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At dinner that night, Jacob is in a bad mood because he is unhappy with the mushy food the center often feeds the residents. He is taken to his regular table where there are several elderly women and a retired lawyer, who recently came to live at the center, He does not like the lawyer because he takes away some of the female attention from him. The ladies and the leaner are discussing the circus. Jacob finds the conversation silly until the lawyer claims to have carried water tort elephants in a circus when he young, He calls the man a liar, saying there is no way he could have carried water for elephants.
The lawyer argues, drawing the attention of the nurses, Jacob is taken out of the room for beginning the argument. He is unhappy for being the one who is punished when it is the lawyer who is telling lies. He knows that lawyer could not have carried water for the elephants but does not want to tell anyone how he knows, even the kind nurse. Jacob finds himself alone in his room, lamenting his old age and thinking of his wife, who died of cancer after sixty years of marriage. Chapter TWO We’re back in the past. Jacob is in a veterinary school classroom at Cornell. The year is 1931, and a woman named Catherine Hale is taunting him.
Jacob thinks about how he’s still a virgin, even though he’s about to graduate. He seems kind of ashamed of this. The class is interrupted by the Dean, who pulls Jacob away. Our narrator is worried that he’s in trouble, but it turns out to be much, much worse: both his parents have been killed. Just like that, his whole world changes. Jacob has to go back to his hometown and identify his parents’ bodies. The sight makes him throw up. As you might imagine, he feels super alone, He ends up heading back to his old house, where everything is still set up as though his parents are alive.
One more thing: Jacob was supposed to be joining his dad’s ternary practice after graduation. Guess that’s not going to happen. Jacob is consumed by grief, and people from the church come to take care of him, Later, he finds out what was in the will. Unfortunately, times have been hard and his parents died with hardly any money saved. His dad was too generous with people who couldn’t afford treatment. It turns out that his family home and the veterinary practice are about to be seized. Jacob has nothing and no one in his life. Ugh. To make matters worse, he blames himself for going to an expensive college.
Jacob goes back to school but is totally Out of it. He’s almost finished tit his degree, but he can’t concentrate. During the final exam, he gets really stressed out and walks out Without finishing. (Don’t try this at home. )Jacob leaves Cornell and wanders, not knowing where he should go. He ends up in a forest somewhere. This should be interesting. Soon he realizes he’s near train tracks, and a big train is about to pass by. He races after the train, jumps, and against all odds falls into one of the train cars – but only after cutting himself and getting all scratched up. Hey, he’s lucky he’s even alive after that stunt.
On the transition finds himself in a room with four guys. One of them, Blackleg, attacks Jacob and tries to push him off the train. Another, an older guy named Camel, jumps in to stop Blackleg. He takes a second to evaluate Jacob. Jacob won’t admit too many details about himself, but Camel lets him stick around, After a few niceties, Camel suggests that maybe Jacob can get a job with the people riding the train – it turns out they’re all part off huge circus, the Benzene Brothers. Chapter Three Jacob gets up the next day, still on the train, and Camel takes him to meet some guy named Crazy Joe.
We wonder what this guy might be like. We’ll take a wild stab at it and say crazy. Once they’re off the train, Camel and Jacob go through a big field where a bunch of people are Working and majestic horses are passing through. They interact with a guy named Will, who doesn’t seem to think Jacob has much Of a chance Of getting hired ? or sticking around if he does. Thanks for the vote of confidence, dude. Jacob is in awe as he sees men and horses working to bring the circus and big top Stage to life. Everything is busy and exciting. Joe takes one look at Jacob and hires him without saying anything (that’s Crazy Joe for you).
His first task is to empty out horse poop from a train car with a guy named Charlie. Hey, a job’s a job. They stop for lunch and head over to the main food station. At this point, more of the circus grounds are set up. Jacob realizes he’s starving, so he eats and eats. Yum, circus food! When he tries to pay for his meal (with a pass issued by Camel), he gets in trouble for not knowing where he belongs. Tough first day. Camel takes care of it, though, when a guy named Ezra gives him a hard time. Jacob still has a lot to learn about circus protocol, and he looks really out of place.
