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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Toby Tyler, by James Otis
+
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+Title: Toby Tyler
+
+Author: James Otis
+
+Release Date: February, 2005  [EBook #7478]
+[This file was first posted on May 8, 2003]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TOBY TYLER ***
+
+
+
+
+This etext was produced by Martin Robb <MartinRobb@ieee.org>
+
+
+
+TOBY TYLER
+
+or
+
+Ten Weeks with a Circus
+
+by James Otis
+
+
+
+I: TOBY'S INTRODUCTION TO THE CIRCUS
+
+
+"Wouldn't you give more 'n six peanuts for a cent?" was a question
+asked by a very small boy, with big, staring eyes, of a candy
+vender at a circus booth. And as he spoke he looked wistfully at
+the quantity of nuts piled high up on the basket, and then at the
+six, each of which now looked so small as he held them in his hand.
+
+"Couldn't do it," was the reply of the proprietor of the booth, as
+he put the boy's penny carefully away in the drawer.
+
+The little fellow looked for another moment at his purchase, and
+then carefully cracked the largest one.
+
+A shade -- and a very deep shade it was -- of disappointment passed
+over his face, and then, looking up anxiously, he asked, "Don't
+you swap 'em when they're bad?"
+
+The man's face looked as if a smile had been a stranger to it for
+a long time; but one did pay it a visit just then, and he tossed
+the boy two nuts, and asked him a question at the same time. "What
+is your name?"
+
+The big brown eyes looked up for an instant, as if to learn whether
+the question was asked in good faith, and then their owner said,
+as he carefully picked apart another nut, "Toby Tyler."
+
+"Well, that's a queer name."
+
+"Yes, I s'pose so, myself; but, you see, I don't expect that's the
+name that belongs to me. But the fellers call me so, an' so does
+Uncle Dan'l."
+
+"Who is Uncle Daniel?" was the next question. In the absence of
+other customers the man seemed disposed to get as much amusement
+out of the boy as possible.
+
+"He hain't my uncle at all; I only call him so because all the boys
+do, an' I live with him."
+
+"Where's your father and mother?"
+
+"I don't know," said Toby, rather carelessly. "I don't know much
+about 'em, an' Uncle Dan'l says they don't know much about me.
+Here's another bad nut; goin' to give me two more?"
+
+The two nuts were given him, and he said, as he put them in his
+pocket and turned over and over again those which he held in his
+hand: "I shouldn't wonder if all of these was bad. S'posen you
+give me two for each one of 'em before I crack 'em, an' then they
+won't be spoiled so you can't sell 'em again."
+
+As this offer of barter was made, the man looked amused, and he
+asked, as he counted out the number which Toby desired, "If I give
+you these, I suppose you'll want me to give you two more for each
+one, and you'll keep that kind of a trade going until you get my
+whole stock?"
+
+"I won't open my head if every one of em's bad."
+
+"All right; you can keep what you've got, and I'll give you these
+besides; but I don't want you to buy any more, for I don't want to
+do that kind of business."
+
+Toby took the nuts offered, not in the least abashed, and seated
+himself on a convenient stone to eat them, and at the same time to
+see all that was going on around him. The coming of a circus to the
+little town of Guilford was an event, and Toby had hardly thought
+of anything else since the highly colored posters had first been
+put up. It was yet quite early in the morning, and the tents were
+just being erected by the men. Toby had followed, with eager eyes,
+everything that looked as if it belonged to the circus, from the
+time the first wagon had entered the town until the street parade
+had been made and everything was being prepared for the afternoon's
+performance.
+
+The man who had made the losing trade in peanuts seemed disposed
+to question the boy still further, probably owing to the fact that
+he had nothing better to do.
+
+"Who is this Uncle Daniel you say you live with? Is he a farmer?"
+
+"No; he's a deacon, an' he raps me over the head with the hymn book
+whenever I go to sleep in meetin', an' he says I eat four times as
+much as I earn. I blame him for hittin' so hard when I go to sleep,
+but I s'pose he's right about my eatin'. You see," and here his
+tone grew both confidential and mournful, "I am an awful eater, an'
+I can't seem to help it. Somehow I'm hungry all the time. I don't
+seem ever to get enough till carrot time comes, an' then I can get
+all I want without troublin' anybody."
+
+"Didn't you ever have enough to eat?"
+
+"I s'pose I did; but you see Uncle Dan'l he found me one mornin'
+on his hay, an' he says I was cryin' for something to eat then, an'
+I've kept it up ever since. I tried to get him to give me money
+enough to go into the circus with; but he said a cent was all
+he could spare these hard times, an' I'd better take that an' buy
+something to eat with it, for the show wasn't very good, anyway.
+I wish peanuts wasn't but a cent a bushel."
+
+"Then you would make yourself sick eating them."
+
+"Yes, I s'pose I should; Uncle Dan'l says I'd eat till I was sick,
+if I got the chance; but I'd like to try it once."
+
+He was a very small boy, with a round head covered with short red
+hair, a face as speckled as any turkey's egg, but thoroughly good
+natured looking; and as he sat there on the rather sharp point of
+the rock, swaying his body to and fro as he hugged his knees with
+his hands, and kept his eyes fastened on the tempting display of
+good things before him, it would have been a very hard hearted man
+who would not have given him something.
+
+But Mr. Job Lord, the proprietor of the booth, was a hard hearted
+man, and he did not make the slightest advance toward offering the
+little fellow anything.
+
+Toby rocked himself silently for a moment, and then he said,
+hesitatingly, "I don't suppose you'd like to sell me some things,
+an' let me pay you when I get older, would you?"
+
+Mr. Lord shook his head decidedly at this proposition.
+
+"I didn't s'pose you would," said Toby, quickly; "but you didn't
+seem to be selling anything, an' I thought I'd just see what you'd
+say about it." And then he appeared suddenly to see something
+wonderfully interesting behind him, which served as an excuse to
+turn his reddening face away.
+
+"I suppose your uncle Daniel makes you work for your living, don't
+he?" asked Mr. Lord, after he had rearranged his stock of candy and
+had added a couple of slices of lemon peel to what was popularly
+supposed to be lemonade.
+
+"That's what I think; but he says that all the work I do wouldn't
+pay for the meal that one chicken would eat, an' I s'pose it's so,
+for I don't like to work as well as a feller without any father and
+mother ought to. I don't know why it is, but I guess it's because
+I take up so much time eatin' that it kinder tires me out. I s'pose
+you go into the circus whenever you want to, don't you?"
+
+"Oh yes; I'm there at every performance, for I keep the stand under
+the big canvas as well as this one out here."
+
+There was a great big sigh from out Toby's little round stomach,
+as he thought what bliss it must be to own all those good things
+and to see the circus wherever it went.
+
+"It must be nice," he said, as he faced the booth and its hard
+visaged proprietor once more.
+
+"How would you like it?" asked Mr. Lord, patronizingly, as he
+looked Toby over in a business way, very much as if he contemplated
+purchasing him.
+
+"Like it!" echoed Toby. "Why, I'd grow fat on it!"
+
+"I don't know as that would be any advantage," continued Mr. Lord,
+reflectively, "for it strikes me that you're about as fat now as
+a boy of your age ought to be. But I've a great mind to give you
+a chance."
+
+"What!" cried Toby, in amazement, and his eyes opened to their
+widest extent as this possible opportunity of leading a delightful
+life presented itself.
+
+"Yes, I've a great mind to give you the chance. You see," and now
+it was Mr. Lord's turn to grow confidential, "I've had a boy with
+me this season, but he cleared out at the last town, and I'm running
+the business alone now."
+
+Toby's face expressed all the contempt he felt for the boy who
+would run away from such a glorious life as Mr. Lord's assistant
+must lead; but he said not a word, waiting in breathless expectation
+for the offer which he now felt certain would be made him.
+
+"Now I ain't hard on a boy," continued Mr. Lord, still confidentially,
+"and yet that one seemed to think that he was treated worse and
+made to work harder than any boy in the world."
+
+"He ought to live with Uncle Dan'l a week," said Toby, eagerly.
+
+"Here I was just like a father to him," said Mr. Lord, paying no
+attention to the interruption, "and I gave him his board and lodging,
+and a dollar a week besides."
+
+"Could he do what he wanted to with the dollar?"
+
+"Of course he could. I never checked him, no matter how extravagant
+he was, an' yet I've seen him spend his whole week's wages at this
+very stand in one afternoon. And even after his money had all gone
+that way, I've paid for peppermint and ginger out of my own pocket
+just to cure his stomach ache."
+
+Toby shook his head mournfully, as if deploring that depravity which
+could cause a boy to run away from such a tender hearted employer
+and from such a desirable position. But even as he shook his head
+so sadly he looked wistfully at the peanuts, and Mr. Lord observed
+the look.
+
+It may have been that Mr. Job Lord was the tender hearted man he
+prided himself upon being, or it may have been that he wished to
+purchase Toby's sympathy; but, at all events, he gave him a large
+handful of nuts, and Toby never bothered his little round head as
+to what motive prompted the gift. Now he could listen to the story
+of the boy's treachery and eat at the same time; therefore he was
+an attentive listener.
+
+"All in the world that boy had to do," continued Mr. Lord, in the
+same injured tone he had previously used, "was to help me set things
+to rights when we struck a town in the morning, and then tend to
+the counter till we left the town at night, and all the rest of
+the time he had to himself. Yet that boy was ungrateful enough to
+run away."
+
+Mr. Lord paused, as if expecting some expression of sympathy from
+his listener; but Toby was so busily engaged with his unexpected
+feast, and his mouth was so full, that it did not seem even possible
+for him to shake his head.
+
+"Now what should you say if I told you that you looked to me like
+a boy that was made especially to help run a candy counter at a
+circus, and if I offered the place to you?"
+
+Toby made one frantic effort to swallow the very large mouthful,
+and in a choking voice he answered, quickly, "I should say I'd go
+with you, an' be mighty glad of the chance."
+
+"Then it's a bargain, my boy, and you shall leave town with me
+tonight."
+
+
+
+II: TOBY RUNS AWAY FROM HOME
+
+
+Toby could scarcely restrain himself at the prospect of this golden
+future that had so suddenly opened before him. He tried to express
+his gratitude, but could only do so by evincing his willingness to
+commence work at once.
+
+"No, no, that won't do," said Mr. Lord, cautiously. "If your uncle
+Daniel should see you working here, he might mistrust something,
+and then you couldn't get away."
+
+"I don't believe he'd try to stop me," said Toby, confidently; "for
+he's told me lots of times that it was a sorry day for him when he
+found me."
+
+"We won't take any chances, my son," was the reply, in a very
+benevolent tone, as he patted Toby on the head and at the same
+time handed him a piece of pasteboard. "There's a ticket for the
+circus, and you come around to see me about ten o'clock tonight.
+I'll put you on one of the wagons, and by' tomorrow morning your
+uncle Daniel will have hard work to find you."
+
+If Toby had followed his inclinations, the chances are that he
+would have fallen on his knees and kissed Mr. Lord's hands in the
+excess of his gratitude. But not knowing exactly how such a show of
+thankfulness might be received, he contented himself by repeatedly
+promising that he would be punctual to the time and place appointed.
+
+He would have loitered in the vicinity of the candy stand in order
+that he might gain some insight into the business; but Mr. Lord
+advised him to remain away, lest his uncle Daniel would see him,
+and suspect where he had gone when he was missed in the morning.
+
+As Toby walked around the circus grounds, whereon was so much to
+attract his attention, he could not prevent himself from assuming
+an air of proprietorship. His interest in all that was going on
+was redoubled, and in his anxiety that everything should be done
+correctly and in the proper order he actually, and perhaps for the
+first time in his life, forgot that he was hungry. He was really to
+travel with a circus, to become a part, as it were, of the whole,
+and to be able to see its many wonderful and beautiful attractions
+every day.
+
+Even the very tent ropes had acquired a new interest for him, and
+the faces of the men at work seemed suddenly to have become those
+of friends. How hard it was for him to walk around unconcernedly:
+and how especially hard to prevent his feet from straying toward
+that tempting display of dainties which he was to sell to those who
+came to see and enjoy, and who would look at him with wonder and
+curiosity! It was very hard not to be allowed to tell his playmates
+of his wonderfully good fortune; but silence meant success, and he
+locked his secret in his bosom, not even daring to talk with anyone
+he knew, lest he should betray himself by some incautious word.
+
+He did not go home to dinner that day, and once or twice he felt
+impelled to walk past the candy stand, giving a mysterious shake of
+the head at the proprietor as he did so. The afternoon performance
+passed off as usual to all of the spectators save Toby. He imagined
+that each one of the performers knew that he was about to join them;
+and even as he passed the cage containing the monkeys he fancied
+that one particularly old one knew all about his intention of
+running away.
+
+Of course it was necessary for him to go home at the close of the
+afternoon's performance, in order to get one or two valuable articles
+of his own -- such as a boat, a kite, and a pair of skates -- and
+in order that his actions might not seem suspicious. Before he left
+the grounds, however, he stole slyly around to the candy stand, and
+informed Mr. Job Lord, in a very hoarse whisper, that he would be
+on hand at the time appointed.
+
+Mr. Lord patted him on the head, gave him two large sticks of candy,
+and, what was more kind and surprising, considering the fact that
+he wore glasses and was cross eyed, he winked at Toby. A wink from
+Mr. Lord must have been intended to convey a great deal, because,
+owing to the defect in his eyes, it required no little exertion,
+and even then could not be considered as a really first class wink.
+
+That wink, distorted as it was, gladdened Toby's heart immensely
+and took away nearly all the sting of the scolding with which Uncle
+Daniel greeted him when he reached home.
+
+That night -- despite the fact that he was going to travel with the
+circus, despite the fact that his home was not a happy or cheerful
+one -- Toby was not in a pleasant frame of mind. He began to feel
+for the first time that he was doing wrong; and as he gazed at
+Uncle Daniel's stern, forbidding looking face, it seemed to have
+changed somewhat from its severity, and caused a great lump of
+something to come up in his throat as he thought that perhaps he
+should never see it again. Just then one or two kind words would
+have prevented him from running away, bright as the prospect of
+circus life appeared.
+
+It was almost impossible for him to eat anything, and this very
+surprising state of affairs attracted the attention of Uncle Daniel.
+
+"Bless my heart! what ails the boy?" asked the old man, as he peered
+over his glasses at Toby's well filled plate, which was usually
+emptied so quickly. "Are ye sick, Toby, or what is the matter with
+ye?"
+
+"No, I hain't sick," said Toby, with a sigh; "but I've been to the
+circus, an' I got a good deal to eat."
+
+"Oho! You spent that cent I give ye, eh, an' got so much that it
+made ye sick?"
+
+Toby thought of the six peanuts which he had bought with the penny
+Uncle Daniel had given him; and, amid all his homesickness, he
+could not help wondering if Uncle Daniel ever made himself sick
+with only six peanuts when he was a boy.
+
+As no one paid any further attention to Toby, he pushed back his
+plate, arose from the table, and went with a heavy heart to attend
+to his regular evening chores. The cow, the hens, and even the pigs
+came in for a share of his unusually kind attention; and as he fed
+them all the big tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought that
+perhaps never again would he see any of them. These dumb animals
+had all been Toby's confidants; he had poured out his griefs in
+their ears, and fancied, when the world or Uncle Daniel had used
+him unusually hard, that they sympathized with him. Now he was
+leaving them forever, and as he locked the stable door he could
+hear the sounds of music coming from the direction of the circus
+grounds, and he was angry at it, because it represented that which
+was taking him away from his home, even though it was not as pleasant
+as it might have been.
+
+Still, he had no thought of breaking the engagement which he had
+made. He went to his room, made a bundle of his worldly possessions,
+and crept out of the back door, down the road to the circus.
+
+Mr. Lord saw him as soon as he arrived on the grounds, and as he
+passed another ticket to Toby he took his bundle from him, saying,
+as he did so: "I'll pack up your bundle with my things, and then
+you'll be sure not to lose it. Don't you want some candy?"
+
+Toby shook his head; he had just discovered that there was possibly
+some connection between his heart and his stomach, for his grief
+at leaving home had taken from him all desire for good things. It
+is also more than possible that Mr. Lord had had experience enough
+with boys to know that they might be homesick on the eve of starting
+to travel with a circus; and in order to make sure that Toby would
+keep to his engagement he was unusually kind.
+
+That evening was the longest Toby ever knew. He wandered from one
+cage of animals to another; then to see the performance in the
+ring, and back again to the animals, in the vain hope of passing
+the time pleasantly.
+
+But it was of no use; that lump in his throat would remain there,
+and the thoughts of what he was about to do would trouble him
+severely. The performance failed to interest him, and the animals
+did not attract until he had visited the monkey cage for the third
+or fourth time. Then he fancied that the same venerable monkey
+who had looked so knowing in the afternoon was gazing at him with
+a sadness which could only have come from a thorough knowledge of
+all the grief and doubt that was in his heart.
+
+There was no one around the cages, and Toby got just as near to
+the iron bars as possible. No sooner had he flattened his little
+pug nose against the iron than the aged monkey came down from the
+ring in which he had been swinging, and, seating himself directly
+in front of Toby's face, looked at him most compassionately.
+
+It would not have surprised the boy just then if the animal had
+spoken; but as he did not, Toby did the next best thing and spoke
+to him.
+
+"I s'pose you remember that you saw me this afternoon, an' somebody
+told you that I was goin' to join the circus, didn't they?"
+
+The monkey made no reply, though Toby fancied that he winked an
+affirmative answer; and he looked so sympathetic that he continued,
+confidentially:
+
+"Well, I'm the same feller, an' I don't mind telling you that I'm
+awfully sorry that I promised that candy man I'd go with him. Do
+you know that I came near crying at the supper table tonight; an'
+Uncle Dan'l looked real good an' nice, though I never thought so
+before. I wish I wasn't goin', after all, 'cause it don't seem a
+bit like a good time now; but I s'pose I must, 'cause I promised
+to, an' 'cause the candy man has got all my things."
+
+The big tears had begun to roll down Toby's cheeks, and as he
+ceased speaking the monkey reached out one little paw, which Toby
+took as earnestly as if it had been done purposely to console him.
+
+"You're real good, you are," continued Toby; "an' I hope I shall
+see you real often, for it seems to me now, when there hain't any
+folks around, as if you was the only friend I've got in this great
+big world. It's awful when a feller feels the way I do, an' when
+he don't seem to want anything to eat. Now if you'll stick to me
+I'll stick to you, an' then it won't be half so bad when we feel
+this way."
+
+During this speech Toby had still clung to the little brown paw,
+which the monkey now withdrew, and continued to gaze into the boy's
+face.
+
+"The fellers all say I don't amount to anything," sobbed Toby,
+"an' Uncle Dan'l says I don't, an' I s'pose they know; but I tell
+you I feel just as bad, now that I'm goin' away from them all, as
+if I was as good as any of them."
+
+At this moment Toby saw Mr. Lord enter the tent, and he knew that
+the summons to start was about to be given.
+
+"Goodby," he said to the monkey, as he vainly tried to take him
+by the hand again. "Remember what I've told you, an' don't forget
+that Toby Tyler is feelin' worse tonight than if he was twice as
+big an' twice as good."
+
+Mr. Lord had come to summon him away, and he now told Toby that he
+would show him with which man he was to ride that night.
+
+Toby looked another goodby at the venerable monkey, who was watching
+him closely, and then followed his employer out of the tent, among
+the ropes and poles and general confusion attendant upon the removal
+of a circus from one place to another.
+
+
+
+III: THE NIGHT RIDE
+
+
+The wagon on which Mr. Lord was to send his new found employee was,
+by the most singular chance, the one containing the monkeys, and
+Toby accepted this as a good omen. He would be near his venerable
+friend all night, and there was some consolation in that. The
+driver instructed the boy to watch his movements, and when he saw
+him leading his horses around, "to look lively and be on hand, for
+he never waited for anyone."
+
+Toby not only promised to do as ordered, but he followed the
+driver around so closely that, had he desired, he could not have
+rid himself of his little companion.
+
+The scene which presented itself to Toby's view was strange and
+weird in the extreme. Shortly after he had attached himself to the
+man with whom he was to ride, the performance was over, and the work
+of putting the show and its belongings into such a shape as could
+be conveyed from one town to another was soon in active operation.
+Toby forgot his grief, forgot that he was running away from the
+only home he had ever known -- in fact, forgot everything concerning
+himself -- so interested was he in that which was going on about
+him.
+
+As soon as the audience had got out of the tent and almost before
+the work of taking down the canvas was begun.
+
+Torches were stuck in the earth at regular intervals, the lights
+that had shone so brilliantly in and around the ring had been
+extinguished, the canvas sides had been taken off, and the boards that
+had formed the seats were being packed into one of the carts with
+a rattling sound that seemed as if a regular fusillade of musketry
+was being indulged in. Men were shouting; horses were being driven
+hither and thither, harnessed to the wagons, or drawing the huge
+carts away as soon as they were loaded; and everything seemed in
+the greatest state of confusion, while really the work was being
+done in the most systematic manner possible.
+
+Toby had not long to wait before the driver informed him that the
+time for starting had arrived, and assisted him to climb up to the
+narrow seat whereon he was to ride that night.
+
+The scene was so exciting, and his efforts to stick to the narrow
+seat so great, that he really had no time to attend to the homesick
+feeling that had crept over him during the first part of the evening.
+
+The long procession of carts and wagons drove slowly out of the
+town, and when the last familiar house had been passed the driver
+spoke to Toby for the first time, since they started.
+
+"Pretty hard work to keep on -- eh, sonny?"
+
+"Yes," replied the boy, as the wagon jolted over a rock, bouncing
+him high in air, and he, by strenuous efforts, barely succeeded in
+alighting on the seat again, "it is pretty hard work; an' my name's
+Toby Tyler."
+
+Toby heard a queer sound that seemed to come from the man's throat,
+and for a few moments he feared that his companion was choking.
+But he soon understood that this was simply an attempt to laugh,
+and he at once decided that it was a very poor style of laughing.
+
+"So you object to being called sonny, do you?"
+
+"Well, I'd rather be called Toby, for, you see, that's my name."
+
+"All right, my boy; we'll call you Toby. I suppose you thought it
+was a mighty fine thing to run away an' jine a circus, didn't you?"
+
+Toby started in affright, looked around cautiously, and then tried
+to peer down through the small square aperture, guarded by iron
+rods, that opened into the cage just back of the seat they were
+sitting on. Then he turned slowly around to the driver, and asked,
+in a voice sunk to a whisper: "How did you know that I was runnin'
+away? Did he tell you?" and Toby motioned with his thumb as if he
+were pointing out someone behind him.
+
+It was the driver's turn now to look around in search of the "he"
+referred to by Toby.
+
+"Who do you mean?" asked the man, impatiently.
+
+"Why, the old feller; the one in the cart there. I think he knew
+I was runnin' away, though he didn't say anything about it; but he
+looked just as if he did."
+
+The driver looked at Toby in perfect amazement for a moment, and
+then, as if suddenly understanding the boy, relapsed into one of
+those convulsive efforts that caused the blood to rush up into his
+face and gave him every appearance of having a fit.
+
+"You must mean one of the monkeys," said the driver, after he had
+recovered his breath, which had been almost shaken out of his body
+by the silent laughter. "So you thought a monkey had told me what
+any fool could have seen if he had watched you for five minutes."
+
+"Well," said Toby, slowly, as if he feared he might provoke one of
+those terrible laughing spells again, "I saw him tonight, an' he
+looked as if he knew what I was doin'; so I up an' told him, an'
+I didn't know but he'd told you, though he didn't look to me like
+a feller that would be mean."
+
+There was another internal shaking on the part of the driver, which
+Toby did not fear so much, since he was getting accustomed to it,
+and then the man said, "Well, you are the queerest little cove I
+ever saw."
+
+"I s'pose I am," was the reply, accompanied by a long drawn sigh.
+"I don't seem to amount to so much as the other fellers do, an' I
+guess it's because I'm always hungry; you see, I eat awful, Uncle
+Dan'l says."
+
+The only reply which the driver made to this plaintive confession
+was to put his hand down into the deepest recesses of one of his
+deep pockets and to draw therefrom a huge doughnut, which he handed
+to his companion.
+
+Toby was so much at his ease by this time that the appetite which
+had failed him at supper had now returned in full force, and he
+devoured the doughnut in a most ravenous manner.
+
+"You're too small to eat so fast," said the man, in a warning
+tone, as the last morsel of the greasy sweetness disappeared, and
+he fished up another for the boy. "Some time you'll get hold of
+one of the India rubber doughnuts that they feed to circus people,
+an' choke yourself to death."
+
+Toby shook his head, and devoured this second cake as quickly as
+he had the first, craning his neck, and uttering a funny little
+squeak as the last bit went down, just as a chicken does when he
+gets too large a mouthful of dough.
+
+"I'll never choke," he said, confidently. "I'm used to it; and Uncle
+Dan'l says I could eat a pair of boots an' never wink at 'em; but
+I don't just believe that."
+
+As the driver made no reply to this remark Toby watched with no
+little interest all that was passing on around him. Each of the
+wagons had a lantern fastened to the hind axle, and these lights
+could be seen far ahead on the road, as if a party of fireflies
+had started in single file on an excursion. The trees by the side
+of the road stood out weird and ghostly looking in the darkness,
+and the rumble of the carts ahead and behind formed a musical
+accompaniment to the picture that sounded strangely doleful.
+
+Mile after mile was passed over in perfect silence, save now and
+then when the driver would whistle a few bars of some very dismal
+tune that would fairly make Toby shiver with its mournfulness.
+Eighteen miles was the distance from Guilford to the town where
+the next performance of the circus was to be given, and as Toby
+thought of the ride before them it seemed as if the time would
+be almost interminable. He curled himself up on one corner of the
+seat, and tried very hard to go to sleep; but just as his eyes began
+to grow heavy the wagon would jolt over some rock or sink deep in
+some rut, till Toby, the breath very nearly shaken out of his body,
+and his neck almost dislocated, would sit bolt upright, clinging
+to the seat with both hands, as if he expected each moment to be
+pitched out into the mud.
+
+The driver watched him closely, and each time that he saw him shaken
+up and awakened so thoroughly he would indulge in one of his silent
+laughing spells, until Toby would wonder whether he would ever
+recover from it. Several times had Toby been awakened, and each time
+he had seen the amusement his sufferings caused, until he finally
+resolved to put an end to the sport by keeping awake.
+
+"What is your name?" he asked of the driver, thinking a conversation
+would be the best way to rouse himself into wakefulness.
+
+"Waal," said the driver, as he gathered the reins carefully in one
+hand, and seemed to be debating in his mind how he should answer
+the question, "I don't know as I know myself, it's been so long
+since I've heard it."
+
+Toby was wide enough awake now, as this rather singular problem
+was forced upon his mind. He revolved the matter silently for some
+moments, and at last he asked, "What do folks call you when they
+want to speak to you?"
+
+"They always call me Old Ben, an' I've got so used to the name that
+I don't need any other."
+
+Toby wanted very much to ask more questions, but he wisely concluded
+that it would not be agreeable to his companion.
+
+"I'll ask the old man about it," said Toby to himself, referring to
+the aged monkey, whom he seemed to feel acquainted with; "he most
+likely knows, if he'll say anything."
+
+After this the conversation ceased, until Toby again ventured to
+suggest, "It's a pretty long drive, hain't it?"
+
+"You want to wait till you've been in this business a year or two,"
+said Ben, sagely, "an' then you won't think much of it. Why, I've
+known the show towns to be thirty miles apart, an' them was the
+times when we had lively work of it. Riding all night and working
+all day kind of wears on a fellow."
+
+"Yes, I s'pose so," said Toby, with a sigh, as he wondered whether
+he had got to work as hard as that; "but I s'pose you get all you
+want to eat, don't you?"
+
+"Now you've struck it!" said Ben, with the air of one about to impart
+a world of wisdom, as he crossed one leg over the other, that his
+position might be as comfortable as possible while he was initiating
+his young companion into the mysteries of the life. "I've had all
+the boys ride with me since I've been with this show, an' I've
+tried to start them right; but they didn't seem to profit by it,
+an' always got sick of the show an' run away, just because they
+didn't look out for themselves as they ought to. Now listen to me,
+Toby, an' remember what I say. You see they put us all in a hotel
+together, an' some of these places where we go don't have any too
+much stuff on the table. Whenever we strike a new town you find
+out at the hotel what time they have the grub ready, an' you be
+on hand, so's to get in with the first. Eat all you can, an' fill
+your pockets."
+
+"If that's all a feller has to do to travel with a circus," said
+Toby, "I'm just the one, 'cause I always used to do just that when
+I hadn't any idea of bein' a circus man."
+
+"Then you'll get along all right," said Ben, as he checked the speed
+of his horses and, looking carefully ahead, said, as he guided
+his team to one side of the road, "This is as far as we're going
+tonight."
+
+Toby learned that they were within a couple of miles of the town,
+and that the entire procession would remain by the roadside until
+time to make the grand entree into the village, when every wagon,
+horse, and man would be decked out in the most gorgeous array, as
+they had been when they entered Guilford.
+
+Under Ben's direction he wrapped himself in an old horse blanket,
+and lay down on the top of the wagon; and he was so tired from the
+excitement of the day and night that he had hardly stretched out
+at full length before he was fast asleep.
