The Story of Freginald by Walter R. Brooks Page A

the Congress of the United States of America in solemn conclave assembled I hereby declare the Confederacy dissolved and abolished in the names of the parties aforesaid and hereinbefore mentioned and by virtue of the authority invested in me as director and sole owner of Boomschmidt’s Colossal and Unparalleled Circus do proclaim this house and properties adjoining as henceforth part and parcel of the state or nation heretofore designated as the United States of America and the inhabitants thereof as citizens of the aforesaid United States of America henceforward without let, hindrance, or stay wheresoever, howsoever, and whensoever constituted.”
    Then the band played The Star Spangled Banner and the robbers filed past and saluted the flag. And when this was done, Mr. Boomschmidt rewarded the courage of Jerry and the resourcefulness of Eustace by presenting each of them with one of his red checkered handkerchiefs. He sneezed again when he was making the presentation to Eustace and nearly blew the mouse off the porch, but otherwise the ceremony was very. impressive.
    The bull was pretty pleased with the whole thing and especially with the flag. “I suppose Colonel Yancey would have a fit if he saw that flag over the door,” he said, “but he’s been gone over seventy years, so I reckon he won’t ever see it. And it’s a mighty pretty one. But there’s one thing bothers me, Mr. Boomschmidt. I admit getting a living by robbing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and I for one will be glad to give it up. But what can we do? Don’t you want to take us along with you, sir?”
    Well, of course, Mr. Boomschmidt couldn’t do that. But he said he’d talk to the mayor of the next town up the road and tell him the state of affairs. And probably the mayor could find homes for all of them.
    â€œWell, that’s all right,” said the bull dubiously, “but you know the farmers around here are afraid of us. We’ve been a pretty tough lot.”
    So Mr. Boomschmidt thought a minute or two, and then suddenly he said: “I’ve got it. I’ve got just the idea. Oh, oh; what an idea! I’ve always wanted to have a little farm of my own—place where I could come between trips, where the animals could rest up, and so on. Suppose I leave a couple of my men here to run the place with you? Eh? How would that be? Leo! Where’s Leo? Hannibal, what do you think?”
    â€œYou could have your mother come down here and live,” said Hannibal. “She told me last time I saw her she was awful tired of Schenectady.”
    â€œNo movies, though,” said Mr. Boomschmidt.
    â€œThere’s a movie house at Yare’s Corners, three miles over the mountain,” said the bull. “We’d take her over any time she wants to go. Oh, that sounds fine! I hope you’ll do it.”
    â€œI will!” said Mr. Boomschmidt. “Goodness, why didn’t I think of it before? Why didn’t I think of it before, Hannibal?”
    â€œYou’ll have to repair the house,” said the elephant.
    Mr. Boomschmidt pushed his hat back and scratched his head. “Yes, yes, I suppose Jerry sort of stirred the house up. Well, go get the carpenters, Hannibal. And, Oscar, you run down and tell ’em to bring up the wagons. We’ll have to camp here for a few days. Good gracious, what a splendid idea I had!”

CHAPTER 10
    It was quite a job to get the plantation in running order again. But the whole circus pitched in, and in two weeks you wouldn’t have known the place. They repaired the house and gave it a thorough cleaning and painted it inside and out, and they scrubbed and polished all the furniture and hung curtains at the windows and put a brass plate at the door with “Boomschmidt” on it in Gothic letters. They opened up the driveway that went out to the road and edged it with cobblestones painted white, and they put up a