He’s curious about the circus artists, who Camel calls “sinkers,” and who haven’t shown up yet. Then Camel gives Jacob a new assignment for the afternoon, He’s going to work with Cecil, the announcer, and help get the audience into the tent. Sounds better than scooping up poop. So Jacob ends up working the sideshow. The air is full of food smells (yum), and all the exotic animals are just out of reach in the menagerie. The circus still isn’t quite ready for the audience. While they’re waiting, a guy named Wade tells Jacob to take a look at all the animals.
The menagerie (where the animals hang out) is huge and full of all kinds of exotic creatures. But forget about the animals: Jacob sees a beautiful girl in costume and is instantly smitten. They have a moment f meaningful eye contact. (You know what that Jacob has to get back to work. Jacob listens in amazement as Cecil springs into action, announcing all Of the Big Top’s treasures, like Lucid the fat lady. Cecil explains that there’s a men’s only sideshow – the implication is it’s very sexy. Ooh la la. And weird. The audience disperses to watch the various entertainments.
Some Of them are pretty cheesy. One customer gets mad and attacks Cecil, and Jacob rushes in and helps defend him. Already coming to the rescue, eh? The excitement dies down, but all of this has made Cecil think pretty highly of Jacob. His position at the Russ is now more secure. Score. That night, Jacob finds himself guarding one of the sideshow acts: the naughty lady. Um. ћHe’s supposed to maintain order in the audience while the lady, Barbara, does a sultry striates. (Earmuffs for the little ones here). Miss Barbara bumps and grinds, and the audience gets excited.
Jacob has the job of trying to keep everyone from getting too riled up. Good luck, Jacob. The act ends when Barbara exposes her breasts and touches herself, to the audience’s great appreciation. Yikes. After the act, Cecil announces that Barbara is willing to have sex with a few of the audience members for the right price. He says it more delicately than that, but we’re giving it to you straight. ) This is not Shampoo’s kind of fun. Or the law’s, for that matter, Jacob, the virgin, is blown away by what he saw. Chapter Four Jacobs next job is to be the sentry (guard) while Barbara takes on her other job: being a prostitute.
He has to listen outside While five men do their thing. Ugh_ After,vary, Barbara tells him to go away, so Jacob goes back to work with Cecil some more. (Relieved, night falls, the circus is just finishing up. Jacob has a talk with Camel, who’s in despair because he’s aging out of the circus. He’d eke to drink real booze, but Prohibition has limited his supply. The two guys chat for a while as the show ends. They’re pretty in tune with each other: Jacob realizes that Camel’s unwell, and Camel realizes that there’s a lot more to Jacob than the kid is letting on.
Camel tells Jacob he should go home if he can, but Jacob says he can’t. The show lets out, and Uncle AY, the ringmaster, passes them. Camel tries to get his attention, but it’s no use, Camel is determined to try again later. Just before he passes out drunk, Camel introduces Jacob to another guy named Earl. They all get back on the train, and Earl has to carry Camel on board. This guy’s not in good shape. Jacob has a hard time falling asleep in his new bed (on the train) ? he’s right smack dab in the middle of some other men he doesn’t know. Doesn’t sound too comb].
