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42 pages

English

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In this series of children's books, many of the toys who live together in a big toy store recount their fun adventures. In The Story of Calico Clown, a silly clown decides to put on a show of tricks, stunts and capers for his friends after the toy store closes down for the night.

Sujets

Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 février 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776676798
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0064€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE STORY OF CALICO CLOWN
* * *
LAURA LEE HOPE

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The Story of Calico Clown First published in 1920 Epub ISBN 978-1-77667-679-8 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77667-680-4 © 2015 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - The Giant's Swing Chapter II - A Broken Leg Chapter III - The Clown's Dance Chapter IV - Up in a Tree Chapter V - Taken Down Town Chapter VI - In the Office Chapter VII - In the Wash-Basket Chapter VIII - Down in a Deep Hole Chapter IX - Back Home Chapter X - The Toy Party
Chapter I - The Giant's Swing
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"To-night we shall have a most wonderful time," said the Elephant fromthe Noah's Ark to a Double Humped Camel who lived in the stall next tohim.
"What kind of a time?" asked the Camel. He stood on the toy counter ofa big department store, looking across the top of a drum toward a Jackin the Box who was swaying to and fro on his long spring. "What do youcall a wonderful time, Mr. Elephant?"
"Oh, having fun," replied the big toy animal, slowly swinging histrunk to and fro. "And to-night the Calico Clown is going to give aspecial exhibition."
"Oh, is he?" suddenly asked a funny little Wooden Donkey with a headthat wagged up and down. "Is he going to climb a string again and burnhis red and yellow trousers as he once did?"
"Indeed I am not!" exclaimed the Calico Clown himself. The Clown wasleaning against his friend Mr. Jumping Jack, who was a cousin of Jackin the Box. "I'm not going to give any special exhibition like that,"went on the Clown. "I'm just going to do a few funny tricks, such asstanding on my head and banging my cymbals together. And, I am notsure, but I may ask a riddle."
"Will it be that one about what makes more noise than a pig under agate?" inquired a Celluloid Doll. "Well, yes, it will be that riddle,"replied the Clown, trying to look very stern.
"That's the only riddle he knows," whispered the Elephant.
"What I should like to know," said the Camel, "is why a pig shouldwant to get under a gate, anyhow. Why didn't he stay in his pen?"
"Oh, there's no use trying to make you understand," sighed the Clown."I'll just have to dance around, do a few jigs, bang my cymbalstogether, and do things like that to amuse you."
"Well, we'll have a good time to-night, anyhow," said the CelluloidDoll. "We really haven't had much fun since the Candy Rabbit and theMonkey on a Stick went away. I wish—"
"Hush!" suddenly called the Calico Clown. "Here come the clerks. Thestore will soon be filled with customers."
The toys became very still and quiet. This talk among them had takenplace in the early morning hours, after a night of jolly good times.But when daylight came, and when clerks and customers filled thestore, the toys were no longer allowed to do as they pleased. Theycould not move about or talk as they could on other occasions.
The Calico Clown was a jolly chap, and he seemed to stand out amongall the other toys on the counter. He wore calico trousers of whichone leg was red and the other yellow. He had a calico shirt that wasspotted, speckled and striped in gay colors, and on each of his handswas a round piece of brass. These pieces of brass were called"cymbals," and the Calico Clown could bang them together as thedrummer bangs his cymbals in the band.
I say the Calico Clown could bang his cymbals together, and by that Imean he could do it when no boys or girls or grown folk were lookingat him. This was the rule for all the toys. They could move about andtalk only when no human eyes were looking. As soon as you glanced atthem they became as still and as quiet as potatoes.
But any one who picked up the Calico Clown could make him bang hiscymbals together by pressing on his chest. There was a little spring,and also a sort of squeaker, such as you have heard in toy bears orsheep.
Besides being able to clap his cymbals together, the Calico Clowncould also move his arms and legs when you pulled certain strings,like those on some Jumping Jacks. The Calico Clown was a livelyfellow, as well as being very gaily dressed.
But now all the toys were still and quiet. They sat or stood or werelying down on the counter, waiting for what would happen next. Andwhat generally did happen was that some customers came to the storeand bought them.
