There were dishes in the way, but this did not disturb Tucker in the least.He merely pushed them aside, some rolling off on the floor and breaking, others falling into the laps of the boys.
"Here, here, what are you doing?" called Phil."This is what I call the topsy-turvy walk."Teddy paused when halfway down the table, to let his mouth down to the table, where he had espied another cookie.When he pulled himself up, the cookie was between his lips, and the boys roared at the ludicrous sight.
Then, the lad who was walking on his hands, continued right on.He was nearing the foot of the table when something occurred that changed the current of their thoughts, sending the heart of every boy pounding in his throat.
Crash!
It seemed as if the roof had been suddenly hurled down upon their heads.
Teddy instantly fell off the table, tumbling into the laps of two of the boys, the three going down to the floor in a heap, finally rolling under the table.The other boys sprang to their feet in sudden alarm.
"It's a band," cried Phil."Don't be afraid."Then the circus band, that had been waiting in the hall just outside the dining place, marched in with horns blaring, drums beating, and took up their position at the far end of the room.
"It's the circus band," cried the lads, now recovering from their fright."How did they get here?"By this time Teddy, his face red and resentful, was poking his head from beneath the table.
"Hey, Rube!" he shouted, then ducked back again.
Phil understood instantly that this was one of Mr.Sparling's surprises.But there were still other surprises to come.No sooner had the band taken up its position than there was again a commotion out in the hall.The lads opened their eyes wide when a troop of painted clowns came trotting in, followed by half a dozen acrobats, all in ring costume.A mat was quickly spread by some attendants that Mr.Sparling had sent.
Then began the merriest hodge-podge of acrobatic nonsense that the high school boys ever had seen.The clowns, entering into the spirit of the moment, grew wonderfully funny.They sang songs and told stories, while the acrobats hurled themselves into a mad whirl of somersaults, cartwheels and Wild Dervish throws.
Thus far the boys were too amazed to speak.
All at once some of the performers began to form a pyramid, one standing on the other's shoulders.
"Here, I'm going to be the top-mounter!" cried Teddy, taking a running start and beginning to clamber up the human column.He was assisted up and up until he was standing at the top, his head almost touching the high ceiling in the room.
"Speech!" howled the delighted high school boys."Fellow citizens," began Teddy.
Just then the human pyramid toppled over and Teddy had to leap to save himself, striking the mat, doing a rolling tumble and coming up on his feet.
When all the fun making in the hall was over one surprise proved yet to be in the reserve.The high school boys of Edmeston turned out with lighted torches.Forming in column of fours they escorted Phil and Teddy to their car on the circus train.It was not many minutes later that the boys, tired out but happy, tumbled into their berths, where they were asleep immediately, carrying on, even in their dreams, the joyous scenes through which they had just passed.
