It seems to me that we did not linger so long before these pictures,
nor before those of the rare and costly animals, which, if we but
knew it, were the main reason why we were permitted to go (if we
did get to go). To look at these animals is improving to the mind,
and since we could not go alone, an older person had to accompany us,
and . . . and . . . I trust I make myself clear. But we didn't want
to improve our minds if it was a possible thing to avoid it. The
pictures of these animals were in the joggerfy book anyhow, though
not in colors, unless we had a box of paints. There can be no doubt
that the show-bill pictures of the menageries were in colors. I
seem to recollect that Mr. Galbraith, who kept the dry-goods store
across the street from the engine-house, was very much exercised in
his mind about the way one of these pictures was printed. It was
the counterfeit presentment of the Hip-po-pot-a-mus, or Behemoth of
Holy Writ. His objection to the hip - you know was not because its
open countenance was so fearsome, but because it was so red. Six
feet by two of flaming crimson across the street in the afternoon
sun made it necessary for him to take the goods to the back window
of the store to show to customers. He didn't like it a bit.
No. Neither before the large and expensive pictures of the
street-parade, nor the large and expensive wild beasts did we
linger.
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