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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Mr. Stubbs's Brother
+       A Sequel to 'Toby Tyler'
+
+Author: James Otis
+
+Release Date: January 5, 2009 [EBook #27702]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Garcia, Martin Pettit and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Kentuckiana Digital Library)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+[Illustration: MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF [See p. 205]]
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+A Sequel to "TOBY TYLER"
+
+BY JAMES OTIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "TIM AND TIP," ETC.
+
+ILLUSTRATED
+
+[Illustration: Logo]
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+NEW YORK AND LONDON
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1882, 1910, BY HARPER & BROTHERS
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY JAMES OTIS KALER
+
+PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER                                        PAGE
+
+    I. THE SCHEME                                 1
+
+   II. THE BLIND HORSE                           14
+
+  III. ABNER BOLTON                              31
+
+   IV. THE PONY                                  40
+
+    V. OLD BEN                                   54
+
+   VI. THE GREAT EVENT                           66
+
+  VII. ATTRACTIONS FOR THE LITTLE CIRCUS         78
+
+ VIII. THE DINNER PARTY                          91
+
+   IX. MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER                     105
+
+    X. THE ACCIDENT                             119
+
+   XI. CHANGE OF PLANS                          131
+
+  XII. A REHEARSAL                              143
+
+ XIII. THE RESULTS OF LONG TRAINING             156
+
+  XIV. RAISING THE TENT                         170
+
+   XV. STEALING DUCKS                           183
+
+  XVI. A LOST MONKEY                            197
+
+ XVII. DRIVING A MONKEY                         208
+
+XVIII. COLLECTING THE ANIMALS                   218
+
+  XIX. THE SHOW BROKE UP                        231
+
+   XX. ABNER'S DEATH                            237
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF             _Frontispiece_
+                                                            FACING
+                                                              PAGE
+PLANNING THE CIRCUS                                             14
+
+MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY                            92
+
+TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER         234
+
+
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE SCHEME
+
+
+"Why, we could start a circus jest as easy as a wink, Toby, 'cause you
+know all about one an' all you'd have to do would be to tell us fellers
+what to do, an' we'd 'tend to the rest."
+
+"Yes; but you see we hain't got a tent, or bosses, or wagons, or
+nothin', an' I don't see how you could get a circus up that way;" and
+the speaker hugged his knees as he rocked himself to and fro in a musing
+way on the rather sharp point of a large rock, on which he had seated
+himself in order to hear what his companions had to say that was so
+important.
+
+"Will you come down with me to Bob Atwood's, an' see what he says about
+it?"
+
+"Yes, I'll do that if you'll come out afterwards for a game of I-spy
+'round the meetin'-house."
+
+"All right; if we can find enough of the other fellers, I will."
+
+Then the boys slipped down from the rocks, found the cows, and drove
+them home as the preface to their visit to Bob Atwood's.
+
+The boy who was so anxious to start a circus was a little fellow with
+such a wonderful amount of remarkably red hair that he was seldom called
+anything but Reddy, although his name was known--by his parents, at
+least--to be Walter Grant. His companion was Toby Tyler, a boy who, a
+year before, had thought it would be a very pleasant thing to run away
+from his Uncle Daniel and the town of Guilford in order to be with a
+circus, and who, in ten weeks, was only too glad to run back home as
+rapidly as possible.
+
+During the first few months of his return, very many brilliant offers
+had been made Toby by his companions to induce him to aid them in
+starting an amateur circus; but he had refused to have anything to do
+with the schemes, and for several reasons. During the ten weeks he had
+been away, he had seen quite as much of a circus life as he cared to
+see, without even such a mild dose as would be this amateur show; and,
+again, whenever he thought of the matter, the remembrance of the death
+of his monkey, Mr. Stubbs, would come upon him so vividly, and cause him
+so much sorrow, that he resolutely put the matter from his mind.
+
+Now, however, it had been a year since the monkey was killed; school had
+closed during the summer season; and he was rather more disposed to
+listen to the requests of his friends.
+
+On this particular night, Reddy Grant had offered to go with him for the
+cows--an act of generosity which Toby accounted for only on the theory
+that Reddy wanted some of the strawberries which grew so plentifully in
+Uncle Daniel's pasture. But when they arrived there the strawberries
+were neglected for the circus question, and Toby then showed he was at
+least willing to talk about it.
+
+There was no doubt that Bob Atwood knew Reddy was going to try to induce
+Toby to help start a circus, and Bob knew, also, that Reddy and Toby
+would visit him, although he appeared very much surprised when he saw
+them coming up the hill towards his house. He was at home, evidently
+waiting for something, at an hour when all the other boys were out
+playing; and that, in itself, would have made Toby suspicious if he had
+paid much attention to the matter.
+
+Bob was perfectly willing to talk about a circus--so willing that,
+almost before Toby was aware of it, he was laying plans with the others
+for such a show as could be given with the material at hand.
+
+"You see we'd have to get a tent the first thing," said Toby, as he
+seated himself on the saw-horse as a sort of place of honor, and
+proceeded to give his companions the benefit of his experience in the
+circus line. "I s'pose we could get along without a fat woman, or a
+skeleton; but we'd have to have the tent anyway, so's folks couldn't
+look right in an' see the show for nothin'."
+
+Reddy had decided some time before how that trifling matter could be
+arranged; and, as he went industriously to work making shavings out of a
+portion of a shingle, he said:
+
+"I've got all that settled, Toby; an' when you say you're willin' to go
+ahead an' fix up the show, I'll be on hand with a tent that'll make your
+eyes stick out over a foot."
+
+Bob nodded his head to show he was convinced Reddy could do just as he
+had promised; but Toby was anxious for more particulars, and insisted
+on knowing where this very necessary portion of a circus was coming
+from.
+
+"You see a tent is a big thing," he said seriously; "an' it would cost
+more money than the fellers in this town could raise if they should pick
+all the strawberries in Uncle Dan'l's pasture."
+
+"Oh, I don't say as the tent Reddy's got his eye on is a reg'lar one
+like a real circus has," said Bob slowly and candidly, as he began to
+draw on the side of the wood-shed a picture of what he probably intended
+should represent a horse; "but he knows how he can rig one up that'll be
+big enough, an' look stavin'."
+
+With this information Toby was obliged to be satisfied; and with the
+view of learning more of the details, in case his companions had
+arranged for them, he asked:
+
+"Where you goin' to get the company--the folks that ride, an' turn
+hand-springs, an' all them things?"
+
+"Ben Cushing can turn twice as many hand-springs as any feller you ever
+saw, an' he can walk on his hands twice round the engine-house. I guess
+you couldn't find many circuses that could beat him, an' he's been
+practising in his barn all the chance he could get for more'n a week."
+
+Without intending to do so, Bob had thus let the secret out that the
+scheme had already been talked up before Toby was consulted, and then
+there was no longer any reason for concealment.
+
+"You see we thought we'd kinder get things fixed," said Reddy quickly,
+anxious to explain away the seeming deception he had been guilty of,
+"an' we wouldn't say anything to you till we knew whether we could get
+one up or not."
+
+"An' we're goin' to ask three cents to come in; an' lots of the fellers
+have promised to buy tickets if we'll let 'em do some of the ridin', or
+else lead the hosses."
+
+"But how are you goin' to get any hosses?" asked Toby, thoroughly
+surprised at the way in which the scheme had already been developed.
+
+"Reddy can get Jack Douglass's blind one, an' we can train him so's
+he'll go 'round the ring all right; an' your Uncle Dan'l will let you
+have his old white one that's lame, if you ask him. I ain't sure but I
+can get one of Chandler Merrill's ponies," continued Bob, now so excited
+by his subject that he left his picture while it was yet a three-legged
+horse, and stood in front of his friends; "an' if we could sell tickets
+enough, we could hire one of Rube Rowe's hosses for you to ride."
+
+"An' Bob's goin' to be the clown, an' his mother's goin' to make him a
+suit of clothes out of one of his grandmother's curtains," added Reddy,
+as he snapped an imaginary whip with so many unnecessary flourishes that
+he tumbled over the saw-horse, thereby mixing a large quantity of
+sawdust in his brilliantly colored hair.
+
+"An' Reddy's goin' to be ring-master," explained Bob, as he assisted
+his friend to rise, and acted the part of Good Samaritan by trying to
+get the sawdust from his hair with a curry-comb. "Joe Robinson says
+he'll sell tickets, an' 'tend the door, an' hold the hoops for you to
+jump through."
+
+"Leander Leighton's goin' to be the band. He's got a pair of clappers;
+an' Mrs. Doak's goin' to show him how to play on the accordion with one
+finger, so's he'll know how to make an awful lot of noise," said Reddy,
+as he gave up the task of extracting the sawdust, and devoted his entire
+attention to the scheme.
+
+"An' we can have some animals," said Bob, with the air of one who adds
+the crowning glory to some brilliant work.
+
+Toby had been surprised at the resources of the town for a circus, of
+which he had not even dreamed; and at Bob's last remark he left his
+saw-horse seat as if to enable him to hear more distinctly.
+
+"Yes," continued Bob, "we can get a good many of some kinds. Old Mrs.
+Simpson has got a three-legged cat with four kittens, an' Ben Cushing
+has got a hen that crows; an' we can take my calf for a grizzly bear,
+an' Jack Havener's two lambs for white bears. I've caught six mice, an'
+I'll have more'n a dozen before the show comes off; an' Reddy's goin' to
+bring his cat that ain't got any tail. Leander Leighton's goin' to bring
+four of his rabbits an' make believe they're wolves; an' Joe Robinson's
+goin' to catch all the squirrels he can--we'll have the largest for
+foxes, an' the smallest for hyenas; an' Joe'll keep howlin' while he's
+tendin' the door, so's to make 'em sound right."
+
+"Bob's sister's goin' to show him how to sing a couple of songs, an'
+he's goin' to write 'em out on paper so's to have a book to sell," added
+Reddy, delighted at the surprise expressed in Toby's face. "Nahum Baker
+says if we have any kind of a show he'll bring up some lemonade an' some
+pies to sell, an' pass 'em 'round jest as they do in a reg'lar circus."
+
+This last information was indeed surprising, for, inasmuch as Nahum
+Baker was a man who had an apology for a fruit-store near the wharves,
+it lent an air of realism to the plan, this having a grown man connected
+with them in the enterprise.
+
+"But he mustn't get any of the boys to help him, an' then treat them as
+Job Lord did me," said Toby earnestly, the scheme having grown so in the
+half-hour that he began to fear it might be too much like the circus
+with which he had spent ten of the longest and most dreary weeks he had
+ever known.
+
+"I'll look out for that," said Bob confidently, "If he tries any of them
+games we'll make him leave, no matter how good a trade he's doin'."
+
+"Now, where we goin' to have the show?" and from the way Toby asked the
+question it was easily seen that he had decided to accept the position
+of manager which had been so delicately offered him.
+
+"That's jest what we ain't fixed about," said Bob, as if he blamed
+himself severely for not having already attended to this portion of the
+business. "You see, if your Uncle Dan'l would let us have it up by his
+barn that would be jest the place, an' I almost know he'd say yes if you
+asked him."
+
+"Do you s'pose it would be big enough? You know when there's a circus in
+town everybody comes from all around to see it, an' it wouldn't do to
+have a place where they couldn't all get in," and Toby spoke as if there
+could be no doubt as to the crowds that would collect to see this
+wonderful show of theirs.
+
+"It'll have to be big enough, if we use the tent I'm goin' to get," said
+Reddy decidedly; "for you see that won't be so awful large, an' it would
+make it look kinder small if we put it where the other circuses put
+theirs."
+
+"Well, then, I s'pose we'll have to make that do, an' we can have two
+or three shows if there are too many to come in at one time," said Toby
+in a satisfied way that matters could be arranged so easily; and then,
+with a big sigh, he added, "If only Mr. Stubbs hadn't got killed, what a
+show we could have! I never saw him ride; but I know he could have done
+better than any one else that ever tried it, if he wanted to, an' if we
+had him we could have a reg'lar circus without anybody else."
+
+Then the boys bewailed the untimely fate of Mr. Stubbs, until they saw
+that Toby was fast getting into a mood altogether too sad for the proper
+transaction of circus business, and Bob proposed that a visit be paid
+Ben Cushing, for the purpose of having him give them a private
+exhibition of his skill, in order that Toby might see some of the talent
+which was to help make their circus a glorious success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BLIND HORSE
+
+
+Reddy had laid his plans so well that all the intending partners were
+where they could easily be found on this evening when Toby's consent was
+to be won, and Ben Cushing was no exception. On the hard, uneven floor
+of his father's barn, with all his clothes discarded save his trousers
+and shirt, he was making such heroic efforts in the way of practice,
+that while the boys were yet some distance from the building they could
+hear the thud of Ben's head or heels as he unexpectedly came in contact
+with the floor.
+
+When the three visitors stood at the door and looked in, Ben professed
+to be unaware of their presence, and began a series of hand-springs that
+might have been wonderful, if he had not miscalculated the distance,
+and struck the side of the barn just as he was getting well into the
+work.
+
+[Illustration: PLANNING THE CIRCUS]
+
+Then, having lost his opportunity of dazzling them by showing that even
+when he was alone he could turn any number of hand-springs simply in the
+way of exercise, he suddenly became aware of their presence, and greeted
+his friends with the anxiously asked question as to what Toby had
+decided to do about entering the circus business.
+
+Bob and Reddy, instead of answering, waited for Toby to speak; it was a
+good opportunity to have the important matter settled definitely, and
+they listened anxiously for his decision.
+
+"I'm goin' into it," said Toby after a pause, during which it appeared
+as if he were trying to make up his mind, "'cause it seems as if you had
+it almost done now. You know when I got home last summer I didn't ever
+want to hear of a circus or see one, for I'd had about enough of them,
+an' then I'd think of poor Mr. Stubbs, an' that would make me feel awful
+bad. I didn't think, either, that we could get up such a good show; but
+now you fellers have got so much done towards it, I think we'd better go
+ahead--though I do wish Mr. Stubbs was alive, an' we had a skeleton an'
+a fat woman."
+
+Reddy Grant cheered very loudly as a means of showing how delighted he
+was at thus having finally enlisted Toby in the scheme, and Bob, as
+proof of the high esteem in which all the projectors of the enterprise
+held this famous circus-rider, said:
+
+"Now you know all about circuses, Toby, an' you shall be the chief boss
+of this one, an' we'll do just what you say."
+
+Toby almost blushed as this great honor was actually thrust upon him,
+and he hardly knew what reply to make, when Ben ceased his acrobatic
+exercises, and, with Bobby and Reddy, stood waiting for him to give his
+orders.
+
+"I s'pose the first thing to do," he said at length, "is to see if Jack
+Douglass is willin' for us to have his hoss, an' then find out what
+Uncle Dan'l says about it. If we don't get the hoss, it won't be any use
+to say anything to Uncle Dan'l."
+
+Reddy was so anxious to have matters settled at once that he offered to
+go up to Mr. Douglass's house then, if the others would wait there for
+his return, which proposition was at once accepted.
+
+Mr. Douglass was an old colored man who lived fully half a mile from the
+village; but Reddy's eagerness caused quick travelling, and in a
+surprisingly short time he was back breathless and happy. The coveted
+horse was to be theirs for as long a time as they wanted him, provided
+they fed him well, and did not attempt to harness him into a wagon.
+
+The owner of the sightless animal had expressed his doubts as to
+whether he would ever make much of a circus-horse, owing to his lack of
+sight and his extreme age; but he argued that if, as was very probable,
+the animal fell while being ridden, he would hurt his rider quite as
+much as himself, and therefore the experiment would not be tried so
+often as seriously to injure the steed.
+
+It only remained to consult Uncle Daniel on the matter, and of course
+that was to be attended to by Toby. He would have waited until a fitting
+opportunity presented itself; but his companions insisted so strongly,
+that he went home at once to have the case decided.
+
+Uncle Daniel was seated by the window as usual, looking out over the
+distant hills as if he were trying to peer in at the gates of that city
+where so many loved ones awaited him, and it was some moments before
+Toby could make him understand what it was he was trying to say.
+
+"So ye didn't get circusin' enough last summer?" asked the old
+gentleman, when at last he realized what it was the boy was talking
+about.
+
+"Oh yes, I did!" replied Toby, quickly; "but you see that was a real
+one, an' this of ours is only a little make-believe for three cents. We
+want to get you to let us have the lot between the barn an' the road to
+put our tent on, an' then lend us old Whitey. We're goin' to have Jack
+Douglass's hoss that's blind, an' we've got a three-legged cat, an' one
+without any tail, an' lots of things."
+
+"It's a kind of a cripples' circus, eh? Well, Toby boy, you can do as
+you want to, an' you shall have old Whitey; but it seems to me you'd
+better tie her lame leg on, or she'll shake it off when you get to
+makin' her cut up antics."
+
+Then Uncle Daniel returned to his reverie, and the show was thus decided
+upon, the projectors going again to view the triangular piece of land
+so soon to be decorated with their tents and circus belongings.
+
+Each hour that passed after Toby had decided, with Uncle Daniel's
+consent, to go into the circus business made him more eager to carry out
+the brilliant plan that had been unfolded by Bob Atwood and Reddy Grant,
+until his brain was in a perfect whirl when he went to bed that night.
