Jake knew lie was nor seeing things. "So have 1 !” be shouted back, beaming at the little creature as it swung from maize-stalk to maize-stalk, anti not bothering to wonder bow it. got

there. Above the monkey’s chatter he heard the scarecrow in Fraser’s maizepaddock, shrieking proudly. “I have a down in my paddock.” Jake looked, and sure enough, there was a polka-dotted clown in the nextdoor paddock. Then he gave a start of surprise as he saw, wonder of wonders, another clown turning flip-Uops in his maize paddock! And suddenly, a legion of circus people swarmed into the two paddocks, as if looking for something, and they all poked and hunted while the ringmaster stood on the fence between the maize paddoeks and shouted directions. “Jocko and Socko have escaped!’’ che cry went up. “Mud the monkeys. 1 ’ All the circus folk looked very gay as they dashed a.round, almost, thought Scarecrow Jake, as if they liked being Lu the maize paddocks. “So that is it,” said Jake to himself. Then Scarecrow Jake saw the wirewalker in red tights climbing a telepltone pole at the side of the paddock, where the wires went up to the farmhouse. The wirewalker was on the wires now, looking sharply this way and that. Suddenly, “There is Socko,” he called, pointing into the Fraser maize paddock. Scarecrow Fraser looked disappointed as the first monkey was surrounded and captured. Then the wire-walker looked over into the Smith paddock, and Scarecrow Jake looked twice at the little brown Jocko, and thought hard. When Jocko was caught, the galloping cowboys and the fat lady and the flip-flopping clowns would go back to their wagons and ou to town, ami the brief galaday would be over for Scarecrow Jake as well as Hie monkey. Jake .thought all this quickly, then he winked, a friendly, inviting wink, right at Jocko, the missing monkey. Jocko understood. He climbed the scarecrow’s pole and hid in Hie straw stuffing under Jake's coat. No one had seen, and the search went on.

For a full half-hour Scarecrow Jake and his neighbour enjoyed a circus such ns they had never dreamed of seeing. It seemed to Jake that every clown in . the circus turned handsprings down hi* - row, ami everyone called titnl laughed ! and cracked jokes, mainly about monkeys, so that even if he could not tin- |

derstand, che little monkey cuddled down in Jake’s shilling was quite right in giggling to himself in his little, thin, chattery voice. But Jake was not so sure that the monkey did not know al! that was going on, for when one big trampy-looking clown stopped and looked at the scarecrow, the little monkey stopped chattering right away. Scarecrow Jake was relieved when a big, clownish grin spread over the man’s face. Then lie shook Jake’s hand and said “Good-morning, brother." and Scarecrow Jake grinned delighted ly. There is no telling how long the search would have gone on if the Shetland pony had not come galloping down Jake’s row just at the moment that Jocko peeped out of the straw stuffing. This was Jocko’s cue in the circus, act. for he always jumped upon the Shetland’s back and did tricks in the ring. Habit was stronger than his wish for fun and Jocko took his cue. He leaped and was gone, down the row. while everyone shouted. “There is the monkey! ,Jocko is found.” And they all trooped back to the wagons. The circus rumbled on its way and the maize paddocks were let* once more, deserted, except for the scarecrows. Scarecrow Jake smiled happily across at Seareerow Fraser and grinned to think that bis haughty neighbour had been wrong. They had both seen a circus with clowns and real live monkeys. And Scarecrow Jake had played a game with a funny little hairey free-for-a-minute monkey—am! he had become a brother to u clown. Yes, indeed, he would scare crows happily to the end of his days.