In the middle to the night, Earl comes to get him and takes him to see AY, Jacob realizes too late that Earl’s plan is to present him as a lowlife who hopped on the train suddenly, rather than somebody who knows Camel, Earl roughs up Jacob and introduces him to AY. The head honcho questions Jacob, who says he wants to get a job with the circus. He even praises the girl’s horse performance, when in reality, he didn’t see it. Turns out the girl is Marlene: she has some connection to the man who’s hanging out with AY, a guy names August. The two men, AY and August, make fun of Jacob for being a mama’s boy who’s totally out of touch . T seems like AY is really upset that the circus doesn’t have any elephants. We would be, too. What’s a circus without elephants? They’re impressed, though, when they find out that Jacob has been studying to be a vet at Cornell. They could really use a vet. August wants to keep Jacob around because one of Marlin’s horses isn’t doing so well. AY says there’s nowhere for Jacob to go, but August suggests he should go sleep With the horses, long with another circus guy, Kink. August takes Jacob to the new quarters after an adventurous detour – and introduces him to Kink. Immediately, Jacob and Kink get off on the wrong foot.
Uh Oh. Kink, a dwarf, is not interested in getting to know Jacob. And August just makes it worse by praising Jacob and revealing that he doesn’t like Kink. Oh, and Kink’s little dog doesn’t like Jacob either. He just can’t win. That night, Jacob has uneasy dreams: his dead mother turns into Barbara, taking her clothes off at the circus. Wow, talk about disturbing. Chapter 5 Jacob wakes up in the nursing home, back in his elderly shell. He tries to keep the nurse, Rosemary, from seeing that he was crying& Our guy is totally crotchety, but the nurse pushes him to eat, saying that the circus will be in town the next day.
Jacob hangs out by the window so he can see the circus being constructed. It looks slicker than he remembers, but he doubts the artists are as good. He watches as the other people from the home go down to investigate. Later that day, he’s taken down to dinner. He throws a fit and refuses to be placed at his usual seat, With Miscuing there. Instead, he insists on sitting by himself. He can hear the others talking about the circus and he gets super mad. He even picks a right With one Of the nurses, demanding a better meal than the gross stuff they’ve served him. Out of frustration. He pushes his food off the table.
Man, this guy is not happy. The doctors and nurses whisper about him: they think he’s depressed and force him to take a new medication. Jacob doesn’t want to take it, but he doesn’t really have a choice. Jacob is powerless and angry, and the medicine makes him weak and sleepy again. Chapter Six Now Jacob is back on the train, waking up as his younger self. He sees Kink get up and take his little dog, Queenlier out for a Pee. Jacob gets his bearings. It looks eke the circus tents have already started to go up in a new town, Our guy realizes that he’s at the absolute bottom of the circus totem pole.
Hey, you have to start somewhere, right? Jacob meets up with August, who introduces him to Marlene, Ah, Marlene. She recognizes him from the previous day and actually thinks she might know him from somewhere Strange. Finally, Marlene brings out the horse Jacob is supposed to look at, Silver Star. Jacob can immediately tell that the horse is in really bad shape. Jacob examines Silver Star and gives his diagnosis: the horse’s feet are in major trouble and it may be too late to do anything about it. They’ll have to take very good care of the big guy, and even that might not be enough.
Poor horse. Marlene is horrified. But August and Uncle AY, who just rolled up, don’t want to believe the horse is in such bad shape. Uncle AY is up in arms because they need the horse for the show. He refuses to believe the horse Will die, and, just like that, he Officially hires Jacob. Then he says it’s time to pack up and keep going, even though they just got there. What? It’s going to take a While to get going again, though. At lunch, While they wait, everyone’s buzzing about why the circus can’t stay. (We’re curious, too. ) There’s a lot of speculation, UT no one knows for sure.
August insists that Jacob have lunch with him and Marlene. That’s nice – sitting alone at lunch can be kind off drag. Another performer, Little, shows up and explains the history of the circus and why they have to move on so quickly. According to Little, AY took over the circus through dishonorable means. He swooped in and bought part of it for nothing when the original Benzene Circus ran out of money a few years back, AY kept looking tort circuses down on their luck and bought them up piece by piece. Sneaky. AY likes to get new people for the sideshow, and he’s just heard about someone in
Joliet, a three-day trip trot where they are now. The man, Charles Mansfield- Livingston, has a tiny twin attached to his body, Now that is circus material. So, Little explains, they have to bail on their show, even though they just got started and all of these supplies have arrived for them. (Apparently twin man is more important than all that. )Plus, there’s a huge audience waiting that’s disappointed and getting mad, naturally. After Little finishes her explanation, Jacob discovers that everyone’s in an uproar. They may not have enough food for the journey and they’re losing money. This isn’t good.