+
+
+
+IV: THE FIRST DAY WITH THE CIRCUS
+
+
+When Toby awakened and looked around he could hardly realize where
+he was or bow he came there. As far ahead and behind on the road as
+he could see the carts were drawn up on one side; men were hurrying
+to and fro, orders were being shouted, and everything showed that
+the entry into the town was about to be made. Directly opposite
+the wagon on which he had been sleeping were the four elephants and
+two camels, and close behind, contentedly munching their breakfasts,
+were a number of tiny ponies. Troops of horses were being groomed
+and attended to; the road was littered with saddles, flags, and
+general decorations, until it seemed to Toby that there must have
+been a smash up, and that he now beheld ruins rather than systematic
+disorder.
+
+How different everything looked now, compared to the time when
+the cavalcade marched into Guilford, dazzling everyone with the
+gorgeous display! Then the horses pranced gayly under their gaudy
+decorations, the wagons were bright with glass, gilt, and flags, the
+lumbering elephants and awkward camels were covered with fancifully
+embroidered velvets, and even the drivers of the wagons were
+resplendent in their uniforms of scarlet and gold. Now, in the
+gray light of the early morning, everything was changed. The horses
+were tired and muddy, and wore old and dirty harness; the gilded
+chariots were covered with mud bespattered canvas, which caused
+them to look like the most ordinary of market wagons; the elephants
+and camels looked dingy, dirty, almost repulsive; and the drivers
+were only a sleepy looking set of men, who, in their shirt sleeves,
+were getting ready for the change which would dazzle the eyes of
+the inhabitants of the town.
+
+Toby descended from his lofty bed, rubbed his eyes to thoroughly
+awaken himself, and, under the guidance of Ben, went to a little
+brook near by and washed his face. He had been with the circus
+not quite ten hours, but now he could not realize that it had ever
+seemed bright and beautiful. He missed his comfortable bed, the
+quiet and cleanliness, and the well spread table; even although
+he had felt the lack of parents' care, Uncle Daniel's home seemed
+the very abode of love and friendly feeling compared with this
+condition, where no one appeared to care even enough for him to
+scold at him. He was thoroughly homesick, and heartily wished that
+he was back in his old native town.
+
+While he was washing his face in the brook he saw some of the boys
+who had come out from the town to catch the first glimpse of the
+circus, and he saw at once that he was the object of their admiring
+gaze. He heard one of the boys say, when they first discovered him:
+
+"There's one of them, an' he's only a little feller; so I'm going
+to talk to him."
+
+The evident admiration which the boys had for Toby pleased him,
+and this pleasure was the only drop of comfort he had had since
+he started. He hoped they would come and talk with him; and, that
+they might have the opportunity, he was purposely slow in making
+his toilet.
+
+The boys approached him shyly, as if they had their doubts whether
+he was made of the same material as themselves, and when they got
+quite near to him and satisfied themselves that he was only washing
+his face in much the same way that any well regulated boy would do,
+the one who had called attention to him said, half timidly, "Hello!"
+
+"Hello!" responded Toby, in a tone that was meant to invite
+confidence.
+
+"Do you belong to the circus?"
+
+"Yes," said Toby, a little doubtfully.
+
+Then the boys stared at him again as if he were one of the strange
+looking animals, and the one who had been the spokesman drew a
+long breath of envy as he said, longingly, "My! what a nice time
+you must have!"
+
+Toby remembered that only yesterday he himself had thought that
+boys must have a nice time with a circus, and he now felt what
+a mistake that thought was; but he concluded that he would not
+undeceive his new acquaintance.
+
+"And do they give you frogs to eat, so's to make you limber?"
+
+This was the first time that Toby had thought of breakfast, and the
+very mention of eating made him hungry. He was just at that moment
+so very hungry that he did not think he was replying to the question
+when he said, quickly: "Eat frogs! I could eat anything, if I only
+had the chance."
+
+The boys took this as an answer to their question, and felt perfectly
+convinced that the agility of circus riders and tumblers depended
+upon the quantity of frogs eaten, and they looked upon Toby with
+no little degree of awe.
+
+Toby might have undeceived them as to the kind of food he ate,
+but just at that moment the harsh voice of Mr. Job Lord was heard
+calling him, and he hurried away to commence his first day's work.
+
+Toby's employer was not the same pleasant, kindly spoken man that
+he had been during the time they were in Guilford and before the
+boy was absolutely under his control. He looked cross, he acted
+cross, and it did not take the boy very long to find out that he
+was very cross.
+
+He scolded Toby roundly, and launched more oaths at his defenseless
+head than Toby had ever heard in his life. He was angry that the
+boy had not been on hand to help him, and also that he had been
+obliged to hunt for him.
+
+Toby tried to explain that he had no idea of what he was expected
+to do, and that he had been on the wagon to which he had been sent,
+only leaving it to wash his face; but the angry man grew still more
+furious.
+
+"Went to wash your face, did yer? Want to set yourself up for a
+dandy, I suppose, and think that you must souse that speckled face
+of yours into every brook you come to? I'll soon break you of
+that; and the sooner you understand that I can't afford to have
+you wasting your time in washing the better it will be for you."
+
+Toby now grew angry, and, not realizing how wholly he was in
+the man's power, he retorted: "If you think I'm going round with
+a dirty face, even if it is speckled, for a dollar a week, you're
+mistaken, that's all. How many folks would eat your candy if they
+knew you handled it over before you washed your hands?"
+
+"Oho! I've picked up a preacher, have I? Now I want you to understand,
+my bantam, that I do all the preaching as well as the practicing
+myself, and this is about as quick a way as I know of to make you
+understand it."
+
+As the man spoke he grasped the boy by the coat collar with one
+hand and with the other plied a thin rubber cane with no gentle
+force to every portion of Toby's body that he could reach.
+
+Every blow caused the poor boy the most intense pain; but he
+determined that his tormentor should not have the satisfaction of
+forcing an outcry from him, and he closed his lips so tightly that
+not a single sound could escape from them.
+
+This very silence enraged the man so much that he redoubled the
+force and rapidity of his blows, and it is impossible to say what
+might have been the consequences had not Ben come that way just
+then and changed the aspect of affairs.
+
+"Up to your old tricks of whipping the boys, are you, Job?" he
+said, as he wrested the cane from the man's hand and held him off
+at arm's length, to prevent him from doing Toby more mischief.
+
+Mr. Lord struggled to release himself, and insisted that, since the
+boy was in his employ, he should do with him just as he saw fit.
+
+"Now look here, Mr. Lord," said Ben, as gravely as if he was
+delivering some profound piece of wisdom, "I've never interfered
+with you before; but now I'm going to stop your game of thrashing
+your boy every morning before breakfast. You just tell this youngster
+what you want him to do, and if he don't do it you can discharge
+him. If I hear of your flogging him, I shall attend to your case
+at once. You hear me?"
+
+Ben shook the now terrified candy vender much as if he had been a
+child, and then released him, saying to Toby as he did so, "Now, my
+boy, you attend to your business as you ought to, and I'll settle
+his accounts if he tries the flogging game again."
+
+"You see, I don't know what there is for me to do," sobbed Toby,
+for the kindly interference of Ben had made him show more feeling
+than Mr. Lord's blows had done.
+
+"Tell him what he must do," said Ben, sternly.
+
+"I want him to go to work and wash the tumblers, and fix up the
+things in that green box, so we can commence to sell as soon as
+we get into town," snarled Mr. Lord, as he motioned toward a large
+green chest that had been taken out of one of the carts, and which
+Toby saw was filled with dirty glasses, spoons, knives, and other
+utensils such as were necessary to carry on the business.
+
+Toby got a pail of water from the brook, hunted around and found
+towels and soap, and devoted himself to his work with such industry
+that Mr. Lord could not repress a grunt of satisfaction as he
+passed him, however angry he felt because he could not administer
+the whipping which would have smoothed his ruffled temper.
+
+By the time the procession was ready to start for the town Toby had
+as much of his work done as he could find that it was necessary to
+do, and his master, in his surly way, half acknowledged that this
+last boy of his was better than any he had had before.
+
+Although Toby had done his work so well he was far from feeling
+happy; he was both angry and sad as he thought of the cruel blows
+that had been inflicted, and he had plenty of leisure to repent of
+the rash step he had taken, although he could not see very clearly
+how he was to get away from it. He thought that he could not go
+back to Guilford, for Uncle Daniel would not allow him to come to
+his house again; and the hot scalding tears ran down his cheeks as
+he realized that he was homeless and friendless in this great big
+world.
+
+It was while he was in this frame of mind that the procession, all
+gaudy with flags, streamers, and banners, entered the town. Under
+different circumstances this would have been a most delightful
+day for him, for the entrance of a circus into Guilford had always
+been a source of one day's solid enjoyment; but now he was the most
+disconsolate and unhappy boy in all that crowd.
+
+He did not ride throughout the entire route of the procession, for
+Mr. Lord was anxious to begin business, and the moment the tenting
+ground was reached the wagon containing Mr. Lord's goods was driven
+into the inclosure and Toby's day's work began.
+
+He was obliged to bring water, to cut up the lemons, fetch and carry
+fruit from the booth in the big tent to the booth on the outside,
+until he was ready to drop with fatigue, and, having had no time
+for breakfast, was nearly famished.
+
+It was quite noon before he was permitted to go to the hotel for
+something to eat, and then Ben's advice to be one of the first to
+get to the tables was not needed.
+
+In the eating line that day he astonished the servants, the members
+of the company, and even himself, and by the time he arose from
+the table, with both pockets and his stomach full to bursting, the
+tables had been set and cleared away twice while he was making one
+meal.
+
+"Well, I guess you didn't hurry yourself much," said Mr. Lord, when
+Toby returned to the circus ground.
+
+"Oh yes, I did," was Toby's innocent reply: "I ate just as fast
+as I could"; and a satisfied smile stole over the boy's face as he
+thought of the amount of solid food he had consumed.
+
+The answer was not one which was calculated to make Mr. Lord feel
+any more agreeably disposed toward his new clerk, and he showed
+his ill temper very plainly as he said, "It must take a good deal
+to satisfy you."
+
+"I s'pose it does," calmly replied Toby. "Sam Merrill used to say
+that I took after Aunt Olive and Uncle Dan'l; one ate a good while,
+an' the other ate awful fast."
+
+Toby could not understand what it was that Mr. Lord said in reply,
+but he could understand that his employer was angry at somebody
+or something, and he tried unusually hard to please him. He talked
+to the boys who had gathered around, to induce them to buy, washed
+the glasses as fast as they were used, tried to keep off the flies,
+and in every way he could think of endeavored to please his master.
+
+
+
+V: THE COUNTERFEIT TEN CENT PIECE
+
+
+When the doors of the big tent were opened, and the people began
+to crowd in, just as Toby had seen them do at Guilford, Mr. Lord
+announced to his young clerk that it was time for him to go into
+the tent to work. Then it was that Toby learned for the first time
+that he had two masters instead of one, and this knowledge caused
+him no little uneasiness. If the other one was anything like Mr.
+Lord, his lot would be just twice as bad, and he began to wonder
+whether he could even stand it one day longer.
+
+As the boy passed through the tent on his way to the candy stand,
+where he was really to enter upon the duties for which he had run
+away from home, he wanted to stop for a moment and speak with the
+old monkey who he thought had taken such an interest in him. But
+when he reached the cage in which his friend was confined, there
+was such a crowd around it that it was impossible for him to get
+near enough to speak without being overheard.
+
+This was such a disappointment to the little fellow that the big
+tears came into his eyes, and in another instant would have gone
+rolling down his cheeks if his aged friend had not chanced to look
+toward him. Toby fancied that the monkey looked at him in the most
+friendly way, and then he was Certain that he winked one eye. Toby
+felt that there was no mistake about that wink, and it seemed as
+if it was intended to convey comfort to him in his troubles. He
+winked back at the monkey in the most emphatic and grave manner
+possible, and then went on his way, feeling wonderfully comforted.
+
+The work inside the tent was far different and much harder than
+it was outside. He was obliged to carry around among the audience
+trays of candy, nuts, and lemonade for sale, and he was expected
+to cry aloud the description of that which he offered. The partner
+of Mr. Lord, who had charge of the stand inside the tent, showed
+himself to be neither better nor worse than Mr. Lord himself. When
+Toby first presented himself for work he handed him a tray filled
+with glasses of lemonade, and told him to go among the audience,
+crying, "Here's your nice cold lemonade, only five cents a glass!"
+
+Toby started to do as he was bidden; but when he tried to repeat
+the words in anything like a loud tone of voice they stuck in his
+throat, and he found it next to impossible to utter a sound above
+a whisper. It seemed to him that everyone in the audience was
+looking only at him, and the very sound of his own voice made him
+afraid.
+
+He went entirely around the tent once without making a sale, and
+when he returned to the stand he was at once convinced that one of
+his masters was quite as bad as the other. This one -- and he knew
+that his name was Jacobs, for he heard someone call him so -- very
+kindly told him that he would break every bone in his body if he
+didn't sell something, and Toby confidently believed that he would
+carry out his threat.
+
+It was with a very heavy heart that he started around again in
+obedience to Mr. Jacobs's angry command; but this time he did manage
+to cry out, in a very thin and very squeaky voice, the words which
+he had been told to repeat.
+
+This time -- perhaps owing to his pitiful and imploring look,
+certainly not because of the noise he made -- he met with very
+good luck, and sold every glass of the mixture which Messrs. Lord
+and Jacobs called lemonade, and went back to the stand for more.
+
+He certainly thought he had earned a word of praise, and fully
+expected it as he put the empty glasses and money on the stand in
+front of Mr. Jacobs. But, instead of the kind words, he was greeted
+with a volley of curses; and the reason for it was that he had
+taken in payment for two of the glasses a lead ten cent piece. Mr.
+Jacobs, after scolding poor little Toby to his heart's content,
+vowed that the amount should be kept from his first week's wages,
+and then handed back the coin, with orders to give it to the first
+man who gave him money to change, under the penalty of a severe
+flogging if he failed to do so.
+
+Poor Toby tried to explain matters by saying: "You see, I don't
+know anything about money; I never had more 'n a cent at a time,
+an' you mustn't expect me to get posted all at once."
+
+"I'll post you with a stick if you do it again; an' it won't be
+well for you if you bring that ten cent piece back here!"
+
+Now Toby was very well aware that to pass the coin, knowing it to
+be bad, would be a crime, and be resolved to take the consequences
+of which Mr. Jacobs had intimated, if he could not find the one
+who had given him the counterfeit and persuade him to give him good
+money in its stead. He remembered very plainly where he had sold
+each glass of lemonade, and he retraced his steps, glancing at each
+face carefully as he passed. At last he was confident that he saw
+the man who had gotten him into such trouble, and he climbed up
+the board seats, saying, as he stood in front of him and held out
+the coin: "Mister, this money that you gave me is bad. Won't you
+give me another one for it?"
+
+The man was a rough looking party who had taken his girl to the
+circus, and who did not seem at all disposed to pay any heed to
+Toby's request. Therefore he repeated it, and this time more loudly.
+
+"Get out the way!" said the man, angrily. "How can you expect me
+to see the show if you stand right in front of me?"
+
+"You'll like it better," said Toby, earnestly, "if you give me
+another ten cent piece."
+
+"Get out an' don't bother me!" was the angry rejoinder; and the
+little fellow began to think that perhaps he would be obliged to
+"get out" without getting his money.
+
+It was becoming a desperate case, for the man was growing angry
+very fast and if Toby did not succeed in getting good money for
+the bad, he would have to take the consequences of which Mr. Jacobs
+had spoken.
+
+"Please, mister," he said, imploringly -- for his heart began to
+grow very heavy, and he was fearing that he should not succeed --
+"won't you please give me the money back? You know you gave it to
+me, an' I'll have to pay it if you don't."
+
+The boy's lip was quivering, and those around began to be interested
+in the affair, while several in the immediate vicinity gave vent
+to their indignation that a man should try to cheat a boy out of
+ten cents by giving him counterfeit money.
+
+The man whom Toby was speaking to was about to dismiss him with
+an angry reply, when he saw that those about him were not only
+interested in the matter, but were evidently taking sides with the
+boy against him; and knowing well that he had given the counterfeit
+money, he took another coin from his pocket and, handing it to Toby,
+said, "I didn't give you the lead piece; but you're making such a
+fuss about it that here's ten cents to make you keep quiet."
+
+"I'm sure you did give me the money," said Toby, as he took the
+extended coin, "an' I'm much obliged to you for takin' it back. I
+didn't want to tell you before, 'cause you'd thought I was beggin';
+but if you hadn't given me this, I 'xpect I'd have got an awful
+whippin', for Mr. Jacobs said he'd fix me if I didn't get the money
+for it."
+
+The man looked sheepish enough as he put the bad money in his
+pocket, and Toby's innocently told story caused such a feeling in
+his behalf among those who sat near that he not only disposed of
+his entire stock then and there, but received from one gentleman
+twenty-five cents for himself. He was both proud and happy as
+he returned to Mr. Jacobs with empty glasses, and with the money
+to refund the amount of loss which would have been caused by the
+counterfeit.
+
+But the worthy partner of Mr. Lord's candy business had no words
+of encouragement for the boy who was trying so hard to please.
+
+"Let that make you keep your eyes open," he growled out, sulkily;
+"an' if you get caught in that trap again, you won't be let off so
+easy."
+
+Poor little Toby! his heart seemed ready to break; but his few hours'
+previous experience had taught him that there was but one thing
+to do, and that was to work just as hard as possible, trusting to
+some good fortune to enable him to get out of the very disagreeable
+position in which he had voluntarily placed himself.
+
+He took the basket of candy that Mr. Jacobs handed him, and
+trudged around the circle of seats, selling far more because of
+the pitifulness of his face than because of the excellence of his
+goods; and even this worked to his disadvantage. Mr. Jacobs was
+keen enough to see why his little clerk sold so many goods, and
+each time that he returned to the stand he said something to him
+in an angry tone, which had the effect of deepening the shadow on
+the boy's face and at the same time increasing trade.
+
+By the time the performance was over Toby had in his pocket a
+dollar and twenty- five cents which had been given him for himself
+by some of the kind hearted in the audience, and he kept his hand
+almost constantly upon it, for the money seemed to him like some
+kind friend who would help him out of his present difficulties.
+
+After the audience had dispersed, Mr. Jacobs set Toby at work
+washing the glasses and clearing up generally, and then the boy
+started toward the other portion of the store -- that watched over
+by Mr. Lord. Not a person save the watchman was in the tent, and as
+Toby went toward the door he saw his friend the monkey sitting in
+one corner of the cage, and apparently watching his every movement.
+
+It was as if he had suddenly seen one of the boys from home, and
+Toby, uttering an exclamation of delight, ran up to the cage and
+put his hand through the wires.
+
+The monkey, in the gravest possible manner, took one of the fingers
+in his paw, and Toby shook hands with him very earnestly.
+
+"I was sorry that I couldn't speak to you when I went in this noon,"
+said Toby, as if making an apology; "but, you see, there were so
+many around here to see you that I couldn't get the chance. Did
+you see me wink at you?"
+
+The monkey made no reply, but he twisted his face into such a funny
+little grimace that Toby was quite as well satisfied as if he had
+spoken.
+
+"I wonder if you hain't some relation to Steve Stubbs?" Toby
+continued, earnestly, "for you look just like him, only he don't
+have quite so many whiskers. What I wanted to say was that I'm
+awful sorry I run away. I used to think that Uncle Dan'l was bad
+enough; but he was just a perfect good Samarathon to what Mr. Lord
+an' Mr. Jacobs are; an' when Mr. Lord looks at me with that crooked
+eye of his I feel it 'way down in my boots. Do you know" -- and
+here Toby put his mouth nearer to the monkey's head and whispered
+-- "I'd run away from this circus if I could get the chance. Wouldn't
+you?"
+
+Just at this point, as if in answer to the question, the monkey
+stood up on his hind feet and reached out his paw to the boy, who
+seemed to think this was his way of being more emphatic in saying
+"Yes."
+
+Toby took the paw in his hand, shook it again earnestly, and said,
+as he released it: "I was pretty sure you felt just about the same
+way I did, Mr. Stubbs, when I passed you this noon. Look here" --
+and Toby took the money from his pocket which had been given him
+-- "I got all that this afternoon, an' I'll try an' stick it out
+somehow till I get as much as ten dollars, an' then we'll run away
+some night, an' go 'way off as far as -- as -- as out West; an'
+we'll stay there, too."
+
+The monkey, probably tired with remaining in one position so long;
+started toward the top of the cage, chattering and screaming,
+joining the other monkeys, who had gathered in a little group in
+one of the swings.
+
+"Now see here, Mr. Stubbs," said Toby, in alarm, "you mustn't go to
+telling everybody about it, or Mr. Lord will know, an' then we'll
+be dished, sure."
+
+The monkey sat quietly in the swing, as if he felt reproved by what
+the boy had said; and Toby, considerably relieved by his silence,
+said, as he started toward the door, "That's right -- mum's the
+word; you keep quiet, an' so will I, an' pretty soon we'll get away
+from the whole crowd."
+
+All the monkeys chattered; and Toby, believing that everything
+which he had said had been understood by the animals, went out of
+the door to meet his other taskmaster.
+
+
+
+VI: A TENDER HEARTED SKELETON
+
+
+"Now, then, lazybones," was Mr. Lord's warning cry as Toby came
+out of the tent, "if you've fooled away enough of your time, you
+can come here an' tend shop for me while I go to supper. You crammed
+yourself this noon, an' it 'll teach you a good lesson to make you
+go without anything to eat tonight; it 'll make you move round more
+lively in future."
+
+Instead of becoming accustomed to such treatment as he was receiving
+from his employers, Toby's heart grew more tender with each brutal
+word, and this last punishment -- that of losing his supper --
+caused the poor boy more sorrow than blows would. Mr. Lord started
+for the hotel as he concluded his cruel speech; and poor little
+Toby, going behind the counter, leaned his head upon the rough
+boards and cried as if his heart would break.
+
+All the fancied brightness and pleasure of a circus life had vanished,
+and in its place was the bitterness of remorse that he had repaid
+Uncle Daniel's kindness by the ingratitude of running away. Toby
+thought that if he could only nestle his little red head on the
+pillows of his little bed in that rough room at Uncle Daniel's,
+he would be the happiest and best boy, in the future, in all the
+great wide world.
+
+While he was still sobbing away at a most furious rate he heard
+a voice close at his elbow, and, looking up, saw the thinnest man
+he had ever seen in all his life. The man had flesh colored tights
+on, and a spangled red velvet garment -- that was neither pants,
+because there were no legs to it, nor a coat, because it did not
+come above his waist -- made up the remainder of his costume.
+
+Because he was so wonderfully thin, because of the costume which
+he wore, and because of a highly colored painting which was hanging
+in front of one of the small tents, Toby knew that the Living Skeleton
+was before him, and his big brown eyes opened all the wider as he
+gazed at him.
+
+"What is the matter, little fellow?" asked the man, in a kindly
+tone. "What makes you cry so? Has Job been up to his old tricks
+again?"
+
+"I don't know what his old tricks are --" and Toby sobbed, the
+tears coming again because of the sympathy which this man's voice
+expressed for him -- "but I know that he's a mean, ugly thing --
+that's what I know; an' if I could only get back to Uncle Dan'l,
+there hain't elephants enough in all the circuses in the world to
+pull me away again."
+
+"Oh, you run away from home, did you?"
+
+"Yes, I did," sobbed Toby, "an' there hain't any boy in any Sunday
+School book that ever I read that was half so sorry he'd been bad
+as I am. It's awful; an' now I can't have any supper, 'cause I
+stopped to talk with Mr. Stubbs."
+
+"Is Mr. Stubbs one of your friends?" asked the skeleton, as he
+seated himself in Mr. Lord's own private chair.
+
+"Yes, he is, an' he's the only one in this whole circus who 'pears
+to be sorry for me. You'd better not let Mr. Lord see you sittin'
+in that chair or he'll raise a row."
+
+"Job won't raise any row with me," said the skeleton. "But who is
+this Mr. Stubbs? I don't seem to know anybody by that name."
+
+"I don't think that is his name. I only call him so, 'cause he
+looks so much like a feller I know who is named Stubbs."
+
+This satisfied the skeleton that this Mr. Stubbs must be someone
+attached to the show, and he asked:
+
+"Has Job been whipping you?"
+
+"No; Ben, the driver on the wagon where I ride, told him not to do
+that again; but he hain't going to let me have any supper, 'cause
+I was so slow about my work -- though I wasn't slow; I only talked
+to Mr. Stubbs when there wasn't anybody round his cage."
+
+"Sam! Sam! Sam-u-el!"
+
+This name, which was shouted twice in a quick, loud voice, and the
+third time in a slow manner, ending almost in a screech, did not
+come from either Toby or the skeleton, but from an enormously large
+woman, dressed in a gaudy red and black dress, cut very short, and
+with low neck and an apology for sleeves, who had just come out
+from the tent whereon the picture of the Living Skeleton hung.
+
+"Samuel," she screamed again, "come inside this minute, or you'll
+catch your death o' cold, an' I shall have you wheezin' around with
+the phthisic all night. Come in, Sam-u-el."
+
+"That's her," said the skeleton to Toby, as he pointed his thumb
+in the direction of the fat woman, but paying no attention to
+the outcry she was making -- "that's my wife Lilly, an' she's the
+Fat Woman of the show. She's always yellin' after me that way the
+minute I get out for a little fresh air, an' she's always sayin'
+just the same thing. Bless you, I never have the phthisic, but she
+does awful; an' I s'pose 'cause she's so large she can't feel all
+over her, an' thinks it's me that has it."
+
+"Is -- is all that -- is that your wife?" stammered Toby, in
+astonishment, as he looked at the enormously fat woman who stood in
+the tent door, and then at the wonderfully thin man who sat beside
+him.
+
+"Yes, that's her," said the skeleton. "She weighs pretty nigh four
+hundred, though of course the show cards says it's over six hundred,
+an' she earns almost as much money as I do. Of course she can't
+get so much, for skeletons is much scarcer than fat folks; but we
+make a pretty good thing travelin' together."
+
+"Sam-u-el!" again came the cry from the fat woman, "are you never
+coming in?"
+
+"Not yet, my angel," said the skeleton, placidly, as he crossed
+one thin leg over the other and looked calmly at her. "Come here
+an' see Job's new boy."
+
+"Your imprudence is wearin' me away so that I sha'n't be worth five
+dollars a week to any circus," she said, impatiently, at the same
+time coming toward the candy stand quite as rapidly as her very
+great size would admit.
+
+"This is my wife Lilly -- Mrs. Treat," said the skeleton, with a
+proud wave of his hand, as he rose from his seat and gazed admiringly
+at her. "This is my flower -- my queen, Mr. -- Mr. --"
+
+"Tyler," said Toby, supplying the name which the skeleton -- or Mr.
+Treat, as Toby now learned his name was -- did not know; "Tyler is
+my name -- Toby Tyler."
+
+"Why, what a little chap you are!" said Mrs. Treat, paying no
+attention to the awkward little bend of the head which Toby intended
+for a bow. "How small he is, Samuel!"
+
+"Yes," said the skeleton, reflectively, as he looked Toby over from
+head to foot, as if he were mentally trying to calculate exactly
+how many inches high he was, "he is small; but he's got all the
+world before him to grow in, an' if he only eats enough -- There,
+that reminds me. Job isn't going to give him any supper, because
+he didn't work hard enough."
+
+"He won't, won't he?" exclaimed the large lady, savagely. "Oh, he's
+a precious one, he is! An' some day I shall just give him a good
+shakin' up, that's what I'll do. I get all out of patience with
+that man's ugliness."
+
+"An' she'll do just what she says," said the skeleton to Toby,
+with an admiring shake of the head. "That woman hain't afraid of
+anybody, an' I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she did give Job a
+pretty rough time."
+
+Toby thought, as he looked at her, that she was large enough to
+give 'most anyone a pretty rough time, but he did not venture to
+say so. While he was looking first at her, and then at her very
+thin husband, the skeleton told his wife the little that he had
+learned regarding the boy's history; and when he had concluded she
+waddled away toward her tent.
+
+"Great woman that," said the skeleton, as he saw her disappear
+within the tent.
+
+"Yes," said Toby, "she's the greatest I ever saw."
+
+"I mean that she's got a great head. Now you'll see about how much
+she cares for what Job says."
+
+"If I was as big as her," said Toby, with just a shade of envy in
+his voice, "I wouldn't be afraid of anybody."
+
+"It hain't so much the size," said the skeleton, sagely -- "it
+hain't so much the size, my boy; for I can scare that woman almost
+to death when I feel like it."
+
+Toby looked for a moment at Mr. Treat's thin legs and arms, and
+then he said, warningly, "I wouldn't feel like it very often if I
+was you, Mr. Treat, 'cause she might break some of your bones if
+you didn't happen to scare her enough."
+
+"Don't fear for me, my boy -- don't fear for me; you'll see how
+I manage her if you stay with the circus long enough. Now I often
+--"
+
+If Mr. Treat was about to confide a family secret to Toby, it was
+fated that he should not hear it then, for Mrs. Treat had just come
+out of her tent, carrying in her hands a large tin plate piled high
+with a miscellaneous assortment of pie, cake, bread, and meat.
+
+She placed this in front of Toby, and as she did so she handed him
+two pictures.