+He was sure he could ride as well as when he was under Mr. Castle's
+rather severe training, and he thought over and over again how he would
+surprise every one who knew him; but he did not stop to think that there
+might be a difference between the horse he had ridden in the circus and
+the lame one of Uncle Daniel's, or the blind one belonging to Mr.
+Douglass. He had an idea that it all depended upon himself, with very
+little reference to the animal, and he was sure he had his lesson
+perfectly.
+
+Early as he got up the next morning, his partners in the enterprise
+were waiting for him just around the corner of the barn, where he found
+them as he went for the cows, and they walked to the pasture with him in
+order to discuss the matter.
+
+Ben Cushing was in light-marching and acrobatic costume, worn for the
+occasion in order to give a full exhibition of his skill; and Reddy had
+been up so long that he had had time to procure Mr. Douglass's wonderful
+steed, which he had already led to the pasture so that he could be
+experimented upon.
+
+"I thought I'd get him up there," he said to Toby, "so's you could try
+him; 'cause if we don't get money enough to hire one of Rube Rowe,
+you'll have to ride the blind one or the lame one, an' you'd better find
+out which you want. If you try him in the pasture the fellers won't see
+you; but if you did it down by your house, every one of 'em would huddle
+'round."
+
+Toby thought the general idea was a good one; but he was just a trifle
+uncertain as to how the blind horse would get along on such uneven
+ground. However, he said nothing, lest his companions should think he
+was afraid to make the attempt; and when Ben and Bob proceeded to mark
+out a ring, he advised them as to its size.
+
+The most level piece of ground that could be found was selected as the
+place for the trial, but several small mounds prevented it from being
+all a circus-rider could ask for.
+
+Bob volunteered to lead the horse around the track several times, hoping
+he would become so accustomed to it as to be able to go by himself after
+a while; and Toby made his preparations by laying his hat on the ground
+with a stone on it, so that he should be sure to find it when his
+rehearsal was done.
+
+It was a warm job Bob had undertaken, this leading the blind animal
+along the ill-defined line that marked the limits of the ring, for the
+sun shone brightly, and there were no friendly trees to lend a shelter;
+but he paid no attention to his discomfort because of the fact that he
+was doing something towards the enterprise which was to bring them in
+both honor and money.
+
+The poor old horse was the least interested of the party, and he
+stumbled around the circle in an abused sort of way, as if he considered
+it a piece of gross injustice to force him on the weary round when the
+grass was so plentiful and tender just under his feet.
+
+Ben was busily engaged in lengthening Mr. Douglass's rather weak and
+aged bridle with a small piece of rope, and from time to time he
+encouraged the ambitious clown in his labor.
+
+"Keep it up, if it is hot!" he shouted; "an' when we get him so's he can
+do it alone, he'll be jest as good a circus-hoss as anybody would want,
+for we can stuff him with hay an' grass till he's fat," and Ben looked
+at the clearly defined ribs in a critical way, as if trying to decide
+how much food would be necessary to cover them with flesh.
+
+"Oh, I can keep on as long as the hoss can," said Bob, as he wiped the
+perspiration from his face with one hand, and clung firmly to the
+forelock of the animal with the other; "but we've been round here as
+many as six times already, an' he don't seem to know the way any better
+than when we started."
+
+"Oh yes, he does," cried Reddy, who was practising for his duties as
+ring-master, anxious that his education should advance as fast as the
+horse's did; "he's got so he knows enough to turn out for that second
+knoll, though he does stumble a little over the first one."
+
+By this time Ben had the bridle adjusted to suit him, Toby was ready to
+make his first attempt at riding since he left the circus, and the more
+serious work was begun.
+
+Ben bridled the horse after some difficulty, Reddy drew out from its
+hiding-place a whip made by tying a piece of cod-line to an alder
+branch, and Toby was about to mount, when Joe Robinson came in sight.
+
+He had been running at full speed, and was nearly breathless; but he
+managed to cry out so that he could be understood after considerable
+difficulty:
+
+"Hold on! don't go to ridin' till after we get some hoops for you to
+jump through."
+
+"I guess I won't try any jumpin' till after I see how he goes," said
+Toby as he looked rather doubtfully first at the horse's weak legs, and
+then at his sharp back; "besides, we can't use the hoops till he gets
+more used to the ring."
+
+Joe threw himself on the ground as if he felt quite as much aggrieved
+because he was thus left out of the programme as the horse apparently
+did because he was in it, and Bob consoled him by explaining that he
+had no reason to feel slighted, since he, who, as the clown, was to be
+the life of the entertainment, could take no other part in these
+preparatory steps than to lead a blind horse around a still blinder
+ring.
+
+"Hold him while I get on," said Toby as he clutched the mane and a
+portion of the prominent backbone, drawing himself up at some risk of
+upsetting the rather shaky steed.
+
+But there was no necessity of his giving this order, for, although four
+boys sprang to do his bidding, the weary horse remained as motionless as
+a statue, save for his hard breathing which proclaimed the fact that the
+"heaves" had long since singled him out as a victim.
+
+Toby succeeded in getting on the animal's back after some exertion; but
+he found standing there an entirely different matter from standing on
+the broad saddles that were used in the circus, and the boy and the
+horse made a shaky-looking pair.
+
+"Shall I start him?" asked Bob, while Reddy stood as near the centre of
+the ring as he could get, prepared to snap his cod-line whip at the
+first signal.
+
+Toby hesitated a moment; he knew that to attempt to stand upon, or on
+either side of, that prominent backbone, after its owner was in motion,
+would be simply to invite his own downfall; and he said, as he seated
+himself carefully astride the bone:
+
+"Let him walk around once till I see how he goes."
+
+Reddy cracked his whip without producing any effect upon the patient
+steed, but, after much coaxing, Bob succeeded in starting him again,
+while Toby bounced up and down much like a kernel of corn on a griddle,
+such a decided motion did the horse have.
+
+"He won't ever do for a ridin' hoss," said Toby with much difficulty,
+when he was half-way around the circle, "'cause you see his bones is so
+sharp that he feels as if he was comin' to pieces every time he steps."
+
+"Jest get him to trottin' once, an' then you can tell what he's good
+for," suggested Reddy, anxious to try the effect of his whip; and,
+without waiting for the rider's permission, he lashed the unfortunate
+animal with the cod-line until he succeeded in rousing him thoroughly.
+
+It was in vain Toby begged him to stop, and Bob shouted that such a
+course was not the proper one for a ring-master to pursue. Reddy was
+determined the rider should have an opportunity of trying the horse
+under full speed, and the result was that the animal broke loose from
+Bob's guiding hand, rushing out of the imaginary ring into the centre of
+the pasture at a rate of speed that would have surprised and frightened
+Mr. Douglass had he been there to see it.
+
+Shaken first up, then down, and from one side to the other, Toby
+stretched himself out at full length, clasping the horse around the
+neck as the patched bridle broke, and shouting "Whoa!" at the full
+strength of his lungs.
+
+After running fully fifty yards, until it seemed to Toby that his head
+and his body had been pounded into one, the horse stopped, leaned one
+heel up against the other, and stood as if dreamily asking whether they
+wanted any more circus out of him.
+
+"Couldn't anybody ride him, he jolts so," said Toby to his partners, as
+they came running up to where he stood trying to find out whether or not
+his tongue was bleeding, and fearing it was, because his teeth had been
+pounded down on it so hard two or three times. "You see, in the circus
+they had big, wide saddles, an' the hosses didn't go anything like him."
+
+"Well, we can fix a saddle," said Bob, thoughtfully; "but I don't know
+as we could do anything to the hoss."
+
+"Perhaps old Whitey'll go better, 'cause she's lame," suggested Reddy,
+feeling that considerable credit was due him for having made it possible
+to test the animal's qualities in so short a time.
+
+"I wouldn't wonder if this one would be all right when he gets a saddle
+on an' is trained," said Joe, and then he added, quickly, "I hain't got
+anything more to do to-day, an' I'll stay up here an' train him."
+
+The partners were only too glad to accept this offer; and while Joe led
+the horse back to the supposed ring, Ben gave a partial exhibition of
+his acrobatic feats, omitting the most difficult, owing to the uneven
+surface of the land.
+
+Then the partners retired to the shade of some alder bushes, where they
+could fight mosquitoes and talk over their plans at the same time, while
+Joe was perspiring in his self-imposed task of educating the blind
+horse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+ABNER BOLTON
+
+
+"Now I'll see about makin' the saddle," said Bob, "'cause I've seen 'em
+a good many times in a circus, an' I know jest how they're made. While
+I'm doin' that you fellers must be fixin' 'bout who else we'll have in
+the show. Leander Leighton will come up here to-morrow, so's we can hear
+how he plays, an' we must have everything fixed by then."
+
+"Why didn't he come to-day?" asked Ben, thinking that all the members of
+the firm should have been present at this first rehearsal.
+
+"Well, you see, he had to split some wood, an' he had to take care of
+the baby. I offered to help him with the wood; but he said he couldn't
+get away any quicker if I did, for just as soon as the baby saw another
+feller waitin' 'round, she'd yell so awful hard he'd have to stay in all
+day."
+
+This explanation as to the absence of the band appeared to be perfectly
+satisfactory to those present, and they began to discuss the merits of
+certain of their companions in order to decide upon the proper ones to
+enlist as members, since the number of their performers was not so large
+as they thought it should be in a show where an admission fee of three
+cents was to be charged.
+
+Just as they were getting well into their discussion, and, of course,
+speaking of such matters as managers should keep a profound secret from
+the public, Bob cried out:
+
+"There comes Abner Bolton! He's always runnin' 'round where he hain't
+wanted; an' I wonder how he come to know we was here? I'll send him off
+mighty quick now, you see."
+
+The boy who had disturbed Bob so greatly was so near when he was first
+discovered that by the time the threat had been uttered he was close
+upon them. He was a small boy, not more than eight years old, and hardly
+as large as a boy of six should be; he walked on crutches because of his
+deformed legs, which hung withered and useless, barely capable of
+supporting his slight weight.
+
+"Now, what do _you_ want?" asked Bob, in an angry tone.
+
+"I don't want anything," was the mild reply, as the cripple halted just
+outside the shade, as if not daring to come any farther until invited.
+"I heard you was goin' to get up a circus, an' I thought perhaps you'd
+let me watch you, 'cause I wouldn't bother you any."
+
+"You would bother us, an' you can't stay 'round here, for we hain't
+goin' to have anybody watchin' us. You may come to the show if you can
+get three cents."
+
+"I don't s'pose I could do that," said the boy, looking longingly
+towards the shade, but still standing in the sun. "I don't have any
+chance to get money, an' I do wish you boys would let me stay where you
+are, for it's so awful lonesome out to the poor-farm, an' I can't run
+around as you can."
+
+"Well, you can't stay here, an' the sooner you go back to the village
+the better we'll like it, for we don't want anybody to know what we're
+talkin' about."
+
+Toby had attempted to speak once or twice while Bob was engaged with the
+cripple from the poor-farm; but he did not get an opportunity until
+Abner turned to go away, looking thoroughly sad and disheartened.
+
+"Don't go, Abner, but come and set down here where it's cool, an'
+perhaps we can fix it for you."
+
+The cripple turned as Toby spoke, and the look which came into his face
+went right to the heart of the boy, who for ten long weeks had known
+what it was to be almost entirely without a friend.
+
+"I don't see what you want him 'round here for," said Bob, petulantly,
+as Abner seated himself by Toby's side, thoroughly exhausted by his long
+walk. "He can't do nothin'; an' if he could, we don't want no fellers
+from the poor-farm mixed up with the show."
+
+"It don't make any difference if he does live to the poor-farm," said
+Toby, as he put his little brown hand on Abner's thin fingers. "He has
+to stay there 'cause his father and mother's dead, an' perhaps I'd been
+there, 'cept for Uncle Dan'l. If I'd thought before about his bein'
+lonesome an' not bein' able to play like the rest of us, I'd gone out to
+see him; an' now we do know it we'll let him stay with us, an' perhaps
+he can do something in the circus."
+
+"The fellers will laugh at us, an' say we're runnin' a poorhouse show,"
+replied Bob, sulkily.
+
+"Well, let 'em laugh; we'll feel a good deal better'n they do, 'cause
+we'll know we're tryin' to let a little feller have some fun what don't
+get many chances;" and, in his excitement, Toby spoke so loudly that Joe
+came running up to see what was the matter.
+
+"Let him stay 'round here to-day, 'cause we've got all through
+practisin', an' then tell him to keep away," said Ben, thinking this
+idea a very generous one.
+
+"He can belong to the show jest as well as not; an' if you fellers will
+let him, I'll give you my part of all the money we make."
+
+This proposition of Toby's put the matter on a very different basis, and
+both Ben and Bob now looked favorably inclined towards it.
+
+"Don't you do that, Toby," said Abner, his eyes filling with tears
+because of the kindness shown him. "I'll go right away, an' I won't
+come into the village again to bother you."
+
+"You shall come into the village every day, Abner, an' you won't bother
+us at all, for you shall go 'long of me everywhere I do, an' I won't
+never walk any faster'n you can;" and Toby moved his seat nearer Abner,
+to show that he took him under his especial care.
+
+"He might help tend the door," said Joe, kindly, anxious to please Toby,
+"an' that'll give me a chance to do more howlin' for the hyenas, 'cause
+that'll be 'bout all I oughter do if I have to hold the hoops."
+
+"Yes, he can do that," and Toby was very eager now, "an' we can get him
+a stool to sit on, an' he can do jest as much as if he could stand up."
+
+By this time Bob and Ben had decided that, in consideration of Toby's
+offer, Abner should be counted as one of the company, and the matters
+under discussion that had been interrupted by the cripple's coming were
+again taken up.
+
+Owing to the possible chance that Joe could not succeed in training the
+blind horse sufficiently to make him useful in the ring, it was
+necessary to know just what animals they could procure, and Bob offered
+to see Chandler Merrill for the purpose of securing the services of his
+Mexican pony, who had never allowed any one to ride him without first
+having a severe battle.
+
+"We can train him down all right," said Bob; "an' you fellers come down
+now while I find out 'bout the pony, so's we can come back here after
+dinner."
+
+As it was very important that this matter should be settled as soon as
+possible, Bob's advice was acted upon; and as the boys started to go,
+Toby said:
+
+"Come, Abner, you come home with me an' get some dinner, an' then you
+can come back here when I do."
+
+Bob was disposed to make sport of this sudden friendship; but Toby paid
+no attention to what he said, and if any of them wanted to talk with
+him, they too were obliged to walk with the boy from the poor-farm.
+
+By the time they arrived at Uncle Daniel's, Toby had formed many plans
+for making the life of the homeless boy more cheerful than it ever had
+been.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE PONY
+
+
+Toby's interest in the crippled boy whom he had taken under his charge
+was considerably greater than in the contemplated circus; and both Bob
+and Ben felt angry and injured when, in the midst of some brilliant plan
+for startling those of the good people of Guilford who should come to
+their circus, Toby would stop to say something to Abner, who was
+hobbling along as fast as possible in order that he might not oblige the
+party to wait for him.
+
+For a number of years Toby had known that there was a crippled orphan at
+the poor-farm; but it so happened that he had not met him very often,
+and even then he had no idea of the lonely life the boy was obliged to
+lead.
+
+On the way to the village he had formed several plans by which he might
+aid Abner; but none of them could be put into operation until after he
+had consulted Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive.
+
+It was nearly noon, and the understanding was that each one should get
+his dinner and go to the pasture again, when it would be known whether
+they were to be able to number Chandler Merrill's pony among the
+attractions of their show, or be wholly dependent upon the disabled
+horses that as yet made up their collection.
+
+"You're comin' to get dinner with me, Abner," said Toby, as he stopped
+in front of Uncle Daniel's gate, while the little fellow was continuing
+on his way to the only place he could call home, there to get his dinner
+with the other paupers.
+
+"I'm afraid your aunt won't want me," he said, shyly, while it was plain
+to be seen that he would be more than well pleased to accept the
+invitation.
+
+"Aunt Olive won't care a bit, an' she'll be glad to have you, I know,
+'cause she says it always does her good to see hungry people eat, though
+if that's so I must have done her an awful sight of good lots of times,
+for it don't seem to me I ever set down to the table in my life but what
+I was awful hungry. Come on now, so's we'll have time to get our hands
+an' faces washed before the dinner-bell rings."
+
+Abner followed Toby in a hesitating way, much as if he expected each
+moment to be ordered back; and when they arrived at the door he stood on
+the threshold, not daring to enter until permission had been given.
+
+"This is Abner Bolton, Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, as he saw that his newly
+made friend would not come in without an invitation from some one
+besides himself. "He lives out to the poor-farm, an' he don't have any
+such nice home as I've got, so I thought you wouldn't care if I brought
+him in to dinner."
+
+"You've got a good heart, Toby, boy, and the Lord will reward you for
+it," said Uncle Daniel, as he stroked the boy's refractory hair; and
+then he said to Abner, "Come in, my lad, and share Toby's dinner, nor
+need you ever hesitate about accepting any such invitation when it leads
+you here."
+
+Then Aunt Olive greeted Abner so kindly that the poor boy hardly knew
+whether it was reality or a dream, so strange was it all to him.