August directs Jacob and Diamond Joe in getting the circus animals ready for the trip. They’re really concerned that the animals won’t have enough food for the journey, so August and Jacob strategies about supplies At this point, Jacob feels dirt and knows he could use a bath, so he throws an Old pail of water over himself (you take What you can get, right? ). August sees this and says that the circus will steal some clothes for him; then he shows him another pail of water that he should use. The water’s got a name on it, Walter, but August says Jacob can go ahead and use it. Jacob heads back to his sleeping quarters on the train. T first he checks on Silver Star, who still doesn’t look good. Back in his quarters, he discovers he has a new shirt to wear and puts it on. All dressed, he starts investigating Kink’s book collection. The books are all classics that hide cartoon pornography inside. Classy Kink comes in and is super mad that Jacob is going through his belongings. They argue, and Jacob discovers that Kink is Walter, uh Oh. Their relationship is even worse than before. Much to the chagrin tooth would-be spectators in Saratoga Springs, the circus leaves, Jacob checks on the horses one more time before going to bed.
The next day, Jacob is awoken when the train stops abruptly. Kink and his dog get off the train while Jacob tries to figure out what’s going on, At that point, he meets up with August and they feed the animals. Unfamiliar with protocol, Jacob oversteps his bounds and August gets mad. This is becoming a makes Jacob feed the great cats, starting with the lion. Jacob has to go into the cage where the lion bites him. Luckily the lion doesn’t have teeth, so it’s not fatal, but it still hurts like heck. Jacob is furious at August, who’s acting like it was a prank. Jacob storms off to regain his composure and clean himself up.
Then e runs into Diamond Joe, who warns Jacob to batch out for August, who’s a dangerous guy. (The whole lion-bite prank tipped us Off to that one. )JacOb goes back to the horses and encounters Marlene . They realize the horse is getting worse, and they’re both sad. Marlene notices Jacobs lion bite, but before he can explain it, the train gets going. Marlene stays with Silver Star while Jacob helps get everything ready to go. That night, the train pauses again. Jacob is trying to avoid Kink, but they have to interact when an invitation is delivered to their room.
Jacob has been asked to have a meal with August and his wife. Chapter Seven Jacob goes to Augustus part of the train for dinner and meets Marlene there. So yes: Marlene is Augustus wife. Bummer. August isn’t there yet when Jacob arrives, so Jacob and Marlene get to have some private time. No one’s complaining, especially because Marlin’s room is much nicer than Jacobs. They talk about drinking, and then she apologizes on Augustus behalf for the lion incident. Nice lady Just then, they’re interrupted as August arrives_August and Marlene encourage Jacob to dress up in a formal suit they’ve prepared for him.
They fool around while he gets dressed_Then the three of them have a formal and Nancy sit-down dinner. They eat and drink and generally have a great time. (On a seems like a different person for a while ? charming Andean. He talks about his past with Marlene and how they both came to the circus. Things change quickly, when he Starts making out With Marlene and falling down drunk. Marlene has to care for him briefly, but then she comes to sit with Jacob. Marine tries to explain Augustus temperament but has a hard time. He’s a scary and complex guy.
