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[Illustration: This book belongs to]




                   Clown the Circus Dog




[Illustration: Clown the Circus Dog]




                          CLOWN

                     The Circus Dog

                 Story and Illustrations
                            By

                         A. Vimar
             Author of "The Curly-Haired Hen"

               Translated by Nora K. Hills

[Illustration: Clown the Circus Dog]

              The Reilly & Britton Company
                         Chicago




                     Copyright, 1917
                           by
                 The Reilly & Britton Co.


                 _Clown, the Circus Dog_




                  _To My Little Daughter
                     Genevieve Vimar_


[Illustration: Child with cat and dog]




Table


     Clown's Puppy Days                      15

     The Capture of Clown                    43

     Clown Escapes                           54

     Clown at the Circus                     64

     The Return Home                        101


[Illustration: Dog on book]




Clown, the Circus Dog




1

CLOWN'S PUPPY DAYS


Summer was here at last. The winter had not been very cold, but it had
stayed long after spring should have come. Now it seemed almost too
warm, perhaps because only a few days before it had been so cold.

[Illustration: Desk with books, paper, quill, laurel wreaths]

It was the end of the school-year, the time for examinations and the
giving of prizes, and these last few days were hard on both teachers
and children.

[Illustration: Girl with dogs]

Already a holiday breeze was blowing over the budding and blossoming
country, and the hum of insects and the singing of birds made one think
of the fun that would come with vacation.

Among the scholars bending over their desks was Bertha, a little
dark-haired girl, her black eyes fringed with long lashes. She was
twelve years old and was working for her first certificate. Morning and
afternoon she came to the school, sometimes brought by the maid, but
more often by her mother.

As a child she had always been petted and spoiled by her parents, who
gave her all the candies and toys she wanted. Her little room was
crowded with dolls and playthings of all sorts, each of which had its
name.

There were fair dolls, dark dolls, white dolls, black dolls, big
dolls--some even were life-size--fat dolls, thin dolls, little dolls,
tiny dolls; there were jointed dolls, who opened and shut their eyes;
there were dolls who could talk, and dolls who kept silent. I believe
myself that Bertha loved the silent ones best; they could not answer
back, you see.

Uncle Jean, the brother of Bertha's father, had made a point of giving
Bertha her first toy. He brought her, one fine morning, a lovely white
poodle, which had pink silk ribbons on it and little tinkly bells.
There was a spring inside, and when Bertha pressed this gently with
her fingers, the dog barked. It was altogether so well made that you
would have thought it was alive.

When he gave it to her, before the whole family, Uncle Jean made her
the following speech:

[Illustration: Desk with toys...and dog puppet]

"My dear niece, I give you this dog rather than a doll, because the
dog is the friend of man, but a doll--" here he mumbled into his big
moustache a lot of long words which got so mixed up with the barking of
the dog that nobody could catch them. Perhaps it was just as well.

[Illustration: Woman with child, man with dog]

Uncle Jean was always saying funny clever things to make people laugh
but really he was very wise and thoughtful. Everybody liked him and he
was invited places all the time.

So Bertha's first plaything was this dog, who was then and there given
the name of "Clown." Why they hit upon this name I really cannot say.

After the dog there came, one by one, all the dolls I just told you
about, but Bertha loved Clown best. You see, he was the only dog she
had, but there were many dolls to share her love.

[Illustration: Bertha and dog puppet]

Every night he was put to bed at the feet of his little mistress, who,
each morning as she woke up, took him into her arms and hugged him
tight.

Later on, as Bertha grew older, she would talk to him for hours, Clown
answering with long barks, really made by Bertha's fingers pressing on
the spring.

They were then, as I was just now telling you, on the eve of the
examinations. Bertha was working her hardest. For several days she had
been very, very quiet, and just a little worried; her parents were
quite anxious and petted her even more than usual.

[Illustration: Bertha and her mother]

At last one morning, when her mother asked her what was the matter,
Bertha decided to tell her all about it. After a long sigh she said:

"Mother, if I pass my examination, will you give me what I have been
wanting for a long, long time?"

Then, without waiting for an answer, she went on:

"I want a dog, a little dog, but--a real live one. It will be quite
easy to get one if you will only let me. Miss Lewis, our principal
at school, is going to have some. Don't laugh, Mother, it is quite
true. She told me so herself, and she promised to give me one if you
and father would let me have it. Oh, you will ask father, won't you?
Everything depends on him," she murmured, snuggling up to her mother
and hugging her, "for I know you will let me, won't you, sweetest? Oh,
I am so happy, so proud to think of having a dog of my very own." She
was so excited, she clapped her hands and danced for joy.

Bertha passed her examinations with honors and, true to his promise,
her father said that she might have her dog.

After that nobody could think of anything but the doggie, so eagerly
expected. What would he be like? What color would he be? She imagined
him now black, now white, now black and white, now sandy. She asked
all sorts of questions of everybody she met. She dreamed of him, she
thought of him all day long, of nothing but him.