+
+During the dinner Toby told of the difficulty he had had in getting his
+partners to consent to Abner's being one of the company, and Aunt Olive,
+who had shown considerable interest in the circus scheme, said:
+
+"Why don't you let him keep a stand, and then he can make some money for
+himself. I will bake him a lot of doughnuts and ginger-snaps, and your
+Uncle Dan'l will lend him money enough to buy lemons an' sugar. It will
+be a deal better than to have Nahum Baker there with his pies that are
+as heavy as lead, an' doughnuts that have soaked up all the fat in the
+pan."
+
+Toby was delighted with the plan, and Abner's eyes glistened at the mere
+idea that it might be possible for him to do, once in his life at least,
+as did other and more fortunate boys.
+
+It certainly seemed, when they arrived at the pasture again, as if
+everything was conspiring in favor of their circus, for Chandler Merrill
+had willingly consented to let them use his pony; but he had done so
+with the kindly prophecy that the little animal would "kick their brains
+out" if they were not careful with him.
+
+In order to make sure that the consent would not be withdrawn, and at
+the same time to prove that he told the truth, Bob had brought the pony
+with him, and, judging from his general appearance as he stood gazing
+suspiciously at the Douglass horse, he deserved all that was said of him
+regarding his vicious qualities. He was about half the size of an
+ordinary horse, and his coat was ragged-looking, owing to its having
+been rubbed off in spots, thus giving him the air of just such a pony as
+one would suppose willing to join a party of boys in starting a circus.
+
+"Now, there's a hoss that hain't either lame or blind," said Bob,
+proudly, as he led the pony once around the ring to show his partners
+how he stepped. If he was intending to say anything more, he concluded
+to defer it while he made some very rapid movements in order to escape
+the blow the "hoss" aimed at him with his hind-feet.
+
+"Kicks, don't he?" said Toby, in a tone which plainly told he did not
+think him very well suited to their purpose.
+
+"Well, he did then," and Bob fastened the halter more securely by
+putting one end of the rope through the pony's mouth; "but you see
+that's 'cause he hain't been used much, an' he's tickled 'cause he's
+goin' to belong to a circus."
+
+"How long before he'll get over bein' tickled?" asked Joe. "I'm willin'
+to train Jack Douglass's hoss; but I don't know 'bout this one till he
+gets sorry enough not to kick."
+
+"Oh, he'll be all right jest as soon as Toby rides him 'round the ring a
+little while."
+
+"Do you think I'm goin' to ride him?" asked Toby, beginning to believe
+his partners expected more of him than ever Mr. Castle did.
+
+"Of course; a feller what's been with a circus ought to know how to ride
+any hoss that ever lived," replied Bob, with considerable emphasis,
+owing to the fact that the pony kicked and plunged so that his words
+were jerked out of him, rather than spoken.
+
+"I s'pose some fellers can; but I wasn't with the circus long enough to
+find out how to ride such hosses as them," and Toby retired to the shade
+of the alder bushes, where Abner was sitting to wait until Bob and the
+pony had come to terms.
+
+It was quite as much as Bob could do to hold his prize, without trying
+to make any arrangements for having him ridden, and he called Reddy to
+help him.
+
+Now, as the ring-master of the contemplated circus, Reddy ought to have
+known all about horses, and he thought he did until the pony made one
+plunge, just as he came up smiling with whip in hand. Then he said, as
+he ran towards Toby:
+
+"I don't believe I want to be ring-master if we're goin' to have that
+hoss."
+
+"Here, Joe, you help me," cried Bob, in desperation, growing each moment
+more afraid of the steed. "I want to get him up by the fence, where we
+can hitch him, till we find out what to do with him."
+
+Joe was perfectly willing to assist the unfortunate clown in his
+troubles; but, as he started towards him, the pony wheeled and flung his
+heels out with a force that showed he would do some damage if he could,
+and Joe also joined the party among the bushes.
+
+Bob was thus left alone with his prize, and a most uncomfortable time he
+appeared to be having of it, standing there in the hot sun clinging
+desperately to the halter, and jumping from one side to the other when
+the pony attempted to bite, or strike him with his fore-feet.
+
+"Let him go; he hain't any good," shouted Reddy from his secure retreat.
+
+"If I let go the halter, he'll jump right at me," and there was a
+certain ring in Bob's voice that told he was afraid.
+
+"Hitch him to the fence, an' then climb over," suggested Joe.
+
+"But I can't get him over there, for he won't go a step," and Bob
+continued to hold fast to the halter, afraid to do so, but still more
+afraid to let go.
+
+He had borrowed the pony; but it certainly seemed as if the animal had
+borrowed him, for his fear caused him to cling desperately to the halter
+as the only possible means of saving his life.
+
+The boys under the alder bushes were fully alive to the fact that
+something should be done although they were undecided as to what that
+something should be.
+
+Joe proposed that they all rush out and scare the pony away, but Bob
+insisted that he would be the sufferer by such a course. Reddy thought
+if Bob should show more spirit, and let the vicious little animal see
+that he was not afraid of him, everything would be all right; but when
+it was proposed that he try the plan himself, he concluded, perhaps,
+there might be serious objections to such a course.
+
+Ben thought if all of them got hold of the halter, they could pull the
+pony to the fence, and this plan was looked upon with such favor that it
+was adopted at once.
+
+Every one, except Abner, took hold of the halter, after some little
+delay in getting there, owing to the readiness of the pony to use his
+heels at the slightest provocation; and, just when they were about to
+put forth all their strength in pulling, the pony jumped towards them
+suddenly, rendering their efforts useless, and starting all, save Bob,
+back to the alder bushes in ignominious flight.
+
+Bob still remained at his post, or, more correctly speaking, the halter,
+and it was very much against his will that he did so.
+
+"I wish Chandler Merrill would come up here an' get his old hoss, for I
+don't want him any longer," he said, angrily. "He ought to be prosecuted
+for lettin' us have such a old tiger."
+
+Bob did not seem to remember that, if he had refused the loan of the
+pony, he would have considered Chandler Merrill very selfish; in fact,
+he hardly remembered anything save his own desire to get rid of the
+animal, and as quickly as possible.
+
+"What shall I do?" he cried, in desperation. "I can't stand here all
+day, an' the hoss don't mean to let me get away."
+
+"We've got to help Bob," said Toby, decidedly, as he arose to his feet
+again, and went towards the unfortunate clown. "If you fellers will try
+to hold him, I'll get on his back, an' then Bob can get away."
+
+"But he'll throw you off, an' hurt you," objected Abner, trying to
+prevent his newly made friend from going.
+
+"I can stop him from doing that, an' it's the only way I know of to help
+Bob."
+
+"You get on, Toby, an' then I'll scoot jest as soon as you get hold of
+the halter," said Bob, happy at this prospect of being relieved. "Then,
+when you get a chance, you jump off, an' we'll let somebody else take
+him home."
+
+It was a hard task, and they all ran considerable risk of getting
+kicked; but at last it was accomplished, so far as mounting was
+concerned. Toby was on the pony's back with a firm grasp of the rope
+that was made to serve as bridle.
+
+"Now, be all ready to run," he said; and there was no disposition to
+linger shown by any of his friends.
+
+"Let go!" he shouted, and at the sound of his voice the boys went one
+way and the pony another at full speed.
+
+It was not until the would-be circus managers were within the shelter of
+the clump of bushes that they stopped to look for their partner, and
+then they saw him at the further end of the pasture, the pony running
+and leaping as if doing his best to dislodge his rider.
+
+Even the Douglass horse seemed to be excited by the display of spirit,
+for he capered around in a manner very unbecoming one as old and blind
+as he.
+
+Only for a few moments could they watch the contest, and then the
+distant trees hid Toby Tyler and Chandler Merrill's pony from view.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+OLD BEN
+
+
+Some time the boys watched for Toby's return, and just as they were
+beginning to think they ought to go in search of him, and fearing lest
+he had been hurt by the vicious pony, they saw him coming from among the
+trees, alone and on foot.
+
+"Well," said Bob, with a sigh of relief, "he's got rid of the hoss, an'
+that was all we wanted."
+
+Toby's story, when at last, hot and tired, he reached the alder bushes,
+was not nearly so exciting as his partners anticipated. He had clung to
+the pony until they entered the woods, where he was brushed off by the
+branches of the trees as easily as if he had been a fly, and with as
+little damage.
+
+How they should get the pony back into its owner's keeping was a
+question difficult to answer, and they were all so completely worn out
+by their exertions to get rid of him that they did not attempt to come
+to any conclusion regarding it.
+
+While they were resting from their labors, and before they had ceased to
+congratulate each other that they had succeeded in separating themselves
+from the pony, Leander Leighton, his accordion under his arm and his
+clappers in his hand, made his appearance.
+
+His struggle with the baby had evidently come to an end sooner than he
+had dared hope, and the managers were happy at this speedy prospect of
+hearing what their band could do in the way of music.
+
+"Boys!" shouted Leander, excitedly, while he was some distance away,
+"there's a real circus comin' here next week--the same one Toby Tyler
+run away with--an' the men are pastin' up the bills now, down to the
+village!"
+
+The boys looked at each other in surprise; it had never entered into
+their calculations that they might have a real circus as a rival, and
+certainly Toby had never thought he would again see those whom he had
+first run away with and then run away from. He was rather disturbed by
+the prospect at first, for it seemed certain that Job Lord and Mr.
+Castle would try to compel him to go with them; but a moment's thought
+convinced him that Uncle Daniel would not allow them to carry him away,
+and he grew as eager for more news as any of the others.
+
+Leander knew no more than he had already told; after having been
+relieved from his care of the baby, he had started for the pasture, and
+had seen the show-bills as he came along. He was certain it was the same
+circus Toby had gone with, for the names on the bills were the same, and
+he had heard some of the townspeople say so as he came along.
+
+"An' I shall see the skeleton an' the fat woman again," said Toby,
+delighted at the idea of meeting those kind friends from whom he had
+thought himself parted with forever.
+
+"Don't you s'pose you could get 'em to leave that show an' come with
+ours?" asked Bob, thinking perhaps some kind fortune had thrown this
+opportunity in their way that they might the better succeed in their
+project.
+
+Toby was not sure such a plan could be made to work, for the reason that
+they were only intending to give two or three performances, and Mr. and
+Mrs. Treat might not think it worth their while to leave the circus they
+were with on the strength of such uncertain prospects.
+
+"And you shall go to the show, Abner," said Toby, pleased at the
+opportunity he would have of making the crippled boy happy for one day
+at least; "an' I'll take all of you fellers down, an' get the skeleton
+to talk at you, so's you can see how nice he is. You shall see his wife,
+an' old Ben, an' Ella, an'--"
+
+"But won't you be afraid of Job Lord?" interrupted Leander, fearful lest
+Toby's dread of meeting his old employer might prevent them from having
+all this promised enjoyment.
+
+"Uncle Dan'l wouldn't let him take me away, an' now I'm home here I
+don't believe old Ben would let him touch me."
+
+There was evidently no probability that they would transact any more
+business relative to their own circus that day, so intent were they on
+talking about the one that was to come, and it was not until nearly time
+to drive the cows home that they remembered the presence of their band.
+
+Ben proposed that Leander should show them what he could do in the way
+of music, so that he need not be at the trouble of bringing his
+accordion up into the pasture again, and the boys ceased all
+conversation for the purpose of listening to the so-called melody.
+
+After considerable preparation in the way of polishing his clappers on
+the cuff of his jacket and fingering the keys of his accordion to make
+sure they were in proper working order, Leander extracted with one
+finger a few bars of "Yankee Doodle" from the last-named instrument, and
+gave an imitation of a drum with the clappers, in a manner that won for
+him no small amount of applause.
+
+"Now, we'll go home," said Toby, "'cause Uncle Dan'l will be waitin' for
+me an' the cows, an' to-morrow I'll meet you down-town where the circus
+pictures be."
+
+Then he helped Abner on to his crutches, and walked beside him all the
+way, wishing, oh, so much! that he could save the poor boy from having
+to go out to the poor-farm to sleep.
+
+"You come in just as early as you can in the mornin', Abner, an' you
+shall eat dinner with me," he said, as he parted with the boy at Uncle
+Daniel's gate, "an' perhaps you'll make so much money at our circus that
+you won't ever have to go out to the poor-farm again."
+
+Abner tried to thank his friend for the kindness he had shown him; but
+the sobs of gratitude came into his throat so fast that it was
+impossible, and he hobbled away towards his dreary home, while Toby ran
+into the house to tell the astounding news of the coming of the circus.
+
+"So all the people who were so kind to you will be here next week, will
+they?" said, rather than asked, Aunt Olive. "Well, Toby, we'll kill one
+of the lambs, an' you shall invite them up here to dinner, which will
+kind of encourage them to be good to any other little boy who may be as
+foolish as you were."
+
+Toby lay awake a long time that night, thinking of the pleasure he was
+to have in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Treat, old Ben and little Ella, eating
+dinner in Uncle Daniel's home, and of how good a boy he ought to be to
+repay his uncle and aunt for their loving-kindness to him.
+
+Operations were almost entirely suspended by the would-be circus
+managers in view of the coming of the real show. It would have been
+commercial folly to attempt to enter into competition with it; the real
+circus would, without a doubt, prove too strong a rival for them to
+contend against; and by waiting until after it had come and gone they
+might be able to pick up some useful ideas regarding the show they
+proposed to give.
+
+This delay would be to their advantage in a great many other ways. The
+band would have so much time for practice that he might learn another
+tune, or even be able to play with more than one finger; their acrobat
+would have so many rehearsals that he could, perhaps, double his present
+allowance of hand-springs, and Joe would be able to bring his horses to
+a more perfect state of training.
+
+Mr. Douglass, having no use for his horse, was perfectly willing he
+should remain under Joe's tuition, providing it was done in Uncle
+Daniel's pasture; but matters were not in so good a condition regarding
+the pony.
+
+Chandler Merrill was anxious to have his property returned to him, and
+not willing to go after it. Besides, Mr. Douglass's horse was in great
+danger of being kicked to death so long as the vicious little animal
+remained in the same pasture.
+
+Very many were the discussions the boys had on the subject; but nothing
+could be suggested which promised any relief, after Bob's brilliant idea
+of driving the pony out, and letting him find his way home as best he
+might, was tried without success. The pony not only refused to go out,
+but he actually drove the boys away by the liberal use he made of his
+heels.
+
+Slowly the time passed until the day before the one on which the circus
+was to arrive, Toby had almost been counting the hours and Abner, who
+was to see the interior of a circus tent for the first time in his life,
+was quite as excited as he.
+
+The lamb had been killed as Aunt Olive had promised, and a rare store of
+good things in the way of apple-pies, cake, doughnuts, and custards had
+been prepared, until the pantry looked like a large-sized baker's shop
+just opened for inspection.
+
+Everything was ready for the guests, who were to be invited to dinner
+next day; and when Toby went to bed that night, it seemed as if he would
+never get to sleep for thinking of all the friends he was to see.
+
+Abner was in quite as sleepless a condition as Toby; Aunt Olive had
+invited him to remain overnight, so that he might see everything that
+was going on, and as he lay in the soft, geranium-scented bed, his eyes
+were kept wide open by his delight with what seemed to him the
+magnificence of the room.
+
+It seemed as though each boy in the village considered himself Toby's
+particular and intimate friend during the week that preceded the coming
+of the circus; and the marbles, balls, and boats that were showered upon
+him in the way of gifts would almost have stocked a small shop.
+
+Then, on this day before the circus, all the boys in town were most
+anxious to know just where Toby proposed meeting the cavalcade, at what
+time he was to start, and other details which showed quite plainly it
+was their intention to accompany him if possible.
+
+When Toby went to bed, it was with the express understanding with Uncle
+Daniel that he was to be called at daylight, in order that he might
+start out to meet the circus when it stopped to prepare for its entrance
+into the town. The place where the procession was usually formed was
+fully two miles from town, and as Abner could hardly walk that distance,
+and certainly could not walk so fast as Toby would want to go, he had
+agreed to drive the cows to pasture, after which he was to go to the
+tenting-ground, where his friend would introduce him to all the
+celebrities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE GREAT EVENT
+
+
+Uncle Daniel seemed quite as anxious as Toby that he should leave the
+house in time to meet his circus friends before the entrée was made, and
+Aunt Olive afterwards said he didn't sleep a wink after two o'clock for
+fear he might not waken in time to rouse the anxious boy.
+
+It was fully an hour before sunrise when Uncle Daniel awakened Toby, and
+cautioned him to eat as much of the lunch Aunt Olive had set out as
+possible, insisting that what he could not eat he should put into his
+pocket, as it would be a long while before he would get his dinner.
+
+The two miles Toby was obliged to walk seemed very short ones, and at
+nearly every house on the road one or more boys were watching for him
+quite as eagerly as for the show itself, so that by the time he arrived
+at the place where two or three of the wagons had drawn up by the side
+of the road, he had as many as a hundred boys for an escort, all of whom
+were urging him to get the manager to take out a few lions and tigers
+for their inspection before starting for the village.
+
+Toby could hold out no promise to them; on the contrary, he insisted
+that he hardly knew the manager, save by sight, and explained to them
+that they were unwise to come with him on any such errand, since none of
+the curiosities could be seen there, and if old Ben were still with the
+company he should ride back with him.