+
+"There, little Toby Tyler," she said -- "there's something for you
+to eat, if Mr. Job Lord and his precious partner Jacobs did say
+you shouldn't have any supper; an' I've brought you a picture of
+Samuel an' me. We sell 'em for ten cents apiece, but I'm going to
+give them to you, because I like the looks of you."
+
+Toby was quite overcome with the presents, and seemed at a loss
+how to thank her for them. He attempted to speak, but could not
+get the words out at first; and then he said, as he put the two
+photographs in the same pocket with his money: "You're awful good
+to me, an' when I get to be a man I'll give you lots of things.
+I wasn't so very hungry, if I am such a big eater, but I did want
+something."
+
+"Bless your dear little heart, and you shall have something to
+eat," said the Fat Woman, as she seized Toby, squeezed him close
+up to her, and kissed his freckled face as kindly as if it had been
+as fair and white as possible. "You shall eat all you want to; an'
+if you get the stomachache, as Samuel does sometimes when he's been
+eatin' too much, I'll give you some catnip tea out of the same
+dipper that I give him his. He's a great eater, Samuel is," she
+added, in a burst of confidence, "an' it's a wonder to me what he
+does with it all sometimes."
+
+"Is he?" exclaimed Toby, quickly. "How funny that is! for I'm an
+awful eater. Why, Uncle Dan'l used to say that I ate twice as much
+as I ought to, an' it never made me any bigger. I wonder what's
+the reason?"
+
+"I declare I don't know," said the Fat Woman, thoughtfully, "an'
+I've wondered at it time an' time again. Some folks is made that
+way, an' some folks is made different. Now I don't eat enough to
+keep a chicken alive, an' yet I grow fatter an' fatter every day
+-- don't I, Samuel?"
+
+"Indeed you do, my love," said the skeleton, with a world of pride
+in his voice; "but you mustn't feel bad about it, for every pound
+you gain makes you worth just so much more to the show."
+
+"Oh, I wasn't worryin', I was only wonderin'. But we must go, Samuel,
+for the poor child won't eat a bit while we are here. After you've
+eaten what there is there, bring the plate in to me," she said to
+Toby, as she took her lean husband by the arm and walked him off
+toward their own tent.
+
+Toby gazed after them a moment, and then he commenced a vigorous
+attack upon the eatables which had been so kindly given him. Of
+the food which he had taken from the dinner table he had eaten some
+while he was in the tent, and after that he had entirely forgotten
+that he had any in his pocket; therefore, at the time that Mrs. Treat
+had brought him such a liberal supply he was really very hungry.
+
+He succeeded in eating nearly all the food which had been brought
+to him, and the very small quantity which remained he readily found
+room for in his pockets. Then he washed the plate nicely; and seeing
+no one in sight, he thought he could leave the booth long enough
+to return the plate.
+
+He ran with it quickly into the tent occupied by the thin man and
+fat woman, and handed it to her, with a profusion of thanks for
+her kindness.
+
+"Did you eat it all?" she asked.
+
+"Well," hesitated Toby, "there was two doughnuts an' a piece of
+pie left over, an' I put them in my pocket. If you don't care, I'll
+eat them some time tonight."
+
+"You shall eat it whenever you want to; an' any time that you get
+hungry again you come right to me."
+
+"Thank you, marm. I must go now, for I left the store all alone."
+
+"Run, then; an' if Job abuses you, just let me know it, an' I'll
+keep him from cuttin' up any monkeyshines."
+
+Toby hardly heard the end of her sentence, so great was his haste
+to get back to the booth; and just as he emerged from the tent, on
+a quick run, he received a blow on the ear which sent him sprawling
+in the dust, and he heard Mr. Job Lord's angry voice as it said,
+
+"So, just the moment my back is turned you leave the stand to take
+care of itself, do you, an' run around tryin' to plot some mischief
+against me, eh?" And the brute kicked the prostrate boy twice with
+his heavy boot.
+
+"Please don't kick me again!" pleaded Toby. "I wasn't gone but a
+minute, an' I wasn't doing anything bad."
+
+"You're lying now, an' you know it, you young cub!" exclaimed the
+angry man as he advanced to kick the boy again. "I'll let you know
+who you've got to deal with when you get hold of me!"
+
+"And I'll let you know who you've got to deal with when you get
+hold of me!" said a woman's voice; and just as Mr. Lord raised his
+foot to kick the boy again the fat woman seized him by the collar,
+jerked him back over one of the tent ropes, and left him quite as
+prostrate as he had left Toby.
+
+"Now, Job Lord," said the angry woman, as she towered above the
+thoroughly enraged but thoroughly frightened man, "I want you to
+understand that you can't knock and beat this boy while I'm around.
+I've seen enough of your capers, an' I'm going to put a stop to
+them. That boy wasn't in this tent more than two minutes, an' he
+attends to his work better than anyone you have ever had; so see
+that you treat him decent. Get up," she said to Toby, who had not
+dared to rise from the ground; "and if he offers to strike you
+again, come to me."
+
+Toby scrambled to his feet, and ran to the booth in time to attend
+to one or two customers who had just come up. He could see from out
+the corner of his eye that Mr. Lord had arisen to his feet also,
+and was engaged in an angry conversation with Mrs. Treat, the result
+of which he very much feared would be another and a worse whipping
+for him.
+
+But in this he was mistaken, for Mr. Lord, after the conversation
+was ended, came toward the booth, and began to attend to his business
+without speaking one word to Toby. When Mr. Jacobs returned from
+his supper, Mr. Lord took him by the arm and walked him out toward
+the rear of the tents; and Tony was very positive that he was to
+be the subject of their conversation, which made him not a little
+uneasy.
+
+It was not until nearly time for the performance to begin that Mr.
+Lord returned, and he had nothing to say to Toby save to tell him
+to go into the tent and begin his work there. The boy was only
+too glad to escape so easily, and he went to his work with as much
+alacrity as if he were about entering upon some pleasure.
+
+When he met Mr. Jacobs that gentleman spoke to him very sharply
+about being late, and seemed to think it no excuse at all that he
+had just been relieved from the outside work by Mr. Lord.
+
+
+
+VII: AN ACCIDENT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+
+
+Toby's experience in the evening was very similar to that of the
+afternoon, save that he was so fortunate as not to take any more
+bad money in payment for his goods. Mr. Jacobs scolded and swore
+alternately, and the boy really surprised him by his way of selling
+goods, though he was very careful not to say anything about it,
+but made Toby believe that he was doing only about half as much
+work as he ought to do. Toby's private hoard of money was increased
+that evening, by presents, ninety cents, and he began to look upon
+himself as almost a rich man.
+
+When the performance was nearly over Mr. Jacobs called to him to
+help in packing up; and by the time the last spectator had left
+the tent the worldly possessions of Messrs. Lord and Jacobs were
+ready for removal, and Toby allowed to do as he had a mind to,
+so long as he was careful to be on hand when Old Ben was ready to
+start.
+
+Toby thought that he would have time to pay a visit to his friends
+the skeleton and the Fat Woman, and to that end started toward
+the place where their tent had been standing; but to his sorrow he
+found that it was already being taken down, and he had only time
+to thank Mrs. Treat and to press the fleshless hand of her shadowy
+husband as they entered their wagon to drive away.
+
+He was disappointed, for he had hoped to be able to speak with his
+new made friends a few moments before the weary night's ride commenced;
+but, failing in that, he went hastily back to the monkeys' cage.
+Old Ben was there, getting things ready for a start; but the wooden
+sides of the cage had not been put up, and Toby had no difficulty
+in calling the aged monkey up to the bars. He held one of the Fat
+Woman's doughnuts in his hand, and said, as he passed it through
+to the animal:
+
+"I thought perhaps you might be hungry, Mr. Stubbs, and this is
+some of what the skeleton's wife gave me. I hain't got very much
+time to talk with you now; but the first chance I can get away
+tomorrow, an' when there hain't anybody round, I want to tell you
+something."
+
+The monkey had taken the doughnut in his handlike paws, and was
+tearing it to pieces, eating small portions of it very rapidly.
+
+"Don't hurry yourself," said Toby, warningly, "for Uncle Dan'l
+always told me the worst thing a feller could do was to eat fast.
+If you want any more, after we start, just put your hand through
+the little hole up there near the seat, an' I'll give you all you
+want."
+
+From the look on his face Toby confidently believed the monkey
+was about to make some reply; but just then Ben shut up the sides,
+separating Toby and Mr. Stubbs, and the order was given to start.
+
+Toby clambered up on to the high seat, Ben followed him, and in
+another instant the team was moving along slowly down the dusty
+road, preceded and followed by the many wagons, with their tiny
+swinging lights.
+
+"Well," said Ben, when he had got his team well under way and felt
+that he could indulge in a little conversation, "how did you get
+along today?"
+
+Toby related all of his movements, and gave the driver a faithful
+account of all that had happened to him, concluding his story by
+saying, "That was one of Mrs. Treat's doughnuts that I just gave
+to Mr. Stubbs."
+
+"To whom?" asked Ben, in surprise.
+
+"To Mr. Stubbs -- the old fellow here in the cart, you know, that's
+been so good to me."
+
+Toby heard a sort of gurgling sound, saw the driver's body sway
+back and forth in a trembling way, and was just becoming thoroughly
+alarmed, when he thought of the previous night, and understood that
+Ben was only laughing in his own peculiar way.
+
+"How did you know his name was Stubbs?" asked Ben, after he had
+recovered his breath.
+
+"Oh, I don't know that that is his real name," was the quick reply;
+"I only call him that because he looks so much like a feller with
+that name that I knew at home. He don't seem to mind because I call
+him Stubbs."
+
+Ben looked at Toby earnestly for a moment, acting all the time as
+if he wanted to laugh again, but didn't dare to, for fear he might
+burst a blood vessel; and then he said, as he patted him on the
+shoulder: "Well, you are the queerest little fish that I ever saw
+in all my travels. You seem to think that that monkey knows all
+you say to him."
+
+"I'm sure he does," said Toby, positively. "He don't say anything
+right out to me, but he knows everything I tell him. Do you suppose
+he could talk if he tried to?"
+
+"Look here, Mr. Toby Tyler" -- and Ben turned half around in his
+seat and looked Toby full in the face, so as to give more emphasis
+to his words -- "are you heathen enough to think that that monkey
+could talk if he wanted to?"
+
+"I know I hain't a heathen," said Toby, thoughtfully, "for if I
+had been some of the missionaries would have found me out a good
+while ago; but I never saw anybody like this old Mr. Stubbs before,
+an' I thought he could talk if he wanted to, just as the Living
+Skeleton does, or his wife. Anyhow, Mr. Stubbs winked at me; an'
+how could he do that if he didn't know what I've been sayin' to
+him?"
+
+"Look here, my son," said Ben, in a most fatherly fashion, "monkeys
+hain't anything but beasts, an' they don't know how to talk any
+more than they know what you say to 'em."
+
+"Didn't you ever hear any of them speak a word?"
+
+"Never. I've been in a circus, man an' boy, nigh on to forty years,
+an' I never seen nothin' in a monkey more 'n any other beast, except
+their awful mischiefness."
+
+"Well," said Toby, still unconvinced, "I believe Mr. Stubbs knows
+what I say to him, anyway."
+
+"Now don't be foolish, Toby," pleaded Ben. "You can't show me one
+thing that a monkey ever did because you told him to."
+
+Just at this moment Toby felt someone pulling at the back of his
+coat, and, looking round, he saw it was a little brown hand, reaching
+through the bars of the air hole of the cage, that was tugging away
+at his coat.
+
+"There!" he said, triumphantly, to Ben. "Look there! I told Mr.
+Stubbs if he wanted anything more to eat, to tell me an' I would
+give it to him. Now you can see for yourself that he's come for
+it." And Toby took a doughnut from his pocket and put it into the
+tiny hand, which was immediately withdrawn.
+
+"Now what do you think of Mr. Stubbs knowing what I say to him?"
+
+"They often stick their paws up through there," said Ben, in a
+matter of fact tone. "I've had 'em pull my coat in the night till
+they made me as nervous as ever any old woman was. You see, Toby
+my boy, monkeys is monkeys; an' you mustn't go to gettin' the idea
+that they're anything else, for it's a mistake. You think this old
+monkey in here knows what you say? Why, that's just the cuteness
+of the old fellow -- he watches you to see if he can't do just as
+you do, an' that's all there is about it."
+
+Toby was more than half convinced that Ben was putting the matter
+in its proper light, and he would have believed all that had been
+said if, just at that moment, he had not seen that brown hand
+reaching through the hole to clutch him again by the coat.
+
+The action seemed so natural, so like a hungry boy who gropes
+in the dark pantry for something to eat, that it would have taken
+more arguments than Ben had at his disposal to persuade Toby that
+his Mr. Stubbs could not understand all that was said to him.
+Toby put another doughnut in the outstretched hand, and then sat
+silently, as if in a brown study over some difficult problem.
+
+For some time the ride was continued in silence. Ben was going
+through all the motions of whistling without uttering a sound -- a
+favorite amusement of his -- and Toby's thoughts were far away in
+the humble home he had scorned, with Uncle Daniel, whose virtues had
+increased in his esteem with every mile of distance which had been
+put between them, and whose faults had decreased in a corresponding
+ratio.
+
+Toby's thoughtfulness had made him sleepy, and his eyes were almost
+closed in slumber, when he was startled by a crashing sound, was
+conscious of a feeling of being hurled from his seat by some great
+force, and then he lay senseless by the side of the road, while
+the wagon became a perfect wreck, from out of which a small army
+of monkeys was escaping.
+
+Ben's experienced ear had told him at the first crash that his
+wagon was breaking down, and, without having time to warn Toby of
+his peril, he had leaped clear of the wreck, keeping his horses
+under perfect control and thus averting more trouble. It was the
+breaking of one of the axles which Toby had heard just before he
+was thrown from his seat and when the body of the wagon came down
+upon the hard road.
+
+The monkeys, thus suddenly released from confinement, had scampered
+off in every direction, and by a singular chance Toby's aged friend
+started for the woods in such a direction as to bring him directly
+before the boy's insensible form. The monkey, on coming up to Toby,
+stopped, urged by the well known curiosity of its race, and began
+to examine the boy's person carefully, prying into pockets and
+trying to open the boy's half closed eyelids. Fortunately for Toby,
+he had fallen upon a mud bank and was only stunned for the moment,
+having received no serious bruises. The attentions bestowed upon
+him by the monkey served the purpose of bringing him to his senses;
+and, after he had looked around him in the gray light of the coming
+morning, it would have taken far more of a philosopher than Old
+Ben was to persuade the boy that monkeys did not possess reasoning
+faculties.
+
+The monkey was busy at Toby's ears, nose, and mouth, as monkeys
+will do when they get an opportunity, and the expression of its face
+was as grave as possible. Toby firmly believed that the monkey's
+face showed sorrow at his fall, and he imagined that the attentions
+which were bestowed upon him were for the purpose of learning
+whether he had been injured or not.
+
+"Don't worry, Mr. Stubbs," said Toby, anxious to reassure his
+friend, as he sat upright and looked about him. "I didn't get hurt
+any; but I would like to know how I got way over here."
+
+It really seemed as if the monkey was pleased to know that his
+little friend was not hurt, for he seated himself on his haunches,
+and his face expressed the liveliest pleasure that Toby was well
+again -- or at least that was how the boy interpreted the look.
+
+By this time the news of the accident had been shouted ahead from
+one team to the other, and all hands were hurrying to the scene
+for the purpose of rendering aid. As Toby saw them coming he also
+saw a number of small forms, looking something like diminutive men,
+hurrying past him, and for the first time he understood how it was
+that the aged monkey was at liberty, and knew that those little
+dusky forms were the other occupants of the cage escaping to the
+woods.
+
+"See there, Mr. Stubbs! see there!" he exclaimed, pointing toward
+the fugitives; "they're all going off into the woods! What shall
+we do?"
+
+The sight of the runaways seemed to excite the old monkey quite as
+much as it did the boy. He sprang to his feet, chattering in the
+most excited way, screamed two or three times, as if he were calling
+them back, and then started off in vigorous pursuit.
+
+"Now he's gone too!" said Toby, disconsolately, believing the old
+fellow had run away from him. "I didn't think Mr. Stubbs would
+treat me this way!"
+
+
+
+VIII: CAPTURE OF THE MONKEYS
+
+
+The boy tried to rise to his feet, but his head whirled so, and
+he felt so dizzy and sick from the effects of his fall, that he
+was obliged to sit down again until he should feel able to stand.
+Meanwhile the crowd around the wagon paid no attention to him, and
+he lay there quietly enough, until he heard the hateful voice of
+Mr. Lord asking if his boy were hurt.
+
+The sound of his voice affected Toby very much as the chills and
+fever affect a sufferer, and he shook so with fear, and his heart
+beat so loudly, that he thought Mr. Lord must know where he was by
+the sound. Seeing, however, that his employer did not come directly
+toward him, the thought flashed upon his mind that now would be a
+good chance to run away, and he acted upon it at once. He rolled
+himself over in the mud until he reached a low growth of fir trees
+that skirted the road, and when beneath their friendly shade he
+rose to his feet and walked swiftly toward the woods, following
+the direction the monkeys had taken.
+
+He no longer felt dizzy and sick; the fear of Mr. Lord had dispelled
+all that, and he felt strong and active again.
+
+He had walked rapidly for some distance, and was nearly beyond the
+sound of the voices in the road, when he was startled by seeing
+quite a procession of figures emerge from the trees and come directly
+toward him.
+
+He could not understand the meaning of this strange company, and
+it so frightened him that he attempted to hide behind a tree, in
+the hope that they might pass without seeing him. But no sooner
+had he secreted himself than a strange, shrill chattering came from
+the foremost of the group, and in an instant Toby emerged from his
+place of concealment.
+
+He had recognized the peculiar sound as that of the old monkey who
+had left him a few moments before, and he knew now what he did not
+know then, owing to the darkness. The newcomers were the monkeys
+that had escaped from the cage, and had been overtaken and compelled
+to come back by the old monkey, who seemed to have the most perfect
+control over them.
+
+The old fellow was leading the band, and all were linked "hand in
+hand" with each other, which gave the whole crowd a most comical
+appearance as they came up to Toby, half hopping, half walking
+upright, and all chattering and screaming, like a crowd of children
+out for a holiday.
+
+Toby stepped toward the noisy crowd, held out his hand gravely to
+the old monkey, and said, in tones of heartfelt sorrow:
+
+"I felt awful bad because I thought you had gone off an' left me,
+when you went off to find the other fellows. You're awful good,
+Mr. Stubbs; an' now, instead of runnin' away, as I was goin' to
+do, we'll all go back together."
+
+The old monkey grasped Toby's extended hand with his disengaged paw,
+and, clinging firmly to it, the whole crowd followed in unbroken
+line, chattering and scolding at the most furious rate, while every
+now and then Mr. Stubbs would look back and scream out something,
+which would cause the confusion to cease for an instant.
+
+It was really a comical sight, but Toby seemed to think it the
+most natural thing in the world that they should follow him in this
+manner, and he chattered to the old monkey quite as fast as any of
+the others were doing. He told him very gravely all that he knew
+about the accident, explained why it was that he conceived the idea
+of running away, and really believed that Mr. Stubbs understood
+every word he was saying.
+
+Very shortly after Toby had started to run away the proprietor of
+the circus drove up to the scene of disaster, and, after seeing that
+the wagon was being rapidly fixed up so that it could be hauled
+to the next town, he ordered that search should be made for the
+monkeys. It was very important that they should be captured at once,
+and he appeared to think more of the loss of the animals than of
+the damage done to the wagon.
+
+While the men were forming a plan for a search for the truants,
+so that in case of a capture they could let one another know, the
+noise made by Toby and his party was heard, and the men stood still
+to learn what it meant.
+
+The entire party burst into shouts of laughter as Toby and his
+companions walked into the circle of light formed by the glare of
+the lanterns, and the merriment was by no means abated at Toby's
+serious demeanor. The wagon was now standing upright, with the
+door open, and Toby therefore led his companions directly to it,
+gravely motioning them to enter.
+
+The old monkey, instead of obeying, stepped back to Toby's side,
+and screamed to the others in such a manner that they all entered
+the cage, leaving him on the outside with the boy.
+
+Toby motioned him to get in, too, but he clung to his hand, and
+scolded so furiously that it was apparent he had no idea of leaving
+his boy companion. One of the men stepped up and was about to force
+him into the wagon, when the proprietor ordered him to stop.
+
+"What boy is that?" he asked.
+
+"Job Lord's new boy," said someone in the crowd.
+
+The man asked Toby how it was that he had succeeded in capturing
+all the runaways; and he answered, gravely:
+
+"Mr. Stubbs an' I are good friends, an' when he saw the others
+runnin' away he just stopped 'em an' brought 'em back to me. I wish
+you'd let Mr. Stubbs ride with me; we like each other a good deal."
+
+"You can do just what you please with Mr. Stubbs, as you call him.
+I expected to lose half the monkeys in that cage, and you have
+brought back every one. That monkey shall be yours, and you may put
+him in the cage whenever you want to, or take him with you, just
+as you choose, for he belongs entirely to you."
+
+Toby's joy knew no bounds; he put his arm around the monkey's
+neck, and the monkey clung firmly to him, until even Job Lord was
+touched at the evidence of affection between the two.
+
+While the wagon was being repaired Toby and the monkey stood hand
+in hand watching the work go on, while those in the cage scolded
+and raved because they had been induced to return to captivity.
+After a while the old monkey seated himself on Toby's arm and
+cuddled close up to him, uttering now and then a contented sort of
+a little squeak as the boy talked to him.
+
+That night Mr. Stubbs slept in Toby's arms, in the band wagon, and
+both boy and monkey appeared very well contented with their lot,
+which a short time previous had seemed so hard.
+
+When Toby awakened to his second day's work with the circus his
+monkey friend was seated by his side, gravely exploring his pockets,
+and all the boy's treasures were being spread out on the floor of
+the wagon by his side. Toby remonstrated with him on this breach
+of confidence, but Mr. Stubbs was more in the mood for sport than
+for grave conversation, and the more Toby talked the more mischievous
+did he become, until at length the boy gathered up his little store
+of treasures, took the monkey by the paw, and walked him toward
+the cage from which he had escaped on the previous night.
+
+"Now, Mr. Stubbs," said Toby, speaking in an injured tone, "you must
+go in here and stay till I have got more time to fool with you."
+
+He opened the door of the cage, but the monkey struggled as well
+as he was able, and Toby was obliged to exert all his strength to
+put him in.
+
+When once the door was fastened upon him Toby tried to impress upon
+his monkey friend's mind the importance of being more sedate, and
+he was convinced that the words had sunk deep into Mr. Stubbs's
+heart, for, by the time he had concluded, the old monkey was seated
+in the corner of the cage, looking up from under his shaggy eyebrows
+in the most reproachful manner possible.
+
+Toby felt sorry that he had spoken so harshly, and was about to
+make amends for his severity, when Mr. Lord's gruff voice recalled
+him to the fact that his time was not his own, and he therefore
+commenced his day's work, but with a lighter heart than he had had
+since he stole away from Uncle Daniel and Guilford.
+
+This day was not very much different from the preceding one so
+far as the manner of Mr. Lord and his partner toward the boy was
+concerned; they seemed to have an idea that he was doing only about
+half as much work as he ought to, and both united in swearing at
+and abusing him as much as possible.
+
+So far as his relations with other members of the company were
+concerned, Toby now stood in a much better position than before.
+Those who had witnessed the scene told the others how Toby had led
+in the monkeys on the night previous, and nearly every member of
+the company had a kind word for the little fellow whose head could
+hardly be seen above the counter of Messrs. Lord and Jacobs's booth.
+
+
+
+IX: THE DINNER PARTY
+
+
+At noon Toby was thoroughly tired out, for whenever anyone spoke
+kindly to him Mr. Lord seemed to take a malicious pleasure in giving
+him extra tasks to do, until Toby began to hope that no one else
+would pay any attention to him. On this day he was permitted to
+go to dinner first, and after he returned he was left in charge of
+the booth. Trade being dull -- as it usually was during the dinner
+hour -- he had very little work to do after he had cleaned the
+glasses and set things to rights generally.
+
+When, therefore, he saw the gaunt form of the skeleton emerge from
+his tent and come toward him he was particularly pleased, for he
+had begun to think very kindly of the thin man and his fleshy wife.
+
+"Well, Toby," said the skeleton, as he came up to the booth, carefully
+dusted Mr. Lord's private chair, and sat down very cautiously in
+it, as if he expected that it would break down under his weight,
+"I hear you've been making quite a hero of yourself by capturing
+the monkeys last night."
+
+Toby's freckled face reddened with pleasure as he heard these words,
+and he stammered out, with considerable difficulty, "I didn't do
+anything; it was Mr. Stubbs that brought 'em back."
+
+"Mr. Stubbs!" And the skeleton laughed so heartily that Toby was
+afraid he would dislocate some of his thinly covered joints. "When
+you was tellin' about Mr. Stubbs yesterday I thought you meant
+someone belonging to the company. You ought to have seen my wife
+Lilly shake with laughing when I told her who Mr. Stubbs was!"
+
+"Yes," said Toby, at a loss to know just what to say, "I should
+think she would shake when she laughs."
+
+"She does," replied the skeleton. "If you could see her when
+something funny strikes her you'd think she was one of those big
+plates of jelly that they have in the bakeshop windows." And Mr.
+Treat looked proudly at the gaudy picture which represented his
+wife in all her monstrosity of flesh. "She's a great woman, Toby,
+an' she's got a great head."
+
+Toby nodded his head in assent. He would have liked to say something
+nice regarding Mrs. Treat, but he really did not know what to say,
+so he simply contented himself and the fond husband by nodding.
+
+"She thinks a good deal of you, Toby," continued the skeleton, as
+he moved his chair to a position more favorable for him to elevate
+his feet on the edge of the counter, and placed his handkerchief
+under him as a cushion; "she's talking of you all the time, and
+if you wasn't such a little fellow I should begin to be jealous of
+you -- I should, upon my word."
+
+"You're -- both -- very -- good," stammered Toby, so weighted down
+by a sense of the honor heaped upon him as to be at a loss for
+words.
+
+"An' she wants to see more of you. She made me come out here now,
+when she knew Mr. Lord would be away, to tell you that we're goin'
+to have a little kind of a friendly dinner in our tent tomorrow --
+she's cooked it all herself, or she's going to -- and we want you
+to come in an' have some with us."
+
+Toby's eyes glistened at the thought of the unexpected pleasure,
+and then his face grew sad as he replied, "I'd like to come first
+rate, Mr. Treat, but I don't s'pose Mr. Lord would let me stay away
+from the shop long enough."
+
+"Why, you won't have any work to do tomorrow, Toby -- it's Sunday."
+
+"So it is!" said the boy, with a pleased smile, as he thought of
+the day of rest which was so near. And then he added, quickly: "An'
+this is Saturday afternoon. What fun the boys at home are havin'!
+You see, there hain't any school Saturday afternoon, an all the
+fellers go out in the woods."
+
+"And you wish you were there to go with them, don't you?" asked
+the skeleton, sympathetically.
+
+"Indeed I do!" exclaimed Toby, quickly. "It's twice as good as any
+circus that ever was."
+
+"But you didn't think so before you came with us, did you?"
+
+"I didn't know so much about circuses then as I do now," replied
+the boy, sadly.
+
+Mr. Treat saw that he was touching on a sore subject, and one which
+was arousing sad thoughts in his little companion's mind, and he
+hastened to change it at once.
+
+"Then I can tell Lilly that you'll come, can I?"
+
+"Oh yes, I'll be sure to be there; an' I want you to know just how
+good I think you both are to me."
+
+"That's all right, Toby," said Mr. Treat, with a pleased expression
+on his face; "an' you may bring Mr. Stubbs with you, if you want."
+
+"Thank you," said Toby. "I'm sure Mr. Stubbs will be just as glad
+to come as I shall. But where will we be tomorrow?"
+
+"Right here. We always stay over Sunday at the place where we show
+Saturday. But I must be going, or Lilly will worry her life out of
+her for fear I'm somewhere getting cold. She's awful careful of
+me, that woman is. You'll be on hand tomorrow at one o'clock, won't
+you?"
+
+"Indeed I will," said Toby, emphatically, "an' I'll bring Mr. Stubbs
+with me, too."
+
+With a friendly nod of his head, the skeleton hurried away
+to reassure his wife that he was safe and well; and before he had
+hardly disappeared within the tent Toby had another caller, who
+was none other than his old friend Old Ben, the driver.
+
+"Well, my boy," shouted Ben, in his cheery, hearty tones, "I haven't
+seen you since you left the wagon so sudden last night. Did you
+get shook up much?"
+
+"Oh no," replied Toby. "You see I hain't very big; an' then I struck
+in the mud; so I got off pretty easy."
+
+"That's a fact; an' you can thank your lucky stars for it, too, for
+I've seen grown up men get pitched off a wagon in that way an break
+their necks doin' it. But has Job told you where you was going to
+sleep tonight? You know we stay over here till tomorrow."
+
+"I didn't think anything about that; but I s'pose I'll sleep in
+the wagon, won't I?"
+
+"You can sleep at the hotel, if you want to; but the beds will
+likely be dirty; an' if you take my advice you'll crawl into some
+of the wagons in the tent."