Already a number of the toys had been sold and taken away. There wasthe Sawdust Doll. She was the first to go. Then the White RockingHorse had been bought for a boy named Dick, a brother of Dorothy, whonow owned the Sawdust Doll. The Lamb on Wheels had been purchased by ajolly sailor, and when the Lamb saw him she feared she would be takenon an ocean trip and made seasick. But the sailor gave the Lamb to alittle girl named Mirabell. And, in the course of time, her brotherArnold was given a Bold Tin Soldier and some soldier men.
The Candy Rabbit—about whom I have told you in a book, as I have toldyou of these other toys—the Candy Rabbit was given as an Easterpresent to a little girl named Madeline, and her brother Herbert had,later, been given the Monkey on a Stick.
The Calico Clown was looking over at the Celluloid Doll, thinking howpretty she was, and he was also thinking of the Sawdust Doll, whom hehad liked very much, when, all of a sudden, it seemed as if awhirlwind had blown into the toy department.
A boy with a very loud voice and feet that tramped and stamped on thefloor rushed up to the counter.
"I want a toy! I want something to play with!" cried this boy. "I wanta Jumping Jack and I want a Noah's Ark! You said you'd get mesomething if I let the dentist pull that tooth, and now you've got to!I want a lot of toys!" he cried to the lady who was with him.
"Yes, Archibald. But please be quiet!" begged his mother. "I will getyou a toy. Which one do you want?"
"I want this Elephant!" cried the boy who, I am afraid, was ratherrude. He caught the Elephant up by his trunk, and twisted the pooranimal around.
"Goodness me, sakes alive! I'm getting dizzy," thought the Elephant."I hope this boy is not to be my master!"
And this, it would seem, was not going to happen. Suddenly the boydropped the Elephant.
"I don't want this toy! He can't do anything!" the boy shouted. "Iwant something that jiggles and joggles and does things! Oh, I wantthis one!" and, as true as I'm telling you, that boy caught up theCalico Clown.
"Well, I guess this is the last of me!" thought the Calico Clown. "Iwill not last very long in the hands of this rude chap."
The boy had grabbed up the Calico Clown and had thrown the Elephantdown so hard that the Celluloid Doll was knocked over.
"Be careful, little boy, if you please," gently said the girl clerk.
"Oh, I've got to have this Clown!" went on the rude boy. "I don't carefor other toys. Does this fellow do anything?" he asked of the clerk,while his mother looked on, hardly knowing what to say. Archibald hadjust been to the dentist's to have a tooth pulled, so perhaps weshould forgive him for being a little rough.
"The Clown plays his cymbals when you touch him here," and the clerkpointed to the spring hidden in the chest of the gay fellow, under hisspeckled, striped and spotted calico jacket.
"Oh, I'll touch him all right! I'll punch him!" cried the boy, and hejabbed the Calico Clown so hard in the chest that the cymbals rattledtogether like marbles in a boy's pocket.
"He's dandy! I want him!" cried the boy. "What else does he do?" heasked.
"He moves his arms and legs when you pull these strings," was theanswer, and the clerk showed the boy how to do it.
"Oh, he's a jolly toy!" cried Archibald. "I'll have some fun with himwhen I show him to the other fellows. Hi! Look at him jig!" and hepulled the strings so fast that it seemed as if the poor Clown wouldturn somersaults.
"I can see what will happen to me," thought the Clown. "I shall cometo pieces in about a week, and be thrown in the ash can. Why can't hebe nice and quiet?"
But Archibald was not that kind of boy. He seemed to want to make anoise or do something all the while. Most of his toys at home werebroken, and that is why his mother had to promise to get him anotherbefore he would let her take him to the dentist's to have an achingtooth pulled.
"I want this Clown!" cried Archibald, making the cymbals bang togetheragain and again.
"Very well, you may have it," his mother replied.
"I'll wrap it up for you," said the clerk, and the poor Clown wasquickly smothered in a wrapping of paper around which a string wastied.
"Here is your toy, Archibald," said his mother, when the playthingcame back ready to be taken out of the store. The mother had taken itfrom the clerk, and now she handed it to her little boy.
And so he carried the Calico Clown away, without giving the poor,jolly fellow a chance to say good-bye to the Elephant, the Camel orthe Celluloid Doll.
"Now our good time for to-night is spoiled," sadly thought theElephant. "Our jolly comrade is gone!"
All the way home in the automobile Archibald kept punching the red andyellow Clown in the chest and banging the cymbals together until theboy's mother said:
"Oh, Archibald, please be quiet! My head aches!"
"All right, I'll make my Clown jiggle!" said the boy, who really lovedhis mother, though sometimes he was rude.
Then he pulled the strings until the poor Clown thought his arms andlegs would come off, so fast were they jerked about.
When Archibald reached home with his new toy he ran out into thestreet to find some of his playmates