+
+But the boys put very little faith in what he said, seeming to have the
+idea that he simply wanted to get rid of them, and, instead of going
+away, they surrounded him more closely.
+
+Toby watched anxiously as each wagon came up, and he failed to
+recognize any of the drivers. For the first time it occurred to him that
+perhaps those whom he knew were no longer with this particular company,
+and his elation gave way to sadness.
+
+Fully twenty wagons had come, and he had just begun to think his fears
+had good foundation, when in the distance he saw the well-remembered
+monkey-wagon, with the burly form of old Ben on the box.
+
+Toby could not wait for that particular team to come up, even though it
+was driven at a reasonably rapid speed; but he started towards it as
+fast as he could run, and, following him something like the tail of a
+comet, were all his friends, who, having come so far, were determined
+not to lose sight of him for a single instant, if it could be prevented
+by any exertions on their part.
+
+Old Ben was driving in a sleepy sort of way, and paid no attention to
+the little fellow who was running towards him, until Toby shouted, and
+then the horses were stopped with a jerk that nearly threw them back on
+their haunches.
+
+"Well, Toby, my son! I declare, I am glad to see you;" and old Ben
+reached down for the double purpose of shaking hands and helping the boy
+on to the seat beside him. "Well, well, well, it's been some time since
+you've been on this 'ere box, hain't it? I'd kinder forgotten what town
+it was we took you from; I knew it was somewhere hereabouts though, an'
+I've kept my eye peeled for you ever since we've been in this part of
+the country. So you found your Uncle Dan'l all right, did you?"
+
+"Yes, Ben, an' he was awful good to me when I got home; but Mr. Stubbs
+got shot."
+
+"No? you don't tell me! How did that happen?"
+
+Then Toby told the story of his pet's death, and, although it had
+occurred a year before, he could not keep the tears from his eyes as he
+spoke of it.
+
+"You mustn't feel bad 'bout it, Toby," said Ben, consolingly, "for, you
+see, monkeys has got to die jest like folks, an' your Stubbs was sich a
+old feller that I reckon he'd died anyhow before long. But I've got one
+in the wagon here that looks a good deal like yours, an' I'll show him
+to you."
+
+As Ben spoke he drew his wagon, now completely surrounded by boys, up by
+the side of the road near the others, and opened the panel in the top so
+that Toby could have a view of his passengers.
+
+Curled up in the corner nearest the roof, where Mr. Stubbs had been in
+the habit of sitting, Toby saw, as Ben had said, a monkey that looked
+remarkably like Mr. Stubbs, save that he was younger and not so sedate.
+
+Toby uttered an exclamation of surprise and joy as he pushed his hand
+through the bars of the cage, and the monkey shook hands with him as Mr.
+Stubbs used to do when greeted in the morning.
+
+"Why, I never knew before that Mr. Stubbs had any relations!" said Toby,
+looking around with joy imprinted on every feature. "Do you know where
+the rest of the family is, Ben?"
+
+There was no reply from the driver for some time; but instead, Toby
+heard certain familiar sounds as if the old man were choking, while his
+face took on the purplish tinge which had so alarmed the boy when he saw
+it for the first time.
+
+"No, I don't know where his family is," said Ben, after he had recovered
+from his spasm of silent laughter, "an' I reckon he don't know nor care.
+Say, Toby, you don't really think this one is any relation to your
+monkey, do you?"
+
+"Why, it must be his brother," said Toby, earnestly, "'cause they look
+so much alike; but perhaps Mr. Stubbs was only his cousin."
+
+Old Ben relapsed into another spasm, and Toby talked to the monkey, who
+chattered back at him, until the boys on the ground were in a perfect
+ferment of anxiety to know what was going on.
+
+It was some time before Toby could be persuaded to pay attention to
+anything else, so engrossed was he with Mr. Stubbs's brother, as he
+persisted in calling the monkey, and the only way Ben could engage him
+in conversation was by saying,
+
+"You don't seem to be very much afraid of Job Lord now."
+
+"You won't let him take me away if he should try, will you?" Toby asked,
+quickly, alarmed at the very mention of his former employer's name, even
+though he had thought he would not be afraid of him, protected as he now
+was by Uncle Daniel.
+
+"No, Toby, I wouldn't let him if he was to try it on, for you are just
+where every boy ought to be, an' that's at home; but Job's where he
+can't whip any more boys for some time to come."
+
+"Where's that?"
+
+"He's in jail. About a month after you left he licked his new boy so bad
+that they arrested him, an' he got two years for it, 'cause it pretty
+nigh made a cripple out of the youngster."
+
+Toby was about to make some reply; but Ben continued unfolding his
+budget of news.
+
+"Castle stayed with us till the season was over, an' then he went out
+West. I don't know whether he got his hair cut trying to show the Injuns
+how to ride, or not; but he never come back, an' nobody I ever saw has
+heard anything about him."
+
+"Are Mr. and Mrs. Treat with the show?"
+
+"Yes, they're still here; he's a leetle thinner, I believe, an' she's
+twenty pound heavier. She says she weighs fifty pounds more'n she did;
+but I don't believe that, even if she did strike for five dollars more a
+week this season on the strength of it, an' get it. They keep right on
+cookin' up dinners, an' invitin' of folks in, an' the skeleton gets
+choked about the same as when you was with the show. I don't know how it
+is that a feller so thin as Treat is can eat so much."
+
+"Uncle Dan'l says it's 'cause he works so hard to get full," said Toby,
+quietly, "an' I shouldn't wonder if I grew as thin as the skeleton one
+of these days, for I eat jest as awful much as I used to."
+
+"Well, you look as if you got about all you needed, at any rate," said
+Ben, as he mentally compared the plump boy at his side with the thin,
+frightened-looking one who had run away from the circus with his monkey
+on his shoulder and his bundle under his arm.
+
+"Is Ella here?" asked Toby, after a pause, during which it seemed as if
+he were thinking of much the same thing that Ben was.
+
+"Yes, an' she keeps talkin' about what big cards you an' her would have
+been if you had only stayed with the show. But I'm glad you had pluck
+enough to run away, Toby, for a life like this hain't no fit one for
+boys."
+
+"And I was glad to get back to Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, with a great
+deal of emphasis. "I wouldn't go away without he wanted me to, if I
+could go with a circus seven times as large as this. Do you suppose
+young Stubbs would act bad if I was to take him for a walk?"
+
+"Who?" asked Ben, looking down at the crowd of boys with no slight show
+of perplexity.
+
+"Mr. Stubbs's brother," and Toby motioned to the door of the cage. "I'd
+like to take him up in my arms, 'cause it would seem so much like it
+used to before his brother died."
+
+Ben was seized with one of the very worst laughing spasms Toby had ever
+seen, and there was every danger that he would roll off the seat before
+he could control himself; but he did recover after a time, and as the
+purple hue slowly receded from his face, he said:
+
+"I'll tell you what we'll do, Toby. You come to the tent when the
+afternoon performance is over, an' I'll fix it so's you shall see Mr.
+Stubbs's brother as much as you want to."
+
+Just then Toby remembered that Ben was to be his guest for a while that
+day, and, after explaining all Aunt Olive had done in the way of
+preparing dainties, invited him to dinner.
+
+"I'll come, Toby, because it's to see you an' them that has been good to
+you," said Ben, slowly, and after quite a long pause: "but there hain't
+anybody else I know of who could coax me out to dinner; for, you see,
+rough fellows like me hain't fit to go around much, except among our
+own kind. But say, Toby, your Uncle Dan'l hain't right on his speech, is
+he?"
+
+Toby looked so puzzled that Ben saw he had not been understood, and he
+explained:
+
+"I mean, he don't get up a dinner for the sake of havin' a chance to
+make a speech, like the skeleton, does he, eh?"
+
+"Oh no, Uncle Dan'l don't do that. I know you'll like him when you see
+him."
+
+"And I believe I shall, Toby," said Ben, speaking very seriously; "I'd
+be sure to, because he's such a good uncle to you."
+
+Just then the conversation was interrupted by the orders to prepare for
+the parade; and as the manager drove up to see that everything was done
+properly, he stopped to speak with and congratulate Toby on being home
+again, a condescension on his part that caused a lively feeling of envy
+in the breasts of the other boys, because they had not been so honored.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ATTRACTIONS FOR THE LITTLE CIRCUS
+
+
+While he stood there, the wagon in which the skeleton and his wife
+travelled rolled past; but Toby knew they were still sleeping, and would
+continue to do so until their tent was ready for them to go into.
+
+The carriage in which the women of the company rode also passed him, and
+he almost fancied he could see Ella sitting in one of the seats sleeping
+with her head on her mother's shoulder, as she had slept on the stormy
+night when his head was nearly jerked from his body as he tried to sleep
+while sitting upright.
+
+There were but three of the drivers who had been with the circus the
+year before, and, after speaking with them, he stood by the side of the
+road, and watched the preparations for the entrée with feelings far
+different from those with which he had observed such preparations in
+that dreary time when he expected each moment to hear Job Lord order him
+to attend to his work.
+
+The other boys crowded quite as close to him as they could get, as if by
+this means they allied themselves in some way with the show; and when a
+drove of ponies were led past, Joe Robinson said, longingly:
+
+"There, Toby, if we had one or two of them to train, it would be
+different work from what it is to make the Douglass boss remember his
+way round the ring."
+
+"You wouldn't have to train them any," began Toby; and then he had no
+time to say anything more, for Ben, who had been talking with the
+manager, called to him.
+
+"Has your Uncle Dan'l got plenty of pasturage?" asked Ben, when the boy
+approached him.
+
+"Well, he's got twenty acres up by the stone quarry, an' he keeps three
+cows on it, an' Jack Douglass's hoss, that don't count, for he's only
+there till we boys have our circus," said Toby, never for a moment
+dreaming of the good fortune that was in store for him.
+
+"So you're goin' to have a circus of your own, eh?" asked Ben, with a
+smile that alarmed Toby, because he feared it was a signal for one of
+those terrible laughing spells.
+
+"We're only goin' to have a little three-cent one," replied Toby,
+modestly, noting with satisfaction that Ben's mirth had gone no further
+than the smile.
+
+"Two of our ponies are about used up," said the manager, "and we've got
+to leave them somewhere. Ben tells me he is going to see your Uncle
+Dan'l this noon, so suppose you take one of these boys and ride them up
+to the pasture. Ben will make a bargain with your uncle for their
+keeping, and you can use them in your circus if you want to."
+
+Joe Robinson actually jumped for joy as he heard this, and Toby's
+delight spread itself all over his face, while Bob Atwood and Ben
+Gushing went near the fence, where they stood on their heads as a way of
+expressing their elation at thus being able to have real live ponies in
+their circus.
+
+A black and a red pony were the ones pointed out for Toby to take away,
+and they were not more than twice as large as Newfoundland dogs; they
+were, in fact, just exactly what was wanted for a little circus such as
+the boys were about to start.
+
+Joe was so puffed up with pride at being allowed to ride one of these
+ponies through the village that if his mind could have affected his body
+he would not have weighed more than a pound, and he held his head so
+high that it seemed a matter of impossibility for him to see his feet.
+
+Very much surprised were Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive at seeing Toby and
+Joe dash into the yard astride of these miniature horses, just as they
+were sitting down to breakfast; and when the matter had been explained,
+Abner appeared quite as much pleased that the boys would have this
+attraction in their circus as if he were the sole proprietor of it.
+
+It was with the greatest reluctance that either of the boys left his
+pony in the stable-yard and sat down to breakfast, so eager was Joe to
+get back to the tenting-ground to see what was going on, and so anxious
+was Toby to see the skeleton and his wife as soon as possible. But they
+ate because Uncle Daniel insisted that they should do so; and, when
+breakfast was over, he advised that the ponies be left in the stable
+until Chandler Merrill's pony could be removed from the pasture.
+
+When they started down town again, Abner went with them, and it was so
+late in the morning that Toby was sure the skeleton and his wife would
+be prepared to receive visitors.
+
+When Toby, Abner, and Joe reached the tenting-ground, everything was in
+that delightful state of bustle and confusion which is attendant upon
+the exhibition of a circus in a country town, where the company do not
+expect that the tent will be more than half filled, and where, in
+consequence, the programme will be considerably shortened.
+
+It did not require much search on Toby's part to find the tent wherein
+the skeleton and his wife exhibited their contrasting figures, for the
+pictures which hung outside were so gaudy, and of such an unusually
+large size, that they commanded the attention of every visitor.
+
+"Now I'm goin' in to see 'em," said Toby, first making sure that the
+exhibition had not begun; "an' Joe, you take Abner over so's he can see
+how Nahum Baker keeps a stand, an' then he'll know what to do when we
+have our circus. I'll come back here for you pretty soon."
+
+Then Toby ran around to the rear of the tent, where he knew he would
+find a private entrance, thus running less risk of receiving a blow on
+the head from some watchful attendant, and in a few moments he stood
+before Mr. and Mrs. Treat, who, having just completed their
+preparations, were about to announce that the exhibition could be
+opened.
+
+"Why, Toby Tyler, you dear little thing!" cried the enormous lady, in a
+joyful tone, after she had looked at the boy intently for a moment, to
+make sure he was really the one whom she had rescued several times from
+Job Lord's brutality; and then she took him in her fat arms, hugging him
+much as if he were a lemon and she an unusually large squeezer. "Where
+did you come from? How have you been? Did you find your Uncle Daniel?"
+
+Her embrace was so vigorous that it was some seconds after she had
+released him before he could make any reply; and while he was trying to
+get his breath the fleshless Mr. Treat took him solemnly by the hand,
+and cleared his throat as if he were determined to take advantage of the
+occasion to make one of his famous speeches.
+
+"My dear Mr. Tyler," he said, squeezing Toby's hand until it ached, "it
+is almost impossible for me to express the joy I feel at meeting you
+once more. We--Lilly and I--have looked forward to such a moment as this
+with a great deal of impatience, and even during our most prosperous
+exhibitions we have found time to speak of you."
+
+"There, there, Samuel, don't take up so much time with your long-winded
+talk, but let me see the dear little fellow myself;" and Mrs. Treat
+lifted her slim husband into a chair, where he was out of her way, and
+again greeted Toby by kissing him on both cheeks with a resounding smack
+that rivalled anything Reddy Grant had yet been able to do in the way
+of cracking his whip.
+
+Then she fairly overwhelmed him with questions, nor would she allow her
+husband to say a word until Toby had answered them all. He was again
+obliged to tell the story of Mr. Stubbs's death; of his return home, and
+everything connected with his running away from the circus; while all
+the time the fat lady alternately kissed and hugged him, until it seemed
+as if he would never be able to finish his story.
+
+"And, now that you are home again, don't ever think of running away,
+even though I must admit that you made a wonderful success in the ring;"
+and Mr. Treat crossed one leg over the other in a triumphant way,
+pleased that he had at last succeeded in getting a chance to speak.
+
+Toby was very emphatic in his assurances that he should never run away
+again, for he had had quite as much experience in that way as he
+wanted; and, after he had finished, Mrs. Treat, by way of further
+showing her joy at meeting him once more, brought out from a large black
+trunk fully half a dozen doughnuts, each quite as large among their kind
+as she was among women.
+
+"Now eat every one of them," she said, as she handed them to Toby, "an'
+it will do me good to see you, for you always used to be such a hungry
+little fellow."
+
+Toby had already had two breakfasts that morning, but he did not wish to
+refuse the kindly proffered gift, and he made every effort to do as she
+requested, though one of the cakes would have been quite a feast for him
+at his hungriest moment.
+
+The food reminded him of the dinner-invitation he was to deliver, and,
+as he forced down the rather heavy cake, he said:
+
+"Aunt Olive's killed a lamb, an' made an awful lot of things for dinner
+to-day, an' Uncle Dan'l says he'd be glad to have you come up. Ben's
+coming an' I'm goin' to find Ella, so's to have her come, an' we'll
+have a good time."
+
+"Lilly an' I will be pleased to see your aunt's lamb, and we shall be
+delighted to meet your Uncle Daniel," replied the skeleton, before his
+wife could speak, and then a "far-away" look came into his eyes, as if
+he could already taste, or at least smell, the feast in which he was
+certain he should take so much pleasure.
+
+"That's just the way with Samuel," said Mrs. Treat, as if she would
+offer some apology for the almost greedy way in which her husband
+accepted the invitation; "he's always thinking so much about eating that
+I'm afraid he'll begin to fat up, and then I shall have to support both
+of us."
+
+"Now, my dear"--and Mr. Treat used a tone of mild reproof--"why should
+you have such ideas, and why express them before our friend, Mr. Tyler?
+I've eaten considerable, perhaps, at times; but during ten years you
+have never seen me grow an ounce the fatter, and surely I have grown
+some leaner in that time."
+
+"Yes, yes, Sammy, I know it, and you shall eat all you can get, only try
+not to show that you think so much about it." Then, turning to Toby, she
+said, "He's such a trial, Sam is. We'll go to see your uncle, Toby, and
+we should be very glad to do so even if we wasn't going for dinner."
+
+"Ben an' me will come 'round when it's time to go," said Toby, and then,
+in a hesitating way, he added, "Abner's out here--he's a cripple that
+lives out to the poor-farm--an' he never saw a circus or anything. Can't
+I bring him in here a minute before you open the show?"
+
+"Of course you can, Toby, my dear, and you may bring all your friends.