[Illustration: Marie with a letter for Bertha]

Her father told her not to get too excited, as he was afraid she might
be disappointed. Bertha listened at last to his good advice, but even
then she could not resist stopping to look in at the windows of the
leather goods stores, where muzzles, collars, chains, leashes, whips,
boots for the mud, coats and blankets--in short, all the things a dog
could need--were displayed.

Dreamily she gazed at the poodles and pet-dogs which passed her, led by
fine ladies.

But, what was this? Marie with a letter for the little girl? Bertha
recognized the handwriting. Miss Lewis had written to tell her the
great news--the puppies had arrived. Five of them. Five little puppies,
each with different markings, and Miss Lewis graciously invited her
pupil to come and choose.

[Illustration: Mrs. Lewis' dog with five puppies]

Bertha was breathless, wild with joy.

"Mother, Mother, let's go quick! My doggie is waiting."

Dressing hastily, mother and daughter went straight to Miss Lewis's
house, where they found her beside a beautiful black poodle, who,
jealously ready to protect her babies, looked at her visitors as though
she didn't quite trust them.

[Illustration: Little black puppy]

After much hesitation Bertha at last decided upon a sturdy little black
puppy, with a white lock set exactly in the middle of his forehead,
like a pennant, which made him look very quaint and cunning. Perhaps it
was the white lock that decided Bertha, anyhow, directly she saw him,
the darling, she cried:

"That's the one I want! I choose him."

She couldn't have told you herself why she chose that one. She thought
his brothers and sisters all very pretty, but he was the one she wanted.
Love is often like that.

Bertha, who already loved the puppy she had chosen, wanted to take him
home with her at once, but her mother and even Miss Lewis insisted
that he was too young yet. Just think, he was only just born. It would
not be wise to bring him up on the bottle--such a bother--and then the
risk of sickness and all that might cause his little mistress all sorts
of worry.

[Illustration: Puppy with mother]

Bertha saw that they were right, but she begged Miss Lewis to let her
come every day to see him, to which her teacher willingly agreed.

After that Bertha did not let a day go by without a visit to her little
friend. The mother-dog soon grew used to seeing the girl; she was a
trifle greedy, I must confess, and her affection was quite won by the
cakes and dainties which Bertha brought her.

[Illustration: Clown as puppy]

For more than a month the puppy stayed with his mother. He had to be
entirely weaned before his mistress could have him.

In the meantime Bertha was busier than ever, busier than she would have
been if she had had the doggie at home. She was making all sorts of
preparations for him. She bought a regular outfit for her baby, as she
called him, and she even wanted to get him nightcaps and pajamas. These
her mother did not think necessary. However, to make up for not getting
them, she had to get all kinds of other things: curtains for his bed,
cushions, ribbons, a collar, a leash, even a tiny muzzle. Her doggie
must be well provided for.

[Illustration: Dog on book]

After hesitating a long time over the name to be given to the newcomer,
Bertha decided to call him "Clown," after her first dog, Uncle Jean's
toy. Besides, the name suited him exactly; he was very active, and had
a happy look and clumsy ways which made you laugh.

He would spend hours chasing his tail, but as it was rather short and
his body very chubby, he never quite caught it. The look of disgust
which came over his face when he finally gave up was so funny that
Bertha laughed till the tears came to her eyes.

[Illustration: Clown]

Meantime all his brothers and sisters had been given away. This did
not worry Clown a bit; he certainly did not lose his appetite over it;
on the contrary, he stuffed himself nearly sick. He drank so hard that
sometimes the milk would run out of his nose. Eating like that, he soon
became a big fat doggie, strong and active, barking at everything, and
snapping at flies.

When Clown was at last old enough to be taken away, Bertha, with her
faithful maid, Marie, went to get the little fellow and bring him to
his new home.

They had a regular christening party to which all Bertha's little
friends and their brothers were invited. There was a fine lunch with
lots of candy; they even drank fruit-juice punch. The party was talked
of long after by the guests, who enjoyed themselves immensely.

[Illustration]

But, alas, a month afterward, a cloud dimmed Bertha's happiness. Uncle
Jean did not like the looks of Clown. It is true that although his
coat was well brushed and curled and perfumed, the dog did look more
like a little bear than a poodle. Uncle Jean was very particular about
the training of dogs. He had horses and dogs of his own (he even had a
monkey) and he insisted that his grooms keep all his animals, of whom
he was very fond, slick and clean.

No poodle of his would have remained unshaven, with tail uncut, when
all proper poodles are shaven and have their tails trimmed off.

He said so much about it that at last it was decided that the dog
should be sent to the veterinary surgeon, who in a minute had cut off
Clown's tail and shaved him like a lion, leaving just a rim of hair
around his hind-quarters as an ornament, and a bushy tuft at the end
of his trimmed-off tail.

