The town crier announces that a lion, an elephant, a royal tiger and other strange beasts have come to town, and the narrator takes little Annie by the hand. Together they wander through the crowded streets, past toy shops, confectioners and a caged canary, and on to the menagerie, while he reflects on what a child’s company restores to a weary adult.
A short, tender sketch from Twice-Told Tales, showing Hawthorne’s gentler side. Download the free EPUB.