The Circus of Dr. Lao Read Free Page A

the man; "hell of a lot of 'em. What's wrong with his face?"
     "I dunno," said Larry. "The whole thing's screwy, anyway. Circus parade with only three wagons! My Gawd. Hey, what's that animal in the last wagon?"
     "You got me, brother. Looks like a dog, though."
     "That ain't no dog," said Larry.
     "Well, say now, let's get together on some of this stuff," protested the man. "Which of us is cockeyed, anyway?"
     "Oh, to hell with the parade," said Larry. "I got some money. Come on, let's get a glass of beer."
     "Right," said the man.
         They went into Harry Martinez's place.
     "Two cervezas," said the man to Barkeep Harry.
     "Naw, naw," said Larry. "I just want beer."
     "That means beer out here; it's Spanish," grinned Harry.
     Larry was relieved. "Awright, then. What'dya think of the parade?"
     "I didn't think a hell of a lot of it," said Harry, "'cept that I couldn't figure why they had that man in the second cage. What was he, a wild man from Borneo or something?"
     "Man?" said Larry's companion. "I didn't see no man in a cage. There was a snake and a bear and something what looked like a dog kinda, but I didn't see no man. Did you?" he asked Larry.
     "I dunno what the hell I saw now," said Larry.
     "Well," said Harry Martinez, "I'm here to tell you that I got good eyes, an' that in the cage on the second wagon of that there parade I seen a man. He looked like a Russian or something. And what kind of an animal was that what was pulling that second wagon; tell me that, either of you."
     "I didn't rightly notice," said Larry's companion.
     "Neither did I," said Larry.
     "Well," said Harry Martinez, "I did. Did you ever hear of a sphinx?"
     "That big statue thing in Arabia?"
     "Yeah. Well, it looked like a sphinx pulling that second wagon. 'Course it was a fake. Big mule, I reckon, tricked out in a lion's hide."
     "Nope," said Larry, "I remember now. That wasn't no mule."
     "Well, what the hell was it then?" asked his friend.
     "I dunno, but it wasn't a mule, that's a cinch," said Larry, finishing his beer.
     "Two more beers," said his friend.
     "Right," said Harry Martinez.
         Mr. Etaoin, the Tribune proofreader, stepped out of the restaurant onto Main Street and saw the parade coming his way. He lit a cigarette and awaited its coming.
     When it came, he gazed at it bemusedly wondering if he saw aright. An elderly lady tapped his arm. She had a little boy with her.
     "Please, mister, can you tell us what kind of a snake that is in the wagon? Is it something they caught here in Arizona? We're just out from the East, you know, and don't know all the animals here yet."
     Mr. Etaoin regarded the reptile in the slow-moving wagon. It had no scales; only a grey slimy hide like a catfish.
     "I don't know what it is, lady," he said; "but it's not an Arizona snake, that's certain. They don't get that big out here. Matter of fact, I don't know where in the world snakes do get as big as that fellow is."
     "Maybe it's a sea serpent, grandma," said the little boy.
     "That's as good an idea as any," agreed Mr. Etaoin.
     Two business men came alongside. "Lord, but that's a big snake," said one. "Wonder what kind it is?"
     "It's a sea serpent," said the little boy.
     "It is, huh?" said the man. "Well, by George, I always heard of them things; kinda like myths, you know. But this is the first time I ever really saw one. So that's the sea serpent, huh? Well, sir, he's a monster; I'll give him credit for that. Yessir."
     The man with him said: "What's that man doing in the second cage?"
     "That's no man, Bill; that's a bear. What's wrong with your eyes?"
     "Looks like a man to me," said Bill. "What do you call it, friend?" he asked Mr.