+We'll give an exhibition especially for them. We haven't got a
+sword-swallower this year, and the albino children that you used to know
+have had to leave the business, because albinos got so plenty they
+couldn't earn their salt; but we've got a new snake-charmer, and a man
+without legs, and a bearded lady, so--"
+
+"So that our entertainment is quite as morally effective and
+instructively entertaining as ever," said Mr. Treat, interrupting his
+wife to speak a good word for the exhibition.
+
+Toby ran out quickly, that he might not delay the regular business any
+longer than was absolutely necessary; and at the very entrance of the
+tent, looking at the pictures in wonder that almost amounted to awe, he
+found Abner with his partners, and about a dozen other boys.
+
+"Come right in quick, fellers," said Toby, breathlessly, "an' you can
+see the whole show before it commences."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE DINNER PARTY
+
+
+The invitation was no sooner given than accepted; and in a twinkling
+every one of those boys was inside the tent, looking at the skeleton and
+the fat woman as though they had been old acquaintances.
+
+Toby had told Mr. and Mrs. Treat of the little circus they were
+intending to have, and he introduced to them his partners in the
+enterprise.
+
+The fleshy Lilly smiled encouragingly upon them, and the skeleton,
+moving his chair slightly to prevent his wife from interrupting him,
+said:
+
+"I am pleased to meet you, gentlemen, principally, and I might almost
+say wholly, because you are the friends of my old friend, Mr. Tyler.
+Whatever business relations you may have with him, whether in the great
+profession of the circus, or in the humbler walks of life, I am sure he
+will honor the connection."
+
+From appearances Mr. Treat would have continued to talk for some time,
+but his wife passed around more doughnuts, and the attention of the
+visitors was so distracted that he was obliged to stop.
+
+"And this is Abner," said Toby, taking advantage of the break in the
+skeleton's speech to lead forward his crippled friend.
+
+Abner limped blushingly towards the gigantic lady, and when both she and
+her thin husband spoke to him kindly, he was so covered with confusion
+at the honor thus showered upon him that he was hardly able to say a
+word.
+
+But the time was passing rapidly, and as there were many persons
+outside, probably, waiting for an opportunity to pay their money to see
+the varied attractions of the show, Mrs. Treat gave the signal for the
+snake-charmer to begin the entertainment, which was given as a mark of
+respect, as the skeleton explained, to their friend Toby Tyler.
+
+[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY]
+
+This private exhibition lasted about fifteen minutes, and when, at its
+close, the doors were thrown open to such of the public as were willing
+to pay to come in, the boys were not at all anxious to leave.
+
+"Let them stay as long as they want to, Toby," said the skeleton
+indulgently.
+
+The boys were only too glad to avail themselves of this permission, and
+Toby said to Abner:
+
+"I want to see if I can find Ella, an' you stay here till I come back."
+
+"I'll keep him right here by me," said Mrs. Treat, "and he'll be safe
+enough."
+
+Remembering how she had served Job Lord, Toby had no fears for the
+safety of his friend; he went at once, therefore, to deliver the
+invitation to the last of Aunt Olive's expected guests.
+
+When, after some little time, Toby returned, the boys had satisfied
+their curiosity so far as the side-show was concerned, and all except
+Abner had left the tent.
+
+That he had found Ella was evident, as that young lady herself skipped
+along by his side in the greatest possible delight at having met her
+former riding companion; and that she had accepted his invitation to
+dinner was shown by the scrupulous care with which she was dressed.
+
+"It's time to go up to Uncle Dan'l's," Toby whispered to Mrs. Treat,
+"an' Ben's harnessin' the hosses into your wagon, so's you won't have to
+go to the trouble of puttin' on your other clothes."
+
+"I don't know as we ought to go up there in this rig," said Mrs. Treat
+doubtfully, as she looked down at her "show dress," made to display her
+arms and neck to the greatest advantage, and then at her husband's
+costume, which was as scanty as his body. "I wanted to dress up when we
+went there; but I don't see how I'll get the chance to do it."
+
+"I wouldn't bother, 'cause Uncle Dan'l will like you jest as well that
+way, an' it will take you too long," said Toby impatiently.
+
+The skeleton, on being consulted as to the matter, decided to do as Toby
+wished, because by adopting that course they would the sooner get the
+dinner about which he had been thinking ever since he had received the
+invitation.
+
+But while Mrs. Treat was ready to believe that her costume might be
+reasonably fit to wear to a dinner party, she was certain that something
+more than tights and a pair of short, red velvet trousers was necessary
+for her husband.
+
+Mr. Treat tried to argue with his much larger half, insisting that Uncle
+Daniel would understand the matter; but his wife insisted so strongly,
+and with such determination to have her own way, that he compromised by
+adding to his scanty wardrobe a black frock-coat and a tall silk hat,
+which gave him a rather more comical than distinguished appearance.
+
+The audience were dismissed as soon as possible; Abner was helped into
+the wagon, perfectly delighted at being allowed to ride in a circus van,
+and the party started for Uncle Daniel's.
+
+Toby sat on the box with Ben, to show him the way; and when the gaudily
+painted cart stopped in front of the farm-house; it was much as if a
+peacock had suddenly alighted amid a flock of demure hens.
+
+Uncle Daniel was out in the yard to receive his strangely assorted
+guests, and the greeting they received from both him and Aunt Olive was
+as hearty as if they had been old acquaintances.
+
+There was a look of calm satisfaction on the skeleton's face as the odor
+of roast lamb was mingled with Uncle Daniel's welcome when he descended
+from the wagon; and as the company were ushered into the "fore-room,"
+the air of which was pungent with the odors of herbs used to keep the
+moths from carpet and furniture, a restful feeling came over them such
+as only those whose lives are dreary rounds of travelling can feel.
+
+Uncle Daniel insisted on taking care of the horses himself, for his idea
+of the duties of host would not allow that Ben should help him, and
+almost as soon as he had finished this work dinner was ready.
+
+When all the guests were at the table, and Uncle Daniel bowed his head
+to invoke a blessing on those who had befriended the fatherless, the
+look of general discomfort old Ben had worn from the time he reached the
+house passed away, and in its place came the peaceful look Toby had seen
+on Sundays after the old driver had come from church.
+
+It seemed to Toby that he had never really known Uncle Daniel before, so
+jolly was he in his efforts to entertain his guests; and the manner in
+which he portioned out the food, keeping the plates well filled all the
+time, was in the highest degree pleasing to Mr. Treat.
+
+Of course very much was said about the time when Toby was an unwilling
+member of the circus, and Mrs. Treat and Ben told of the boy's
+experiences in a way that brought many a blush to his cheeks. Mr. Treat
+was too busy with Aunt Olive's lamb, as he affectionately spoke of it,
+to be able to say anything; he was wonderfully fortunate in not choking
+himself but once, and that was such a trifling matter that it was all
+over in a moment.
+
+Old Ben told Toby that night, however, that Treat would not have got on
+so well, if his wife had not trodden on his toes frequently, as a hint
+to eat more slowly.
+
+Although Abner had spent several hours in the side-show, it seemed as if
+he would never tire of gazing at Mrs. Treat's enormous frame, and so
+intently did he look at her that he missed a good chance of getting a
+second piece of custard pie, though Toby nudged him several times to
+intimate that he could have more as well as not.
+
+Ben told a number of stories of circus life; Mrs. Treat related some of
+her experiences in trying to prevent her husband from eating too fast;
+Ella told Aunt Olive of the home she and her mother lived in during
+winter; and the hour which had been devoted to this visit passed so
+pleasantly that every one was sorry when it was ended.
+
+"You've got a trim little farm here," said Ben to Uncle Daniel, when the
+two went out to harness the horses; "an' I reckon that a man who has got
+land enough to support him is fixed jest about as well as he can be. I
+don't know of anything I'd rather be than a farmer, if I could only get
+away from circus life."
+
+"Whenever you want to leave that business," said Uncle Daniel solemnly
+and earnestly, "you come right here, and I'll show you the chance to
+become a farmer."
+
+"I'd like to," said Ben, with a sigh of regret that the matter seemed so
+impossible; "but I've been with a circus now, man an' boy, goin' on
+forty-one years, an' I s'pose I shall always be with one."
+
+Then he changed the conversation, making an arrangement with Uncle
+Daniel for pasturing the ponies that were to be left behind, and by the
+time the bargain was completed the horses were at the door.
+
+While Uncle Daniel and old Ben had been at the stables, Mr. Treat had
+been showing his liberality by giving Aunt Olive tickets for the
+side-show and circus, and inducing her to promise that she and Uncle
+Daniel would see both shows. He had also given Toby fully a dozen circus
+tickets for distribution among his friends; and then, as Uncle Daniel
+entered, he said:
+
+"I wish to express thanks--both for myself and my wife Lilly--for the
+very kind manner in which you have entertained us to-day."
+
+Before he could say anything more the others came to say good-bye, and
+he was disappointed again. Aunt Olive kissed Ella several times, while
+the parting with the others was almost as between old friends, and the
+guests started for the tent again, more than satisfied with their visit.
+
+"Now, Toby, you look me up jest after the show is out this afternoon,
+an' we'll fix it so's you shall have a chance to talk with Mr. Stubbs's
+brother," said Ben, as they were driving along.
+
+As a matter of course Toby promised to be there, and to bring Abner with
+him.
+
+"You said that little cripple had to live at the poor-farm, didn't you?"
+asked Ben, after quite a long pause.
+
+"Yes, an' it's 'cause he hain't got no father or mother, nor no Uncle
+Dan'l like I've got," said Toby sadly.
+
+"Hain't he got any relations anywhere?"
+
+"No; Uncle Dan'l said he didn't have a soul that he could go to."
+
+"It must be kinder hard for him to live there alone, an' I don't s'pose
+he'll ever be able to walk."
+
+Toby was not at all certain whether or not Abner could ever be cured;
+but he told the old driver what he knew of the lonely life the boy led.
+Ben did not appear to hear what was said, for he was in one of his deep
+studies and seemed unconscious of everything except the fact that his
+horses were going in the proper direction.
+
+"I'll tell you what I'll do, Toby," he said, after remaining silent
+until they were nearly at the tent. "I hain't got a child or a chick in
+the world, an' I'll take care of that boy."
+
+Toby looked up in surprise, as he repeated, in a puzzled way:
+
+"You'll take care of him?"
+
+"I don't mean that I'll take hold an' tote' him 'round; but he shall
+have as much as he needs out of every dollar I get. I'll see your Uncle
+Dan'l, an' fix it somehow so he'll be taken out of the poorhouse."
+
+"Why, Ben, how good you are!" and Toby looked up at his friend with
+sincere admiration imprinted on his face.
+
+"It hain't 'cause I'm good, my lad; but if I didn't help that poor
+fellow in some way, I'd see them big eyes an' that pale face of hisn
+every night I rode on this box alone; so you see I only do it for the
+sake of havin' peace," said Ben, with a forced laugh; and then he
+stopped the horses at the rear of Mr. Treat's tent. "Now you jump down,
+Toby, so's to see the skeleton don't break himself all to pieces gettin'
+out, for I'm kinder 'fraid he will some day. I'd rather drive a hundred
+monkeys than one sich slim man as him."
+
+Then Ben had a fit of internal laughter caused by his own remark, and
+Uncle Daniel's guests were ready to resume their duties at the circus.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+It was so near the time for the circus to begin that Toby was obliged to
+hurry considerably in order to distribute among his friends the tickets
+the skeleton had given him, and he advised Abner to remain with Mrs.
+Treat while he did so, in order to escape the crowd, among which he
+might get injured.
+
+Then he gave his tickets to those boys who he knew had no money with
+which to buy any, and so generous was he that when he had finished he
+had none for himself and Abner.
+
+That he might not be able to witness the performance did not trouble him
+very greatly, although it would have been a disappointment not to see
+Ella ride; but he blamed himself very much because he had not saved a
+ticket for Abner, and he hurried to find Ben that he might arrange
+matters for him.
+
+The old driver was easily found, and still more easily persuaded to
+grant the favor which permitted Abner to view the wonderful sights
+beneath the almost enchanted canvas.
+
+From one menagerie wagon to another Toby led his friend as quickly as
+possible, until they stood in front of the monkeys' cage, where Mr.
+Stubbs's supposed brother was perched as high as possible, away from the
+common herd of monkeys which chatted familiarly with every one who
+bribed them.
+
+Toby was in the highest degree excited; it seemed as if his pet that had
+been killed was again before him, and he crowded his way up to the bars
+of the cage, dragging Abner with him, until he was where he could have a
+full view of the noisy prisoners.
+
+Toby called to the monkey as he had been in the habit of calling to Mr.
+Stubbs, but now the fellow paid no attention to him whatever; there were
+so many spectators that he could not spend his time upon one, unless he
+were to derive some benefit in return.
+
+Fortunately, so far as his happiness was concerned, Toby had the means
+of inducing the monkey to visit him, for in his pocket yet remained two
+of the doughnuts Mrs. Treat had almost forced upon him; and, remembering
+how fond Mr. Stubbs had been of such sweet food, he held a piece out to
+the supposed brother.
+
+Almost immediately that monkey made up his mind that the freckle-faced
+boy with the doughnut was the one particular person whom he should be
+acquainted with, and he came down from his perch at a rapid rate.
+
+So long as Toby was willing to feed him with doughnuts he was willing to
+remain; but when his companions gathered around in such numbers that
+the supply of food was quickly exhausted, he went back to his lofty
+perch, much to the boy's regret.
+
+"He looks like Mr. Stubbs, and he acts like him, an' it must be his
+brother sure," said Toby to himself as Abner hurried him away to look at
+the other curiosities. When he was at some distance from the cage he
+turned and said, "Good-bye," as if he were speaking to his old pet.
+
+During the performance that afternoon Abner was in a delightful whirl of
+wonder and amazement; but Toby's attention was divided between what was
+going on in the ring and the thought of having Mr. Stubbs's brother all
+to himself as soon as the performance should be over.
+
+He did, however, watch the boy who sold peanuts and lemonade, but this
+one was much larger than himself, and looked rough enough to endure the
+hardships of such a life.
+
+Toby was also attentive when Ella was in the ring, and he was envied by
+all his acquaintances when she smiled as she passed the place where he
+was sitting.
+
+Abner would have been glad if the performance had been prolonged until
+midnight; but Toby, still thinking of Mr. Stubbs's brother, was pleased
+when it ended.
+
+He and Abner waited by the animal's cages until the crowd had again
+satisfied their curiosity; and as the last visitor was leaving the tent
+old Ben came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Treat, both in exhibition
+costume.
+
+Toby was somewhat surprised at seeing them, for he knew their busiest
+time was just at the close of the circus, and while he was yet wondering
+at their coming he saw Ella approaching from the direction of the
+dressing-tent.
+
+He had not much time to spend in speculation, however, for Ben said, as
+he came up:
+
+"Now, boy, you shall see Mr. Stubbs's brother, and talk to him just as
+long as you want to."
+
+The skeleton and his wife and Ella looked at each other and smiled in a
+queer way as Ben said this; but Toby was too much excited at the idea of
+having the monkey in his arms to pay any attention to what was going on
+around him.
+
+Ben, unlocking the door of the cage, succeeded, after considerable
+trouble, in catching the particular inmate he wanted, and, handing him
+to Toby, said:
+
+"Now let's see if he knows you as well as Stubbs did."
+
+Toby took the monkey in his arms with a glad cry of delight, and fondled
+him as if he really were the pet he had lost.
+
+Whether it was because the animal knew that the boy was petting him, or
+because he had been treated harshly, and was willing to make friends
+with the first one who was kind to him, it is difficult to say; certain
+it is that as soon as he found himself in Toby's arms he nestled down
+with his face by the boy's neck, remaining there as contentedly as if
+the two had been friends for years.
+
+"There, don't you see he knows me!" cried the boy in delight, and then
+he sat down upon the ground, caressing the animal, and whispering all
+sorts of loving words in his ear.
+
+"He does seem to act as if he had been introduced to you," said old Ben,
+with a chuckle. "It would be kinder nice if you could keep him, wouldn't
+it?"
+
+"'Deed it would," replied Toby earnestly. "I'd give everything I've got
+if I could have him, for he does act so much like Mr. Stubbs it seems as
+if it must be him."
+
+Then Ella whispered something to the old driver, the skeleton bestowed
+a very mysterious wink upon him, the fat woman nodded her head till her
+cheeks shook like two balls of very soft butter, and Abner looked
+curiously on, wondering what was the matter with Toby's friends.
+
+He soon found out what it was, however, for Ben, after indulging in one
+of his laughing spasms, asked:
+
+"Whose monkey is that you've got in your arms, Toby?"
+
+"Why, it belongs to the circus, don't it?" And the boy looked up in
+surprise.
+
+"No, it don't belong to the circus; it belongs to you--that's who owns
+it."
+
+"Me? Mine? Why, Ben--"
+
+Toby was so completely bewildered as to be unable to say a word, and
+just as he was beginning to think it some joke, Ben said:
+
+"The skeleton an' his wife, an' Ella and I, bought that monkey this
+forenoon, an' we give him to you so's you'll still be able to have a Mr.
+Stubbs in the family."
+
+"Oh, Ben!" was all Toby could say; with the monkey tightly clasped in
+his arms, he took the old driver by the hand; but just then the skeleton
+stepped forward holding something which glistened.