Plus, August is Jewish and Jacob is Polish, so there’s some potential prejudice going on, today’s and Marlene talk briefly about their cultural backgrounds. Thrilling stuff. Marlene says that both August and Uncle AY are glad Jacob has joined the circus – they really needed a vet. But Jacob doesn’t buy it: he still thinks they both dislike him. The next daycare wakes up in August and Marlin’s place and kind of has to do a walk of shame back to his own area. He’s still wearing his clothes from the night before. Back at his room, Jacob walks in on Kink masturbating. (No sock on the door, people? Kink is furious and embarrassed and forces Jacob out, so Jacob goes to work with a guy named Otis. They’re supposed to clean the camels’ car. This would be fine, except he camels have been traveling with the meat, which has totally rotted. Jacobs stomach can’t handle it and he can’t stop throwing up. Otis throws up, too, but is able to pull himself together and get out of the car. After that little adventure, Jacob goes to check on Silver Star. Marlene is there and they agree that the horse isn’t going to make it. They’re going to have to put him out of his misery_Marine cries.
So do we, a little. Jacob goes to get August and explains that they have to kill the horse. August protests, saying Uncle AY will be passed, but Jacob tells him there’s nothing they can do about it. They part ways, Jacob puts on normal clothes, and then they go get poor Silver Star_First they have to wait while the other horses are led away. August goes to tell AY and be with Marlene. ]Jacob takes his time, trying to be respectful and considerate, and then he kills the poor horse with one shot. Everyone is devastated as the horse is taken away.
August comes back and says he’s fixed things with AL He tells Jacob to take credit for being a vet, and he explains that the circus is full of exaggerations and fakery. What a world. And as if the horse’s death weren’t enough, August implies that they used Silver Star’s body to feed other animals in the menagerie. Chapter Eight Jacob finds himself pulling out of sleep and back into his aging body at the nursing home. He has a minor fight with the nurse, Rosemary, who he usually likes. She ends up treating him with more respect than usual, so it seems like he’s made his point, She actually starts to ask his permission before doing things.
Rosemary reminds him that his family is coming to visit and that he’ll be seeing the circus later that day, Sounds good to us,As Rosemary helps him shower, Jacob thinks about how embarrassing it is to be old. He wishes for rivalry and finally gets it. Almost as an aside, he reveals that he’s had five kids. (Later, their names are given: Simon, Ruth, Peter, Joseph, and thinks about his wife, whom he loved and misses, and about how his children are the ones who manipulated him into staying at the home in the first place. He feels betrayed but also realizes that his kids have had their own problems.
They’re difficult, but one of them visits him like clockwork, once a week. The visits are painful and blackjack longs to be young again. Rosemary interrupts his thoughts, bringing him breakfast. She’s included some cream, which is a forbidden treat. Jacob is grateful and she leaves him alone to snack. When she’s gone, he gets sad about how old he looks: he feels like he’s lost his identity, trapped in this Old body. He’s not hungry anymore, so he lies down and looks out the window. Chapter Nine Back to the past, Jacob is on the circus train. It’s three days later and the circus has arrived in Joliet.
Everyone is weirder out by the empty, abandoned circus they discover there. It makes them super uncomfortable,Al swings into action mode while August leads Jacob into town to find some Todd. It seems like everyone’s going to be hungry for a while. Marlene meets them and they have breakfast, UT the lady is upset and leaves in a huff. Turns out she’s upset about how they disposed of Silver Star. To top it off, August is rude to the people at the restaurant’s goes back to the train and watches the sad spectacle of people from the other circus trying to audition for AY.
Most of them don’t make it_Then AY instructs his men to take whatever they can from the other circus. The law seems to be looking the other haycock is worried about some of the horses not having enough food or water. August is unreasonable about what they’re expected to do, and the two of them, along with horse handler Pete, have an argument. Seriously, what’s with all the fighting? Finally, the Benzene circus’s food arrives, and everyone is relieved. Jacob is glad they can feed the animals some real food_Len a really cool moment, Jacob has an amazing encounter with an orangutan – he’s actually able to communicate With it.
