Once upon a time, not long ago and not far away, there was a farm, and on the farm there was a goose.
Find the goose near the windmill, and on the farm there was a horse. Find the horse in the barnyard.
And there's the boot. Now look up.
It's easy to find a goose and a horse on a farm, but I know of a circus with a goose and a horse and a clown.
The circus is in a book, and the book is in a book bag, and the book bag is in the castle.
That's where we'll go. I'll hurry over first and go on the back door so that I can let the drawbridge down and open the big front doors for you.
Are you ready? Here's my castle.
Here we are inside, and here's one little chair for one of you and a bigger chair for two more.
For two more to curl up in, and a rocking chair for someone who likes to rock.
Now look up. Way up. I'll call Rusty. Rusty?
Hi, friendly. Hi, Rusty. How are you? Fine. We saw a goose and a horse on the farm.
A goose and a horse. Oh.
And I told everyone about the goose and the horse. In the book. In the circus. Yes. You know that book.
I know that one. Oh, that's a good one.
That's called Jerome, because he likes circuses.
Oh, he likes circuses very much.
Here you come. Hi, friendly. Hi, Rusty. Hi.
Well, we were talking about circuses. Circuses? Oh, I like circuses.
We were talking about a circus with a horse and a goose. A horse and a goose, yes.
Whoever heard of a horse and a goose and a circus. And a clown. And a clown?
In a circus, a horse and a goose and a clown? Show him, Rusty. I'll show you, Jerome. Here it is.
You have to help a little bit, friendly. What's the clown's name, Rusty?
Well, oh, there it is. Sad eye. The clown. Sad eye, the clown.
It's a circus story. A goose and a horse. Well, you'll see.
Let me put the book up where everyone can see it. I don't know this story. I didn't think so.
Well, I know about circuses, though, with all kinds of camels and lions and tigers, but not a goose and a horse.
Well, you're just waiting to see. And you'll see this clown and a goose and a horse in a circus.
There. Can you see the bull? A little higher, friendly. There. Sad eye, the clown. A circus story.
Written and illustrated by Nils Hugner. It's an Abilard Schumann book.
The circus was coming to town. First, of course, came the parade. At the head of the parade came the band.
And after the band came the circus people riding beautiful horses.
Next came the camels with gaudy saddles. And then came the animal wagons, pulled by heavy work horses. And look.
And giraffe. Giraffe. Look, giraffe. Oh.
After the animal wagons came the elephants with their keepers riding on the heads of the big animals.
And at the very end of the parade came Sad Eye Jim, the clown, carrying Gazi the goose.
They had to be at the end because Gazi had hurt his foot and was very lame. He couldn't keep up with the parade.
So Sad Eye Jim and Gazi got all the dust kicked up by the elephants in front of them.
Oh. See, there's the ghost you're on. Oh, yes. That night under the big tent in the circus everybody was having fun except Sad Eye Jim.
Gazi the goose was an important part of the act and the clown couldn't perform without him.
They sat together outside the tent both looking very unhappy. Through the entrance of the big tent Sad Eye watched the men swinging high up in the air on the trapeze.
He saw the bearback riders in one ring and he watched what? The seal. The sea lion. The sea lion.
He watched the sea lion balance a ball on the tip of its nose. Oh, no. Oh.
He heard the boys and girls in the audience laughing gaily at the other clowns as they ran past the opening in the big circus tent.
Sad Eye did not even smile. Oh. The ring master came and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
People are asking about you, he said. The bearback rider and the snake man tried to cheer the clown but Sad Eye Jim only sank deeper down in his chair holding Gazi the goose in his lap.
The thin man in two small dwarfs came to talk to Sad Eye Jim and at last Don Mustachio the circus owner started to look for Sad Eye Jim.
He looked outside the tent and inside but the clown and Gazi the goose were nowhere to be seen. What do you think happened?
I don't know. Don Mustachio was greatly worried about losing Sad Eye Jim and Gazi the goose.
So he went out to look for him and he came to a farm. Have you seen Sad Eye Jim the clown? The circus owner asked the farmer who lived on the farm?
Well, what would a clown be doing here? The farmer replied. But I'll help you look for him. Together Don Mustachio and the farmer wandered down the road looking here and there.
They passed many cows. See, they passed a flock of geese. But Gazi wasn't with him. Oh, Gazi wasn't in there. Soon they came to the old rail fence.