+
+"Mr. Tyler," he said, in his usual speech-making style, "when our friend
+Ben told us this morning about your having discovered Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, we sent out and got this collar for the monkey, and we take the
+greatest possible pride in presenting it to you; although, if it had
+been something that my Lilly could have made with her own fair fingers,
+I should have liked it better."
+
+As he ceased speaking, he handed Toby a very pretty little dog-collar,
+on the silver plate of which was inscribed:
+
+
+     +---------------------------------+
+     |     MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER.       |
+     |          PRESENTED TO           |
+     |           TOBY TYLER            |
+     |                                 |
+     |               BY                |
+     |                                 |
+     | THE SKELETON,    THE FAT WOMAN, |
+     | OLD BEN,         LITTLE ELLA.   |
+     +---------------------------------+
+
+
+Toby took the collar, and as he fastened it on the monkey's neck he
+said, in a voice that trembled considerably with emotion:
+
+"You've all of you been awful good to me, an' I don't know what to say
+so's you'll know how much I thank you. It seems as if ever since I
+started with the circus you've all tried to see how good you could be;
+an' now you've given me this monkey that I wanted so much. Some time,
+when I'm a man, I'll show you how much I think of all you've done for
+me."
+
+The tears of gratitude that were gathering in Toby's eyes prevented him
+from saying anything more, and then Mrs. Treat and Ella both kissed him,
+while Ben said, in a gruff tone:
+
+"Now carry the monkey home, an' get your supper, for you'll want to come
+down here this evening, an' you won't have time if you don't go now."
+
+Ella, after making Toby promise that he would see her again that night,
+went with Mr. and Mrs. Treat, while old Ben, as if afraid he might
+receive more thanks, walked quickly away towards the dressing-rooms, and
+there was nothing else for Toby and Abner to do but go home.
+
+It surely seemed as if every boy in the village knew that Toby Tyler had
+remained in the tent after the circus was over, and almost all of them
+were waiting around the entrance when the two boys came out with the
+monkey.
+
+If Toby had stayed there until each one of his friends had looked at and
+handled the monkey as much as he wanted to, he and Abner would have
+remained until morning, and Mr. Stubbs's brother would have been made
+very ill-natured.
+
+He waited until his friends had each looked at the monkey, and then he
+and Abner started home, escorted by nearly all the boys in town.
+
+The partners in the amateur-circus scheme were nearly as wild with joy
+as Toby was, for now their enterprise seemed an assured success, since
+they had two real ponies and a live monkey to begin with. They seemed to
+consider it their right to go to Uncle Daniel's with Toby; and when the
+party reached the corner that marked the centre of the village, they
+decided that the others of the escort should go no farther--a decision
+which relieved Toby of an inconvenient number of friends.
+
+As it was, the party was quite large enough to give Aunt Olive some
+uneasiness lest they should track dirt in upon her clean kitchen floor,
+and she insisted that both the boys and the monkey should remain in the
+yard.
+
+Toby had an idea that Mr. Stubbs's brother would be treated as one of
+the family; and, had any one hinted that the monkey would not be allowed
+to share his bed and eat at the same table with him, he would have
+resented it strongly.
+
+But Uncle Daniel soon convinced him that the proper place for his pet
+was in the wood-shed, where he could be chained to keep him out of
+mischief, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was soon safely secured in as snug a
+place as a monkey could ask for.
+
+Not until this was done did the partners return to their homes, or the
+centre of attraction--the tenting-grounds--nor did Toby find time to get
+his supper and go for the cows.
+
+Not once during the afternoon had Toby said anything to Abner of the
+good fortune that might come to him through old Ben; but when he got
+back from the pasture and met Uncle Daniel in the barn, he told him what
+the old driver had said about Abner.
+
+"Are you sure you heard him rightly, Toby, boy?" asked the old gentleman
+as he pushed his glasses up on his forehead, as he always did when he
+was surprised or perplexed.
+
+"I know he said that; but it seems as if it was too good to be true,
+don't it?"
+
+"The Lord's ways are not our ways, my boy, and if he sees fit to work
+some good to the poor cripple, he can do it as well through a circus
+driver as through one of his elect," said Uncle Daniel reverentially,
+and then he set about milking the cows in such an absent-minded way that
+he worried old Short-horn until she kicked the pail over when it was
+nearly half full.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE ACCIDENT
+
+
+That night Toby and Abner went to the circus grounds with Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive; and when old Ben approached the party as they were
+nearing the tent, Toby motioned the cripple to come with him, for he
+thought it might be better that the boy should not hear the conversation
+concerning himself.
+
+It had been decided by Uncle Daniel that the boys should go to the
+circus grounds that evening, and stay there until it was nearly dark,
+when they were to go home and go to bed; for he never believed it could
+do boys any good to be out after dark, while he was certain it was
+better for their health if they went to bed early.
+
+Therefore Toby intended to make this visit simply one of farewell,
+after Abner should see a little more of the bustle and confusion that
+had so fascinated him in the afternoon.
+
+To that end the boys walked around the enclosure, listened to the men
+who were loudly crying the wonderful things they had for sale, and all
+the while kept a bright lookout in the hope of seeing some of their
+circus friends.
+
+It was nearly time for the performance to begin when the boys went into
+the skeleton's tent, and said good-bye to the thin man and his fat wife.
+
+Then Toby, anxious to run around to the dressing-rooms to speak with
+Ella, and not daring to take Abner with him, said to the boy:
+
+"Now you wait here for a minute, an' I'll be right back."
+
+Abner was perfectly contented to wait; it seemed to him that he would
+have been willing to stay there all night, provided the excitement
+should be continued, and he gazed around him in perfect delight as he
+leaned against one of the tent ropes.
+
+Toby found Ella without much difficulty; but both she and her mother had
+so much to say to him that it was some time before he could leave them
+to go in search of Ben.
+
+The old driver was curled up on his wagon, taking "forty winks," as he
+called a nap, before starting on the road again.
+
+When Toby awakened him, he explained that he would not have taken the
+liberty if it had not been for the purpose of saying good-bye, and Ben
+replied, good-naturedly:
+
+"That's all right, Toby; I should only have been angry with you if you
+had let me sleep. I've fixed it with your uncle about that little
+cripple; and now, when I get pitched off and killed some of these dark
+nights, there'll be one what'll be sorry I'm gone. Be a good boy, Toby;
+don't ever do anything you'd be afraid to tell your Uncle Dan'l of, and
+next year I'll see you again."
+
+Toby wanted to say something; but the old driver had spoken his
+farewell, and was evidently determined neither to say nor to hear
+anything more, for he crawled up on the box of the wagon again, and
+appeared to fall asleep instantly.
+
+Toby stood looking at him a moment, as if trying to make out whether
+this sudden sleep was real, or only feigned in order to prevent the
+parting from being a sad one; and then he said, as he started towards
+the door:
+
+"Well, I thank you over and over again for Mr. Stubbs's brother, even if
+you have gone to sleep." Then he went to meet Abner.
+
+When he reached the place where he had left his friend, to his great
+surprise he could see nothing of him. There was no possibility that he
+could have made any mistake as to the locality, for he had left him
+standing just behind the skeleton's tent.
+
+Toby ran quickly around the enclosure, asked some of the attendants in
+the dressing-room if they had seen a boy on crutches, and then he went
+into Mr. Treat's tent. But he could neither hear nor see anything of
+Abner, whose complete disappearance was, to say the least, very strange.
+
+Toby was completely bewildered by this sudden disappearance, and for
+some moments he stood looking at the place where he had left his friend,
+as if he thought that his eyes must have deceived him, and that the boy
+was still there.
+
+There were but few persons around the outside of the tent, those who had
+money enough to pay for their admission having gone in, and those who
+were penniless having gone home, so that Toby did not find many of whom
+to make inquiries. The attachés of the circus were busily engaged
+packing the goods for the night's journey, and a number of them had
+gathered around one of the wagons a short distance away. But Toby
+thought it useless to ask them for tidings of his missing friend, for he
+knew by experience how busy every one connected with the circus was at
+that hour.
+
+After he had looked at the tent rope against which he had seen Abner
+leaning, until he recovered his presence of mind, he went into the tent
+again for the purpose of getting Uncle Daniel to help him in the search.
+As he was passing the monkey wagon, however, he saw old Ben--whom he had
+left apparently in a heavy sleep--examining his wagon to make sure that
+everything was right, and to him he told the story of Abner's strange
+disappearance.
+
+"I guess he's gone off with some of the other fellows," said Ben,
+thinking the matter of but little importance, but yet going out of the
+tent with Toby as he spoke. "Boys are just like eels, an' you never know
+where to find 'em after you once let 'em slip through your fingers."
+
+"But Abner promised me he'd stay right here," said Toby.
+
+"Well, some other fellows came along, an' he promised to go with them, I
+s'pose."
+
+"But I don't believe Abner would; he'd keep his promise after he made
+it."
+
+While they were talking they had gone out of the tent, and Ben started
+at once towards the crowd around the wagon, for he knew there was no
+reason why so many men should be there when they had work to do
+elsewhere.
+
+"Did you go over there to see what was up?" asked the old driver.
+
+"No, I thought they were getting ready to start, an' I could see Abner
+wasn't there."
+
+"Something's the matter," muttered the old man, as he quickened his
+pace, and Toby, alarmed by the look on his friend's face, hurried on,
+hardly daring to breathe.
+
+One look into the wagon around which the men were gathered was
+sufficient to show why it was that Abner had not remained by the tent
+as he had promised; for he lay in the bottom of the cart, to all
+appearances dead, while two of the party were examining him to learn the
+extent of his injuries.
+
+"What is the matter? How did this boy get hurt?" asked Ben, sternly, as
+he leaped upon the wagon, and laid his hand over the injured boy's
+heart.
+
+"He was standing there close by the guy ropes when we were getting ready
+to let the canvas down. One of the side poles fell and struck him on the
+head, or shoulder, I don't know which," replied a man.
+
+"It struck him here on the back of the neck," said one of those who were
+examining the boy, as he turned him half over to expose an ugly-looking
+wound around which the blood was rapidly settling. "It's a wonder it
+didn't kill him."
+
+"He hain't dead, is he?" asked Toby, piteously, as he climbed up on one
+of the wheels and looked over in a frightened way at the little
+deformed body that lay so still and lifeless.
+
+"No, he hain't dead," said Ben, who had detected a faint pulsation of
+the heart; "but why didn't some of you send for a doctor when it first
+happened?"
+
+"We did," replied one of the men. "Some of the village boys were here,
+and we started them right off."
+
+Almost as the man spoke, Dr. Abbott, one of the physicians of the town,
+drove up and made his way through the crowd.
+
+Toby, too much alarmed to speak, watched the doctor's every movement as
+he made an examination of the wounded boy, and listened to the accounts
+the men gave of the way in which the accident had happened.
+
+"His injuries are not necessarily fatal, but they are very dangerous. He
+lives at the poor-farm, and should be taken there at once," said the
+doctor after he had made a slight and almost careless examination.
+
+Toby was anxious that the poor boy should be taken to his home rather
+than to the comfortless place the doctor had proposed; but he did not
+dare make the suggestion before asking Uncle Daniel's consent to it. He
+was about to ask them not to move Abner until he could find his uncle,
+when Ben whispered something to the doctor that caused him to look at
+the old driver in surprise.
+
+"I'll ask Uncle Dan'l to take him home with us," said Toby as he slipped
+down from his high perch and started towards the tent.
+
+"I'll take care of that," said Ben as he went towards the tent with him.
+"I had just fixed it with your uncle so's he'd take Abner from the
+poor-farm an' board him, an' now there's all the more reason why he
+should do it. You go back an' stay with Abner, an' I'll bring your Uncle
+Dan'l out."
+
+Then Toby went back to the wagon where the poor little cripple still
+lay as one dead, while the blood flowed in a tiny stream from one of his
+arms, where the physician had opened a vein.
+
+Not understanding the reason for this blood-letting, and supposing that
+the crimson flow was due to the injuries Abner had received, Toby cried
+out in his fear; but one of the men explained the case to him, and then
+he waited as patiently as possible for the driver's return.
+
+Both Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive came out with Ben, and within a very
+few moments Abner was being carried to the farm-house, in the same wagon
+that had taken him there before in company with the skeleton and his
+party, for that famous dinner.
+
+It frightened Toby still more to see the unconscious boy carried into
+the house by Ben and the doctor as though he were already dead; and when
+Aunt Olive led them into the best room, where no one had slept since
+Uncle Daniel's sister died, it seemed as if every one believed Abner
+could not live, or they would not have carried him there.
+
+Toby hardly knew when Ben went away, or whether he said anything before
+he left, or, in fact, anything else, so sad and confused was he. He did
+not even think about Mr. Stubbs's brother, but remained in one corner of
+the room, almost hidden by one of the flowing chintz curtains, until
+Uncle Daniel heard him sobbing, and led him away to his room.
+
+"There is good reason to hope Abner will recover," said the old man as
+he stroked Toby's hair; "but he is in the keeping of the One who never
+errs, and whatsoever He does is good."
+
+Then Uncle Daniel actually kissed the boy, as he told him to go to bed
+and go to sleep. Toby went to bed as he was commanded, though it seemed
+impossible he should sleep while it might be that Abner was dying.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+CHANGE OF PLANS
+
+
+Toby was thoroughly surprised, when he awoke, to find that it was
+morning, and that his slumber had been as sweet as if nothing had
+happened. He dressed himself as quickly as possible, and ran
+down-stairs, and Uncle Daniel told him the doctor had just left, after
+saying he thought Abner would recover.
+
+It was a sad visit Toby paid Mr. Stubbs's brother that morning; and, as
+he petted him, the tears came into his eyes when he thought of poor
+Abner, until he was obliged to leave the monkey to himself, after having
+tied him so that he could take a short run out of doors.
+
+Then he visited the ponies in the stable, and when he returned to the
+house he found all his partners in the circus enterprise, as well as
+several other boys, waiting to hear an account of the accident.
+
+Dr. Abbott had reported that Abner had been injured; but, as he had not
+given any particulars, the villagers were in a state of anxious
+uncertainty regarding it.
+
+After Toby had told them all he knew about the matter, and had allowed
+them to see the monkey and the ponies, which some of them seemed to
+regard as of more importance than the injured boy, Bob asked:
+
+"Well, now what about our circus?"
+
+"Why, we can't do anything on that till Abner gets well," said Toby, as
+if surprised that the matter should even be spoken about.
+
+"Why not? He wasn't goin' to do any of the ridin', an' now's the time
+for us to go ahead while we can remember what they did at the show
+yesterday. It don't make any difference 'bout our circus if he did get
+hurt," and Bob looked around at the others as if asking whether they
+agreed with him or not.
+
+"I think we ought to wait till he gets better," said Joe, "'cause he was
+goin' in with us, an' it don't seem jest fair to have the show when he's
+so sick."
+
+"That's foolish," said Ben, with a sneer. "If he hadn't come up to the
+pasture the other day, you wouldn't thought anything 'bout him, an' he'd
+been out to the poor-farm where he belongs."
+
+"If he hadn't come up there," said Toby, "I'd never known how lonesome
+he was, an' I'd gone right on havin' a good time without ever once
+thinkin' of him. An' if he hadn't come up there, perhaps he wouldn't got
+hurt, an' it seems almost as if I'd done it to him, 'cause I took him to
+the circus."
+
+"Don't make a fool of yourself, Toby Tyler!" and Ben Gushing spoke
+almost angrily. "You act awful silly 'bout that feller, an' father says
+he's only a pauper anyway."
+
+"It wouldn't make any difference if he was, 'cause he's a poor lonesome
+cripple; but he hain't a pauper, for old Ben's goin' to take care of
+him, an' he pays Uncle Dan'l for lettin' him stay here."
+
+This news was indeed surprising to the boys, and as they fully realized
+that Abner was under the protection of a "circus man," he rose
+considerably in their estimation.
+
+They were anxious to know all about the matter, and when Toby told them
+all he could, they looked at the case in such an entirely different
+light that Ben Gushing even offered to go out in the field, where he
+could be seen from the windows of the room in which Abner lay, and go
+through his entire acrobatic performance in the hope the sight might do
+the invalid some good. Leander Leighton also offered to come twice each
+day and play "Yankee Doodle" with one finger on the accordion, in order
+to soothe him.
+
+But Toby thought it best to decline both these generous offers; he was
+glad they had been made, but would have been much better pleased if they
+had come while it was still believed Abner's only home was at the
+poorhouse.
+
+When the boys went away, Toby pleaded so hard that Aunt Olive consented
+to his sitting in the chamber where Abner lay, with the agreement that
+he should make no noise; and there he remained nearly all the day, as
+still as any mouse, watching the pale face on which death seemed already
+to have set its imprint.
+
+Each day for two weeks Toby remained on watch, leaving the room only
+when it was necessary, and he was at last rewarded by hearing Abner call
+him by name.
+
+After that, Aunt Olive allowed the two boys to talk a little, and a few
+days later Mr. Stubbs's brother was brought in to pay his respects to
+the invalid.
+
+Many times during Abner's illness had the boys been up to learn how he
+was getting on, and to try to persuade Toby to commence again the
+preparations for the circus; but he had steadily refused to proceed
+further in the matter until Abner could at least play the part of
+spectator.