Later, August invites Jacob for a drink and forbids him from checking on the animals from the other circus. This really upsets Jacob, Who thinks it’s inhumane. August explains that he has to Obey, because that’s how Benzene does business. If Jacob interferes, he’ll get into trouble With AL Jacob is upset but eventually follows orders, even though he feels reversible about it. That night, they have dinner. A few more people have joined the circus – all big top talent, not behind-the-scenes folk. While they eat, they’re surrounded by hungry people from the other circus, who can’t have any of their food.
Well, that’s not very nice. Marlene and August actually have a huge fight (surprise, surprise) because she wants to share her food with them. Finally, she just does it and then leaves in anger. August is too angry to eat after that, and Jacob loses his appetite, too. The next day, Jacob tries to help Kink by telling him what’s wrong with his little dog, Quinine, and how to taxi it. It’s super hot and Jacob is worried about the animals, both the Benzenes’ and the others’. He can’t do anything about the others’, so he visits the Benzene animals.
They’re all in bad shape, Then, he realizes that the big cats haven’t eaten hotcake heads off to tint August and ask him about it. Marlin’s there, tech, and they’re arguing. Wow, this is getting a little too predictable. Then AY arrives with some big news. Instead of the guy with the twin attached to his body, they’ve scored an elephant of their very room He thinks Marlene should ride the elephant, which would be a huge hit. The elephant is named Rosier and is fifty-six years old. Other people are there, too, and AY leads everyone in a toast. He couldn’t be happier August, Marlene, and Jacob are dazed.
When AY and his train of folk leave, the other three gear themselves up to see What they’ve gotten into. They go visit the Other animals. Jacob is vehemently by Rosier: she’s huge and beautiful. She waves her trunk at them. This must be an amazing sight. Her former caretaker appears and announces that Rosier is terrible to work with and barely has any training. He uses a torturous tool called a bull hook to make her obey. Then the caretaker departs, paving them with their new animal. Let the adventure begin. Chapter Ten August leaves, and Jacob and Marlene stay to try to get to know Rosier.
She seems pretty nice. (Yes, we’re talking about an elephant here. )The two humans dance for a brief moment before Marlene stops them, and they go back to her part of the train,August comes in and he’s furious: AY paid way too much for the elephant, in his opinion, and they don’t know what to do with her. Plus, AY hired more people with nowhere to put them, 50 everyone’s going to have to crunch, and morale will be low. Demoralized, they all drink a huge amount of whiskey. Not the best coping mechanism, we’d Jacob makes his way back to his mom. On his way, he passes two people getting hot and heavy outside.
When he gets to his car, Kink is hosting a large, raucous party. Jacob is invited to join, and the drinking only gets worse. Jacob is hammered when two women, Barbara and Nell, come over to and start hitting on hire They take him somewhere else and start undressing him and touching him. Things are getting pretty intense when Jacob throws up all over everything. Wow, way to ruin the moment (although we’re kind of glad he did). The next day, Jacob wakes up hurting. Kink omens to get him – August is looking for him. Turns out, Jacob has been dressed up like a clown and shoved into a big chest.
Plus, someone shaved off all his hair (down there). Talk about a circus prank. He’s super embarrassed and has to leave the room looking very strange. Jacob heads back to his room and can’t stop thinking about how ashamed he is. He doesn’t remember all the details, but he knows he made a fool of himself. Kink comes in, lectures him, and tells him to make it up to Barbara. ]Jacob pulls himself together, despite a brutal hangover, and goes to find August-August is in a pipes mood. He’s trying to get Rosier to do tuff, but she won’t obey. Pete comes in and August tells him to “take care of’ the cat meat. We readers don’t know what that means yet. ) Pete is reluctant, so August takes him away to discuss it and leaves Jacob with Rosier. ]Jacob puts aside the weapon August using and just pets Rosier. Now that’s how you deal with an animal. They have a great moment, and then August comes back. It’s very clear that Rosier doesn’t like August,August tells Jacob to go find Marlene and keep her away from the animal area. Before he does so, Jacob discovers that there’s a group of horses there that Pete has to slaughter ? that’s what will be deeding the cats. It’s graphic and terrible. Jacob goes to Marlene. She’s upset and tells him that August is trying to make Rosier move onto their train by beating the poor elephant. Finally, Rosier sees her own car and gets in, to everyone’s relief. Chapter Eleven There on the train again, going somewhere new. Jacob is lost in thought in his own car, and Kink tries to reach out to him. Kink sort of apologizes and even makes a peace offering of a book. Jacob turns it down, but they seem to be on better footing. Kink says Jacob can start using his real name (Walter).