Don Mustachio had a great deal of trouble climbing the fence. The farmer helped him. Oh, well said the farmer. There is cirrus, my horse.
The grass was so high that only the head and back of the horse could be seen.
Suddenly they saw a goose fly up onto the small horse's back. Oh, there he is. Oh, goodness me, Sadan Mustachio. That's Gazi the goose.
And at the sound of Don Mustachio's voice, Sad Eye Jim jumped up out of the grass where he'd been hiding and started to run.
Oh, he didn't want to be found because he didn't want to be in the circus if Gazi the goose couldn't be with him. That's right.
But cirrus, the horse, cocked the clown's long coattails and held him fast. Here's the part I like.
Or Sad Eye tugged and tugged until suddenly one of his coattails ripped off. Oh, the clown rolled over and over on the ground. Oh, that's pretty funny.
Gazi the goose still perched on the small horse's back and he flapped his wings happily. Oh, and Sad Eye Jim got up again and tried to run.
But cirrus still had the other coattail. Yeah. What do you think happened? Well, all there.
The clown tugged as hard as he could to get away and there was another rip and off came the other coattail. Oh.
And Sad Eye Jim rolled over and over on the green grass. We are.
The clowns are good at rolling. Oh, that was funny. Well, this is terrible.
The farmer. Well, this is wonderful. Cried Don Mustachio as he ran and shook Sad Eye's hand. He liked it too.
To Cyrus's great surprise, Don Mustachio took a roll of bills out of his pocket and he gave the farmer the money and he said,
My friend, cirrus the horse has done us a great favor. Gazi the lame goose can now go back to the circus and ride.
You must come and see them and you'll know what a clown does in the circus. And even Sad Eye Jim nearly smiled.
You see, they bought cirrus to the horse. And Gazi doesn't have to ride in the walk anymore.
The next afternoon, the big tent was crowded with people to see Sad Eye Jim the clown.
And at the end of each of his new coattails, a lump of sugar was tied. Oh.
Behind Sad Eye came Cirrus the small horse with Gazi the goose in the saddle.
As the clown rolled over and over, Gazi flapped his wings, gaily, and Cirrus tugged so hard to get the sugar that both coattails came off, one after another.
The people at the circus thought this was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. And the farmer laughed and laughed and the hot dog man said,
Red hot horses. Red hot horses, awful. He was laughing so hard he forgot he was selling hot dogs.
Who ever heard of red hot horses? Don Mustachia took off his silk hat and bowled behind him. Did Sad Eye Jim smiley?
Gazi the goose honked and Cirrus the horse win it. And all the other circus people cheered.
Oh. That was good friendly.
You see? That was funny.
It was just an accident, wasn't it?
That's an accident, yeah.
Because the horse bit the coattails of the clown and they tore off.
Once Rusty and I, when we went to the circus, we saw an accident that was very funny.
What? Tell him Rusty.
Well, this clown wanted to jump on the back of a horse. And he jumped too hard, he jumped right over the horse.
And the bull, that's not all. He jumped so far over the horse that he ran into a man who was selling cotton candy.
With a big card of cotton candy?
Yeah, and he knocked him down and both of them got cotton candy smeared all over them.
Yeah. They weren't hurt.
Oh, no, they weren't hurt at all.
Because clowns are good at falling down.
Oh, yes, they weren't hurt.
No.
But it was an accident that happened just by accident.
They could do it again, and it would be just as funny if they did it on purpose.
They could, couldn't they?
That's what happened in the book.
Yes.
They could do it again and again and again and again.
Sometimes accidents don't hurt anyone.
Oh, they were just rolling around.
Rusty, would you get the giant fight for me?
Nobody was hurt.
No.
Here's the giant fight.
There.
Oh, I forgot it was too fast.
Are you trying to be a clown, too?
I think he's a very funny clown.
I could be a clown.
Maybe you could, Rusty.
What would we call him?
Rusty the clown.
Well, that'd be nice, too.
Come on.
And I could be the center pole of a big tent and hold it up.
Yes.
Oh, we could call you sleepy eyes at clown.
Oh, good night, Rusty.
Good night, Rusty.
Good night, Jerome.
Good night, friendly.
It is late.
This little chair will be waiting for one of you,
and the rocking chair for another who likes to rock,
and the big arm chair for two more to curl up in
when you come again to work hassle.
Now, I'll close the big front doors and pull up the drawbridge
after you're gone.
Good night.