+
+Ben then explained to him that, after his work was done that
+night, he would not be expected to report for duty until the time
+for starting on Sunday night, and concluded his remarks by saying:
+
+"Now you know what your rights are, an don't you let Job impose
+on you in any way. I'll be round here after you get through work,
+an' we'll bunk in somewhere together."
+
+The arrival of Messrs. Lord and Jacobs put a stop to the conversation,
+and was the signal for Toby's time of trial. It seemed to him, and
+with good reason, that the chief delight these men had in life was
+to torment him, for neither ever spoke a pleasant word to him; and
+when one was not giving him some difficult work to do, or finding
+fault in some way, the other would be sure to do so; and Toby had
+very little comfort from the time he began work in the morning
+until he stopped at night.
+
+It was not until after the evening performance was over that Toby
+had a chance to speak with Mr. Stubbs, and then he was so tired
+that he simply took the old monkey from the cage, nestled him under
+his jacket, and lay down with him to sleep in the place which Old
+Ben had selected.
+
+When the morning came Mr. Stubbs aroused his young master at a
+much 'earlier hour than he would have awakened had he been left to
+himself, and the two went out for a short walk before breakfast.
+They went instinctively toward the woods; and when the shade of
+the trees was once reached, how the two reveled in their freedom!
+Mr. Stubbs climbed into the trees, swung himself from one to
+the other by means of his tail, gathered half ripe nuts, which he
+threw at his master, tried to catch the birds, and had a good time
+generally.
+
+Toby, stretched at full length on the mossy bank, watched the antics
+of his pet, laughing boisterously at times as Mr. Stubbs would do
+some one thing more comical than usual, and forgot there was in
+this world such a thing as a circus or such a man as Job Lord. It
+was to Toby a morning without a flaw, and he took no heed of the
+time, until the sound of the church bells warned him of the lateness
+of the hour, reminding him at the same time of where he should be
+-- where he would be, if he were at home with Uncle Daniel.
+
+In the mean time the old monkey had been trying to attract his young
+master's attention, and, failing in his efforts, he came down from
+the tree, crept softly up to Toby, and nestled his head under the
+boy's arm.
+
+This little act of devotion seemed to cause Toby's grief to burst
+forth afresh, and, clasping the monkey around the neck, hugging
+him close to his bosom, he sobbed:
+
+"Oh, Mr. Stubbs, Mr. Stubbs, how lonesome we are! If we was only
+at Uncle Dan'l's we'd be the two happiest people in all this world.
+We could play on the hay, or go up to the pasture, or go down to
+the village; an' I'd work my fingers off if I could only be there
+just once more. It was wicked for me to run away, an' now I'm
+gettin' paid for it."
+
+He hugged the monkey closely, swaying his body to and fro, and
+presenting a perfect picture of grief. The monkey, not knowing what
+to make of this changed mood, cowered whimperingly in his arms,
+looking up into his face, and licking the boy's hands whenever he
+had the opportunity.
+
+It was some time before Toby's grief exhausted itself; and then,
+still clasping the monkey, he hurried out of the woods toward the
+town and the now thoroughly hated circus tents.
+
+The clocks were just striking one as Toby entered the inclosure
+used by the show as a place of performance, and, remembering his
+engagement with the skeleton and his wife, he went directly to
+their tent. From the odors which assailed him as he entered, it was
+very evident that a feast of no mean proportions was in course of
+preparation, and Toby's keen appetite returned in full vigor. Even
+the monkey seemed affected by the odor, for he danced about on his
+master's shoulder, and chattered so that Toby was obliged to choke
+him a little in order to make him present a respectable appearance.
+
+When Toby reached the interior of the tent he was astonished at the
+extent of the preparations that were being made, and gazed around
+him in surprise. The platform on which the lean man and fat woman
+were in the habit of exhibiting themselves now bore a long table,
+loaded with eatables; and, from the fact that eight or ten chairs
+were ranged around it, Toby understood that he was not the only
+guest invited to the feast. Some little attempt had also been made
+at decoration by festooning that end of the tent where the platform
+was placed with two or three flags and some streamers, and the tent
+poles also were fringed with tissue paper of the brightest colors.
+
+Toby had only time enough to notice this when the skeleton advanced
+toward him, and, with the liveliest appearance of pleasure, said,
+as he took him by the hands with a grip that made him wince:
+
+"It gives me great joy, Mr. Tyler, to welcome you at one of our
+little home reunions, if one can call a tent, that is moved every
+day in the week, home."
+
+Toby hardly knew whom Mr. Treat referred to when he said "Mr.
+Tyler"; but by the time his hands were released from the bony grasp
+he understood that it was himself who was spoken to.
+
+The skeleton then formally introduced him to the other guests
+present, who were sitting at one end of the tent, and evidently
+anxiously awaiting the coming feast.
+
+"These," said Mr. Treat, as he waved his hand toward two white haired,
+pink eyed young ladies who sat with their arms twined around each
+other's waist, and had been eying the monkey with some appearance
+of fear, "are the Miss Cushings, known to the world as the Albino
+Children; they command a large salary and form a very attractive
+feature of our exhibition."
+
+The young ladies arose at the same time, as if they had been the
+Siamese Twins and could not act independently of each other, and
+bowed.
+
+Toby made the best bow he was capable of; and the monkey made
+frantic efforts to escape, as if he would enjoy twisting his paws
+in their perpendicular hair.
+
+"And this," continued Mr. Treat, pointing to a sickly, sour looking
+individual who was sitting apart from the others, with his arms
+folded, and looking as if he was counting the very seconds before
+the dinner should begin, "is the wonderful Signor Castro, whose
+sword swallowing feats you have doubtless heard of."
+
+Toby stepped back just one step, as if overwhelmed by awe at
+beholding the signor in the guise of a humble individual; and the
+gentleman who gained his livelihood by swallowing swords unbent
+his dignity so far as to unfold his arms and present a very dirty
+looking hand for Toby to shake. The boy took hold of the outstretched
+hand, wondering why the signor never used soap and water; and Mr.
+Stubbs, apparently afraid of the sour looking man, retreated to
+Toby's shoulder, where he sat chattering and scolding about the
+introduction.
+
+Again the skeleton waved his hand, and this time he introduced
+"Mademoiselle Spelletti, the wonderful snake charmer, whose exploits
+in this country, and before the crowned heads of Europe had caused
+the whole world to stand aghast at her daring."
+
+Mademoiselle Spelletti was a very ordinary looking young lady of
+about twenty-five years of age, who looked very much as if her name
+might originally have been Murphy, and she, too, extended a hand
+for Toby to grasp -- only her hand was clean, and she appeared to
+be a very much more pleasant acquaintance than the gentleman who
+swallowed swords.
+
+This ended the introductions; and Toby was just looking around for
+a seat, when Mrs. Treat, the fat lady and the giver of the feast
+which was about to come, and which already smelled so invitingly,
+entered from behind a curtain of canvas, where the cooking stove
+was supposed to be located.
+
+She had every appearance of being the cook for the occasion. Her
+sleeves were rolled up, her hair tumbled and frowzy, and there were
+several unmistakable marks of grease on the front of her calico
+dress.
+
+She waited for no ceremony, but rushed up to Toby and, taking him
+in her arms, gave him such a squeeze that there seemed to be every
+possibility that she would break all the bones in his body; and she
+kept him so long in this bearlike embrace that Mr. Stubbs reached
+his little brown paws over and got such a hold of her hair that
+all present, save Signor Castro, rushed forward to release her from
+the monkey's grasp.
+
+"You dear little thing!" said Mrs. Treat, paying but slight
+attention to the hair pulling she had just undergone, and holding
+Toby at arm's length so that she could look into his face, "you
+were so late that I was afraid you wasn't coming; and my dinner
+wouldn't have tasted half so good if you hadn't been here to eat
+some."
+
+Toby hardly knew what to say for this hearty welcome, and he managed
+to tell the large and kind hearted lady that he had had no idea
+of missing the dinner, and that he was very glad she wanted him to
+come.
+
+"Want you to come, you dear little thing!" she exclaimed, as she
+gave him another hug, but careful not to give Mr. Stubbs a chance
+of grasping her hair again. "Of course I wanted you to come, for
+this dinner has been got up so that you could meet these people
+here, and so that they could see you."
+
+Toby was entirely at a loss to know what to say to this overwhelming
+compliment, and for that reason did not say anything, only submitting
+patiently to the third hug, which was all Mrs. Treat had time to
+give him, as she was obliged to rush behind the canvas screen again,
+as there were unmistakable sounds of something boiling over on the
+stove.
+
+"You'll excuse me," said the skeleton, with an air of dignity,
+waving his hand once more toward the assembled company, "but while
+introducing you to Mr. Tyler I had almost forgotten to introduce
+him to you. This, ladies and gentlemen" -- and here he touched Toby
+on the shoulder, as if he were some living curiosity whose habits
+and mode of capture he was about to explain to a party of spectators
+-- "is Mr. Toby Tyler, of whom you heard on the night when the
+monkey cage was smashed, and who now carries with him the identical
+monkey which was presented to him by the manager of this great
+show as a token of esteem for his skill and bravery in capturing
+the entire lot of monkeys without a single blow."
+
+By the time that Mr. Treat got through with his long speech Toby felt
+very much as if he were some wonderful creature whom the skeleton
+was exhibiting; but he managed to rise to his feet and duck his
+little red head in his best imitation of a bow. Then he sat down
+and hugged Mr. Stubbs to cover his confusion.
+
+One of the Albino Children now came forward, and, while stroking
+Mr. Stubbs's hair, looked so intently at Toby that for the life of
+him he couldn't say which she regarded as the curiosity, himself
+or the monkey; therefore he hastened to say, modestly:
+
+"I didn't do much toward catchin' the monkeys; Mr. Stubbs here did
+almost all of it, an' I only led 'em in.
+
+"There, there, my boy," said the skeleton, in a fatherly tone, "I've
+heard the whole story from Old Ben, an' I sha'n't let you get out
+of it like that. We all know what you did, an' it's no use for you
+to deny any part of it."
+
+
+
+X: MR. STUBBS AT A PARTY
+
+
+Toby was about to say that he did not intend to represent the matter
+other than it really was, when a voice from behind the canvas screen
+arrested further conversation.
+
+"Sam-u-el, come an' help me carry these things in."
+
+Something very like a smile of satisfaction passed over Signor
+Castro's face as he heard this, which told him that the time for
+the feast was near at hand; and the snake charmer, as well as the
+Albino Children, seemed quite as much pleased as did the sword
+swallower.
+
+"You will excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," said the skeleton, in
+an important tone; "I must help Lilly, and then I shall have the
+pleasure of helping you to some of her cooking, which, if I do
+say it, that oughtn't, is as good as can be found in this entire
+country."
+
+Then he, too, disappeared behind the canvas screen.
+
+Left alone, Toby looked at the ladies, and the ladies looked at
+him, in perfect silence, while the sword swallower grimly regarded
+them all, until Mr. Treat reappeared, bearing on a platter an
+immense turkey, as nicely browned as any Thanksgiving turkey Toby
+ever saw. Behind him came his fat wife, carrying several dishes,
+each of which emitted a most fragrant odor; and as these were
+placed upon the table the spirits of the sword swallower seemed to
+revive, and he smiled pleasantly; while even the ladies appeared
+animated by the sight and odor of the good things which they were
+to be called upon so soon to pass judgment.
+
+Several times did Mr. and Mrs. Treat bustle in and out from behind
+the screen, and each time they made some addition to that which
+was upon the table, until Toby began to fear that they would never
+finish, and the sword swallower seemed unable to restrain his
+impatience.
+
+At last the finishing touch had been put to the table, the last
+dish placed in position, and then, with a certain kind of grace,
+which no one but a man as thin as Mr. Treat could assume, he advanced
+to the edge of the platform and said:
+
+"Ladies and gentlemen, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to
+invite you all, including Mr. Tyler's friend Stubbs, to the bountiful
+repast which my Lilly has prepared for --"
+
+At this point Mr. Treat's speech -- for it certainly seemed as if
+he had commenced to make one -- was broken off in a most summary
+manner. His wife had come up behind him and, with as much ease as
+if he had been a child, lifted him from off the floor and placed
+him gently in the chair at the head of the table.
+
+"Come right up and get dinner," she said to her guests. "If you
+had waited until Samuel had finished his speech everything on the
+table would have been stone cold."
+
+The guests proceeded to obey her kindly command; and it is to
+be regretted that the sword swallower had no better manners than
+to jump on to the platform with one bound and seat himself at the
+table with the most unseemly haste. The others, and more especially
+Toby, proceeded in a leisurely and more dignified manner.
+
+A seat had been placed by the side of the one intended for Toby for
+the accommodation of Mr. Stubbs, who suffered a napkin to be tied
+under his chin, and behaved generally in a manner that gladdened
+the heart of his young master.
+
+Mr. Treat cut generous slices from the turkey for each guest, and
+Mrs. Treat piled their plates high with all sorts of vegetables,
+complaining, after the manner of housewives generally, that the
+food was not cooked as she would like to have had it, and declaring
+that she had had poor luck with everything that morning, when she
+firmly believed in her heart that her table had never looked better.
+
+After the company had had the edge taken off their appetites --
+which effect was produced on the sword swallower only after he had
+been helped three different times, the conversation began by the
+fat woman asking Toby how he got along with Mr. Lord.
+
+Toby could not give a very good account of his employer, but he
+had the good sense not to cast a damper on a party of pleasure by
+reciting his own troubles; so he said, evasively:
+
+"I guess I shall get along pretty well, now that I have got so many
+friends."
+
+Just as he had commenced to speak the skeleton had put into his
+mouth a very large piece of turkey -- very much larger in proportion
+than himself -- and when Toby had finished speaking he started to
+say something evidently not very complimentary to Mr. Lord. But what
+it was the company never knew; for just as he opened his mouth to
+speak, the food went down the wrong way, his face became a bright
+purple, and it was quite evident that he was choking.
+
+Toby was alarmed, and sprang from his chair to assist his friend,
+upsetting Mr. Stubbs from his seat, causing him to scamper up the
+tent pole, with the napkin still tied around his neck, and to scold
+in his most vehement manner. Before Toby could reach the skeleton,
+however, the fat woman had darted toward her lean husband, caught
+him by the arm, and was pounding his back, by the time Toby got
+there, so vigorously that the boy was afraid her enormous hand
+would go through his tissue paper like frame.
+
+"I wouldn't," said Toby, in alarm; "you may break him."
+
+"Don't you get frightened," said Mrs. Treat, turning her husband
+completely over, and still continuing the drumming process. "He's
+often taken this way; he's such a glutton that he'd try to swallow
+the turkey whole if he could get it in his mouth, an' he's so thin
+that 'most anything sticks in his throat."
+
+"I should think you'd break him all up," said Toby, apologetically,
+as he resumed his seat at the table; "he don't look as if he could
+stand very much of that sort of thing."
+
+But apparently Mr. Treat could stand very much more than Toby gave
+him credit for, because at this juncture he stopped coughing, and
+his face fast assumed its natural hue.
+
+His attentive wife, seeing that he had ceased struggling, lifted
+him in her arms and sat him down in his chair with a force that
+threatened to snap his head off.
+
+"There!" she said, as he wheezed a little from the effects of the
+shock, "now see if you can behave yourself an' chew your meat as
+you ought to! One of these days when you're alone you'll try that
+game, and that 'll be the last of you."
+
+"If he'd try to do one of my tricks long enough he'd get so that
+there wouldn't hardly anything choke him," the sword swallower
+ventured to suggest, mildly, as he wiped a small stream of cranberry
+sauce from his chin and laid a well polished turkey bone by the
+side of his plate.
+
+"I'd like to see him try it!" said the fat lady, with just a shade
+of anger in her voice. Then turning toward her husband, she said,
+emphatically, "Samuel, don't you ever let me catch you swallowing
+a sword!"
+
+"I won't, my love, I won't; and I will try to chew my meat more,"
+replied the very thin glutton, in a feeble tone. Toby thought that
+perhaps the skeleton might keep the first part of that promise,
+but he was not quite sure about the last.
+
+It required no little coaxing on the part of both Toby and Mrs.
+Treat to induce Mr. Stubbs to come down from his lofty perch; but
+the task was accomplished at last, and by the gift of a very large
+doughnut he was induced to resume his seat at the table.
+
+The time had now come when the duties of a host, in his own peculiar
+way of viewing them, devolved upon Mr. Treat, and he said, as he
+pushed his chair back a short distance from the table and tried to
+polish the front of his vest with his napkin:
+
+"I don't want this fact lost sight of, because it is an important
+one: everyone must remember that we have gathered here to meet and
+become better acquainted with the latest and best addition to this
+circus, Mr. Toby Tyler."
+
+Poor Toby! As the company all looked directly at him, and Mrs.
+Treat nodded her enormous head energetically, as if to say that
+she agreed exactly with her husband, the poor boy's face grew very
+red and the squash pie lost its flavor.
+
+"Although Mr. Tyler may not be exactly one of us, owing to the fact
+that he does not belong to the profession, but is only one of the
+adjuncts to it, so to speak," continued the skeleton, in a voice
+which was fast being raised to its highest pitch, "we feel proud,
+after his exploits at the time of the accident, to have him with
+us, and gladly welcome him now, through the medium of this little
+feast prepared by my Lilly."
+
+Here the Albino Children nodded their heads in approval, and the
+sword swallower gave a grunt of assent; and, thus encouraged, the
+skeleton proceeded:
+
+"I feel, when I say that we like and admire Mr. Tyler, all present
+will agree with me and all would like to hear him say a word for
+himself."
+
+The skeleton seemed to have expressed the views of those present
+remarkably well, judging from their expressions of pleasure and
+assent, and all waited for the honored guest to speak.
+
+Toby knew that he must say something, but he couldn't think of
+a single thing; he tried over and over again to call to his mind
+something which he had read as to how people acted and what they
+said when they were expected to speak at a dinner table, but his
+thoughts refused to go back for him, and the silence was actually
+becoming painful. Finally, and with the greatest effort, he managed
+to say, with a very perceptible stammer, and while his face was
+growing very red:
+
+"I know I ought to say something to pay for this big dinner that
+you said was gotten up for me, but I don't know what to say, unless
+to thank you for it. You see, I hain't big enough to say much,
+an', as Uncle Dan'l says, I don't amount to very much, 'cept for
+eatin', an' I guess he's right. You're all real good to me, an'
+when I get to be a man I'll try to do as much for you."
+
+Toby had risen to his feet when he began to make his speech, and
+while he was speaking Mr. Stubbs had crawled over into his chair.
+When he finished he sat down again without looking behind him, and
+of course sat plump on the monkey. There was a loud outcry from
+Mr. Stubbs, a little frightened noise from Toby, an instant's
+scrambling, and then boy, monkey, and chair tumbled off the platform,
+landing on the ground in an indescribable mass, from which the
+monkey extricated himself more quickly than Toby could, and again
+took refuge on the top of the tent pole.
+
+Of course all the guests ran to Toby's assistance; and while the
+fat woman poked him all over to see that none of his bones were
+broken, the skeleton brushed the dirt from his clothes.
+
+All this time the monkey screamed, yelled, and danced around on the
+tent pole and ropes, as if his feelings had received a shock from
+which he could never recover.
+
+"I didn't mean to end it up that way, but it was Mr. Stubbs's fault,"
+said Toby, as soon as quiet had been restored and the guests, with
+the exception of the monkey, were seated at the table once more.
+
+"Of course you didn't," said Mrs. Treat, in a kindly tone. "But
+don't you feel bad about it one bit, for you ought to thank your
+lucky stars that you didn't break any of your bones."
+
+"I s'pose I had," said Toby, soberly, as he looked back at the
+scene of his disaster, and then up at the chattering monkey that
+had caused all the trouble.
+
+Shortly after this, Mr. Stubbs having again been coaxed down from
+his lofty position, Toby took his departure, promising to call
+as often during the week as he could get away from his exacting
+employers.
+
+Just outside the tent he met Old Ben, who said, as he showed signs
+of indulging in another of his internal laughing spells:
+
+"Hello! has the skeleton an' his lily of a wife been givin' a
+blowout to you, too?"
+
+"They invited me in there to dinner," said Toby, modestly.
+
+"Of course they did -- of course they did," replied Ben, with a
+chuckle; "they carries a cookin' stove along with 'em, so's they can
+give these little spreads whenever we stay over a day in a place.
+Oh, I've been there!"
+
+"And did they ask you to make a speech?"
+
+"Of course. Did they try it on you?"
+
+"Yes," said Toby, mournfully, "an' I tumbled off the platform when
+I got through."
+
+"I didn't do exactly that," replied Ben, thoughtfully; "but I s'pose
+you got too much steam on, seein' 's how it was likely your first
+speech. Now you'd better go into the tent an try to get a little
+sleep, 'cause we've got a long ride tonight over a rough road, an'
+you won't get more 'n a cat nap all night."
+
+"But where are you going?" asked Toby, as he shifted Mr. Stubbs
+over to his other shoulder, preparatory to following his friend's
+advice.
+
+"I'm goin' to church," said Ben, and then Toby noticed for the
+first time that the old driver had made some attempt at dressing up.
+"I've been with the circus, man an boy, for nigh to forty years,
+an' I allus go to meetin' once on Sunday. It's somethin' I promised
+my old mother I would do, an' I hain't broke my promise yet."
+
+"Why don't you take me with you?" asked Toby, wistfully, as he
+thought of the little church on the hill at home, and wished --
+oh, so earnestly! -- that he was there then, even at the risk of
+being thumped on the head with Uncle Daniel's book.
+
+"If I'd seen you this mornin' I would," said Ben; "but now you must
+try to bottle up some sleep ag'in' tonight, an' next Sunday I'll
+take you."
+
+With these words Old Ben started off, and Toby proceeded to carry
+out his wishes, although he rather doubted the possibility of
+"bottling up" any sleep that afternoon.
+
+He lay down on the top of the wagon, after having put Mr. Stubbs
+inside, with the others of his tribe, and in a very few moments
+the boy was sound asleep, dreaming of a dinner party at which Mr.
+Stubbs made a speech and he himself scampered up and down the tent
+pole.
+
+
+
+XI: A STORMY NIGHT
+
+
+When Toby awoke it was nearly dark, and the bustle around him told
+very plainly that the time for departure was near at hand. He rubbed
+his eyes just enough to make sure that he was thoroughly awake,
+and then jumped down from his rather lofty bed, and ran around to
+the door of the cage to assure himself that Mr. Stubbs was safe.
+This done, his preparations for the journey were made.
+
+Now Toby noticed that each one of the drivers was clad in rubber
+clothing, and, after listening for a moment, he learned the cause
+of their waterproof garments. It was raining very hard, and Toby
+thought with dismay of the long ride that he would have to take
+on the top of the monkeys' cage, with no protection whatever save
+that afforded by his ordinary clothing.
+
+While he was standing by the side of his wagon, wondering how
+he should get along, Old Ben came in. The water was pouring from
+his clothes in little rivulets, and he afforded most unmistakable
+evidence of the damp state of the weather.
+
+"It's a nasty night, my boy," said the old driver, in much the same
+cheery tone that he would have used had he been informing Toby that
+it was a beautiful moonlight evening.
+
+"I guess I'll get wet," said Toby, ruefully, as he looked up at
+the lofty seat which he was to occupy.
+
+"Bless me!" said Ben, as if the thought had just come to him, "it
+won't do for you to ride outside on a night like this. You wait
+here, an' I'll see what I can do for you."
+
+The old man hurried off to the other end of the tent, and almost
+before Toby thought he had time to go as far as the ring he returned.
+
+"It's all right," he said, and this time in a gruff voice, as if
+he were announcing some misfortune; "you 're to ride in the women's
+wagon. Come with me."
+
+Toby followed without a question, though he was wholly at a loss
+to understand what the "women's wagon" was, for he had never seen
+anything which looked like one.
+
+He soon learned, however, when Old Ben stopped in front -- or,
+rather, at the end -- of a long, covered wagon that looked like
+an omnibus, except that it was considerably longer, and the seats
+inside were divided by arms, padded, to make them comfortable to
+lean against.
+
+"Here's the boy," said Ben, as he lifted Toby up on the step, gave
+him a gentle push to intimate that he was to get inside, and then
+left him.
+
+As Toby stepped inside he saw that the wagon was nearly full of
+women and children; and fearing lest he should take a seat that
+belonged to someone else, he stood in the middle of the wagon, not
+knowing what to do.
+
+"Why don't you sit down, little boy?" asked one of the ladies,
+after Toby had remained standing nearly five minutes and the wagon
+was about to start.
+
+"Well," said Toby, with some hesitation, as he looked around at
+the two or three empty seats that remained, "I didn't want to get
+in anybody else's place an' I didn't know where to sit."
+
+"Come right here," said the lady, as she pointed to a seat by the
+side of a little girl who did not look any older than Toby; "the
+lady who usually occupies that seat will not be here tonight, and
+you can have it."
+
+"Thank you, ma'am," said Toby, as he sat timidly down on the edge
+of the seat, hardly daring to sit back comfortably, and feeling
+very awkward meanwhile, but congratulating himself on being thus
+protected from the pouring rain.
+
+The wagon started, and as each one talked with her neighbor, Toby
+felt a most dismal sense of loneliness, and almost wished that he was
+riding on the monkey cart with Ben, where he could have someone to
+talk with. He gradually pushed himself back into a more comfortable
+position, and had then an opportunity of seeing more plainly the
+young girl who rode by his side.
+
+She was quite as young as Toby, and small of her age; but there
+was an old look about her face that made the boy think of her as
+being an old woman cut down to fit children's clothes. Toby had
+looked at her so earnestly that she observed him, and asked, "What
+is your name?"
+
+"Toby Tyler."
+
+"What do you do in the circus?"
+
+"Sell candy for Mr. Lord."
+
+"Oh! I thought you was a new member of the company."
+
+Toby knew by the tone of her voice that he had fallen considerably
+in her estimation by not being one of the performers, and it was
+some little time before he ventured to speak; and then he asked,
+timidly, "What do you do?"
+
+"I ride one of the horses with mother."
+
+"Are you the little girl that comes out with the lady an' four
+horses?" asked Toby, in awe that he should be conversing with so
+famous a person.
+
+"Yes, I am. Don't I do it nicely?"
+
+"Why, you're a perfect little -- little -- fairy!" exclaimed Toby,
+after hesitating a moment to find some word which would exactly
+express his idea.
+
+This praise seemed to please the young lady, and in a short time
+the two became very good friends, even if Toby did not occupy a
+more exalted position than that of candy seller. She had learned
+from him all about the accident to the monkey cage, and about Mr.
+Stubbs, and in return had told him that her name was Ella Mason,
+though on the bills she was called "Mademoiselle Jeannette."
+
+For a long time the two children sat talking together, and then
+Mademoiselle Jeannette curled herself up on the seat, with her head
+in her mother's lap, and went to sleep.
+
+Toby had resolved to keep awake and watch her, for he was struck
+with admiration at her face; but sleep got the better of him in
+less than five minutes after he had made the resolution, and he
+sat bolt upright, with his little round head nodding and bobbing
+until it seemed almost certain that he would shake it off.
+
+When Toby awoke the wagon was drawn up by the side of the road,
+the sun was shining brightly, preparations were being made for the
+entree into town, and the harsh voice of Mr. Job Lord was shouting
+his name in a tone that boded no good for poor Toby when he should
+make his appearance.
+
+Toby would have hesitated before meeting his angry employer but
+that he knew it would only make matters worse for him when he did
+show himself, and he mentally braced himself for the trouble which
+he knew was coming. The little girl whose acquaintance he had made
+the night previous was still sleeping; and, wishing to say goodby
+to her in some way without awakening her, he stooped down and gently
+kissed the skirt of her dress. Then he went out to meet his master.
+
+Mr. Lord was thoroughly enraged when Toby left the wagon, and saw
+the boy just as he stepped to the ground. The angry man gave a
+quick glance around, to make sure that none of Toby's friends were
+in sight, and then caught him by the coat collar and commenced to
+whip him severely with the small rubber cane that he usually carried.
+
+Mr. Job Lord lifted the poor boy entirely clear of the ground, and
+each blow that he struck could be heard almost the entire length
+of the circus train.
+
+"You've been makin' so many acquaintances here that you hain't
+willin' to do any work," he said, savagely, as he redoubled the
+force of his blows.
+
+"Oh, please stop! please stop!" shrieked the poor boy in his agony.
+"I'll do everything you tell me to, if you won't strike me again!"
+
+This piteous appeal seemed to have no effect upon the cruel man,
+and he continued to whip the boy, despite his cries and entreaties,
+until his arm fairly ached from the exertion and Toby's body was
+crossed and recrossed with the livid marks of the cane.
+
+"Now let's see whether you'll 'tend to your work or not!" said the
+man as he flung Toby from him with such force that the boy staggered,
+reeled, and nearly fell into the little brook that flowed by the
+roadside. "I'll make you understand that all the friends you've
+whined around in this show can't save you from a lickin' when I get
+ready to give you one! Now go an' do your work that ought to have
+been done an hour ago!"
+
+Mr. Lord walked away with the proud consciousness of a man who
+has achieved a great victory, and Toby was limping painfully along
+toward the cart that was used in conveying Mr. Lord's stock in
+trade, when he felt a tiny hand slip into his and heard a childish
+voice say:
+
+"Don't cry, Toby. Sometime, when I get big enough, I'll make Mr.
