Page 150 - A Little Bush Maid

"T was expecting that," he said. "Stay? And what would Brownie be
thinking?"

Norah’s face fell.

"Oh," she said. "T’d forgotten Brownie. T s’pose it wouldn’t do. But isn’t it a
glorious elephant, Daddy?"

"Tt is, indeed," said Mr. Linton, laughing. "T think it’s too glorious to leave,

girlie. Fact is, T had an inkling the circus was to be here, so T told Brownie
not to expect us until she saw us. She put a basket in the buggy, with your
tooth-brush, T think."

The face of his small daughter was sufficient reward.

"Daddy!" she said. "Oh, but you are the MOST Daddy!" Words failed her
at that point.

Norah said that it was a most wonderful "spree." They had dinner at the

hotel, where the waiter called her "Miss Linton," and in all ways behaved
precisely as if she were grown up, and after dinner she and her father sat on
the balcony while Mr. Linton smoked and Norah watched the population

arriving to attend the circus. They came from all quarters--comfortable old
farm wagons, containing whole families; a few smart buggies; but the

majority came on horseback, old as well as young. The girls rode in their
dresses, or else had slipped on habit skirts over their gayer attire, with great
indifference as to whether it happened to be crushed, and they had huge

hats, trimmed with all the colours of the rainbow. Norah did not know
much about dress, but it seemed to her theirs was queer. But one and all

looked so happy and excited that dress was the last thing that mattered.

Tt seemed to Norah a long while before Mr. Linton shook the ashes from his

pipe deliberately and pulled out his watch. She was inwardly dancing with
impatience.