The trait’s next stop is Chicago. Jacob is excited to be in such a famous place for the first time. That is, until they travel through an area of slaughterhouses. Jacob can’t stand it. He has to console himself by going to visit the circus animals and trying to forget about the ones being slaughtered, This has got to be rough, especially for a petticoat realizes that as long as these animals need care, he has to stick with the circus: that’s what his father would have wanted,coach embraces one to the chimps, Boob, and then goes to treat a giraffe with a stuffy’ nose.
He’s not quite sure what to do for the giraffe but does his best,Then Jacob asks en of the guys there, Otis, to hold down the fort while he runs an errand. He promises to come back. Him, what’s he up to? Jacob heads into town and finds a church where he can pray for a while. He feels unworthy he’s leaving, he sees Marlene& He desires her (to put it lightly), which makes him feel even more unworthy. Jacob heads back to the circus and visits Rosier, but when August appears and Rosier gets upset. Man, this guy really has a way with elephants.
August apologizes to Jacob and says that he and Marlene want to treat Jacob to a meal that night. The circus isn’t performing, because they’re in town early. Jacob is conflicted about going, but he does. Marlene looks amazing and August gives him something to Wear. The three take a cab into town and end up at a secret club, where they can dance and drink. (Remember, it’s Prohibition, so alcohol is illegal. ) Jacob is still recovering from all the alcohol he had the previous night, though. Marlene and August dance first, and then it’s Jacobs turn.
While he’s dancing With Marlene, he feels absolutely overwhelmed. August is passed. Chaos ensues as police descend on the place – they all have to scram. Marlene and Jacob stick together as they try to get out. They make it, but they lose August. H oh. Marlene is practically hysterical. Jacob kisses her C), maybe to calm her down. The kiss is great, but then they both regret it. Marlene runs Jacobson walks back to the circus by himself. As he wanders, he sees how hard Chicago has been hit by the depression. Jacob visits Rosier, and then he heads to bed.
Not before he gets lost in thought, of course: he’s worried he’ll get in trouble tort kissing Marlene. Duh. The next day Walter (Kink) makes Jacob get up. They sure seem to be getting along better than they were before. At breakfast, Walter realizes that Jacob has a thing tort Marlene. He tries to warn him that it’s not a DOD idea – August could kill him, Alliteratively plays dumb, then goes to sit with the August and Marlene. He can’t tell if August knows about the kiss and if he considers him a new rival. The plot thickens.
Chapter Twelve Jacob retreats to the animal area and goes back to work. August is upset because AY wants Rosier to do more in the performance, but she’s just not ready. AY is too ambitious for his own good: he wants to be like the Ringing Brothers. Here’s the thing: Rosier won’t march with the other animals. In the end, the men have to cart her over to meet the rest Of the animals. But when she’s put on splay, everyone loves huarache is convinced something is up – Rosier should be trainable. Him. And now for something completely different: August and AY have a huge fight.
The end result is that Rosier will to have to perform in the circus that day – with Marlene – even though they haven’t practiced at all. This is dangerous business. Marlene goes for it. It’s absolutely terrifying to watch. She rides Rosier into the tent while August makes Rosier obey by hurting her. Lag. The performance isn’t going very well, although the audience seems to like it, Finally Rosier has had it and races out to the tent. Marlene manages to cling to part of he tent’s structure, and she does some fancy flips before jumping down.