+Lord sorry that he whipped you as he did; and I'm big enough now
+to tell him just what kind of a man I think he is."
+
+Looking around, Toby saw his little acquaintance of the evening
+previous, and he tried to force back the big tears that were rolling
+down his cheeks as he said, in a voice choked with grief: "You're
+awful good, an' I don't mind the lickin' when you say you're sorry
+for me. I s'pose I deserve it for runnin' away from Uncle Dan'l."
+
+"Did it hurt you much?" she asked, feelingly.
+
+"It did when he was doin' it," replied Toby, manfully, "but it
+don't a bit, now that you've come."
+
+"Then I'll go and talk to that Mr. Lord, and I'll come and see you
+again after we get into town," said the little miss, as she hurried
+away to tell the candy vender what she thought of him.
+
+That day, as on all others since he had been with the circus, Toby
+went to his work with a heavy heart, and time and time again did he
+count the money which had been given him by kind hearted strangers,
+to see whether he had enough to warrant his attempting to run
+away. Three dollars and twenty-five cents was the total amount of
+his treasure, and, large as that sum appeared to him, he could not
+satisfy himself that he had sufficient to enable him to get back
+to the home which he had so wickedly left. Whenever he thought of
+this home, of the Uncle Daniel who had in charity cared for him --
+a motherless, fatherless boy -- and of returning to it, with not
+even as much right as the Prodigal Son, of whom he had heard Uncle
+Daniel tell, his heart sank within him and he doubted whether he
+would be allowed to remain even if he should be so fortunate as
+ever to reach Guilford again.
+
+This day passed, so far as Toby was concerned, very much as had the
+others: he could not satisfy either of his employers, try as hard
+as he might; but, as usual, he met with two or three kindly disposed
+people, who added to the fund that he was accumulating for his
+second venture of running away by little gifts of money, each one
+of which gladdened his heart and made his trouble a trifle less
+hard to bear.
+
+During the entire week he was thus equally fortunate. Each day
+added something to his fund, and each night it seemed to Toby that
+he was one day nearer the freedom for which he so ardently longed.
+
+The skeleton, the fat lady, Old Ben, the Albino Children, little
+Ella, and even the sword swallower, all gave him a kindly word
+as they passed him while he was at his work, or saw him as the
+preparations for the grand entree were being made.
+
+The time had passed slowly to Toby, and yet Sunday came again -- as
+Sundays always come; and on this day Old Ben hunted him up, made
+him wash his face and hands until they fairly shone from very
+cleanliness, and then took him to church. Toby was surprised to
+find that it was really a pleasant thing to be able to go to church
+after being deprived of it, and was more light hearted than he had
+yet been since he left Guilford when he returned to the tent at
+noon.
+
+The skeleton had invited him to another dinner party, but Toby had
+declined the invitation, agreeing to present himself in time for
+supper instead. He hardly cared to go through the ordeal of another
+state dinner; and besides, he wanted to go off to the woods with
+the old monkey, where he could enjoy the silence of the forest,
+which seemed like a friend to him, because it reminded him of home.
+
+Taking the monkey with him as usual, he inquired the nearest way
+to a grove, and, without waiting for dinner, started off for an
+afternoon's quiet enjoyment.
+
+
+
+XII: TOBY'S GREAT MISFORTUNE
+
+
+The town in which the circus remained over Sunday was a small
+one, and a brisk walk of ten minutes sufficed to take Toby into a
+secluded portion of a very thickly grown wood, where he could lie
+upon the mossy ground and fairly revel in freedom.
+
+As he lay upon his back, his hands under his head, and his
+eyes directed to the branches of the trees above, where the birds
+twittered and sung, and the squirrels played in fearless sport,
+the monkey enjoyed himself in his way, by playing all the monkey
+antics he knew of.
+
+He scrambled from tree to tree, swung himself from one branch to
+the other by the aid of his tail, and amused both himself and his
+master, until, tired by his exertions, he crept down by Toby's side
+and lay there in quiet, restful content.
+
+One of Toby's reasons for wishing to be by himself that afternoon
+was that he wanted to think over some plan of escape, for he believed
+that he had nearly money enough to enable him to make a bold stroke
+for freedom and Uncle Daniel's. Therefore, when the monkey nestled
+down by his side he was all ready to confide in him that which had
+been occupying his busy little brain for the past three days.
+
+"Mr. Stubbs," he said to the monkey, in a solemn tone, "we're goin'
+to run away in a day or two."
+
+Mr. Stubbs did not seem to be moved in the least at this very startling
+piece of intelligence, but winked his bright eyes in unconcern;
+and Toby, seeming to think that everything which he said had been
+understood by the monkey, continued: "I've got a good deal of
+money now, an' I guess there's enough for us to start out on. We'll
+get away some night, an' stay in the woods till they get through
+hunting for us, an' then we'll go back to Guilford an' tell Uncle
+Dan'l if he'll only take us back we'll never go to sleep in meetin'
+any more, an' we'll be just as good as we know how. Now let's see
+how much money we've got."
+
+Toby drew from a pocket, which he had been at a great deal of
+trouble to make in his shirt, a small bag of silver, and spread it
+upon the ground, where he could count it at his leisure.
+
+The glittering coin instantly attracted the monkey's attention,
+and he tried by every means to thrust his little black paw into
+the pile; but Toby would allow nothing of that sort, and pushed him
+away quite roughly. Then he grew excited, and danced and scolded
+around Toby's treasure until the boy had hard work to count it.
+
+He did succeed, however, and as he carefully replaced it in the bag
+he said to the monkey: "There's seven dollars an' thirty cents in
+that bag, an' every cent of it is mine. That ought to take care
+of us for a good while, Mr. Stubbs; an' by the time we get home we
+shall be rich men."
+
+The monkey showed his pleasure at this intelligence by putting his
+hand inside Toby's clothes to find the bag of treasure that he had
+seen secreted there, and two or three times, to the great delight
+of both himself and the boy, he drew forth the bag, which was
+immediately taken away from him.
+
+The shadows were beginning to lengthen in the woods, and, heeding
+this warning of the coming night, Toby took the monkey on his arm
+and started for home, or for the tent, which was the only place he
+could call home.
+
+As he walked along he tried to talk to his pet in a serious manner,
+but the monkey, remembering where he had seen the bright coins
+secreted, tried so hard to get at them that finally Toby lost all
+patience and gave him quite a hard cuff on the ear, which had the
+effect of keeping him quiet for a time.
+
+That night Toby took supper with the skeleton and his wife, and he
+enjoyed the meal, even though it was made from what had been left
+of the turkey that served as the noonday feast, more than he did
+the state dinner, where he was obliged to pay for what he ate by
+the torture of making a speech.
+
+There were no guests but Toby present; and Mr. and Mrs. Treat were
+not only very kind, but so attentive that he was actually afraid
+he should eat so much as to stand in need of some of the catnip
+tea which Mrs. Treat had said she gave to her husband when he had
+been equally foolish. The skeleton would pile his plate high with
+turkey bones from one side, and the fat lady would heap it up,
+whenever she could find a chance, with all sorts of food from the
+other, until Toby pushed back his chair, his appetite completely
+satisfied, if it never had been so before.
+
+Toby had discussed the temper of his employer with his host and
+hostess, and, after some considerable conversation, confided in
+them his determination to run away.
+
+"I'd hate awfully to have you go," said Mrs. Treat, reflectively;
+"but it's a good deal better for you to get away from that Job Lord
+if you can. It wouldn't do to let him know that you had any idea
+of goin', for he'd watch you as a cat watches a mouse, an never let
+you go so long as he saw a chance to keep you. I heard him tellin'
+one of the drivers the other day that you sold more goods than any
+other boy he ever had, an' he was going to keep you with him all
+summer."
+
+"Be careful in what you do, my boy," said the skeleton, sagely, as
+he arranged a large cushion in an armchair, and proceeded to make
+ready for his after dinner nap; "be sure that you're all ready before
+you start, an', when you do go, get a good ways ahead of him; for
+if he should ever catch you the trouncin' you'd get would be awful."
+
+Toby assured his friends that he would use every endeavor to make
+his escape successful when he did start; and Mrs. Treat, with an
+eye to the boy's comfort, said, "Let me know the night you're goin',
+an' I'll fix you up something to eat, so's you won't be hungry
+before you come to a place where you can buy something."
+
+As these kind hearted people talked with him, and were ready thus
+to aid him in every way that lay in their power, Toby thought that
+he had been very fortunate in thus having made so many kind friends
+in a place where he was having so much trouble.
+
+It was not until he heard the sounds of preparation for departure
+that he left the skeleton's tent, and then, with Mr. Stubbs clasped
+tightly to his breast, he hurried over to the wagon where Old Ben
+was nearly ready to start.
+
+"All right, Toby," said the old driver, as the boy came in sight.
+"I was afraid you was goin' to keep me waitin' for the first time.
+Jump right up on the box, for there hain't no time to lose, an'
+I guess you'll have to carry the monkey in your arms, for I don't
+want to stop to open the cage now."
+
+"I'd just as soon carry him, an' a little rather," said Toby, as
+he clambered up on the high seat and arranged a comfortable place
+in his lap for his pet to sit.
+
+In another moment the heavy team had started, and nearly the entire
+circus was on the move. "Now tell me what you've been doin' since
+I left you," said Old Ben, after they were well clear of the town
+and he could trust his horses to follow the team ahead. "I s'pose
+you've been to see the skeleton an' his mountain of a wife?"
+
+Toby gave a clear account of where he had been and what he had done,
+and when he concluded he told Old Ben of his determination to run
+away, and asked his advice on the matter.
+
+"My advice," said Ben, after he had waited some time, to give due
+weight to his words, "is that you clear out from this show just as
+soon as you can. This hain't no fit place for a boy of your age to
+be in, an' the sooner you get back where you started from, an get
+to school, the better. But Job Lord will do all he can to keep you
+from goin', if he thinks you have any idea of leavin' him."
+
+Toby assured Ben, as he had assured the skeleton and his wife, that
+he would be very careful in all he did, and lay his plans with the
+utmost secrecy; and then he asked whether Ben thought the amount
+of money which he had would be sufficient to carry him home.
+
+"Waal, that depends," said the driver, slowly. "If you go to
+spreadin' yourself all over creation, as boys are very apt to do,
+your money won't go very far; but if you look at your money two
+or three times afore you spend it, you ought to get back and have
+a dollar or two left."
+
+The two talked, and Old Ben offered advice, until Toby could
+hardly keep his eyes open, and almost before the driver concluded
+his sage remarks the boy had stretched himself on the top of the
+wagon, where he had learned to sleep without being shaken off, and
+was soon in dreamland.
+
+The monkey, nestled down snug in Toby's bosom, did not appear to
+be as sleepy as was his master, but popped his head in and out from
+under the coat, as if watching whether the boy was asleep or not.
+
+Toby was awakened by a scratching on his face, as if the monkey was
+dancing a hornpipe on that portion of his body, and by a shrill,
+quick chattering, which caused him to assume an upright position
+instantly.
+
+He was frightened, although he knew not at what, and looked around
+quickly to discover the cause of the monkey's excitement.
+
+Old Ben was asleep on his box, while the horses jogged along behind
+the other teams, and Toby failed to see anything whatever which
+should have caused his pet to become so excited.
+
+"Lie down an' behave yourself," said Toby, as sternly as possible,
+and as he spoke he took his pet by the collar, to oblige him to
+obey his command.
+
+The moment that he did this he saw the monkey throw something
+out into the road, and the next instant he also saw that he held
+something tightly clutched in his other paw.
+
+It required some little exertion and active movement on Toby's
+part to enable him to get hold of that paw, in order to discover
+what it was which Mr. Stubbs had captured; but the instant he did
+succeed, there went up from his heart such a cry of sorrow as caused
+Old Ben to start up in alarm and the monkey to cower and whimper
+like a whipped dog.
+
+"What is it, Toby? What's the matter?" asked the old driver, as
+he peered out into the darkness ahead, as if he feared some danger
+threatened them from that quarter. "I don't see anything. What is
+it?"
+
+"Mr. Stubbs has thrown all my money away," cried Toby, holding up
+the almost empty bag, which a short time previous had been so well
+filled with silver.
+
+"Stubbs -- thrown -- the -- money -- away?" repeated Ben, with a
+pause between each word, as if he could not understand that which
+he himself was saying.
+
+"Yes," sobbed Toby, as he shook out the remaining contents of the
+bag, "there's only half a dollar, an' all the rest is gone."
+
+"The rest gone!" again repeated Ben. "But how come the monkey to
+have the money?"
+
+"He tried to get at it out in the woods, an' I s'pose the moment
+I got asleep he felt for it in my pockets. This is all there is
+left, an' he threw away some just as I woke up."
+
+Again Toby held the bag up where Ben could see it, and again his
+grief broke out anew.
+
+Ben could say nothing; he realized the whole situation -- that the
+monkey had got the moneybag while Toby was sleeping; that in his
+play he had thrown it away piece by piece; and he knew that that
+small amount of silver represented liberty in the boy's eyes. He
+felt that there was nothing he could say which would assuage Toby's
+grief, and he remained silent.
+
+"Don't you s'pose we could go back an' get it?" asked the boy,
+after the intensity of his grief had somewhat subsided.
+
+"No, Toby, it's gone," replied Ben, sorrowfully. "You couldn't find
+it if it was daylight, an' you don't stand a ghost of a chance now
+in the dark. Don't take on so, my boy. I'll see if we can't make
+it up to you in some way."
+
+Toby gave no heed to this last remark of Ben's. He hugged the monkey
+convulsively to his breast, as if he would seek consolation from
+the very one who had wrought the ruin, and, rocking himself to and
+fro, he said, in a voice full of tears and sorrow:
+
+"Oh, Mr. Stubbs, why did you do it? -- why did you do it? That money
+would have got us away from this hateful place, an' we'd have gone
+back to Uncle Dan'l's, where we'd have been so happy, you an' me.
+An' now it's all gone -- all gone. What made you, Mr. Stubbs --
+what made you do such a bad, cruel thing? Oh, what made you?"
+
+"Don't, Toby -- don't take on so," said Ben, soothingly. "There
+wasn't so very much money there, after all, an' you'll soon get as
+much more."
+
+"But it won't be for a good while, an' we could have been in the
+good old home long before I can get so much again."
+
+"That's true, my boy; but you must kinder brace up an' not give
+way so about it. Perhaps I can fix it so the fellers will make it
+up to you. Give Stubbs a good poundin', an' perhaps that 'll make
+you feel better."
+
+"That won't bring back my money an' I don't want to whip him,"
+cried Toby, hugging his pet the closer because of this suggestion.
+"I know what it is to get a whippin', an' I wouldn't whip a dog,
+much less Mr. Stubbs, who didn't know any better."
+
+"Then you must try to take it like a man," said Ben, who could
+think of no other plan by which the boy might soothe his feelings.
+"It hain't half so bad as it might be, an' you must try to keep a
+stiff upper lip, even if it does seem hard at first."
+
+This keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of all the trouble he was
+having was all very well to talk about, but Toby could not reduce
+it to practice, or, at least, not so soon after he knew of his loss,
+and he continued to rock the monkey back and forth, to whisper in
+his ear now and then, and to cry as if his heart was breaking, for
+nearly an hour.
+
+Ben tried, in his rough, honest way, to comfort him, but without
+success; and it was not until the boy's grief had spent itself that
+he would listen to any reasoning.
+
+All this time the monkey had remained perfectly quiet, submitting
+to Toby's squeezing without making any effort to get away, and
+behaving as if he knew he had done wrong, and was trying to atone
+for it. He looked up into the boy's face every now and then with such
+a penitent expression that Toby finally assured him of forgiveness
+and begged him not to feel so badly.
+
+
+
+XIII: TOBY ATTEMPTS TO RESIGN HIS SITUATION
+
+
+At last it was possible for Toby to speak of his loss with some
+degree of calmness, and then he immediately began to reckon up what
+he could have done with the money if he had not lost it.
+
+"Now see here, Toby," said Ben, earnestly, "don't go to doin'
+anything of that kind. The money's lost, an' you can't get it back
+by talkin'; so the very best thing for you is to stop thinkin' what
+you could do if you had it, an' just to look at it as a goner."
+
+"But --" persisted Toby.
+
+"I tell you there's no buts about it," said Ben, rather sharply.
+"Stop talkin' about what's gone, an' just go to thinkin' how you'll
+get more. Do what you've a mind to the monkey, but don't keep
+broodin' over what you can't help."
+
+Toby knew that the advice was good and he struggled manfully to
+carry it into execution, but it was very hard work. At all events,
+there was no sleep for his eyes that night; and when, just about
+daylight, the train halted to wait a more seasonable hour in which
+to enter the town, the thought of what he might have done with his
+lost money was still in Toby's mind.
+
+Only once did he speak crossly to the monkey, and that was when
+he put him into the cage preparatory to commencing his morning's
+work. Then he said:
+
+"You wouldn't had to go into this place many times more if you
+hadn't been so wicked, for by tomorrow night we'd been away from
+this circus an' on the way to home an' Uncle Dan'l. Now you've
+spoiled my chance an' your own for a good while to come, an' I hope
+before the day is over you'll feel as bad about it as I do."
+
+It seemed to Toby as if the monkey understood just what he said
+to him, for he sneaked over into one corner, away from the other
+monkeys, and sat there looking very penitent and very dejected.
+
+Then, with a heavy heart, Toby began his day's work.
+
+Hard as had been Toby's lot previous to losing his money, and
+difficult as it had been to bear the cruelty of Mr. Job Lord and
+his precious partner, Mr. Jacobs, it was doubly hard now while this
+sorrow was fresh upon him.
+
+Previous to this, when he had been kicked or cursed by one or the
+other of the partners, Toby thought exultantly that the time was not
+very far distant when he should be beyond the reach of his brutal
+taskmasters, and that thought had given him strength to bear all
+that had been put upon him.
+
+Now the time of his deliverance from this bondage seemed very far
+off, and each cruel word or blow caused him the greater sorrow,
+because of the thought that but for the monkey's wickedness he
+would have been nearly free from that which made his life so very
+miserable.
+
+If he had looked sad and mournful before, he looked doubly so now,
+as he went his dreary round of the tent, crying, "Here's your cold
+lemonade," or "Fresh baked peanuts, ten cents a quart"; and each
+day there were some in the audience who pitied the boy because of
+the misery which showed so plainly in his face, and they gave him
+a few cents more than his price for what he was selling, or gave
+him money without buying anything at all, thereby aiding him to
+lay up something again toward making his escape.
+
+Those few belonging to the circus who knew of Toby's intention to
+escape tried their best to console him for the loss of his money,
+and that kind hearted couple, the skeleton and his fat wife, tried
+to force him to take a portion of their scanty earnings in the place
+of that which the monkey had thrown away. But this Toby positively
+refused to do; and to the arguments which they advanced as reasons
+why they should help him along he only replied that until he could
+get the money by his own exertions he would remain with Messrs.
+Lord and Jacobs and get along as best he could.
+
+Every hour in the day the thought of what might have been if he had
+not lost his money so haunted his mind that finally he resolved to
+make one bold stroke and tell Mr. Job Lord that he did not want to
+travel with the circus any longer.
+
+As yet he had not received the two dollars which had been promised
+him for his two weeks' work, and another one was nearly due. If
+he could get this money it might, with what he had saved again,
+suffice to pay his railroad fare to Guilford; and if it would not,
+he resolved to accept from the skeleton sufficient to make up the
+amount needed.
+
+He naturally shrank from the task; but the hope that he might possibly
+succeed gave him the necessary amount of courage, and when he had
+gotten his work done, on the third morning after he had lost his
+money, and Mr. Lord appeared to be in an unusually good temper, he
+resolved to try the plan.
+
+It was just before the dinner hour. Trade had been exceptionally
+good, and Mr. Lord had even spoken in a pleasant tone to Toby when
+he told him to fill up the lemonade pail with water, so that the
+stock might not be disposed of too quickly and with too little
+profit.
+
+Toby poured in quite as much water as he thought the already weak
+mixture could receive and retain any flavor of lemon; and then, as
+his employer motioned him to add more, he mixed another quart in,
+secretly wondering what it would taste like.
+
+"When you're mixin' lemonade for circus trade," said Mr. Lord, in
+such a benign, fatherly tone that one would have found it difficult
+to believe that he ever spoke harshly, "don't be afraid of water,
+for there's where the profit comes in. Always have a piece of
+lemon peel floatin' on the top of every glass, an' it tastes just
+as good to people as if it cost twice as much."
+
+Toby could not agree exactly with that opinion, neither did he
+think it wise to disagree, more especially since he was going to
+ask the very great favor of being discharged; therefore he nodded
+his head gravely, and began to stir up what it pleased Mr. Lord to
+call lemonade, so that the last addition might be more thoroughly
+mixed with the others.
+
+Two or three times he attempted to ask the favor which seemed such
+a great one, and each time the words stuck in his throat, until it
+seemed to him that he should never succeed in getting them out.
+
+Finally, in his despair, he stammered out: "Don't you think you
+could find another boy in this town, Mr. Lord?"
+
+Mr. Lord moved round sideways, in order to bring his crooked eye
+to bear squarely on Toby, and then there was a long interval of
+silence, during which time the boy's color rapidly came and went
+and his heart beat very fast with suspense and fear.
+
+"Well, what if I could?" he said, at length. "Do you think that
+trade is so good I could afford to keep two boys, when there isn't
+half work enough for one?"
+
+Toby stirred the lemonade with renewed activity, as if by this
+process he was making both it and his courage stronger, and said,
+in a low voice, which Mr. Lord could scarcely hear:
+
+"I didn't think that; but you see I ought to go home, for Uncle
+Dan'l will worry about me; an', besides, I don't like a circus very
+well."
+
+Again there was silence on Mr. Lord's part, and again the crooked
+eye glowered down on Toby.
+
+"So," he said -- and Toby could see that his anger was rising very
+fast -- "you don't like a circus very well, an' you begin to think
+that your uncle Daniel will worry about you, eh? Well, I want you
+to understand that it don't make any difference to me whether you
+like a circus or not, and I don't care how much your uncle Daniel
+worries. You mean that you want to get away from me, after I've
+been to all the trouble and expense of teaching you the business?"
+
+Toby bent his head over the pail and stirred away as if for dear
+life.
+
+"If you think you're going to get away from here until you've paid
+me for all you've eat, an' all the time I've spent on you, you're
+mistaken, that's all. You've had an easy time with me -- too easy,
+in fact -- and that's what ails you. Now you just let me hear two
+words more out of your head about going away -- only two more --
+an' I'll show you what a whipping is. I've only been playing with
+you before when you thought you were getting a whipping; but you'll
+find out what it means if I so much as see a thought in your eyes
+about goin' away. An' don't you dare to try to give me the slip in
+the night an run away; for if you do I'll follow you an' have you
+arrested. Now you mind your eye in the future."
+
+It is impossible to say how much longer Mr. Lord might have continued
+this tirade had not a member of the company -- one of the principal
+riders -- called him to one side to speak with him.
+
+Poor Toby was so much confused by the angry words which had followed
+his very natural and certainly very reasonable suggestion that he
+paid no attention to anything around him until he heard his own name
+mentioned; and then, fearing lest some new misfortune was about to
+befall him, he listened intently.
+
+"I'm afraid you couldn't do much of anything with him," he heard
+Mr. Lord say. "He's had enough of this kind of life already, so he
+says, an' I expect the next thing he does will be to try and run
+away."
+
+"I'll risk his getting away from you, Job," he heard the other say;
+"but of course I've got to take my chances. I'll take him in hand
+from eleven to twelve each day -- just your slack time of trade
+-- and I'll not only give you half of what he can earn in the next
+two years, but I'll pay you for his time, if he gives you the slip
+before the season is out."
+
+Toby knew that they were speaking of him, but what it all meant he
+could not imagine.
+
+"What are you going to do with him first?" Job asked.
+
+"Just put him right in the ring and teach him what riding is.
+I tell you, Job, the boy's smart enough, and before the season's
+over I'll have him so that he can do some of the bareback acts, and
+perhaps we'll get some money out of him before we go into winter
+quarters."
+
+Toby understood the meaning of their conversation only too well,
+and he knew that his lot, which before seemed harder than he could
+bear, was about to be intensified through this Mr. Castle, of whom
+he had frequently heard, and who was said to be a rival of Mr.
+Lord's so far as brutality went. The two men now walked toward the
+large tent, and Toby was left alone with his thoughts and two or
+three little boy customers, who looked at him wonderingly and envied
+him because he belonged to the circus.
+
+During the ride that night he told Old Ben what he had heard,
+confidently expecting that that friend at least would console him;
+but Ben was not the champion which he had expected. The old man,
+who had been with a circus, "man and boy, nigh to forty years,"
+did not seem to think it any calamity that he was to be taught to
+ride.
+
+"That Mr. Castle is a little rough on boys," Old Ben said, thoughtfully;
+"but it'll be a good thing for you, Toby. Just so long as you stay
+with Job you won't be nothin' more 'n a candy boy; but after you
+know how to ride it 'll be another thing, an' you can earn a good
+deal of money an' be your own boss."
+
+"But I don't want to stay with the circus," whined Toby; "I don't
+want to learn to ride, an' I do want to get back to Uncle Dan'l."
+
+"That may all be true, an' I don't dispute it," said Ben; "but you
+see you didn't stay with your uncle Daniel when you had the chance,
+an' you did come with the circus. You've told Job you wanted
+to leave, an' he 'll be watchin' you all the time to see that you
+don't give him the slip. Now what's the consequence? Why, you can't
+get away for a while, anyhow, an' you'd better try to amount to
+something while you are here. Perhaps after you've got so you can
+ride you may want to stay; an' I'll see to it that you get all of
+your wages, except enough to pay Castle for learnin' of you."
+
+"I sha'n't want to stay," said Toby. "I wouldn't stay if I could
+ride all the horses at once an' was gettin' a hundred dollars a
+day."
+
+"But you can't ride one horse, an' you hain't gettin' but a dollar
+a week, an' still I don't see any chance of your gettin' away yet
+awhile," said Ben, in a matter of fact tone, as he devoted his
+attention again to his horses, leaving Toby to his own sad reflections
+and the positive conviction that boys who run away from home do
+not have a good time, except in stories.
+
+The next forenoon, while Toby was deep in the excitement of selling
+to a boy no larger than himself, and with just as red hair, three
+cents' worth of peanuts and two sticks of candy, and while the boy
+was trying to induce him to "throw in" a piece of gum, because of
+the quantity purchased, Job Lord called him aside, and Toby knew
+that his troubles had begun.
+
+"I want you to go in an' see Mr. Castle; he's goin' to show you
+how to ride," said Mr. Lord, in as kindly a tone as if he were
+conferring some favor on the boy.
+
+If Toby had dared to, he would have rebelled then and there and
+refused to go; but, as he hadn't the courage for such proceeding,
+he walked meekly into the tent and toward the ring.
+
+
+
+XIV: MR. CASTLE TEACHES TOBY TO RIDE
+
+
+When Toby got within sight of the ring he was astonished at what
+he saw. A horse, with a broad wooden saddle, was being led slowly
+around the ring; Mr. Castle was standing on one side, with a long
+whip in his hand; and on the tent pole, which stood in the center
+of the ring, was a long arm, from which dangled a leathern belt
+attached to a long rope that was carried through the end of the
+arm and run down to the base of the pole.
+
+Toby knew well enough why the horse, the whip, and the man were
+there, but the wooden projection from the tent pole, which looked
+so much like a gallows, he could not understand at all.
+
+"Come, now," said Mr. Castle, cracking his whip ominously as Toby
+came in sight, "why weren't you here before?"
+
+"Mr. Lord just sent me in," said Toby, not expecting that his excuse
+would be received, for they never had been since he had arrived at
+the height of his ambition by joining the circus.
+
+"Then I'll make Mr. Job understand that I am to have my full hour
+of your time; and if I don't get it there 'll be trouble between
+us."
+
+It would have pleased Toby very well to have had Mr. Castle go out
+with his long whip just then and make trouble for Mr. Lord; but Mr.
+Castle had not the time to spare, because of the trouble which he
+was about to make for Toby, and that he commenced on at once.
+
+"Well, get in here and don't waste any more time," he said, sharply.
+
+Toby looked around curiously for a moment, and, not understanding
+exactly what he was expected to get in and do, asked, "What shall
+I do?"
+
+"Pull off your boots, coat, and vest."
+
+Since there was no other course than to learn to ride, Toby wisely
+concluded that the best thing he could do would be to obey his new
+master without question; so he began to take off his clothes with
+as much alacrity as if learning to ride was the one thing upon
+which he had long set his heart.
+
+Mr. Castle was evidently accustomed to prompt obedience, for he not
+only took it as a matter of course, but endeavored to hurry Toby
+in the work of undressing.
+
+With his desire to please, and urged by Mr. Castle's words and the
+ominous shaking of his whip, Toby's preparations were soon made,
+and he stood before his instructor clad only in his shirt, trousers,
+and stockings.
+
+The horse was led around to where he stood, and when Mr. Castle held
+out his hand to help him to mount Toby jumped up quickly without
+aid, thereby making a good impression at the start as a willing
+lad.
+
+"Now," said the instructor, as he pulled down the leathern belt which
+hung from the rope and fastened it around Toby's waist, "stand up
+in the saddle, and try to keep there. You can't fall, because the
+rope will hold you up, even if the horse goes out from under you;
+but it isn't hard work to keep on if you mind what you are about;
+and if you don't this whip will help you. Now stand up."
