4 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



living with my parents. That day I joined some 

 other boys in playing hookey from school, and we 

 earned our passes by carrying water for the ani- 

 mals.^ It wasn't my first circus, but it was the first 

 time that I had ever worked around the animals 

 and I was fascinated. I didn't miss the big show, 

 but all the rest of the day I was in the menagerie, 

 listening to the yarns of the keepers and doing as 

 much of their work as they would allow. That 

 night, when the circus left town, I stowed away 

 in a wagon. 



The next morning, in Elmira, I showed up at 

 the menagerie bright and early. The men laughed 

 when they saw me. I had expected them to be 

 surprised and I was afraid that they might send 

 me away, but I found out later that it was quite 

 an ordinary thing for boys to run away from home 

 and join the circus. And the men didn't mind be- 

 cause the boys were always glad to do their work 

 for them. I worked hard and, in return, the men 

 saw that I had something to eat. That night I 

 stowed away again in the wagon. 



In Buffalo I was told to see the boss the head 

 property-man and I went, trembling for fear he 

 was going to send me back home. Instead, he told 

 me that I might have the job of property-boy, which 

 would give me $25 a month, my meals and a place 

 to sleep if I could find one. There were no sleep- 

 ing accommodations for the canvas and property 

 crews ; we rolled up in the most comfortable places 