Poor little Clown was terribly upset.

He was brought home looking like a martyr and horribly ashamed; for
more than a week he was feverish and had fits of trembling. Bertha
cried and cried. I need not tell you what care she took of him. You can
guess that for yourself.

[Illustration: Clown was terribly upset]

Cured at last, he soon forgot about having his hair cut, and became a
proud, fine-looking dog. Only he could not bear the sound of shears,
and when he heard the dog-clippers go past he would fall into a rage,
wanting to run out and bite them, barking furiously in chorus with the
other dogs who felt as he did about it.

Bertha ceased to be angry with her uncle. When as she led Clown on the
leash she noticed people turn round and go into raptures over the
looks of her dog, it made her feel very proud.

[Illustration: Dog training]

The dog grew so fast you could almost see him getting bigger. His
training was undertaken carefully, Uncle Jean looking after it himself.
Clown learned quickly and easily; he was naturally intelligent and had
a truly wonderful memory.

Uncle Jean found that Clown learned tricks easily--he seemed to like to
show off--but in other ways he was not so easily managed. He was rather
fond of having his own way, and his young mistress got more than one
scolding for spoiling him. He insisted on being fed from her own hand,
and he would sleep nowhere but in Bertha's room.

[Illustration: Clown learned tricks easily]

Men are conceited things and think themselves much wiser than the
animals, but I don't believe they know so very much more after all.
It's a question whether the animal's instinct isn't of as much use
to him as intelligence is to man. Anyhow, animals can understand
one another, even animals of different kinds. I rather think they
understand one _=another=_ better than we understand them.

However that may be, Clown was a wonder. You had only to say what you
wanted him to do and he would do it like an old hand. He would jump
through a hoop, give his right or left hand as he was asked, leap
backward or forward, walk on his hands or feet--all this was child's
play to him.

[Illustration: Clown's tricks]

He dearly loved games--such as he could play, of course. He would
toss a ball, hunt the thimble, and without ever making a mistake
bring back the handkerchief to its owner, grinning with delight. With
a policeman's helmet on his head, and a piece of sugar on his nose,
looking like a soldier on parade, he would carry arms for hours at a
time. What surprising things he could do! You would scarcely believe
it, but he had learned to recognize certain letters of the alphabet and
to put together the word, B-E-R-T-H-A.

He never made a mistake in spelling the name of his little mistress,
although that was, however, the first and last word that they succeeded
in teaching him.

Alas, with all his good qualities Clown had his failings. Nobody, sad
to say, is faultless. He was given to stealing. A sugar bowl left
within his reach had a very bad time of it; he ate all the sugar, to
the very last piece, and it was a lucky thing if he didn't break the
bowl as well. Clown was greedy, there was no denying.

[Illustration: Clown eats sugar from the sugar bowl]

After a while, sadly spoiled, unfortunately, he began to put on airs
of independence. His leash made him impatient, and when he met a dog
friend running free about the streets he would behave badly, forcing
Bertha to drag him along like a toy without wheels, or he would wallow
in the dust, both of which made his mistress very angry.

One day, when he had gone marketing with Marie, he managed to slip his
head out of his collar and set off with a rush to join a group of very
ill-kept tramp dogs.

Poor Marie called and called, but in vain. Then she ran after him.
Not only could she not overtake him but, worse still, at a turning in
the road she lost sight of him altogether. In vain she searched the
neighborhood, questioning everyone she met, but no one had seen poor
Clown.

[Illustration: Marie and Clown]


[Illustration: Clown running away from Marie]

The excited woman began to cry, not daring to return home without the
dog. Anxiously she walked up and down in front of the house. After
about half an hour she heard a noise and soon saw a band of children
appear, yelling and running after a poor wretched, muddy little dog, to
whose tail was tied an old tin can which knocked against the pavement
with every jump he took.

Marie could not believe her eyes.

[Illustration: Clown in Marie's arms]

You would _=never=_ have known it was poor Clown, so terrified, his
eyes almost bursting from his head, his tongue hanging. As soon as he
caught sight of Marie, he hurled himself into her arms, covering her
with both kisses and mud.

Marie was so sorry for him that she hadn't the heart to scold the poor
animal. She took him in her apron and after untying the horrible tin
can he had been dragging after him, she carried him up to her room and
there bathed him from head to foot. He needed it, I can tell you.

[Illustration]

"If this will only be a lesson to him," she said to herself; but she
did not dare to tell anybody about his running away.

[Illustration: Clown playing with ball]

After this adventure Clown behaved very much better and was quiet and
obedient for several weeks. When his mistress took him out he followed
her quietly on the leash, without making any objection. Thus his life
flowed on, calm and happy. He had everything a dog could wish, except,
perhaps, a little more freedom. In the house, in the garden, in the
country, he could run about as he pleased, but in the streets Bertha
always kept him on the leash. The leash was held by a hand very gentle,
very easy and discreet, but in spite of that