+
+Toby did as he was bid; and as the horse was led at a walk, and as
+he had the long bridle to aid him in keeping his footing, he had
+no difficulty in standing during the time that the horse went once
+around the ring; but that was all.
+
+Mr. Castle seemed to think that this was preparation enough for
+the boy to be able to understand how to ride, and he started the
+horse into a canter. As might have been expected, Toby lost his
+balance, the horse went on ahead, and he was left dangling at the
+end of the rope, very much like a crab that has just been caught
+by the means of a pole and line.
+
+Toby kicked, waved his hands, and floundered about generally,
+but all to no purpose, until the horse came round again, and then
+he made frantic efforts to regain his footing, which efforts were
+aided -- or perhaps it would be more proper to say retarded -- by
+the long lash of Mr. Castle's whip, that played around his legs
+with merciless severity.
+
+"Stand up! stand up!" cried his instructor, as Toby reeled first
+to one side and then to the other, now standing erect in the saddle
+and now dangling at the end of the rope, with the horse almost out
+from under him.
+
+This command seemed needless, as it was exactly what Toby was trying
+to do; but as it was given he struggled all the harder, until it
+seemed to him that the more he tried the less did he succeed.
+
+And this first lesson progressed in about the same way until the
+hour was over, save that now and then Mr. Castle would give him
+some good advice, but oftener he would twist the long lash of the
+whip around the boy's legs with such force that Toby believed the
+skin had been taken entirely off.
+
+It may have been a relief to Mr. Castle when this first lesson
+was concluded, and it certainly was to Toby, for he had had all
+the teaching in horsemanship that he wanted, and he thought, with
+deepest sorrow, that this would be of daily occurrence during all
+the time that he remained with the circus.
+
+As he went out of the tent he stopped to speak with his friend
+the old monkey, and his troubles seemed to have increased when he
+stood in front of the cage calling, "Mr. Stubbs! Mr. Stubbs!" and
+the old fellow would not even come down from off the lofty perch
+where he was engaged in monkey gymnastics with several younger
+companions. It seemed to him, as he afterward told Ben, "as if Mr.
+Stubbs had gone back on him because he knew that he was in trouble."
+
+When he went toward the booth Mr. Lord looked at him around the
+corner of the canvas -- for it seemed to Toby that his employer
+could look around a square corner with much greater ease than he
+could straight ahead -- with a disagreeable leer in his eye, as
+though he enjoyed the misery which he knew his little clerk had
+just undergone.
+
+"Can you ride yet?" he asked, mockingly, as Toby stepped behind
+the counter to attend to his regular line of business.
+
+Toby made no reply, for he knew that the question was only asked
+sarcastically and not through any desire for information. In a few
+moments Mr. Lord left him to attend to the booth alone and went into
+the tent, where Toby rightly conjectured he had gone to question
+Mr. Castle upon the result of the lesson just given.
+
+That night Old Ben asked him how he had got on while under the
+teaching of Mr. Castle; and Toby, knowing that the question was
+asked because of the real interest which Ben had in his welfare,
+replied:
+
+"If I was tryin' to learn how to swing round the ring, strapped to
+a rope, I should say that I got along first rate; but I don't know
+much about the horse, for I was only on his back a little while at
+a time."
+
+"You'll get over that soon," said Old Ben, patronizingly, as he
+patted him on the back. "You remember my words, now: I say that
+you've got it in you, an' if you've a mind to take hold an' try
+to learn you'll come out on the top of the heap yet, an' be one of
+the smartest riders they've got in this show."
+
+"I don't want to be a rider," said Toby, sadly; "I only want to
+get back home once more, an' then you'll see how much it 'll take
+to get me away again."
+
+"Well," said Ben, quietly, "be that as it may, while you're here
+the best thing you can do is to take hold an' get ahead just as
+fast as you can; it 'll make it a mighty sight easier for you while
+you're with the show, an' it won't spoil any of your chances for
+runnin' away whenever the time comes."
+
+Toby fully appreciated the truth of this remark, and he assured
+Ben that he should do all in his power to profit by the instruction
+given, and to please this new master who had been placed over him.
+
+And with this promise he lay back on the seat and went to sleep,
+not to awaken until the preparations were being made for the entree
+into the next town, and Mr. Lord's harsh voice had cried out his
+name, with no gentle tone, several times.
+
+Toby's first lesson with Mr. Castle was the most pleasant one
+he had; for after the boy had once been into the ring his master
+seemed to expect that he could do everything which he was told to
+do, and when he failed in any little particular the long lash of
+the whip would go curling around his legs or arms, until the little
+fellow's body and limbs were nearly covered with the blue and black
+stripes.
+
+For three lessons only was the wooden upright used to keep him from
+falling; after that he was forced to ride standing erect on the
+broad wooden saddle, or pad, as it is properly called; and whenever
+he lost his balance and fell there was no question asked as to
+whether or not he had hurt himself, but he was mercilessly cut with
+the whip.
+
+Messrs. Lord and Jacobs gained very much by comparison with Mr.
+Castle in Toby's mind. He had thought that his lot could not be
+harder than it was with them; but when he had experienced the pains
+of two or three of Mr. Castle's lessons in horsemanship he thought
+that he would stay with the candy venders all the season cheerfully
+rather than take six more lessons of Mr. Castle.
+
+Night after night he fell asleep from the sheer exhaustion of crying,
+as he had been pouring out his woes in the old monkey's ears and
+laying his plans to run away. Now more than ever was he anxious
+to get away, and yet each day was taking him farther from home and
+consequently necessitating a larger amount of money with which to
+start. As Old Ben did not give him as much sympathy as Toby thought
+he ought to give -- for the old man, while he would not allow Mr.
+Job Lord to strike the boy if he was near, thought it a necessary
+portion of the education for Mr. Castle to lash him all he had a
+mind to -- he poured out all his troubles in the old monkey's ears,
+and kept him with him from the time he ceased work at night until
+he was obliged to commence again in the morning.
+
+The skeleton and his wife thought Toby's lot a hard one, and tried
+by every means in their power to cheer the poor boy. Neither one
+of them could say to Mr. Castle what they had said to Mr. Lord, for
+the rider was a far different sort of a person and one whom they
+would not be allowed to interfere with in any way. Therefore poor
+Toby was obliged to bear his troubles and his whippings as best
+he might, with only the thought to cheer him of the time when he
+could leave them all by running away.
+
+But, despite all his troubles, Toby learned to ride faster than his
+teacher had expected he would, and in three weeks he found little
+or no difficulty in standing erect while his horse went around
+the ring at his fastest gait. After that had been accomplished his
+progress was more rapid, and he gave promise of be- coming a very
+good rider -- a fact which pleased both Mr. Castle and Mr. Lord
+very much, as they fancied that in another year Toby would be the
+source of a very good income to them.
+
+The proprietor of the circus took considerable interest in Toby's
+instruction, and promised Mr. Castle that Mademoiselle Jeannette
+and Toby should do an act together in the performance just as soon
+as the latter was sufficiently advanced. The boy's costume had
+been changed after he could ride without falling off, and now while
+he was in the ring he wore the same as that used by the regular
+performers.
+
+The little girl had, after it was announced that she and Toby were
+to perform together, been an attentive observer during the hour
+that Toby was under Mr. Castle's direction, and she gave him many
+suggestions that were far more valuable, and quicker to be acted
+upon, than those given by the teacher himself.
+
+"Tomorrow you two will go through the exercise together," said Mr.
+Castle to Toby and Ella, at the close of one of Toby's lessons,
+after he had become so skillful that he could stand with ease on
+the pad, and even advanced so far that he could jump through a hoop
+without falling more than twice out of three times.
+
+The little girl appeared highly delighted by this information, and
+expressed her joy.
+
+"It will be real nice," she said to Toby, after Mr. Castle had left
+them alone. "I can help you lots, and it won't be very long before
+we can do an act all by ourselves in the performance, and then
+won't the people clap their hands when we come in!"
+
+"It 'll be better for you tomorrow than it will for me," said Toby,
+rubbing his legs sorrowfully, still feeling the sting of the whip.
+"You see, Mr. Castle won't dare to whip you, an' he 'll make it all
+count on me, 'cause he knows Mr. Lord likes to have him whip me."
+
+"But I sha'n't make any mistake," said Ella, confidently, "and so
+you won't have to be whipped on my account; and while I am on the
+horse you can't be whipped, for he couldn't do it without whipping
+me, so you see you won't get only half as much."
+
+Toby brightened up a little under the influence of this argument;
+but his countenance fell again as he thought that his chances for
+getting away from the circus were growing less each day.
+
+"You see I want to get back to Uncle Dan'l an' Guilford," he said,
+confidentially; "I don't want to stay here a single minute."
+
+Ella opened her eyes in wide astonishment as she cried: "Don't want
+to stay here? Why don't you go home, then?"
+
+"'Cause Job Lord won't let me," said Toby, wondering if it was
+possible that his little companion did not know exactly what sort
+of a man his master was.
+
+Then he told her -- after making her give him all kinds of promises,
+including the ceremony of crossing her throat, that she would never
+tell a single soul -- that he had had many thoughts, and had formed
+all kinds of plans for running away. He told her about losing his
+money, about his friendship for the skeleton and the fat lady, and
+at last he confided in her that he was intending to take the old
+monkey with him when he should make the attempt.
+
+She listened with the closest attention, and when he told her that
+his little hoard had now reached the sum of seven dollars and ten
+cents -- almost as much as he had before -- she said, eagerly: "I've
+got three little gold dollars in my trunk, an' you shall have them
+all; they're my very own, for mamma gave them to me to do just what
+I wanted to with them. But I don't see how you can take Mr. Stubbs
+with you, for that would be stealing."
+
+"No, it wouldn't, neither," said Toby, stoutly. "Wasn't he give to
+me to do just as I wanted to with? An' didn't the boss say he was
+all mine?"
+
+"Oh, I'd forgotten that," said Ella, thoughtfully. "I suppose you
+can take him; but he'll be awfully in the way, won't he?"
+
+"No," said Toby, anxious to say a good word for his pet; "he always
+does just what I want him to, an' when I tell him what I'm tryin'
+to do he'll be as good as anything. But I can't take your dollars."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"'Cause that wouldn't be right for a boy to let a girl littler than
+himself help him: I'll wait till I get money enough of my own, an'
+then I'll go."
+
+"But I want you to take my money, too; I want you to have it."
+
+"No, I can't take it," said Toby, shaking his head resolutely as
+he put the golden temptation from him; and then, as a happy thought
+occurred to him, he said, quickly: "I tell you what to do with your
+dollars: you keep them till you grow up to be a woman, an' when I'm
+a man I'll come, an' then we'll buy a circus of our own. I think
+perhaps I'd like to be with a circus if I owned one myself. We'll
+have lots of money then, an' can do just what we want to."
+
+This idea seemed to please the little girl, and the two began to
+lay all sorts of plans for that time when they should be man and
+woman, have lots of money, and be able to do just what they wanted
+to.
+
+They had been sitting on the edge of the newly made ring while
+they were talking, and before they had half finished making plans
+for the future one of the attendants came in to put things to order,
+and they were obliged to leave their seats, she going to the hotel
+to get ready for the afternoon's performance, and Toby to try to
+do such work as Mr. Job had laid out for him.
+
+Just ten weeks from the time Toby had first joined the circus Mr.
+Castle informed him and Ella that they were to appear in public
+on the following day. They had been practicing daily, and Toby had
+become so skillful that both Mr. Castle and Mr. Lord saw that the
+time had come when he could be made to earn some money for them.
+
+
+
+XV: TOBY'S FRIENDS PRESENT HIM WITH A COSTUME
+
+
+During this time Toby's funds had accumulated rather slower than on
+the first few days he was in the business, but he had saved eleven
+dollars, and Mr. Lord had paid him five dollars of his salary, so
+that be had the to him enormous sum of sixteen dollars; and he had
+about made up his mind to make one effort for liberty when the news
+came that he was to ride in public.
+
+He had, in fact, been ready to run away any time within the past
+week; but, as if they had divined his intentions, both Mr. Castle
+and Mr. Lord had kept a very strict watch over him, one or the other
+keeping him in sight from the time he got through with his labors
+at night until they saw him on the cart with Old Ben.
+
+"I was just gettin' ready to run away," said Toby to Ella on the
+day Mr. Castle gave his decision as to their taking part in the
+performance, and while they were walking out of the tent, "an' I
+shouldn't wonder now if I got away tonight."
+
+"Oh, Toby!" exclaimed the girl, as she looked reproachfully at
+him, "after all the work we've had to get ready, you won't go off
+and leave me before we've had a chance to see what the folks will
+say when they see us together?"
+
+It was impossible for Toby to feel any delight at the idea of riding
+in public, and he would have been willing to have taken one of Mr.
+Lord's most severe whippings if he could have escaped from it; but
+he and Ella had become such firm friends, and he had conceived such
+a boyish admiration for her, that he felt as if he were willing to
+bear almost anything for the sake of giving her pleasure. Therefore
+he said, after a few moments' reflection: "Well, I won't go tonight,
+anyway, even if I have the best chance that ever was. I'll stay
+one day more, anyhow, an' perhaps I'll have to stay a good many."
+
+"That's a nice boy," said Ella, positively, as Toby thus gave his
+decision, "and I'll kiss you for it."
+
+Before Toby fully realized what she was about, almost before he
+had understood what she said, she had put her arms around his neck
+and given him a good sound kiss right on his freckled face.
+
+Toby was surprised, astonished, and just a little bit ashamed. He
+had never been kissed by a girl before -- very seldom by anyone, save
+the fat lady -- and he hardly knew what to do or say. He blushed
+until his face was almost as red as his hair, and this color had the
+effect of making his freckles stand out with startling distinctness.
+Then he looked carefully around to see if anyone had seen them.
+
+"I never had a girl kiss me before," said Toby, hesitatingly, "an'
+you see it made me feel kinder queer to have you do it out here,
+where everybody could see."
+
+"Well, I kissed you because I like you very much and because you
+are going to stay and ride with me tomorrow," she said, positively;
+and then she added, slyly, "I may kiss you again, if you don't get
+a chance to run away very soon."
+
+"I wish it wasn't for Uncle Dan'l an' the rest of the folks at home,
+an' there wasn't any such men as Mr. Lord an' Mr. Castle, an' then
+I don't know but I might want to stay with the circus, 'cause I
+like you awful much."
+
+And as he spoke Toby's heart grew very tender toward the only girl
+friend he had ever known.
+
+By this time they had reached the door of the tent, and as they
+stepped outside one of the drivers told them that Mr. Treat and
+his wife were very anxious to see both of them in their tent.
+
+"I don't believe I can go," said Toby, doubtfully, as he glanced
+toward the booth, where Mr. Lord was busy in attending to customers,
+and evidently waiting for Toby to relieve him, so that he could go
+to his dinner; "I don't believe Mr. Lord will let me."
+
+"Go and ask him," said Ella, eagerly. "We won't be gone but a
+minute."
+
+Toby approached his employer with fear and trembling. He had never
+before asked leave to be away from his work, even for a moment, and
+be had no doubt but that his request would be refused with blows.
+
+"Mr. Treat wants me to come in his tent for a minute. Can I go?"
+he asked, in a timid voice, and in such a low tone as to render it
+almost inaudible.
+
+Mr. Lord looked at him for an instant, and Toby was sure that he was
+making up his mind whether to kick him or catch him by the collar
+and use the rubber cane on him. But he had no such intention,
+evidently, for he said, in a voice unusually mild, "Yes, an' you
+needn't come to work again until it's time to go into the tent."
+
+Toby was almost alarmed at this unusual kindness, and it puzzled
+him so much that he would have forgotten he had permission to go
+away if Ella had not pulled him gently by the coat.
+
+If he had heard a conversation between Mr. Lord and Mr. Castle that
+very morning he would have understood why it was that Mr. Lord had
+so suddenly become kind. Mr. Castle had told Job that the boy had
+really shown himself to be a good rider, and that in order to make
+him more contented with his lot, and to keep him from running away,
+he must be used more kindly, and perhaps be taken from the candy
+business altogether, which latter advice Mr. Lord did not look upon
+with favor, because of the large sales which the boy made.
+
+When they reached the skeleton's tent they found, to their surprise,
+that no exhibition was being given at that hour, and Ella said,
+with some concern: "How queer it is that the doors are not open!
+I do hope that they are not sick."
+
+Toby felt a strange sinking at his heart as the possibility suggested
+itself that one or both of his kind friends might be ill; for they
+had both been so kind and attentive to him that he had learned to
+love them very dearly.
+
+But the fears of both the children were dispelled when they tried to
+get in at the door and were met with the smiling skeleton himself,
+who said, as he threw the canvas aside as far as if he were admitting
+his own enormous Lilly:
+
+"Come in, my friends, come in. I have had the exhibition closed for
+one hour, in order that I might show my appreciation of my friend
+Mr. Tyler."
+
+Toby looked around in some alarm, fearing that Mr. Treat's friendship
+was about to be displayed in one of his state dinners, which he
+had learned to fear rather than enjoy. But as he saw no preparations
+for dinner he breathed more freely and wondered what all this
+ceremony could possibly mean.
+
+Neither he nor Ella was long left in doubt, for as soon as they
+had entered, Mrs. Treat waddled from behind the screen which served
+them as a dressing room, with a bundle in her arms, which she handed
+to her husband.
+
+He took it and, quickly mounting the platform, leaving Ella and
+Toby below, he commenced to speak, with very many flourishes of
+his thin arms.
+
+"My friends," he began, as he looked down upon his audience of three,
+who were listening in the following attitudes: Ella and Toby were
+standing upon the ground at the foot of the platform, looking up
+with wide open, staring eyes; and his fleshy wife was seated on a
+bench which had evidently been placed in such a position below the
+speaker's stand that she could hear and see all that was going on
+without the fatigue of standing up, which, for one of her size,
+was really very hard work -- "My friends," repeated the skeleton,
+as he held his bundle in front of him with one hand and gesticulated
+with the other, "we all of us know that tomorrow our esteemed and
+worthy friend Mr. Toby Tyler makes his first appearance in any
+ring, and we all of us believe that he will soon become a bright
+and shining light in the profession which he is so soon to enter."
+
+The speaker was here interrupted by loud applause from his wife, and
+he profited by the opportunity to wipe a stray drop of perspiration
+from his fleshless face. Then, as the fat lady ceased the exertion
+of clapping her hands, he continued:
+
+"Knowing that our friend Mr. Tyler was being instructed, preparatory
+to dazzling the public with his talents, my wife and I began to
+prepare for him some slight testimonial of our esteem; and, being
+informed by Mr. Castle some days ago of the day on which he was
+to make his first appearance before the public, we were enabled to
+complete our little gift in time for the great and important event."
+
+Here the skeleton paused to take a breath, and Toby began to grow
+more uncomfortably red in the face. Such praise made him feel very
+awkward.
+
+"I hold in this bundle," continued Mr. Treat as he waved the package
+on high, "a costume for our bold and worthy equestrian, and a sash
+to match for his beautiful and accomplished companion. In presenting
+these little tokens my wife (who has embroidered every inch of the
+velvet herself) and I feel proud to know that, when the great and
+auspicious occasion occurs tomorrow, the worthy Mr. Tyler will
+step into the ring in a costume which we have prepared expressly
+for him; and thus, when he does himself honor by his performance
+and earns the applause of the multitude, he will be doing honor
+and doing applause for the work of our hands -- my wife Lilly and
+myself. Take them, my boy; and when you array yourself in them
+tomorrow you will remember that the only living skeleton, and the
+wonder of the nineteenth century in the shape of the mammoth lady,
+are present in their works if not in their persons."
+
+As he finished speaking Mr. Treat handed the bundle to Toby, and
+then joined in the applause which was being given by Mrs. Treat
+and Ella.
+
+Toby unrolled the package, and found that it contained a circus
+rider's costume of pink tights and blue velvet trunks, collar and
+cuffs, embroidered in white and plentifully spangled with silver.
+In addition was a wide blue sash for Ella, embroidered to correspond
+with Toby's costume.
+
+The little fellow was both delighted with the gift and at a loss
+to know what to say in response. He looked at the costume over and
+over again, and the tears of gratitude that these friends should
+have been so good to him came into his eyes. He saw, however, that
+they were expecting him to say something in reply, and, laying the
+gift on the platform, he said to the skeleton and his wife:
+
+"You've been so good to me ever since I've been with the circus
+that I wish I was big enough to say somethin' more than that I'm
+much obliged, but I can't. One of these days, when I'm a man, I'll
+show you how much I like you, an' then you won't be sorry that you
+was good to such a poor little runaway boy as I am."
+
+Here the skeleton broke in with such loud applause and so many cries
+of "Hear! hear!" that Toby grew still more confused, and forgot
+entirely what he was intending to say next.
+
+"I want you to know how much obliged I am," he said, after much
+hesitation, "an' when I wear 'em I'll ride just the best I know
+how, even if I don't want to, an' you sha'n't be sorry that you
+gave them to me."
+
+As Toby concluded he made a funny little awkward bow, and then
+seemed to be trying to hide himself behind a chair from the applause
+which was given so generously.
+
+"Bless your dear little heart!" said the fat lady, after the confusion
+had somewhat subsided. "I know you will do your best, anyway, and
+I'm glad to know that you're going to make your first appearance
+in something that Samuel and I made for you."
+
+Ella was quite as well pleased with her sash as Toby was with his
+costume, and thanked Mr. and Mrs. Treat in a pretty little way that
+made Toby wish he could say anything half so nicely.
+
+The hour which the skeleton had devoted for the purpose of
+the presentation and accompanying speeches having elapsed, it was
+necessary that Ella and Toby should go and that the doors of the
+exhibition be opened at once, in order to give any of the public
+an opportunity of seeing what the placards announced as two of the
+greatest curiosities on the face of the globe.
+
+That day, while Toby performed his arduous labors, his heart was
+very light, for the evidences which the skeleton and his wife had
+given of their regard for him were very gratifying. He determined
+that he would do his very best to please so long as he was with
+the circus, and then, when he got a chance to run away, he would
+do so, but not until he had said goodby to Mr. and Mrs. Treat and
+thanked them again for their interest in him.
+
+When he had finished his work in the tent that night Mr. Lord said
+to him, as he patted him on the back in the most fatherly fashion,
+and as if he had never spoken a harsh word to him, "You can't come
+in here to sell candy now that you are one of the performers, my
+boy; an' if I can find another boy tomorrow you won't have to work
+in the booth any longer, an' your salary of a dollar a week will
+go on just the same, even if you don't have anything to do but to
+ride."
+
+This was a bit of news that was as welcome to Toby as it was
+unexpected, and he felt more happy then than he had for the ten
+weeks that he had been traveling under Mr. Lord's cruel mastership.
+
+But there was one thing that night that rather damped his joy, and
+that was that he noticed that Mr. Lord was unusually careful to
+watch him, not even allowing him to go outside the tent without
+following. He saw at once that, if he was to have a more easy time,
+his chances for running away were greatly diminished, and no number
+of beautiful costumes would have made him content to stay with the
+circus one moment longer than was absolutely necessary.
+
+That night he told Old Ben the events of the day, and expressed
+the hope that he might acquit himself creditably when he made his
+first appearance on the following day.
+
+Ben sat thoughtfully for some time, and then, making all the
+preparations which Toby knew so well signified a long bit of advice,
+he said: "Toby, my boy, I've been with a circus, man an' boy, nigh
+to forty years, an' I've seen lots of youngsters start in just as
+you re goin' to start in tomorrow; but the most of them petered
+out, because they got to knowin' more 'n them that learned 'em
+did. Now, you remember what I say, an' you'll find it good advice:
+whatever business you get into, don't think you know all about it
+before you've begun. Remember that you can always learn somethin',
+no matter how old you are, an' keep your eyes an' ears open, an'
+your tongue between your teeth, an' you'll amount to somethin', or
+my name hain't Ben."
+
+
+
+XVI: TOBY'S FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE RING
+
+
+When the circus entered the town which had been selected as the
+place where Toby was to make his debut as a circus rider the boy
+noticed a new poster among the many glaring and gaudy bills which
+set forth the varied and numerous attractions that were to be found
+under one canvas for a trifling admission fee, and he noticed it
+with some degree of interest, not thinking for a moment that it
+had any reference to him.
+
+It was printed very much as follows:
+
+MADEMOISELLE JEANNETTE AND MONSIEUR AJAX,
+
+two of the youngest equestrians in the world, will perform their
+graceful, dashing, and daring act entitled
+
+THE TRIUMPH OF THE INNOCENTS!
+
+This is the first appearance of these daring young riders together
+since their separation in Europe last season, and their performance
+in this town will have a new and novel interest.
+
+See MADEMOISELLE JEANNETTE AND MONSIEUR AJAX
+
+"Look there!" said Toby to Ben, as he pointed out the poster,
+which was printed in very large letters, with gorgeous coloring,
+and surmounted by a picture of two very small people performing all
+kinds of impossible feats on horseback. "They've got someone else
+to ride with Ella today. I wonder who it can be?"
+
+Ben looked at Toby for a moment, as if to assure himself that the
+boy was in earnest in asking the question, and then he relapsed
+into the worst fit of silent laughing that Toby had ever seen. After
+he had quite recovered he asked: "Don't you know who Monsieur Ajax
+is? Hain't you never seen him?"
+
+"No," replied Toby, at a loss to understand what there was so very
+funny in his very natural question. "I thought that I was goin' to
+ride with Ella."
+
+"Why, that's you!" almost screamed Ben, in delight. "Monsieur Ajax
+means you -- didn't you know it? You don't suppose they would go
+to put 'Toby Tyler' on the bills, do you? How it would look! --
+'Mademoiselle Jeannette an' Monsieur Toby Tyler'!"
+
+Ben was off in one of his laughing spells again; and Toby sat there,
+stiff and straight, hardly knowing whether to join in the mirth or
+to get angry at the sport which had been made of his name.
+
+"I don't care," he said, at length. "I'm sure I think Toby Tyler
+sounds just as well as Monsieur Ajax, an' I'm sure it fits me a
+good deal better."
+
+"That may be," said Ben, soothingly; "but you see it wouldn't go
+down so well with the public. They want furrin riders, an' they
+must have 'em, even if it does spoil your name."
+
+Despite the fact that he did not like the new name that had been
+given him, Toby could not but feel pleased at the glowing terms
+in which his performance was set off; but he did not at all relish
+the lie that was told about his having been with Ella in Europe,
+and he would have been very much better pleased if that portion of
+it had been left off.
+
+During the forenoon he did not go near Mr. Lord nor his candy stand,
+for Mr. Castle kept him and Ella busily engaged in practicing the
+feat which they were to perform in the afternoon, and it was almost
+time for the performance to begin before they were allowed even to
+go to their dinner.
+
+Ella, who had performed several years, was very much more excited
+over the coming debut than Toby was, and the reason why he did not
+show more interest was, probably, because of his great desire to
+leave the circus as soon as possible, and during that forenoon he
+thought very much more of how he should get back to Guilford and
+Uncle Daniel than he did of how he should get along when he stood
+before the audience.
+
+Mr. Castle assisted his pupil to dress, and when that was done to
+his entire satisfaction he said, in a stern voice, "Now you can
+do this act all right, and if you slip up on it and don't do it as
+you ought to, I'll give you such a whipping when you come out of
+the ring that you'll think Job was only fooling with you when he
+tried to whip you."
+
+Toby had been feeling reasonably cheerful before this, but these
+words dispelled all his cheerful thoughts, and he was looking more
+disconsolate when Old Ben came into the dressing tent.
+
+"All ready are you, my boy?" said the old man, in his cheeriest
+voice. "Well, that's good, an' you look as nice as possible. Now
+remember what I told you last night, Toby, an' go in there to do
+your level best an' make a name for yourself. Come out here with
+me and wait for the young lady."
+
+These cheering words of Ben's did Toby as much good as Mr. Castle's
+had the reverse, and as he stepped out of the dressing room to the
+place where the horses were being saddled Toby resolved that he
+would do his very best that afternoon, if for no other reason than
+to please his old friend.
+
+Toby was not naturally what might be called a pretty boy, for his
+short red hair and his freckled face prevented any great display of
+beauty; but he was a good, honest looking boy, and in his tasteful
+costume looked very nice indeed -- so nice that, could Mrs. Treat
+have seen him just then, she would have been very proud of her
+handiwork and hugged him harder than ever.
+
+He had been waiting but a few moments when Ella came from her dressing
+room, and Toby was much pleased when he saw by the expression of
+her face that she was perfectly satisfied with his appearance.
+
+"We'll both do just as well as we can," she whispered to him, "and
+I know the people will like us and make us come back after we get
+through. And if they do mamma says she'll give each one of us a
+gold dollar."
+
+She had taken hold of Toby's hand as she spoke, and her manner was
+so earnest and anxious that Toby was more excited than he ever had
+been about his debut; and, had he gone into the ring just at that
+moment, the chances are that he would have surprised even his
+teacher by his riding.
+
+"I'll do just as well as I can," said Toby, in reply to his little
+companion, "an' if we earn the dollars I'll have a hole bored in
+mine, an' you shall wear it around your neck to remember me by."
+
+"I'll remember you without that," she whispered; "and I'll give you
+mine, so that you shall have so much the more when you go to your
+home."