+
+Uncle Daniel had had several letters from Ben inquiring about Abner's
+condition; and as each one contained money, some of which had been sent
+by the skeleton and his wife to "Toby Tyler's friend," the sick boy had
+wanted for nothing. Ben had also written that he had gained the consent
+of the proprietors of the circus to have the ponies driven for Abner's
+benefit, and had sent a dainty little carriage and harnesses so that he
+could ride out as soon as he was able.
+
+Chandler Merrill had grown tired of waiting for his pony, and had taken
+him from the pasture, while Reddy had long since returned the blind
+horse to its owner.
+
+But during all these five weeks the work had gone slowly but steadily on
+circusward. Leander had become so expert a musician on the accordion,
+that he could play "Yankee Doodle" with all his fingers, "Old Hundred"
+with two; and was fast mastering the intricacies of "Old Dog Tray."
+
+As to Ben Gushing, it would be hard to say exactly how much progress he
+had made, the reports differed so much. He claimed to be able to turn
+hand-springs around the largest circus ring that was ever made, and to
+stand on his head for a week; but some of the boys who were not partners
+in the enterprise flatly contradicted this, and declared that they could
+do as many feats in the acrobatic line as he could.
+
+Joe Robinson had practised howling until Reddy insisted that there was
+little or no difference between him and the fiercest and
+strongest-lunged hyena that ever walked. Bob could sing the two songs
+his sister had taught him, and had written out twelve copies of them in
+order to have a good stock to sell from; but Leander predicted that he
+would not be able to dispose of many, because one was the "Suwanee
+River," and the other "A Poor Wayfaring Man," the words of which any boy
+could get by consulting an old music-book.
+
+Reddy had made a remarkably large whip, which he could snap once out of
+every three attempts, and not hit himself on the head more than once out
+of five.
+
+Thus the circus project was as promising as ever, and Abner, as well as
+the other partners, had urged Toby to take hold of it again; but he had
+made no promises until the day came when Abner was able to sit up, and
+Dr. Abbott said that he could go out for a ride in another week, if he
+still continued to improve.
+
+Then it was that Toby told his partners he would meet them on the first
+day Abner went out for a ride, and tell them when he would take up the
+circus work again, which made every one more anxious than ever to see
+the poor-farm boy out of doors.
+
+From the time when the tiny little carriage and the two sets of harness
+glistening with silver had come, Toby had been anxious for a drive with
+the ponies; but he had resolutely refused to use them until Abner could
+go with him, although Uncle Daniel had told him he could try them
+whenever he wished. He had waited for his other pleasures until Abner
+could join him, and he insisted on waiting for this one. One day, when
+Aunt Olive spoke to him about it, he said:
+
+"If I was sick, an' had such a team sent to me, I'd feel kinder bad to
+have some other boy using it, an' so I'm goin' to let Abner be the
+first one to go out with the ponies."
+
+It was hard not even to get into the little carriage that was so
+carefully covered with a white cloth in the stable; but Toby resisted
+the temptation, and when at last the day did come that Aunt Olive and
+Uncle Daniel helped the sick boy down-stairs, and lifted him into the
+prettiest little pony carriage ever seen in Guilford, he felt amply
+rewarded for his denial.
+
+They drove all over the town, stopping now and then to speak with some
+of their friends, or to answer questions as to Abner's health; and when
+it was nearly time to return home Toby turned the ponies' heads towards
+the pasture, where he knew his partners were waiting for him according
+to agreement.
+
+"We'll go on with the circus now," he said to Abner, "for I can take you
+with me in this team, an' you can stay in it all the time we're
+practising so's it'll be 'most as good as if you could do something
+towards it yourself."
+
+Abner was quietly happy; the tender, thoughtful care that had been
+bestowed upon him since his mishap had been such as, in his mind at
+least, repaid him for all the pain.
+
+"I hope you will have it," he said, earnestly, "for, even if I can't be
+with you all the time, I won't feel as if I was keepin' you from it."
+
+Then he put his hand in a loving way on Toby's cheek, and the "boss of
+the circus" felt fully repaid for having waited for his pleasure.
+
+At the pasture all the partners were gathered, for Toby had promised to
+tell them when he would begin operations; and as he drove the ponies up
+to the bars, he shouted:
+
+"Abner an' me will be up here about nine o'clock to-morrow morning, an'
+we'll bring Mr. Stubbs's brother with us."
+
+There was a mighty shout, and Ben Cushing stood on his head, when this
+announcement was made, and then Toby and Abner drove home as quickly as
+their ponies could scamper.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A REHEARSAL
+
+
+When Toby told Uncle Daniel that night of their intention to go on with
+the work of the long-delayed circus, and that Abner was to ride up to
+the pasture where he could see everything that was going on, the old
+gentleman shook his head doubtingly, as if he feared the consequences to
+the invalid, who appeared very much exhausted even by the short ride he
+had taken.
+
+Abner, interpreting Uncle Daniel's shake of the head the same way Toby
+did, pleaded hard to be allowed to go, insisting that he would be no
+more tired sitting in the little carriage than he would in a chair at
+home; and Aunt Olive joined in the boys' entreaty, promising to arrange
+the pillows in such a manner that Abner could lie down or sit up, as
+best suited him.
+
+"We'll see what the doctor has to say about it," replied Uncle Daniel,
+and, with much anxiety, the boys awaited the physician's coming.
+
+"Go? Why, of course he can go, and it will do him good to be
+out-of-doors," said the medical gentleman when he made his regular
+afternoon visit and Uncle Daniel laid the case before him.
+
+Toby insisted on bringing Mr. Stubbs's brother into the invalid's room
+as a signal mark of rejoicing at the victory the doctor had won for
+them, and Abner was so delighted with the funny pranks the monkey played
+that it would have been difficult to tell by his face that the morning
+ride had tired him.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was quite as mischievous as a monkey could be; he
+capered around the room, picking at this thing and looking into that,
+until Aunt Olive laughed herself tired, and Uncle Daniel declared that
+if the other monkey was anything like this one, Toby was right when he
+named him Steve Stubbs, so much did he resemble that gentleman in
+inquisitiveness.
+
+The day had been so exciting to the boy who had been confined to one
+room for several weeks, that he was quite ready to go to bed when Aunt
+Olive suggested it; and Toby went about his evening's work with a
+lighter heart than he had had since the night he found his crippled
+friend lying so still and death-like in the circus wagon.
+
+The next morning Toby was up some time before the sun peeped in through
+the crevices of Uncle Daniel's barn to awaken the cows, and he groomed
+the tiny ponies till their coats shone like satin. The carriage was
+washed until every portion of it reflected one's face like a mirror, and
+the harnesses with their silver mountings were free from the slightest
+suspicion of dirt.
+
+Then after the cows had been driven to the pasture Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was treated to a bath, and was brushed and combed until, losing all
+patience at such foolishness, he escaped from his too cleanly-disposed
+master, taking refuge on the top of the shed, where he chattered and
+scolded at a furious rate as he tried to explain that he had no idea of
+coming down until the curry-comb and brush had been put away.
+
+But when the pony team was driven up to the door, and Toby decorated the
+bridles of the little horses with some of Aunt Olive's roses, Mr.
+Stubbs's brother came down from his high perch, and picked some of the
+flowers for himself, putting them over his ears to imitate the ponies;
+then he gravely seated himself in the carriage, and Toby had no
+difficulty in fastening the cord to his collar again.
+
+Aunt Olive nearly filled the little carriage with pillows so soft that a
+very small boy would almost have sunk out of sight in them; and in the
+midst of these Abner was placed carefully, looking for all the world, as
+Toby said, like a chicken in a nest.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was fastened in the front in such a way that his
+head came just above the dash-board, over which he looked in the most
+comical manner possible.
+
+Then Toby squeezed in on one side, declaring he had plenty of room,
+although there was not more than three square inches of space left on
+the seat, and even a portion of that was occupied by a fan and some
+other things Aunt Olive had put in for Abner's use.
+
+Both the boys were in the highest possible state of happiness, and Abner
+was tucked in until he could hardly have been shaken had he been in a
+cart instead of a carriage with springs.
+
+"Be sure to keep Abner in the shade, and come home just as soon as he
+begins to grow tired," cried Aunt Olive as Toby spoke to the ponies, and
+they dashed off like a couple of well-trained Newfoundland dogs.
+
+"I'll take care of him like he was wax," cried Toby as they drove out
+through the gateway, and Mr. Stubbs's brother screamed and chattered
+with delight, while Abner lay back restful and happy.
+
+It was just the kind of a morning for a ride, and Abner appeared to
+enjoy it so much that Toby turned the little steeds in the direction of
+the village, driving fully a mile before going to the pasture.
+
+When they did arrive at the place where the first rehearsal was to be
+held, they found the partners gathered in full force; and, although it
+was not even then nine o'clock, they had evidently been there some time.
+
+Joe Robinson ran to let the bars down, while the ponies pranced into the
+field as if they knew they were the objects of admiration from all that
+party, and they shook their tiny heads until the petals fell from the
+roses in a shower upon the grass.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother stood as erect as possible, and was so excited by
+the cheers of the boys that he seized the flowers he had tucked over his
+ears, and flung them at the party in great glee.
+
+The carriage was driven into the shade cast by the alders; the ponies
+were unharnessed, and fastened where they could have a feast of grass;
+and Toby was ready for business, or thought he was. But, just as he was
+about to consult with his partners, a scream from both Abner and the
+monkey caused him to turn towards the carriage quickly.
+
+From the moment they had entered the pasture, Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+shown the greatest desire to be free; and when he saw his master walking
+away, while he was still a prisoner, he made such efforts to release
+himself that he got his body over the dash-board of the carriage, and,
+when Toby looked, he was hanging there by the neck as if he had just
+committed suicide.
+
+Toby ran quickly to the relief of his pet; and when he had released him
+from his uncomfortable position, the other boys pleaded so hard that
+Toby gave him his freedom, which he celebrated by scampering across the
+pasture on all four paws, with his tail curled up over his back like a
+big letter O.
+
+It seemed very much as if Mr. Stubbs's brother would break up the
+rehearsal, for he did look so comical as he scampered around that all
+the partners neglected their business to watch and laugh at him, until
+Toby reminded them that he could not stay there very long because of
+Abner's weakness.
+
+Then Bob and Reddy straightened themselves up in a manner befitting
+circus proprietors, and began their work.
+
+"Leander is goin' to commence the show by playin' 'Yankee Doodle,'" said
+Bob, as he consulted a few badly written words he had traced on the back
+of one of his father's business cards, "an' while he's doin' it Joe'll
+put in an' howl all he knows how, for that's the way the hyenas did at
+the last circus."
+
+The entire programme was evidently to be carried out that morning, for,
+as Bob spoke, Leander marched with his accordion and a great deal of
+dignity to a rock near where a line representing the ring had been cut
+in the turf.
+
+"Now you'll see how good he can do it," said Bob, with no small amount
+of pride; and Leander, with his head held so high that it was almost
+impossible to see his instrument, struck one or two notes as a prelude,
+while Joe took his station at a point about as far distant from the ring
+as the door of the tent would probably be.
+
+Leander started with the first five or six notes all right, and Joe
+began some of the most wonderful howling ever heard, which appeared to
+disconcert the band, for he got entirely off the track of his original
+tune, and mixed "Yankee Doodle" with "Old Dog Tray" in the most
+reckless manner, Joe howling louder at every false note.
+
+Almost every one in that pasture, save possibly the performers
+themselves, was astonished at the din made by these two small boys; and
+Mr. Stubbs's brother, who had hung himself up on a tree by his tail,
+dropped to his feet in the greatest alarm, adding his chatter of fear to
+the general confusion.
+
+But the two performers were not to be daunted by anything that could
+occur; in fact, Joe felt rather proud that his howling was so savage as
+to frighten the monkey, and he increased his efforts until his face was
+as red as a nicely boiled beet.
+
+For fully five minutes the overture was continued; then the band stopped
+and looked around with an air of triumph, while Joe uttered two or three
+more howls by way of effect, and to show that he could have kept it up
+longer had it been necessary.
+
+"There! what do you think of that?" asked Reddy, in delight. "You
+couldn't get much more noise if you had a whole band, could you?"
+
+"It's a good deal of noise," said Toby, not feeling quite at liberty to
+express exactly his views regarding the music; "but what was it Leander
+was playin'?"
+
+"I played two tunes," replied Leander, proudly. "I can play 'Yankee
+Doodle' with the whole of one hand; but I think it sounds better to play
+that with my thumb and two fingers, an' 'Old Dog Tray' with the other
+two fingers. You see, I can give 'em both tunes at once that way."
+
+The monkey went back to the tree as soon as the noise had subsided; but,
+from the way he looked over his shoulder now and then, one could fancy
+he was getting ready to run at the first sign that it was to commence
+again.
+
+"Didn't that sound like a whole cageful of hyenas?" asked Joe, as he
+wiped the perspiration from his face, and came towards his partners. "I
+can keep that up about as long as Leander can play, only it's awful hard
+work."
+
+Toby had no doubt as to the truth of that statement; but before he could
+make any reply, Bob said:
+
+"Now, this is where Ben comes in. He starts the show, an' he ends it,
+an' I sing right after he gets through turnin' hand-springs this first
+time. Now, Leander, you start the music jest as soon as Ben comes, an'
+keep it up till he gets through."
+
+Ben was prepared for his portion of the work. His trousers were belted
+tightly around his waist by a very narrow leather belt, with an
+enormously large buckle, and his shirt-sleeves were rolled up as high as
+he could get them, in order to give full play to his arms.
+
+"He's been rubbin' goose-grease all over him for as much as two weeks,
+an' he can bend almost any way," whispered Reddy to Toby, as Ben stood
+swinging his arms at the entrance to the ring, as if limbering himself
+for the work to be done.
+
+Leander started "Yankee Doodle" in slow and solemn strains; Ben gathered
+himself for a mighty effort, and began to go around the ring in a series
+of hand-springs in true acrobatic style.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE RESULTS OF LONG TRAINING
+
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on,
+probably to guard against another sudden fright such as the overture had
+given him, and the moment Ben commenced to revolve he leaped from the
+tree, running with full speed towards the whirling acrobat.
+
+Toby started to catch him, but the monkey was too quick in his
+movements: before any one could prevent him he had caught the revolving
+boy by one leg, and for a few seconds it was difficult to tell which was
+Ben and which the monkey.
+
+Of course such an interruption as that broke up the performance for the
+time being, and Toby was obliged to exert all his authority to
+disentangle the monkey from the performer.
+
+"I knew it wouldn't do to let him be loose," said Toby, in a
+half-apologetic tone. "Now I'll set here an' hold him while you commence
+over again, Ben."
+
+"Well, now, be sure you hold him," said Ben, seriously, "for I don't
+want him to catch me again when I'm goin' 'round so fast, for it hurts a
+feller to tumble the way he made me."
+
+Bob offered to help hold the unruly monkey, and, when he and Toby had
+taken a firm grip on the collar, the music was started again, and Ben
+recommenced his performance.
+
+This time he got through with it in a highly successful and creditable
+manner; he proved to be a really good acrobat, so far as turning
+hand-springs and standing on his head were concerned, and Toby felt
+certain that this portion of the entertainment would be pleasing.
+
+Bob now went into the ring, and began to sing the "Suwanee River" in a
+manner which he intended should captivate his audience; but he had
+neglected to give the band any orders, and the consequence was that,
+when he commenced to sing, Leander began to play "Old Dog Tray," a
+proceeding which mixed the musical matters considerably.
+
+"You mustn't do that, Leander," Bob said, sharply, after he had done his
+best to sing the band down, and failed in the attempt. "It won't do for
+you to play one thing while I'm tryin' to sing something else. Now, you
+be restin' while I'm doin' my part."
+
+Leander was so deeply interested in the enterprise that he was perfectly
+willing to keep on playing without ever thinking of taking a rest; but
+in deference to Bob's wishes he ceased his efforts, although he did
+venture to remark that he noticed particularly, when the real circus was
+there, that the band always played when the clown sang.
+
+Bob got along very well with his portion of the rehearsal after the
+first mistake had been rectified; and when he finished he bowed
+gracefully in response to the applause bestowed upon him.
+
+"Now's the time when you come in, Toby," said Bob; "an' if you'll see
+how you can ride the ponies, Joe'll run around the ring with 'em."
+
+Toby was willing to do his share of the work, and all the more so
+because he could see that Abner, from his cosy seat under the bushes,
+was deeply interested in all that was going on.
+
+Joe got one of the ponies while Toby made his preparations; and after
+the little horse had been led around the circle two or three times to
+show what was expected of him, Toby got on his back. This was Reddy's
+opportunity to act the part of ring-master, and he seized his long whip,
+standing in the centre of the ring, in what he believed to be the
+proper attitude.
+
+"Run around with him till I tell you to let go," said Toby, as he tied
+the reins together to form a bridle, and then stood on the pony's back
+as Mr. Castle had taught him to do.
+
+There was so great a difference between the motion of this horse and
+that of the one owned by Mr. Douglass, that Toby began to understand it
+might be quite as necessary to train the animal as its rider.
+
+Owing to his lack of practice he was a little clumsy; but after one or
+two attempts he went around the ring standing on one foot, almost as
+well as he had done it when with Ella.
