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Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

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<h2>CHAPTER VI DIDO IN THE COUNTRY</h2> New York is a big city, and it is not a place where bears live, except in Central Park, or Bronx Park, where there are many wild animals in cages or dens. And it was to New York that Dido had come with his keeper. On the ship Dido had had some adventures, and I wish I had space enough in this book to tell you about what happened to him. But I think, perhaps, you would rather hear about Dido’s adventures as he traveled about the country and cities, dancing, turning somersaults, and climbing trees and telegraph poles. So I will just say that on the ship Dido did a few tricks for the passengers on deck when the weather was fine. When it was stormy Dido and his keeper had to stay down in their room. And Dido had all he wanted to eat. For there were on that ship many children, and when they heard that Dido, the dancing bear, was also a passenger they gave him some of their buns, apples and other good things. So Dido had a happy time. [59] Once there was a big storm, and the ship almost turned a somersault, as Dido himself had done in the woods. But the storm passed, the sun came out, and the ocean grew quiet. Then Dido felt better. Now he was in New York with his keeper. As I have told you, a big city is not a good place for a bear to live. Of course there is enough for him to eat, if he can get it, but there are not many trees, except in the streets, and policemen don’t like to see bears climbing the city trees. And in a city there are no lakes of blue water, in which bears may swim. But Dido’s master took him to a stable where there were many horses, and here Dido felt quite at home, though at first the horses were frightened when they smelled the bear. For horses smell in much the same way as do bears. If you have ever held out an apple, or a lump of sugar, to a horse you have seen him smell it before he tasted it. All animals do this. They can often smell better than they can see, and they tell, in that way, whether a thing is good for them to eat. So when the horses smelled Dido, the dancing bear, they were a bit frightened, as they were not used to wild animals, and they thought Dido was wild. But when they saw him do some of his tricks, which he did for practice in the barn, the horses were afraid no more. [60] “We will stay in this stable a little while,” said Dido’s master to him, “and then we will go out in the country, and people will give us money when you dance.” One day Dido’s keeper went out and stayed a long time. When he came back he was very happy. “Ah, Dido!” cried the man, “we are going to a circus. You are going to do some tricks there. We shall have a good time, and I will get money to buy buns for you. After the circus we will go out in the nice country, where the trees grow as they do on the mountain where I caught you.” Dido did not know what a circus was, but he soon found out. In New York City is a place called Madison Square Garden. It is a big building, and on top of the tower, where the pigeons live, is a statue of a golden lady, with a bow and arrow. The lady is named Diana, and, many, many years ago, she used to hunt wild animals in the woods of her country. Perhaps that is why they have the circus in Madison Square Garden. A circus there is not like one in a tent. All the animals and all the performers are in one big building. The animals are mostly down in the basement, as they call it. And it was there that Dido was taken by his[61] keeper. The dancing bear rode in a big express wagon, just as he had ridden down the mountain after he had been caught in the trap-cage. Only this time Dido was not afraid, as his kind keeper was with him to pat him on the head and give him sweet buns. Dido was taken into Madison Square Garden, and as soon as he got inside he smelled the smell of many wild animals. He was not afraid, for he was used to that smell. He could tell there were other bears in the circus, and he saw them in cages, but none of them were let go about as was he. And Dido saw camels, lions, tigers, monkeys, ponies, horses, and many other animals. Dido’s master led him down where the animals were kept, and chained him to a post, with some water near by for him to drink, and some bread and buns to eat. “I am going away for a little while, Dido,” the man said. “But I will soon be back. Then we will go up in the circus ring and you will do your tricks for the boys and girls. Be a good bear while I am away.” Dido ate a bun, drank some water, and looked about him. Over in one corner the dancing bear saw a queer animal, who seemed to have two tails. [62] “I beg your pardon, but who are you?” asked Dido, in the sort of talk that all animals understand. “Who am I?” asked the big animal who seemed to have two tails. “Why I am Tum Tum, the jolly elephant.” “Tum Tum, eh?” exclaimed Dido. “That is a nice name, but you are a funny chap, with two tails.” “Ah, that is where you make a mistake,” said Tum Tum, as he chewed a mouthful of hay. “I have only one tail. The other is my trunk that I lift things with. It is really only a long nose, for I breathe through it, but folks call it a trunk.” “Ah, I see,” spoke Dido. “I am sorry I thought you had two tails.” “Oh, that’s all right,” went on jolly Tum Tum. “Don thought the same thing when he first saw me.” “Don? Who is Don?” asked Dido. “Don is a runaway dog. That is, he once ran away,” explained the elephant, reaching for a peanut which a boy held out to him. “But Don is home now after his many adventures.” “What are adventures?” asked Dido. “Things that happen to you,” answered Tum Tum. “I had many adventures, and so did Don. A man wrote a book about each of us.” [63] “What is a book?” asked Dido. “Oh, don’t ask me,” said Tum Tum. “All I know is that’s what they called it. A book is a queer thing. It is square, like a loaf of bread, but not so thick—at least the books about Don and me were not so thick. And inside the book are thin pieces of something they call pages, or leaves, though they are not green like the leaves of a tree. The leaves in the book are white and on them are funny black marks. And when boys and girls look at the funny black marks, which tell about Don and me, they laugh, those boys and girls do, for I have heard them say so when they come here to the circus to see me.” “I wonder if my adventures will ever be put in a book?” asked Dido. “Maybe so,” answered Tum Tum, the jolly elephant. “Have you had many things happen to you?” “Oh, lots and lots!” cried the dancing bear. “I used to live in the woods, and I went in a box to get some honey and I found myself in a trap.” “That was an adventure,” said Tum Tum, “so I think you will be put in a book.” Dido was very glad to meet the jolly elephant, and the two talked together for some time. Then Tum Tum had to go up in the circus ring to do his tricks, and, a little later, Dido’s master came for him. [64] “Come, Dido,” said the man. “You are going to show the people what you can do. I want you to dance, to turn somersaults, and to march like a soldier. “There are no trees for you to climb, but there is a big post in the circus ring, and you can climb that, I’m sure. I’ll give you a bun if you do.” And Dido did climb the pole, and he did his other tricks, so that the people in the circus, especially the boys and girls, laughed and clapped their hands to see Dido, the dancing bear, and Tum Tum, the jolly elephant. Then one day Dido’s keeper said to him: “Come, Dido, the circus is going to move away from New York, so we will move, too. Only we will go out in the country by ourselves, and we will travel along so you can do your tricks, and I can gather the pennies in my hat.” The next day Dido and his keeper rode out in the country in a railroad train. Dido slept in a corner of a baggage car, where the trunks were. He liked the train better than the ocean ship, for it did not go up and down so much, though it moved faster. “Ah, here we are in the country!” cried Dido’s keeper, as he led him out of the car. “And now, I suppose,” thought Dido, “I will have some more adventures, and they may be put into a book, as Tum Tum’s were.” [65] <div id="i_p065" class="figcenter" style="width: 393px;"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_p065.jpg" width-obs="393" height-obs="600" alt="" title="" /> <div class="caption">Dido, the dancing bear and Tum Tum, the jolly elephant.</div> </div> <hr class="chap" /> [66] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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