Swatty didn't run. He just stood on the bum's coat, with his feet spread out, and in a minute Jimmy and a lot of folks were crowded around him. Then he lifted up the coat. We could see it all. Under the coat was Jimmy's wallet and about six more. Jimmy just dropped on his wallet and hugged it. He sort of blubbered and didn't know what to do, so he kissed Swatty, and Swatty hit out at him and hit him in the chest.
By that time a circus man in uniform had come up. He had a big hickory club, peeled, and he pushed into the crowd. Behind him were four or five more circus men, but they had tent stakes.
Somebody started to tell him. The man that took the wallet from Jimmy was right there, and he turned away. So I shouted out:
“Hey, mister! there's the man that took it.”
The circus man looked around and the thief started to hurry. He didn't have a chance to hurry much. The circus man made one jump for him and caught him by the collar and gave one jerk, and the thief's coat and vest came off and his shirt ripped right off him. The other circus men were on him. If it had been me it would have killed me, but I guess he was tough.
When I turned around Mr. Little was standing right back of me. He had come up to see what it all was, so he could put it in his paper. When he saw it was me that had yelled, he said:
“Why, hello, it's our gallant cavalier! These hard seats are no place for a lady's man; come on over in the reserved seats.”
“I can't,” I said, “I've got to wait for Swatty.” He didn't know who Swatty was, so I told him. So when Swatty came in we went over into the reserved seats, right in front of the middle ring. So Mr. Little asked Swatty all about it, and Swatty told him, and Mr. Little wrote it down and went downtown to his paper with it. He told Mrs. Little to take good care of the three heroes. He meant me and Swatty and Bony.
So Jimmy and Annie got married. All Mamie Little ever said about my going home was:
“I guess you think you were pretty smart, going home and letting Papa take me home and pay for the ice cream!”
But that didn't hurt me any. Girls are always saying things like that.
Well, vacation got over, and school started again, and me and Swatty and Bony got promoted into the A Class in Miss Carter's room, and so did Mamie Little and Scratch-Cat. Lucy got promoted into the B Class in Miss Carter's room, and she hated Miss Carter. I guess the reason was because Miss Carter got in love with Herb Schwartz when Fan was mad at him.