+
+There was no time for further conversation, for Mr. Castle entered
+just then to tell them that they must go in in another moment. The
+horses were all ready -- a black one for Toby, and a white one for
+Ella -- and they stood champing their bits and pawing the earth
+in their impatience until the silver bells with which they were
+decorated rang out quick, nervous little chimes that accorded very
+well with Toby's feelings.
+
+Ella squeezed Toby's hand as they stood waiting for the curtain
+to be raised that they might enter, and he had just time to return
+it when the signal was given, and almost before he was aware of it
+they were standing in the ring, kissing their hands to the crowds
+that packed the enormous tent to its utmost capacity.
+
+Thanks to the false announcement about the separation of the children
+in Europe and their reunion in this particular town, the applause
+was long and loud, and before it had died away Toby had time to
+recover a little from the queer feeling which this sea of heads
+gave him.
+
+He had never seen such a crowd before, except as he had seen them
+as he walked around at the foot of the seats, and then they had
+simply looked like so many human beings; but as he saw them now from
+the ring they appeared like strange rows of heads without bodies,
+and he had hard work to keep from running back behind the curtain
+whence he had come.
+
+Mr. Castle acted as the ringmaster this time, and after he had
+introduced them -- very much after the fashion of the posters --
+and the clown had repeated some funny joke, the horses were led in
+and they were assisted to mount.
+
+"Don't mind the people at all," said Mr. Castle, in a low voice,
+"but ride just as if you were alone here with me."
+
+The music struck up, the horses cantered around the ring, and Toby
+had really started as a circus rider.
+
+"Remember," said Ella to him, in a low tone, just as the horses
+started, "you told me that you would ride just as well as you could,
+and we must earn the dollars mamma promised."
+
+It seemed to Toby at first as if he could not stand up, but by
+the time they had ridden around the ring once, and Ella had again
+cautioned him against making any mistake, for the sake of the money
+which they were going to earn, he was calm and collected enough to
+carry out his part of the "act" as well as if he had been simply
+taking a lesson.
+
+The act consisted in their riding side by side, jumping over banners
+and through hoops covered with paper, and then the most difficult
+portion began.
+
+The saddles, were taken off the horses, and they were to ride first
+on one horse and then on the other, until they concluded their
+performance by riding twice around the ring side by side, standing
+on their horses, each one with a hand on the other's shoulder.
+
+All this was successfully accomplished without a single error,
+and when they rode out of the ring the applause was so great as to
+leave no doubt but that they would be recalled and thus earn the
+promised money.
+
+In fact, they had hardly got inside the curtain when one of the
+attendants called to them, and before they had time even to speak
+to each other they were in the ring again, repeating the last
+portion of their act.
+
+When they came out of the ring for the second time they found Old
+Ben, the skeleton, the fat lady, and Mr. Job Lord waiting to welcome
+them; but before anyone could say a word Ella had stood on tiptoe
+again and given Toby just such another kiss as she did when he told
+her that he would surely stay long enough to appear in the ring
+with her once.
+
+"That's because you rode so well and helped me so much," she said,
+as she saw Toby's cheeks growing a fiery red; and then she turned
+to those who were waiting to greet her.
+
+Mrs. Treat took her in her enormous arms, and, having kissed her,
+put her down quickly, and clasped Toby as if he had been a very
+small walnut and her arms a very large pair of nutcrackers.
+
+"Bless the boy!" she exclaimed, as she kissed him again and again
+with an energy and force that made her kisses sound like the crack
+of the whip and caused the horses to stamp in affright. "I knew
+he'd amount to something one of these days, an' Samuel an' I had
+to come out, when business was dull, just to see how he got along."
+
+It was some time before she would unloose him from her motherly
+embrace, and when she did the skeleton grasped him by the hand and
+said, in the most pompous and affected manner:
+
+"Mr. Tyler, we're proud of you, and when we saw that costume of
+yours, that my Lilly embroidered with her own hands, we was both
+proud of it and what it contained. You're a great rider, my boy, a
+great rider, and you 'll stand at the head of the profession some
+day, if you only stick to it."
+
+"Thank you, sir," was all Toby had time to say before Old Ben had
+him by the hand, and the skeleton was pouring out his congratulations
+in little Miss Ella's ear.
+
+"Toby, my boy, you did well, an' now you'll amount to something,
+if you only remember what I told you last night," said Ben, as he
+looked upon the boy whom he had come to think of as his protege,
+with pride. "I never seen anybody of your age do any better; an'
+now, instead of bein' only a candy peddler, you're one of the stars
+of the show."
+
+"Thank you, Ben," was all that Toby could say, for he knew that
+his old friend meant every word that he said, and it pleased him
+so much that he could say no more than "Thank you" in reply.
+
+"I feel as if your triumph was mine," said Mr. Lord, looking benignly
+at Toby from out his crooked eye, and assuming the most fatherly
+tone at his command; "I have learned to look upon you almost as my
+own son, and your success is very gratifying to me."
+
+Toby was not at all flattered by this last praise. If he had never
+seen Mr. Lord before, he might, and probably would, have been
+deceived by his words; but he had seen him too often, and under
+too many painful circumstances, to be at all swindled by his words.
+
+Toby was very much pleased with his success and by the praise he
+received from all, and when the proprietor of the circus came along,
+patted him on the head, and told him that he rode very nicely, he
+was quite happy, until he chanced to see the greedy twinkle in Mr.
+Lord's eye, and then he knew that all this success and all this
+praise were only binding him faster to the show which he was so
+anxious to escape from; his pleasure vanished very quickly, and in
+its stead came a bitter, homesick feeling which no amount of praise
+could banish.
+
+It was Old Ben who helped him to undress after the skeleton and
+the fat lady had gone to their tent and Ella had gone to dress for
+her appearance with her mother, for now she was obliged to ride
+twice at each performance. When Toby was in ordinary clothes again
+Ben said:
+
+"Now that you're one of the performers, Toby, you won't have to sell
+candy any more, an' you'll have the most of your time to yourself,
+so let's you an' I go out an' see the town."
+
+"Don't you s'pose Mr. Lord expects me to go to work for him again
+today?"
+
+"An' s'posin' he does?" said Ben, with a chuckle. "You don't s'pose
+the boss would let any one that rides in the ring stand behind Job
+Lord's counter, do you? You can do just as you have a mind to, my
+boy, an' I say to you, let's go out an' see the town. What do you
+say to it?"
+
+"I'd like to go first rate, if I dared to," replied Toby, thinking
+of the many whippings he had received for far less than that which
+Ben now proposed he should do.
+
+"Oh, I'll take care that Job don't bother you, so come along"; and
+Ben started out of the tent, and Toby followed, feeling considerably
+frightened at this first act of disobedience against his old master.
+
+
+
+
+XVII: OFF FOR HOME!
+
+
+During this walk Toby learned many things that were of importance
+to him, so far as his plan for running away was concerned. In the
+first place, he gleaned from the railway posters that were stuck
+up in the hotel to which they went that he could buy a ticket for
+Guilford for seven dollars, and also that, by going back to the
+town from which they had come, he could go to Guilford by steamer
+for five dollars.
+
+By returning to this last town -- and Toby calculated that the
+fare on the stage back there could not be more than a dollar -- he
+would have ten dollars left, and that surely ought to be sufficient
+to buy food enough for two days for the most hungry boy that ever
+lived.
+
+When they returned to the circus grounds the performance was over,
+and Mr. Lord in the midst of the brisk trade which he usually had
+after the afternoon performance, and yet, so far from scolding Toby
+for going away, he actually smiled and bowed at him as he saw him
+go by with Ben.
+
+"See there, Toby," said the old driver to the boy, as he gave
+him a vigorous poke in the ribs and then went off into one of his
+dreadful laughing spells -- "see what it is to be a performer an'
+not workin' for such an old fossil as Job is! He'll be so sweet to
+you now that sugar won't melt in his mouth, an' there's no chance
+of his ever attemptin' to whip you again."
+
+Toby made no reply, for he was too busily engaged thinking of
+something which had just come into his mind to know that his friend
+had spoken.
+
+But as Old Ben hardly knew whether the boy had answered him or
+not, owing to his being obliged to struggle with his breath lest
+he should lose it in the second laughing spell that attacked him,
+the boy's thoughtfulness was not particularly noticed.
+
+Toby walked around the show grounds for a little while with his
+old friend, and then the two went to supper, where Toby performed
+quite as great wonders in the way of eating as he had in the
+afternoon by riding.
+
+As soon as the supper was over he quietly slipped away from Old
+Ben, and at once paid a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Treat, whom he found
+cozily engaged in their supper behind the screen.
+
+They welcomed Toby most cordially, and, despite his assertions that
+he had just finished a very hearty meal, the fat lady made him sit
+down to the box which served as table, and insisted on his trying
+some of her doughnuts.
+
+Under all these pressing attentions it was some time before Toby
+found a chance to say that which he had come to say, and when he
+did he was almost at a loss how to proceed; but at last he commenced
+by starting abruptly on his subject with the words, "I've made up
+my mind to leave tonight."
+
+"Leave tonight?" repeated the skeleton, inquiringly, not for a
+moment believing that Toby could think of running away after the
+brilliant success he had just made. "What do you mean, Toby?"
+
+"Why, you know that I've been wantin' to get away from the circus,"
+said Toby, a little impatient that his friend should be so wonderfully
+stupid, "an' I think that I'll have as good a chance now as ever
+I shall, so I'm goin' to try it."
+
+"Bless us!" exclaimed the fat lady, in a gasping way. "You don't
+mean to say that you're goin' off just when you've started in the
+business so well? I thought you'd want to stay after you'd been so
+well received this afternoon."
+
+"No," said Toby -- and one quick little sob popped right up from
+his heart and out before he was aware of it -- "I learned to ride
+because I had to, but I never give up runnin' away. I must see
+Uncle Dan'l, an' tell him how sorry I am for what I did; an' if he
+won't have anything to say to me I'll come back; but if he'll let
+me I'll stay there, an' I'll be so good that by 'n' by he'll forget
+that I run off an' left him without sayin' a word."
+
+There was such a touch of sorrow in his tones, so much pathos in his
+way of speaking, that good Mrs. Treat's heart was touched at once;
+and putting her arms around the little fellow, as if to shield him
+from some harm, she said, tenderly: "And so you shall go, Toby, my
+boy; but if you ever want a home or anybody to love you come right
+here to us, and you'll never be sorry. So long as Sam keeps thin
+and I fat enough to draw the public you never need say that you're
+homeless, for nothing would please us better than to have you come
+to live with us."
+
+For reply Toby raised his head and kissed her on the cheek, a
+proceeding which caused her to squeeze him harder than ever.
+
+During this conversation the skeleton had remained very thoughtful.
+After a moment or two he got up from his seat, went outside the
+tent, and presently returned with a quantity of silver ten cent
+pieces in his hand.
+
+"Here, Toby," he said -- and it was to be seen that he was really
+too much affected even to attempt one of his speeches -- "it's right
+that you should go, for I've known what it is to feel just as you
+do. What Lilly said about your having a home with us I say, an'
+here's five dollars that I want you to take to help you along."
+
+At first Toby stoutly refused to take the money; but they both
+insisted to such a degree that he was actually forced to, and then
+he stood up to go.
+
+"I'm goin' to try to slip off after Job packs up the outside booth,
+if I can," he said, "an' it was to say goodby that I come around
+here."
+
+Again Mrs. Treat took the boy in her arms, as if it were one of
+her own children who was leaving her, and as she stroked his hair
+back from his forehead she said: "Don't forget us, Toby, even if
+you never do see us again; try an' remember how much we cared for
+you, an' how much comfort you're taking away from us when you go;
+for it was a comfort to see you around, even if you wasn't with us
+very much. Don't forget us, Toby, an' if you ever get the chance,
+come an' see us. Goodby, Toby, goodby." And the kind hearted woman
+kissed him again and again, and then turned her back resolutely
+upon him, lest it should be bad luck to him if she again saw him
+after saying goodby.
+
+The skeleton's parting was not quite so demonstrative. He clasped
+Toby's hand with one set of his fleshless fingers, while with the
+other he wiped one or two suspicious looking drops of moisture from
+his eyes as he said: "I hope you'll get along all right, my boy,
+and I believe you will. You will get home to Uncle Daniel and
+be happier than ever, for now you know what it is to be entirely
+without a home. Be a good boy, mind your uncle, go to school, and
+one of these days you'll make a good man. Goodby, my boy."
+
+The tears were now streaming down Toby's face very rapidly; he
+had not known, in his anxiety to get home, how very much he cared
+for this strangely assorted couple, and now it made him feel very
+miserable and wretched that he was going to leave them. He tried
+to say something more, but the tears choked his utterance and he
+left the tent quickly to prevent himself from breaking down entirely.
+
+In order that his grief might not be noticed and the cause of it
+suspected, Toby went out behind the tent, and, sitting there on a
+stone, he gave way to the tears which he could no longer control.
+
+While he was thus engaged, heeding nothing which passed around
+him, he was startled by a cheery voice which cried: "Halloo! down
+in the dumps again? What is the matter now, my bold equestrian?"
+
+Looking up, he saw Ben standing before him, and he wiped his eyes
+hastily, for here was another from whom he must part and to whom
+a goodby must be spoken.
+
+Looking around to make sure that no one was within hearing, he went
+up very close to the old driver and said, in almost a whisper: "I
+was feelin' bad 'cause I just come from Mr. and Mrs. Treat, an'
+I've been sayin' goodby to them. I'm goin' to run away tonight."
+
+Ben looked at him for a moment, as if he doubted whether the boy
+knew exactly what he was talking about, and then said, "So you
+still want to go home, do you?"
+
+"Oh yes, Ben, so much," was the reply, in a tone which expressed
+how dear to him was the thought of being in his old home once more.
+
+"All right, my boy; I won't say one word ag'in' it, though it do
+seem too bad, after you've turned out to be such a good rider,"
+said the old man, thoughtfully. "It's better for you, I know; for
+a circus hain't no place for a boy, even if he wants to stay, an'
+I can't say but I'm glad you're still determined to go."
+
+Toby felt relieved at the tone of this leave taking. He had feared
+that Old Ben, who thought a circus rider was almost on the topmost
+round of fortune's ladder, would have urged him to stay, since he
+had made his debut in the ring, and he was almost afraid that he
+might take some steps to prevent his going.
+
+"I wanted to say goodby now," said Toby, in a choking voice, "'cause
+perhaps I sha'n't see you again.
+
+"Goodby, my boy," said Ben as he took the boy's hand in his. "Don't
+forget this experience you've had in runnin' away; an if ever the
+time comes that you feel as if you wanted to know that you had a
+friend, think of Old Ben, an' remember that his heart beats just
+as warm for you as if he was your father. Goodby, my boy, goodby,
+an' may the good God bless you!"
+
+"Goodby, Ben," said Toby; and then, as the old driver turned and
+walked away, wiping something from his eye with the cuff of his
+sleeve, Toby gave full vent to his tears and wondered why it was
+that he was such a miserable little wretch.
+
+There was one more goodby to be said, and that Toby dreaded more
+than all the others. It was to Ella. He knew that she would feel
+badly to have him go, because she liked to ride the act with him
+that gave them such applause, and he felt certain that she would
+urge him to stay.
+
+Just then the thought of another of his friends -- one who had not
+yet been warned of what very important matter was to occur -- came
+to his mind, and he hastened toward the old monkey's cage. His pet
+was busily engaged in playing with some of the younger members of
+his family, and for some moments could not be induced to come to
+the bars of the cage.
+
+At last, however, Toby did succeed in coaxing him forward, and
+then, taking him by the paw and drawing him as near as possible,
+Toby whispered, "We're goin' to run away tonight, Mr. Stubbs, an'
+I want you to be all ready to go the minute I come for you."
+
+The old monkey winked both eyes violently, and then showed his teeth
+to such an extent that Toby thought he was laughing at the prospect,
+and he said, a little severely, "If you had as many friends as I
+have got in the circus you wouldn't laugh when you was goin' to leave
+them. Of course I've got to go, an' I want to go; but it makes me
+feel bad to leave the skeleton, an' the fat woman, an Old Ben, an'
+little Ella. But I mustn't stand here. You be ready when I come
+for you, an' by mornin' we'll be so far off that Mr. Lord nor Mr.
+Castle can't catch us."
+
+The old monkey went toward his companions, as if he were in high
+glee at the trip before him, and Toby went into the dressing tent
+to prepare for the evening's performance -- which was about to
+commence.
+
+It appeared to the boy as if everyone was unusually kind to him
+that night, and, feeling sad at leaving those in the circus who
+had befriended him, Toby was unusually attentive to everyone around
+him. He ran on some trifling errand for one, helped another in his
+dressing, and in a dozen kind ways seemed as if trying to atone
+for leaving them secretly.
+
+When the time came for him to go into the ring and he met Ella,
+bright and happy at the thought of riding with him and repeating her
+triumphs of the afternoon, nothing save the thought of how wicked
+he had been to run away from good old Uncle Daniel, and a desire
+to right that wrong in some way, prevented him from giving up his
+plan of going back.
+
+The little girl observed his sadness, and she whispered, "Has anyone
+been whipping you, Toby?"
+
+Toby shook his head. He had thought that he would tell her what he
+was about to do just before they went into the ring, but her kind
+words seemed to make that impossible, and he had said nothing when
+the blare of the trumpets, the noisy demonstrations of the audience,
+and the announcement of the clown that the wonderful children riders
+were now about to appear, ushered them into the ring.
+
+If Toby had performed well in the afternoon, he accomplished
+wonders on this evening, and they were called back into the ring,
+not once, but twice; and when finally they were allowed to retire
+everyone behind the curtain overwhelmed them with praise.
+
+Ella was so profuse with her kind words, her admiration for what
+Toby had done, and so delighted at the idea that they were to ride
+together, that even then the boy could not tell her what he was
+going to do, but went into his dressing room, resolving that he
+would tell her all when they both had finished dressing.
+
+Toby made as small a parcel as possible of the costume which Mr.
+and Mrs. Treat had given him -- for he determined that he would
+take it with him -- and, putting it under his coat, went out to wait
+for Ella. As she did not come out as soon as he expected, he asked
+someone to tell her that he wanted to see her, and he thought to
+himself that when she did come she would be in a hurry and could
+not stop long enough to make any very lengthy objections to his
+leaving.
+
+But she did not come at all -- her mother sent out word that Toby
+could not see her until after the performance was over, owing to
+the fact that it was now nearly time for her to go into the ring,
+and she was not dressed yet.
+
+Toby was terribly disappointed. He knew that it would not be safe
+for him to wait until the close of the performance if he were
+intending to run away that night, and he felt that he could not go
+until he had said a few last words to her.
+
+He was in a great perplexity, until the thought came to him that
+he could write a goodby to her, and by this means any unpleasant
+discussion would be avoided.
+
+After some little difficulty he procured a small piece of not very
+clean paper and a very short bit of lead pencil, and, using the
+top of one of the wagons, as he sat on the seat, for a desk, he
+indited the following epistle:
+
+deaR ella I Am goin to Run away two night, & i want two say good
+by to yu & your mother. i am Small & unkle Danil says i dont mount
+two much, but i am old enuf two know that you have bin good two me,
+& when i Am a man i will buy you a whole cirkus, and we Will ride
+together. dont forgit me & i wont yu in haste
+
+Toby Tyler.
+
+Toby had no envelope in which to seal this precious letter, but
+he felt that it would not be seen by prying eyes and would safely
+reach its destination if he intrusted it to Old Ben.
+
+It did not take him many moments to find the old driver, and he
+said, as he handed him the letter, "I didn't see Ella to tell her
+I was goin', so I wrote this letter, an' I want to know if you will
+give it to her?"
+
+"Of course I will. But see here, Toby" -- and Ben caught him by the
+sleeve and led him aside where he would not be overheard -- "have
+you got enough money to take you home? for if you haven't I can
+let you have some." And Ben plunged his hand into his capacious
+pocket, as if he was about to withdraw from there the entire United
+States Treasury.
+
+Toby assured him that he had sufficient for all his wants; but the
+old man would not be satisfied until he had seen for himself, and
+then, taking Toby's hand again, he said: "Now, my boy, it won't do
+for you to stay around here any longer. Buy something to eat before
+you start, an' go into the woods for a day or two before you take
+the train or steamboat.
+
+"You're too big a prize for Job or Castle to let you go without
+a word, an' they'll try their level best to find you. Be careful,
+now, for if they should catch you, goodby any more chances to get
+away. There" -- and here Ben suddenly lifted him high from the
+ground and kissed him -- "now get away as fast as you can."
+
+Toby pressed the old man's hand affectionately, and then, without
+trusting himself to speak, walked swiftly out toward the entrance.
+
+He resolved to take Ben's advice and go into the woods for a short
+time, and therefore he must buy some provisions before he started.
+
+As he passed the monkeys' cage he saw his pet sitting near the
+bars, and he stopped long enough to whisper, "I'll be back in ten
+minutes, Mr. Stubbs, an' you be all ready then."
+
+Then he went on, and just as he got near the entrance one of the
+men told him that Mrs. Treat wished to see him.
+
+Toby could hardly afford to spare the time just then, but he would
+probably have obeyed the summons if he had known that by so doing
+he would be caught, and he ran as fast as his little legs would
+carry him toward the skeleton's tent.
+
+The exhibition was open, and both the skeleton, and his wife were
+on the platform when Toby entered; but he crept around at the back
+and up behind Mrs. Treat's chair, telling her as he did so that he
+had just received her message and that he must hurry right back,
+for every moment was important then to him.
+
+"I put up a nice lunch for you," she said as she kissed him, "and
+you'll find it on the top of the biggest trunk. Now go; and if my
+wishes are of any good to you, you will get to your uncle Daniel's
+house without any trouble. Goodby again, little one."
+
+Toby did not dare to trust himself any longer where everyone was
+so kind to him. He slipped down from the platform as quickly as
+possible, found the bundle -- and a good sized one it was, too --
+without any difficulty, and went back to the monkeys' cage.
+
+As orders had been given by the proprietor of the circus that
+the boy should do as he had a mind to with the monkey, he called
+Mr. Stubbs; and as he was in the custom of taking him with him at
+night, no one thought that it was anything strange that he should
+take him from the cage now.
+
+Mr. Lord or Mr. Castle might possibly have thought it queer had either
+of them seen the two bundles which Toby carried, but, fortunately
+for the boy's scheme, they both believed that he was in the dressing
+tent, and consequently thought that he was perfectly safe.
+
+Toby's hand shook so that he could hardly undo the fastening of
+the cage, and when he attempted to call the monkey to him his voice
+sounded so strange and husky that it startled him.
+
+The old monkey seemed to prefer sleeping with Toby rather than
+with those of his kind in the cage; and as the boy took him with
+him almost every night, he came on this particular occasion as soon
+as Toby called, regardless of the strange sound of his master's
+voice.
+
+With his bundles under his arm and the monkey on his shoulder,
+with both paws tightly clasped around his neck, Toby made his way
+out of the tent with beating heart and bated breath.
+
+Neither Mr. Lord, Castle, nor Jacobs were in sight, and everything
+seemed favorable for his flight. During the afternoon he had
+carefully noted the direction of the woods, and he started swiftly
+toward them now, stopping only long enough, as he was well clear
+of the tents, to say, in a whisper:
+
+"Goodby, Mr. Treat, an' Mrs. Treat, an' Ella, an' Ben. Sometime,
+when I'm a man, I'll come back an' bring you lots of nice things,
+an' I'll never forget you -- never. When I have a chance to be good
+to some little boy that felt as bad as I did I'll do it, an' tell
+him that it was you did it. Goodby."
+
+Then, turning around, he ran toward the woods as swiftly as if his
+escape had been discovered and the entire company were in pursuit.
+
+
+
+XVIII: A DAY OF FREEDOM
+
+
+Toby ran at the top of his speed over the rough road; and the
+monkey, jolted from one side to the other, clutched his paws more
+tightly around the boy's neck, looking around into his face as if
+to ask what was the meaning of this very singular proceeding.
+
+When he was so very nearly breathless as to be able to run no more,
+but was forced to walk, Toby looked behind him, and there he could
+see the bright lights of the circus and hear the strains of the
+music as he had heard them on the night when he was getting ready
+to run away from Uncle Daniel; and those very sounds, which reminded
+him forcibly of how ungrateful he had been to the old man who had
+cared for him when there was no one else in the world who would do
+so, made it more easy for him to leave those behind who had been
+so kind to him when he stood so much in need of kindness.
+
+"We are goin' home, Mr. Stubbs!" he said, exultantly, to the monkey
+-- "home to Uncle Dan'l an' the boys; an' won't you have a good
+time when we get there! You can run all over the barn, an' up in
+the trees, an' do just what you want to, an' there'll be plenty
+of fellows to play with you. You don't know half how good a place
+Guilford is, Mr. Stubbs."
+
+The monkey chattered away as if he were anticipating lots of fun
+on his arrival at Toby's home, and the boy chattered back, his
+spirits rising at every step which took him farther away from the
+collection of tents where he had spent so many wretched hours.
+
+A brisk walk of half an hour sufficed to take Toby to the woods,
+and after some little search he found a thick clump of bushes in
+which he concluded he could sleep without the risk of being seen
+by anyone who might pass that way before he should be awake in the
+morning.
+
+He had not much choice in the way of a bed, for it was so dark in
+the woods that it was impossible to collect moss or leaves to make
+a soft resting place, and the few leaves and pine boughs which he
+did gather made his place for sleeping but very little softer.
+
+But during the ten weeks that Toby had been with the circus his
+bed had seldom been anything softer than the seat of the wagon,
+and it troubled him very little that he was to sleep with nothing
+but a few leaves between himself and the earth.
+
+Using the bundle in which was his riding costume for a pillow,
+and placing the lunch Mrs. Treat had given him near by, where the
+monkey could not get at it conveniently, he cuddled Mr. Stubbs up
+to his bosom and lay down to sleep.
+
+"Mr. Lord won't wake us up in the mornin' an' swear at us for not
+washin' the tumblers," said Toby, in a tone of satisfaction, to the
+monkey; "an' we won't have to go into the tent tomorrow an' sell
+sick lemonade an' poor peanuts. But" -- and here his tone changed
+to one of sorrow -- "there'll be some there that 'll be sorry not to
+see us in the mornin', Mr. Stubbs, though they'll be glad to know
+that we got away all right. But won't Mr. Lord swear, an' won't
+Mr. Castle crack his whip, when they come to look round for us in
+the mornin' an' find that we hain't there!"
+
+The reply which the monkey made to this was to nestle his head
+closer under Toby's coat, and to show, in the most decided manner,
+that he was ready to go to sleep.
+
+And Toby was quite as ready to go to sleep as he was. He had worked
+hard that day, but the excitement of escaping had prevented him
+from realizing his fatigue until after he had lain down; and almost
+before he had got through congratulating himself upon the ease
+with which he had gotten free both he and the monkey were as sound
+asleep as if they had been tucked up in the softest bed that was
+ever made.
+
+Toby's very weariness was a friend to him that night, for it
+prevented him from waking; which, if he had done so, might have
+been unpleasant when he fully realized that he was all alone in
+the forest, and the sounds that are always heard in the woods might
+have frightened him just the least bit.
+
+The sun was shining directly in his face when Toby awoke on the
+following morning, and the old monkey was still snugly nestled
+under his coat. He sat up rather dazed at first, and then, as he
+fully realized that he was actually free from all that had made his
+life such a sad and hard one for so many weeks, he shouted aloud,
+reveling in his freedom.
+
+The monkey, awakened by Toby's cries, started from his sleep in
+affright and jumped into the nearest tree, only to chatter, jump,
+and swing from the boughs when he saw that there was nothing very
+unusual going on, save that he and Toby were out in the woods
+again, where they could have no end of a good time and do just as
+they liked.
+
+After a few moments spent in a short jubilee at their escape Toby
+took the monkey on his shoulder and the bundles under his arm again,
+and went cautiously out to the edge of the thicket, where he could
+form some idea as to whether or no they were pursued.
+
+He had entered the woods at the brow of a small hill when he had
+fled so hastily on the previous evening, and, looking down, he could
+see the spot whereon the tents of the circus had been pitched, but
+not a sign of them was now visible. He could see a number of people
+walking around, and he fancied that they looked up every now and
+then to where he stood concealed by the foliage.
+
+This gave him no little uneasiness, for he feared that Mr. Lord or
+Mr. Castle might be among the number, and he believed that they
+would begin a search for him at once, and that the spot where
+their attention would first be drawn was exactly where he was then
+standing.
+
+"This won't do, Mr. Stubbs," he said, as he pushed the monkey higher
+up on his shoulder and started into the thickest part of the woods;
+"we must get out of this place an' go farther down, where we can
+hide till tomorrow mornin'. Besides, we must find some water where
+we can wash our faces."
+
+The old monkey would hardly have been troubled if they had not
+got their faces washed for the next month to come; but he grinned
+and talked as Toby trudged along, attempting to catch hold of the
+leaves as they were passed, and in various other ways impeding his
+master's progress, until Toby was obliged to give him a most severe
+scolding in order to make him behave himself in anything like a
+decent manner.
+
+At last, after fully half an hour's rapid walking, Toby found just
+the place he wanted in which to pass the time he concluded it would
+be necessary to spend before he dare venture out to start for home.
