higher and higher.  She was on the alert, moving her head this way and that to catch sight of people, giving us a running commentary in the mean time.  It was very pleasant to see a person so happy as Mrs. Kew was that day, and I dare say in speaking of the occasion she would say the same thing of Kate and me,—­for it was such a good time!  We bought some peanuts, without which no circus seems complete, and we listened to the conversations which were being carried on around us while we were waiting for the performance to begin.  There were two old farmers whom we had noticed occasionally in Deephaven; one was telling the other, with great confusion of pronouns, about a big pig which had lately been killed.  “John did feel dreadful disappointed at having to kill now,” we heard him say, “bein’ as he had calc’lated to kill along near Thanksgivin’ time; there was goin’ to be a new moon then, and he expected to get seventy-five or a hundred pound more on to him.  But he didn’t seem to gain, and me and ’Bijah both told him he’d be better to kill now, while everything was favor’ble, and if he set out to wait something might happen to him, and then I’ve always held that you can’t get no hog only just so fur, and for my part I don’t like these great overgrown creatur’s.  I like well enough to see a hog that’ll weigh six hunderd, just for the beauty on’t, but for my eatin’ give me one that’ll just rise three.  ‘Bijah’s accurate, and he says he is goin’ to weigh risin’ five hundred and fifty.  I shall stop, as I go home, to John’s wife’s brother’s and see if they’ve got the particulars yet; John was goin’ to get the scales this morning.  I guess likely consider’ble many’ll gather there to-morrow after meeting.  John didn’t calc’late to cut up till Monday.”

“I guess likely I ’ll stop in to-morrow,” said the other man; “I like to see a han’some hog.  Chester White, you said?  Consider them best, don’t ye?” But this question never was answered, for the greater part of the circus company in gorgeous trappings came parading in.

The circus was like all other circuses, except that it was shabbier than most, and the performers seemed to have less heart in it than usual.  They did their best, and went through with their parts conscientiously, but they looked as if they never had had a good time in their lives.  The audience was hilarious, and cheered and laughed at the tired clown until he looked as if he thought his speeches might possibly be funny, after all.  We were so glad we had pleased the poor thing; and when he sang a song our satisfaction was still greater, and so he sang it all over again.  Perhaps he had been associating with people who were used to circuses.  The afternoon was hot, and the boys with Japanese fans and trays of lemonade did a remarkable business for so late in the season; the brass band on the other side of the tent shrieked its very best, and all the young men of the region had brought their girls, and some of these countless pairs of country lovers we watched a great deal, as they “kept company” with more or less depth of satisfaction in each other.  We had a grand chance to see the fashions, and there were many old people and a great number of little children, and some families had evidently locked their house door behind them, since they had brought both the dog and the baby.