+
+It was a little valley entirely filled by trees, which grew so
+thickly, save in one little spot, as to make it almost impossible
+to walk through. The one clear spot was not more than ten feet
+square, but it was just at the edge of a swiftly running brook;
+and a more beautiful or convenient place for a boy and a monkey
+to stop who had no tent, nor means to build one, could not well be
+imagined.
+
+Toby's first act was to wash his face, and he tried to make the
+monkey do the same; but Mr. Stubbs had no idea of doing any such
+foolish thing. He would come down close to the edge of the water
+and look in; but the moment that Toby tried to make him go in he
+would rush back among the trees, climb out on some slender bough,
+and then swing himself down by the tail, and chatter away as if
+making sport of his young master for thinking that he would be so
+foolish as to soil his face with water.
+
+After Toby had made his toilet he unfastened the bundle which the
+fat lady had given him, for the purpose of having breakfast. As
+much of an eater as Toby was, he could not but be surprised at the
+quantity of food which Mrs. Treat called a lunch. There were two
+whole pies and half of another, as many as two dozen doughnuts,
+several large pieces of cheese, six sandwiches, with a plentiful
+amount of meat, half a dozen biscuits, nicely buttered, and a large
+piece of cake.
+
+The monkey had come down from the tree as soon as he saw Toby untying
+the bundle, and there was quite as much pleasure depicted on his
+face, when he saw the good things that were spread out before him,
+as there was on Toby's; and he showed his thankfulness at Mrs.
+Treat's foresight by suddenly snatching one of the doughnuts and
+running with it up the tree, where he knew Toby could not follow.
+
+"Now look here, Mr. Stubbs!" said Toby, sternly, "you can have all
+you want to eat, but you must take it in a decent way, an' not go
+to cuttin' up any such shines as that."
+
+And after giving this command -- which, by the way, was obeyed just
+about as well as it was understood -- Toby devoted his time to his
+breakfast, and he reduced the amount of eatables very considerably
+before he had finished.
+
+Toby cleared off his table by gathering the food together and putting
+it back into the paper as well as possible, and then he sat down
+to think over the situation and to decide what he had better do.
+
+He felt rather nervous about venturing out when it was possible
+for Mr. Lord or Mr. Castle to get hold of him again; and as the
+weather was yet warm during the night, his camping place everything
+that could be desired, and the stock of food likely to hold out, he
+concluded that he had better remain there for two days at least,
+and then he would be reasonably sure that if either of the men
+whom he so dreaded to see had remained behind for the purpose of
+catching him, he would have got tired out and gone on.
+
+This point decided upon, the next was to try to fix up something
+soft for a bed. He had his pocketknife with him, and in his little
+valley were pine and hemlock trees in abundance. From the tips of
+their branches he knew that he could make a bed as soft and fragrant
+as any that could be thought of, and he set to work at once, while
+Mr. Stubbs continued his antics above his head.
+
+After about two hours' steady work he had cut enough of the tender
+branches to make himself a bed into which he and the monkey could
+burrow and sleep as comfortably as if they were in the softest bed
+in Uncle Daniel's house.
+
+When Toby first began to cut the boughs he had an idea that he
+might possibly make some sort of a hut; but the two hours' work
+had blistered his hands, and he was perfectly ready to sit down
+and rest, without the slightest desire for any other kind of a hut
+than that formed by the trees themselves.
+
+Toby imagined that in that beautiful place he could, with the monkey,
+stay contented for any number of days; but after he had rested a
+time, played with his pet a little, and eaten just a trifle more
+of the lunch, the time passed so slowly that he soon made up his
+mind to run the risk of meeting Mr. Lord or Mr. Castle again by
+going out of the woods the first thing the next morning.
+
+Very many times before the sun set that day was Toby tempted to
+run the risk that night, for the sake of the change, if no more;
+but as he thought the matter over he saw how dangerous such a course
+would be and he forced himself to wait.
+
+That night he did not sleep as soundly as on the previous one, for
+the very good reason that he was not as tired. He awoke several
+times; and the noise of the night birds alarmed him to such an
+extent that he was obliged to awaken the old monkey for company.
+
+But the night passed despite his fears, as all nights will, whether
+a boy is out in the woods alone or tucked up in his own little bed
+at home. In the morning Toby made all possible haste to get away,
+for each moment that he stayed now made him more impatient to be
+moving toward home.
+
+He washed himself as quickly as possible, ate his breakfast with
+the most unseemly haste, and, taking up his bundles and the monkey,
+once more started, as he supposed, in the direction from which he
+had entered the woods.
+
+Toby walked briskly along, in the best possible spirits, for his
+running away was now an accomplished fact, and he was going toward
+Uncle Daniel and home just as fast as possible. He sang "Old Hundred"
+through five or six times by way of showing his happiness. It is
+quite likely that he would have sung something a little more lively
+had he known anything else; but "Old Hundred" was the extent of his
+musical education, and he kept repeating that, which was quite as
+satisfactory as if he had been able to go through with every opera
+that was ever written.
+
+The monkey would jump from his shoulder into the branches above,
+run along on the trees for a short distance, and then wait until
+Toby came along, when he would drop down on his shoulder suddenly,
+and in every other way of displaying monkey delight he showed that
+he was just as happy as it was possible.
+
+Toby trudged on in this contented way for nearly an hour, and
+every moment expected to step out to the edge of the woods, where
+he could see houses and men once more. But instead of doing so the
+forest seemed to grow more dense, and nothing betokened his approach
+to the village. There was a great fear came into Toby's heart just
+then, and for a moment he halted in helpless perplexity. His lips
+began to quiver, his face grew white, and his hand trembled so
+that the old monkey took hold of one of his fingers and looked at
+it wonderingly.
+
+
+
+XIX: MR STUBBS'S MISCHIEF, AND HIS SAD FATE
+
+
+Toby had begun to realize that he was lost in the woods, and
+the thought was sufficient to cause alarm in the mind of one much
+older than the boy. He said to himself that he would keep on in
+the direction he was then traveling for fifteen minutes; and as he
+had no means of computing the time he sat down on a log, took out
+the bit of pencil with which he had written the letter to Ella, and
+multiplied sixty by fifteen. He knew that there were sixty seconds
+to the minute, and that he could ordinarily count one to each
+second; therefore, when he learned that there were nine hundred
+seconds in fifteen minutes he resolved to walk as nearly straight
+ahead as possible until he should have counted that number.
+
+He walked on, counting as regularly as he could, and thought
+to himself that he never before realized how long fifteen minutes
+were.
+
+It really seemed to him that an hour had passed before he finished
+counting, and then when he stopped there were no more signs that
+he was near a clearing than there had been before he started.
+
+"Ah, Mr. Stubbs, we're lost! we're lost!" he cried, as he laid his
+cheek on the monkey's head and gave way to the lonesome grief that
+came over him. "What shall we do? Perhaps we won't ever find our
+way out, but will die here, an' then Uncle Dan'l won't ever know
+how sorry I was that I ran away."
+
+Then Toby lay right down on the ground and cried so hard that the
+monkey acted as if it were frightened, and tried to turn the boy's
+face over, and finally leaned down and licked Toby's ear.
+
+This little act, which seemed so much like a kiss, caused Toby
+to feel no small amount of comfort, and he sat up again, took the
+monkey in his arms, and began seriously to discuss some definite
+plan of action.
+
+"It won't do to keep on the way we've been goin', Mr. Stubbs," said
+Toby, as he looked full in his pet's face -- and the old monkey sat
+as still and looked as grave as it was possible for him to look
+and sit -- "for we must be going into the woods deeper. Let's start
+off this way" -- and Toby pointed at right angles with the course
+they had been pursuing -- "an' keep right on that way till we come
+to something, or till we drop right down an' die."
+
+It is fair to presume that the old monkey agreed to Toby's plan;
+for although he said nothing in favor of it, he certainly made no
+objections to it, which to Toby was the same as if his companion
+had assented to it in the plainest English.
+
+Both the bundles and the monkey were rather a heavy load for a
+small boy like Toby to carry; but he clung manfully to them, walked
+resolutely on, without looking to the right or to the left, glad
+when the old monkey would take a run among the trees, for then he
+would be relieved of his weight, and glad when he returned, for
+then he had his company, and that repaid him for any labor which
+he might have to perform.
+
+Toby was in a hard plight as it was; but without the old monkey
+for a companion he would have thought his condition was a hundred
+times worse, and would hardly have had the courage to go on as he
+was going.
+
+On and on he walked, until it seemed to him that he could really
+go no farther, and yet he could see no signs which indicated the
+end of the woods, and at last he sank upon the ground, too tired
+to walk another step, saying to the monkey -- who was looking as if
+he would like to know the reason of this pause, "It's no use, Mr.
+Stubbs, I've got to sit down here an' rest awhile anyhow; besides,
+I'm awfully hungry."
+
+Then Toby commenced to eat his dinner, and to give the monkey his,
+until the thought came to him that he neither had any water nor
+did he know where to find it, and then, of course, he immediately
+became so thirsty that it was impossible for him to eat any more.
+
+"We can't stand this," moaned Toby to the monkey; "we've got
+to have something to drink, or else we can't eat all these sweet
+things, an' I'm so tired that I can't go any farther. Don't let's
+eat dinner now, but let's stay here an' rest, an' then we can keep
+on an' look for water."
+
+Toby's resting spell was a long one, for as soon as he stretched
+himself out on the ground he was asleep from actual exhaustion,
+and did not awaken until the sun was just setting, and then he
+saw that, hard as his troubles had been before, they were about to
+become, or in fact had become, worse.
+
+He had paid no attention to his bundles when he lay down, and when
+he awoke he was puzzled to make out what it was that was strewn
+around the ground so thickly.
+
+He had looked at it but a very short time when he saw that it was
+what had been the lunch he had carried so far. After having had
+the sad experience of losing his money he understood very readily
+that the old monkey had taken the lunch while he slept, and had
+amused himself by picking it apart into the smallest particles
+possible, and then strewn them around on the ground where he now
+saw them.
+
+Toby looked at them in almost speechless surprise, and then he
+turned to where the old monkey lay, apparently asleep; but as the
+boy watched him intently he could see that the cunning animal was
+really watching him out of one half closed eye.
+
+"Now you have killed us, Mr. Stubbs," wailed Toby. "We never can
+find our way out of here; an' now we hain't got anything to eat,
+and by tomorrow we shall be starved to death. Oh dear! wasn't you
+bad enough when you threw all the money away, so you had to go an'
+do this just when we was in awful trouble?"
+
+Mr. Stubbs now looked up as if he had just been awakened by Toby's
+grief, looked around him leisurely as if to see what could be the
+matter, and then, apparently seeing for the first time the crumbs
+that were lying around on the ground, took up some and examined
+them intently.
+
+"Now don't go to makin' believe that you don't know how they come
+there," said Toby, showing anger toward his pet for the first time.
+"You know it was you who did it, for there wasn't anyone else here,
+an' you can't fool me by lookin' so surprised."
+
+It seemed as if the monkey had come to the conclusion that his
+little plan of ignorance wasn't the most perfect success, for he
+walked meekly toward his young master, climbed up on his shoulder,
+and sat there kissing his ear or looking down into his eyes, until
+the boy could resist the mute appeal no longer, and took him into
+his arms and hugged him closely as he said:
+
+"It can't be helped now, I s'pose, an' we shall have to get along
+the best way we can; but it was awful wicked of you, Mr. Stubbs,
+an I don't know what we're goin' to do for something to eat."
+
+While the destructive fit was on him the old monkey had not spared
+the smallest bit' of food, but had picked everything into such
+minute shreds that none of it could be gathered up, and everything
+was surely wasted.
+
+While Toby sat bemoaning his fate and trying to make out what was
+to be done for food, the darkness, which had just begun to gather
+when he first awoke, now commenced to settle around, and he was
+obliged to seek for some convenient place in which to spend the
+night before it became so dark as to make the search impossible.
+
+Owing to the fact that he had slept nearly the entire afternoon,
+and also rendered wakeful by the loss he had just sustained, Toby
+lay awake on the hard ground, with the monkey on his arm, hour
+after hour, until all kinds of fancies came to him, and in every
+sound feared he heard someone from the circus coming to capture
+him, or some wild beast intent on picking his bones.
+
+The cold sweat of fear stood out on his brow, and he hardly dared
+to breathe, much more to speak, lest the sound of his voice should
+betray his whereabouts and thus bring his enemies down upon him.
+The minutes seemed like hours, and the hours like days, as he lay
+there, listening fearfully to every one of the night sounds of
+the forest; and it seemed to him that he had been there very many
+hours when at last he fell asleep and was thus freed from his fears.
+
+Bright and early on the following morning Toby was awake, and as
+he came to a realizing sense of all the dangers and trouble that
+surrounded him he was disposed to give way again to his sorrow;
+but he said resolutely to himself, "It might be a good deal worse
+than it is, an' Mr. Stubbs an' I can get along one day without
+anything to eat; an' perhaps by night we shall be out of the woods,
+an' then what we get will taste good to us."
+
+He began his walk -- which possibly might not end that day --
+manfully, and his courage was rewarded by soon reaching a number
+of bushes that were literally loaded down with blackberries. From
+these he made a hearty meal, and the old monkey fairly reveled in
+them, for he ate all he possibly could, and then stowed enough in
+his cheeks to make a good sized luncheon when he should be hungry
+again.
+
+Refreshed very much by his breakfast of fruit, Toby again started
+on his journey with renewed vigor, and the world began to look very
+bright to him. He had not thought that he might find berries when
+the thoughts of starvation came into his mind, and, now that his
+hunger was satisfied, he began to believe that he might possibly
+be able to live, perhaps for weeks, in the woods solely upon what
+he might find growing there.
+
+Shortly after he had breakfast he came upon a brook, which he thought
+was the same upon whose banks he had encamped the first night he
+spent in the woods, and, pulling off his clothes, he waded into
+the deepest part and had a most refreshing bath, although the water
+was rather cold.
+
+Not having any towels with which to dry himself, he was obliged
+to sit in the sun until the moisture had been dried from his skin
+and he could put his clothes on once more. Then he started out on
+his walk again, feeling that sooner or later he would come out all
+right.
+
+All this time he had been traveling without any guide to tell him
+whether he was going straight ahead or around in a circle, and he
+now concluded to follow the course of the brook, believing that
+that would lead him out of the forest some time.
+
+During the afternoon he walked steadily, but not so fast that he
+would get exhausted quickly, and when by the position of the sun
+he judged that it was noon he lay down on a mossy bank to rest.
+
+He was beginning to feel sad again. He had found no more berries,
+and the elation which had been caused by his breakfast and his
+bath was quickly passing away. The old monkey was in a tree almost
+directly above his head, stretched out on one of the limbs in the
+most contented manner possible; and as Toby watched him, and thought
+of all the trouble he had caused by wasting the food, thoughts of
+starvation again came into his mind, and he believed that he should
+not live to see Uncle Daniel again.
+
+Just as he was feeling the most sad and lonely, and where thoughts
+of death from starvation were most vivid in his mind, he heard the
+barking of a dog, which sounded close at hand.
+
+His first thought was that at last he was saved, and he was just
+starting to his feet to shout for help when he heard the sharp
+report of a gun and an agonizing cry from the branches above, and
+the old monkey fell to the ground with a thud that told he had
+received his death wound.
+
+All this had taken place so quickly that Toby did not at first
+comprehend the extent of the misfortune which had overtaken him;
+but a groan from the poor monkey, as he placed one little brown paw
+to his breast, from which the blood was flowing freely, and looked
+up into his master's face with a most piteous expression, showed
+the poor little boy what a great trouble it was which had now come.
+
+Poor Toby uttered a loud cry of agony, which could not have been
+more full of anguish had he received the ball in his own breast,
+and, flinging himself by the side of the dying monkey, he gathered
+him close to his breast, regardless of the blood that poured over
+him, and, stroking tenderly the little head that had nestled so
+often in his bosom, said, over and over again, as the monkey uttered
+short moans of agony: "Who could have been so cruel? Who could have
+been so cruel?"
+
+Toby's tears ran like rain down his face, and he kissed his dying
+pet again and again, as if he would take all the pain to himself.
+
+"Oh, if you could only speak to me!" he cried, as he took one of
+the poor monkey's paws in his hand, and, finding that it was growing
+cold with the chill of death, put it on his neck to warm it. "How
+I love you, Mr. Stubbs! An' now you're goin' to die an leave me! Oh,
+if I hadn't spoken cross to you yesterday, an' if I hadn't a'most
+choked you the day that we went to the skeleton's to dinner! Forgive
+me for ever bein' bad to you, won't you, Mr. Stubbs?"
+
+As the monkey's groans increased in number, but diminished in force,
+Toby ran to the brook, filled his hands with water, and held it to
+the poor animal's mouth.
+
+He lapped the water quickly and looked up with a human look
+of gratitude in his eyes, as if thanking his master for that much
+relief. Then Toby tried to wash the blood from his breast; but it
+flowed quite as fast as he could wash it away, and he ceased his
+efforts in that direction, and paid every attention to making his
+friend and pet more comfortable. He took off his jacket and laid
+it on the ground for the monkey to lie upon; picked a quantity of
+large green leaves as a cooling rest for his head, and then sat by
+his side, holding his paws and talking to him with the most tender
+words his lips -- quivering with sorrow as they were -- could
+fashion.
+
+
+
+XX: HOME AND UNCLE DANIEL
+
+
+Meanwhile the author of all this misery had come upon the scene. He
+was a young man, whose rifle and well filled game bag showed that
+he had been hunting, and his face expressed the liveliest sorrow
+for what he had so unwittingly done.
+
+"I didn't know I was firing at your pet," he said to Toby as he
+laid his hand on his shoulder and endeavored to make him look up.
+"I only saw a little patch of fur through the trees, and, thinking
+it was some wild animal, I fired. Forgive me, won't you, and let
+me put the poor brute out of his misery?"
+
+Toby looked up fiercely at the murderer of his pet and asked,
+savagely: "Why don't you go away? Don't you see that you have killed
+Mr. Stubbs, an' you'll be hung for murder?"
+
+"I wouldn't have done it under any circumstances," said the young
+man, pitying Toby's grief most sincerely. "Come away and let me
+put the poor thing out of its agony."
+
+"How can you do it?" asked Toby, bitterly. "He's dying already."
+
+"I know it, and it will be a kindness to put a bullet through his
+head."
+
+If Toby had been big enough, perhaps there might really have been
+a murder committed, for he looked up at the man who so coolly
+proposed to kill the poor monkey after he had already received his
+death wound that the young man stepped back quickly, as if really
+afraid that in his desperation the boy might do him some injury.
+
+"Go 'way off," said Toby, passionately, "an' don't ever come here
+again. You've killed all I ever had in this world of my own to love
+me, an' I hate you -- I hate you!"
+
+Then, turning again to the monkey, he put his hands on each side
+of his head, and, leaning down, kissed the little brown lips as
+tenderly as a mother would kiss her child.
+
+The monkey was growing more and more feeble, and when Toby had shown
+this act of affection he reached up his tiny paws, grasped Toby's
+finger, half raised himself from the ground, and then with a
+convulsive struggle fell back dead, while the tiny fingers slowly
+relaxed their hold of the boy's hand.
+
+Toby feared that it was death, and yet hoped that he was mistaken;
+he looked into the half open, fast glazing eyes, put his hand
+over his heart, to learn if it were still beating; and, getting no
+responsive look from the dead eyes, feeling no heart throbs from
+under that gory breast, he knew that his pet was really dead, and
+flung himself by his side in all the childish abandonment of grief.
+
+He called the monkey by name, implored him to look at him, and
+finally bewailed that he had ever left the circus, where at least
+his pet's life was safe, even if his own back received its daily
+flogging.
+
+The young man, who stood a silent spectator of this painful scene,
+understood everything from Toby's mourning. He knew that a boy had
+run away from the circus, for Messrs. Lord and Castle had stayed
+behind one day, in the hope of capturing the fugitive, and they
+had told their own version of Toby's flight.
+
+For nearly an hour Toby lay by the dead monkey's side, crying as
+if his heart would break, and the young man waited until his grief
+should have somewhat exhausted itself, and then approached the boy
+again.
+
+"Won't you believe that I didn't mean to do this cruel thing?" he
+asked, in a kindly voice. "And won't you believe that I would do
+anything in my power to bring your pet back to life?"
+
+Toby looked at him a moment earnestly, and then said, slowly, "Yes,
+I'll try to."
+
+"Now will you come with me, and let me talk to you? For I know who
+you are, and why you are here."
+
+"How do you know that?"
+
+"Two men stayed behind after the circus had left, and they hunted
+everywhere for you."
+
+"I wish they had caught me," moaned Toby; "I wish they had caught
+me, for then Mr. Stubbs wouldn't be here dead."
+
+And Toby's grief broke out afresh as be again looked at the poor
+little stiff form that had been a source of so much comfort and
+joy to him.
+
+"Try not to think of that now, but think of yourself and of what
+you will do," said the man, soothingly, anxious to divert Toby's
+mind from the monkey's death as much as possible.
+
+"I don't want to think of myself, and I don't care what I'll do,"
+sobbed the boy, passionately.
+
+"But you must; you can't stay here always, and I will try to help
+you to get home, or wherever it is you want to go, if you will tell
+me all about it."
+
+It was some time before Toby could be persuaded to speak or think
+of anything but the death of his pet; but the young man finally
+succeeded in drawing his story from him, and then tried to induce
+him to leave that place and accompany him to town.
+
+"I can't leave Mr. Stubbs," said the boy, firmly; "he never left me
+the night I got thrown out of the wagon an' he thought I was hurt."
+
+Then came another struggle to induce him to bury his pet; and
+finally Toby, after realizing the fact that he could not carry
+a dead monkey with him, agreed to it; but he would not allow the
+young man to help him in any way, or even to touch the monkey's
+body.
+
+He dug a grave under a little fir tree near by, and lined it with
+wild flowers and leaves, and even then hesitated to cover the
+body with the earth. At last he bethought himself of the fanciful
+costume which the skeleton and his wife had given him, and in this
+he carefully wrapped his dead pet. He had not one regret at leaving
+the bespangled suit, for it was the best he could command, and
+surely nothing could be too good for Mr. Stubbs.
+
+Tenderly he laid him in the little grave, and, covering the body
+with flowers, said, pausing a moment before he covered it over
+with earth, and while his voice was choked with emotion: "Goodby,
+Mr. Stubbs, goodby! I wish it had been me instead of you that died,
+for I'm an awful sorry little boy, now that you're dead!"
+
+Even after the grave had been filled, and a little mound made over
+it, the young man had the greatest difficulty to persuade Toby to
+go with him; and when the boy did consent to go at last he walked
+very slowly away, and kept turning his head to look back just so
+long as the little grave could be seen.
+
+Then, when the trees shut it completely out from sight, the tears
+commenced again to roll down Toby's cheeks, and he sobbed out: "I
+wish I hadn't left him. Oh, why didn't I make him lie down by me?
+an' then he'd be alive now; an' how glad he'd be to know that we
+was getting out of the woods at last!"
+
+But the man who had caused Toby this sorrow talked to him about
+other matters, thus taking his mind from the monkey's death as
+much as possible, and by the time the boy reached the village he
+had told his story exactly as it was, without casting any reproaches
+on Mr. Lord, and giving himself the full share of censure for
+leaving his home as he did.
+
+Mr. Lord and Mr. Castle had remained in the town but one day, for
+they were told that a boy had taken the night train that passed
+through the town about two hours after Toby had escaped, and they
+had set off at once to act on that information.
+
+Therefore Toby need have no fears of meeting either of them just
+then, and he could start on his homeward journey in peace.
+
+The young man who had caused the monkey's death tried first
+to persuade Toby to remain a day or two with him, and, failing in
+that, he did all he could toward getting the boy home as quickly
+and safely as possible. He insisted on paying for his ticket on
+the steamboat, although Toby did all he could to prevent him, and
+he even accompanied Toby to the next town, where he was to take
+the steamer.
+
+He had not only paid for Toby's ticket, but he had paid for a stateroom
+for him; and when the boy said that he could sleep anywhere, and
+that there was no need of such expense, the man replied: "Those
+men who were hunting for you have gone down the river, and will
+be very likely to search the boat, when they discover that they
+started on the wrong scent. They will never suspect that you have
+got a stateroom; and if you are careful to remain in it during the
+trip you will get through safely."
+
+Then, when the time came for the steamer to start, the young man
+said to Toby: "Now, my boy, you won't feel hard at me for shooting
+the monkey, will you? I would have done anything to bring him back
+to life, but, as I could not do that, helping you to get home was
+the next best thing I could do."
+
+"I know you didn't mean to shoot Mr. Stubbs," said Toby, with
+moistening eyes as he spoke of his pet, "an' I'm sorry I said what
+I did to you in the woods."
+
+Before there was time to say any more the warning whistle was
+sounded, the plank pulled in, the great wheels commenced to revolve,
+and Toby was really on his way to Uncle Daniel and Guilford.
+
+It was then but five o'clock in the afternoon, and he could not
+expect to reach home until two or three o'clock in the afternoon
+of the next day; but he was in a tremor of excitement as he thought
+that he should walk through the streets of Guilford once more, see
+all the boys, and go home to Uncle Daniel.
+
+And yet, whenever he thought of that home, of meeting those boys,
+of going once more to all those old familiar places, the memory
+of all that he had planned when he should take the monkey with him
+would come into his mind and damp even his joy, great as it was.
+
+That night he had considerable difficulty in falling asleep, but
+did finally succeed in doing so; and when he awoke the steamer was
+going up the river, whose waters seemed like an old friend, because
+they had flowed right down past Guilford on their way to the sea.
+
+At each town where a landing was made Toby looked eagerly out on
+the pier, thinking that by chance someone from his home might be
+there and he would see a familiar face again. But all this time
+he heeded the advice given him and remained in his room, where he
+could see and not be seen; and it was well for him that he did so,
+for at one of the, landings he saw both Mr. Lord and Mr. Castle
+come on board the boat.
+
+Toby's heart beat fast and furious, and he expected every moment
+to hear them at the door, demanding admittance, for it seemed to
+him that they must know exactly where he was secreted.
+
+But no such misfortune occurred. The men had evidently only boarded
+the boat to search for the boy, for they landed again before the
+steamer started, and Toby had the satisfaction of seeing their
+backs as they walked away from the pier. It was some time before
+he recovered from the fright which the sight of them gave him; but
+when he did his thoughts and hopes far outstripped the steamer,
+which, it seemed, was going so slowly, and he longed to see Guilford
+with an impatience that could hardly be restrained.
+
+At last he could see the spire of the little church on the hill, and
+when the steamer rounded the point, affording a full view of the
+town, and sounded her whistle as a signal for those on the shore to
+come to the pier, Toby could hardly restrain himself from jumping
+up and down and shouting in his delight.
+
+He was at the gangplank ready to land fully five minutes before
+the steamer was anywhere near the wharf, and when he recognized
+the first face on the pier what a happy boy he was!
+
+He was at home! The dream of the past ten weeks was at length
+realized, and neither Mr. Lord nor Mr. Castle had any terrors for
+him now.
+
+He ran down the gangplank before it was ready, and clasped every
+boy he saw there round the neck, and would have kissed them if they
+had shown an inclination to let him do so.
+
+Of course he was overwhelmed with questions, but before he would
+answer any he asked for Uncle Daniel and the others at home.
+
+Some of the boys ventured to predict that Toby would get a jolly
+good whipping for running away, and the only reply which the happy
+Toby made to that was:
+
+"I hope I will, an' then I'll feel as if I had kinder paid for
+runnin' away. If Uncle Dan'l will only let me stay with him again
+he may whip me every mornin', an' I won't open my mouth to holler."
+
+The boys were impatient to hear the story of Toby's travels, but
+he refused to tell it them, saying:
+
+"I'll go home, an' if Uncle Dan'l forgives me for bein' so wicked
+I'll sit down this afternoon an' tell you all you want to know
+about the circus."
+
+Then, far more rapidly than he had run away from it, Toby ran toward
+the home which he had called his ever since he could remember, and
+his heart was full almost to bursting as he thought that perhaps
+he would be told that he had forfeited all claim to it, and that
+he could never more call it "home" again.
+
+When he entered the old familiar sitting room Uncle Daniel was
+seated near the window, alone, looking out wistfully -- as Toby
+thought -- across the fields of yellow waving grain.
+
+Toby crept softly in, and, going up to the old man, knelt down
+and said, very humbly, and with his whole soul in the words, "Oh,
+Uncle Dan'l! if you'll only forgive me for bein' wicked an' runnin'
+away, an' let me stay here again -- for it's all the home I ever had
+-- I'll do everything you tell me to, an never whisper in meetin'
+or do anything bad."
+
+And then he waited for the words which would seal his fate. They
+were not long in coming.
+
+"My poor boy," said Uncle Daniel, softly, as he stroked Toby's
+refractory red hair, "my love for you was greater than I knew, and
+when you left me I cried aloud to the Lord as if it had been my
+own flesh and blood that had gone afar from me. Stay here, Toby,
+my son, and help to support this poor old body as it goes down into
+the dark valley of the shadow of death; and then, in the bright
+light of that glorious future, Uncle Daniel will wait to go with
+you into the presence of Him who is ever a father to the fatherless."
+
+And in Uncle Daniel's kindly care we may safely leave Toby Tyler.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TOBY TYLER ***
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