+
+The boys, who had never seen Toby ride before were thoroughly elated by
+the brief exhibition he gave them; and if he had done as they wanted, he
+would have tired both himself and the pony completely.
+
+"I'll practise some, now Abner can come out," said Toby, as he led his
+steed to a spot where he could get more grass, but neglected to fasten
+him; "an' I wouldn't wonder if I could ride two at once, after a little
+while."
+
+His partners in the enterprise were more than delighted with their
+rider, and they already began to believe they should have such a circus
+as would, in some points, eclipse the real one that had lately visited
+the town.
+
+After the excitement caused by Toby's riding had in a measure died away,
+Ben continued with his feats according to the programme, and then Bob
+commenced his second song.
+
+The audience of partners were listening to it intently, the more because
+it seemed to them that Bob had made a mistake as to the tune, and they
+were anxious to see what he was going to do about it--when the pony
+Toby had been riding suddenly dashed into the ring, with what looked
+very like a boy on his back.
+
+The partners were amazed at this interruption, and Bob continued to
+sound the note he was wrestling with when he first saw the pony coming
+towards him, until it ended almost in a shriek.
+
+"Who is it?" cried Joe, as the pony dashed across the pasture, urged to
+full speed by its rider, and in an instant more all saw a long curling
+tail, which showed unmistakably who the culprit was.
+
+"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother!" cried Toby, in alarm, "and how shall we
+catch him?"
+
+It was, indeed, the monkey, and during the next ten minutes it seemed to
+the boys that they ran over every square foot of that pasture, scaring
+the cows and tiring themselves, until the frightened little horse was
+penned up in one corner, and his disagreeable rider was taken from him.
+
+This last act of the rehearsal had occupied so much time, and the
+monkey was making himself so troublesome, that Toby decided to go home,
+the others promising to come to Uncle Daniel's barn that afternoon, when
+Reddy was to explain how the tent was to be procured, a matter which, up
+to this time, he had kept a profound secret from all but Bob.
+
+Short as the time spent at the rehearsal seemed to the boys, it was
+considerably too long for one in Abner's weak condition, as was evident
+from his face when Aunt Olive came to the door to help him out of the
+carriage.
+
+He seemed thoroughly exhausted, and, as soon as he got into the house,
+asked to be allowed to lie down--a confession of weakness that gave Aunt
+Olive a great deal of uneasiness, because she considered herself in a
+great measure responsible for the ride and its results, as she had urged
+Abner to go before the doctor's advice had been heard in the matter.
+
+Toby's fears regarding the invalid were always reflections of Aunt
+Olive's; but when he saw Abner go to sleep so quickly, he thought she
+was alarmed without cause, and believed his friend would be quite
+himself so soon as he should awaken.
+
+Dinner-time came and passed, and Abner was still sleeping sweetly.
+Therefore Toby could see no reason why he should not join his partners,
+whom he saw going into the barn before dinner was over.
+
+"The boys have come up to see 'bout the tent," he said to Aunt Olive,
+"an' I'm goin' out to the barn, where they're waitin' for me. Will you
+call me when Abner wakes up?"
+
+Aunt Olive promised that he should be informed as soon as the sick boy
+could see him, and Toby joined his partners with never a fear but that
+Abner would soon be able to participate in all his sports.
+
+That the boys had come to Uncle Daniel's barn on very serious business
+was evident from their faces, and the two large packages they brought.
+
+Two rolls of what looked to be sail-cloth were lying on the barn floor,
+and around them Bob, Reddy, Joe, Ben, and Leander were seated with a
+look on their faces that was very nearly a troubled one.
+
+"What's them?" asked Toby, in surprise, as he pointed to the bundles.
+
+"The tent," and Reddy gave a big sigh as he spoke.
+
+"What, have you got two?" asked Toby, a look of glad surprise showing
+itself on his face.
+
+Reddy shook his head.
+
+"What's the matter? If there hain't two tents here, what makes the two
+bundles?" And Toby was almost impatient because he could not understand
+the matter.
+
+"Well, you see, this is just how it is," said Reddy, as he began to
+untie the fastenings from the rolls of canvas. "When I told you I could
+get a tent, I'd asked Captain Whetmore to lend me two of the sails what
+he took off his schooner, an' he told me yes."
+
+"An' you've got 'em, haven't you?" and Toby looked meaningly at the
+canvas.
+
+"Yes, we've got 'em," replied Joe; "but now we don't know how to fix
+'em, 'cause you see we've got to put 'em up like a roof, an' we hain't
+got anything for the ends."
+
+Reddy had planned to use each of the sails as a side to the tent,
+fastening them along the top to a ridge-pole; and it had never occurred
+to him, in all the time he had had to think the matter over, that as yet
+he had nothing with which to form the ends.
+
+It was a question that puzzled the boys greatly, and caused their faces
+to grow very long, until Toby said:
+
+"I'll tell you how we can fix one end. We can put it right up against
+the barn, where the little door is, an' then we can have the stalls for
+a dressin'-room."
+
+The faces of the partners lightened at once, and each wondered why he
+had not thought of such a plan.
+
+"An' I'll tell you how we could fix the other end," said Toby, quickly,
+as another happy thought presented itself. "If Mr. Mansfield would lend
+us his big flag, it would jest do it."
+
+"That's the very thing, an' I'll go an' ask him now;" and Bob started
+out of the barn at full speed, while Reddy, now that the important
+question was settled, displayed great alacrity in unrolling his
+treasures.
+
+The sails were not in a remarkable state of preservation, or Captain
+Whetmore would not have taken them from his vessel; but Reddy explained
+that the holes could be closed up by pasting paper over them, or by each
+boy borrowing a sheet from his mother and pinning it up underneath.
+
+One of the sails was considerably larger than the other; but Reddy had
+also thought of this, and proposed to make them look the same size by
+"tucking one in" at the end.
+
+Bob returned before the sails had been thoroughly inspected, and brought
+with him the coveted flag, thus showing he had been successful in his
+mission.
+
+"Now let's put it right up, an' then we can build our ring, an' do our
+practisin' there instead of goin' up to the pasture," suggested Ben.
+
+Since there was no reason why this should not be done, Bob and Ben
+started for the woods to cut some young trees with which to make a
+ridge-pole and posts, while the others carried the canvas out-of-doors,
+and made calculations as to where and how it should be put up.
+
+When they commenced work, they had no idea but that it would be
+completed before supper-time; but when the village clock struck the hour
+of five, they had not finished making the necessary poles and pegs.
+
+"We can't come anywhere near getting it done to-night," said Toby,
+surprised at the lateness of the hour, and wondering why Aunt Olive had
+not called him as she had promised. "Let's put the sails back in the
+barn, an' to-morrow mornin' we can begin early, an' have it all done by
+noon."
+
+There was no hope that they could complete the work that night Therefore
+Toby's advice was followed; and when the partners separated, each
+promised to be ready for work early the next morning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+RAISING THE TENT
+
+
+Toby went into the house, feeling rather uneasy because he had not been
+called; but when Aunt Olive told him that Abner had aroused from his
+slumber but twice, and then only for a moment, he had no idea of being
+worried about his friend, although he did think it a little singular he
+should sleep so long.
+
+That evening Dr. Abbot called again, although he had been there once
+before that day; and when Toby saw how troubled Uncle Daniel and Aunt
+Olive looked after he had gone, he asked;
+
+"You don't think Abner is goin' to be sick, do you?"
+
+Uncle Daniel made no reply, and Aunt Olive did not speak for some
+moments; then she said:
+
+"I am afraid he stayed out too long this morning; but the doctor hopes
+he will be better to-morrow."
+
+If Toby had not been so busily engaged planning for Abner to see the
+work next day, he would have noticed that the sick boy was not left
+alone for more than a few moments at a time, and that both Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive seemed to have agreed not to say anything discouraging to
+him regarding his friend's illness.
+
+When he went to bed that night, he fancied Uncle Daniel's voice
+trembled, as he said:
+
+"May the good God guard and spare you to me, Toby, boy;" but he gave no
+particular thought to the matter, and the sandman threw dust in his eyes
+very soon after his head was on the pillow.
+
+In the morning his first question was regarding Abner, and then he was
+told that his friend was not nearly so well as he had been; Aunt Olive
+even said that Toby had better not go into the sick-room, for fear of
+disturbing the invalid.
+
+"Go on with your play by yourself, Toby, boy, and that will be a great
+deal better than trying to have Abner join you, until he is much
+better," said Uncle Daniel, kindly.
+
+"But hain't he goin' to have a ride this mornin'?"
+
+"No, he is not well enough to get up. You go on building your tent, and
+you will be so near the house that you can be called at any moment, if
+Abner asks for you."
+
+Toby was considerably disturbed by the fact that he was not allowed to
+see his friend, and by the way Uncle Daniel spoke; but he went out to
+the barn where his partners were already waiting for him, feeling all
+the more sad now because of his elation the day before.
+
+He had no heart for the work, and, after telling the boys that Abner
+was sick again, proposed to postpone operations until he should get
+better; but they insisted that as they were so near the house, it would
+be as well to go on with the work as to remain idle, and Toby could
+offer no argument to the contrary.
+
+Although he did quite as much towards the putting-up of the tent as the
+others did, it was plain to be seen that he had lost his interest in
+anything of the kind, and at least once every half-hour he ran into the
+house to learn how the sick boy was getting on.
+
+All of Aunt Olive's replies were the same: Abner slept a good portion of
+the time, and during the few moments he was awake said nothing, except
+in answer to questions. He did not complain of any pain, nor did he
+appear to take any notice of what was going on around him.
+
+"I think it's because he got all tired out yesterday, an' that he'll be
+himself again to-morrow," said Aunt Olive, after Toby had come in for
+at least the sixth time, and she saw how worried he was.
+
+This hopeful remark restored Toby to something very near his usual good
+spirits; and when he went back to his work after that, his partners were
+pleased to see him take more interest in what was going on.
+
+The tent was up firmly enough to resist any moderate amount of wind, but
+it did not look quite so neat as it would have done had it not been
+necessary to perform the operation of "tucking in" one end, which made
+that side hang in folds that were by no means a pleasing addition to the
+general appearance.
+
+The small door of the barn, over which the tent was placed, served
+instead of a curtain to their dressing-room; and at one side of it, on
+an upturned barrel, arrangements were made for a band-stand.
+
+Mr. Mansfield's flag covered the one end completely, and all the boys
+thought it gave a better appearance to the whole than if they had made
+it wholly of canvas.
+
+The ring, which Reddy marked out almost before the tent was up, occupied
+nearly the whole of the interior; but since they did not intend to have
+any seats for their audience, it was thought there would be plenty of
+room for all who would come to see them. The main point was to have the
+ring, and to have it as nearly like that of a regular circus as
+possible, while the audience could be trusted to take care of itself.
+
+The animals to be exhibited were to be placed in small cages at each
+corner. Reddy had at first insisted that each cage should be on a cart
+to make it look well; but he gave up that idea when Bob pointed out to
+him that six mice or two squirrels would make rather a small show in a
+wagon, and that they would be obliged to enlarge their tent if they
+carried out that plan, even provided they could get the necessary
+number of carts, which was very doubtful.
+
+In the matter of getting sheets from their mothers they had not been as
+successful as they had anticipated. No one of the ladies who had been
+spoken to on the subject was willing to have her bed-linen decorating
+the interior of a circus-tent, even though the show was to be only a
+little one for three cents.
+
+Reddy was quite sure he could mend one or two of the largest holes if he
+had a darning-needle and some twine; but after he got both from Aunt
+Olive, and stuck the needle twice in his own hand, once in Joe
+Robinson's, and then broke it, he concluded that it would be just as
+well to paste brown paper over the holes.
+
+It was a hard job to dig the ground up in order to make as large a ring
+as the boys had marked out, but by persistent work it was accomplished,
+as almost everything can be; and then Ben went to practising, in order
+that he might, as he expressed it, "get the hang of the thing."
+
+Of course, the fact that a tent had been put up by the side of Uncle
+Daniel's barn was soon known to every boy in the village, and the rush
+of visitors that afternoon was so great that Joe was obliged to begin
+his duties as door-keeper in advance, in order to keep back the crowd.
+
+The number of questions asked by each boy who arrived kept Joe so busy
+answering them that, after every one in town knew exactly what was going
+on, Reddy hit upon the happy plan of getting a large piece of paper, and
+painting on it an announcement of their exhibition.
+
+It was while he was absent in search of the necessary materials with
+which to carry out this work that the finishing touches were put on the
+interior; and the partners were counting the number of hand-springs Ben
+could turn without stopping, when a great shout arose from the visitors
+outside, and the circus owners heard a pattering and scratching on the
+canvas above their heads.
+
+"Mr. Stubbs's brother has got loose, an' he's tearin' 'round on the
+tent!" shouted Joe, as he poked his head in through a hole in the flag,
+and at the same time struggled to keep back a small but bold boy with
+his foot.
+
+Toby, followed by the other proprietors, rushed out at this alarming bit
+of news, and, sure enough, there was the monkey dancing around on the
+top of the tent like a crazy person, while the rope with which he had
+been tied dangled from his neck.
+
+It seemed to Toby that no other monkey could possibly behave half so
+badly as did Mr. Stubbs's brother on that occasion. He danced back and
+forth from one end of the tent to the other, as if he had been a
+tight-rope performer giving a free exhibition; then he would sit down
+and try to find out just how large a hole he could tear in the tender
+canvas, until it seemed as if the tent would certainly be a wreck before
+they could get him down.
+
+Toby coaxed and scolded, and scolded and coaxed, but all to no purpose.
+The monkey would clamber down over the end of the tent as if he were
+about to allow himself to be made a prisoner, and then, just as Toby was
+about to catch the rope, he would spring upon the ridge-pole again,
+chattering with joy at the disappointment he had caused.
+
+The visitors fairly roared with delight, and even the proprietors, whose
+borrowed property was being destroyed, could not help laughing at times,
+although there was not one of them who would not have enjoyed punishing
+Mr. Stubbs's brother very severely.
+
+"He'll break the whole show up if we don't get him off," said Bob, as
+the monkey tore a larger hole than he had yet made, and the crowd
+encouraged him in his mischievous work by their wild cheers.
+
+"I know it; but how can we get him down?" asked Toby, in perplexity,
+knowing that it would not be safe for any one of them to climb upon the
+decayed canvas, even if there were a chance that the monkey would wait
+for them to catch him after they got there.
+
+"Get a long pole, an' scrape him off," suggested Joe; but Toby shook his
+head, for he knew that to "scrape" a monkey from such a place would be
+an impossibility.
+
+Bob had an idea that if he had a rope long enough to make a lasso, he
+could get it around the animal's neck and pull him down; but just as he
+set out to find the rope, Mr. Stubbs's brother settled the matter
+himself.
+
+He had torn one hole fully five inches long, and commenced on another a
+short distance from the first, when the thin fabric gave way, the two
+rents were made one, and down fell Mr. Monkey, only saved from falling
+to the ground by his chin catching on the edges of the cloth.
+
+There he hung, his little round head just showing above the canvas, with
+a bewildered, and, at the same time, discouraged look on his face.
+
+Toby knew that it would be but a moment before the monkey would get his
+paws out from under the canvas, and thus extricate himself from his
+uncomfortable position. Running quickly inside the tent, he seized Mr.
+Stubbs's brother by his long tail, pulling him completely through, and
+the mischievous pet was again a prisoner.
+
+It was a great disappointment to the boys on the outside when this
+portion of the circus was hidden from view; but it was equally as great
+a relief to the partners that the destruction of their tent was at last
+averted.
+
+After the excitement had nearly subsided, and Toby was reading his pet
+a lesson on the sin of destructiveness, Reddy arrived with the materials
+for making his circus poster--a sheet of brown paper, a bottle of ink,
+and a brush made by chewing the end of a pine stick.
+
+He began his work at once. It was a long task, but was at last
+accomplished, and when the partners went to their respective homes that
+night, the following placard adorned one side of the tent:
+
+
+     +-------------------------+
+     |       BiG CiRCUS        |
+     |                         |
+     |  DOORS OpEn PuTTy SOOn  |
+     |                         |
+     |      PRiCe 3 CEnTS      |
+     +-------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+STEALING DUCKS
+
+
+After Toby had secured Mr. Stubbs's brother so that he could not
+liberate himself, he ran into the house to inquire for Abner.
+
+The news this time was more encouraging, for the sick boy had awakened
+thoroughly after his long sleep, and had asked how the work on the tent
+was getting on. Aunt Olive thought Toby could see him, and, after
+promising that he would not remain very long, or allow Abner to talk
+much, he went up-stairs.
+
+The crippled boy was lying in the bed bolstered up with pillows, looking
+out of the window that commanded a view of the tent, and evidently
+puzzled to know whether the large sheet of brown paper which he saw on
+one side was there as an ornament, or to serve some useful purpose.
+
+Toby explained to him that it was the poster Reddy had made, and then
+told him all that had been done that day towards getting ready for the
+great exhibition which was to dazzle the good people of Guilford, as
+well as to bring in a rich reward, in the way of money, to the managers.
+
+Abner was so interested in the matter, and seemed so bright and cheerful
+when he was talking about it, that Toby's fears regarding his illness
+were entirely dispelled; he came to the conclusion that Abner had simply
+been tired, as Aunt Olive had said, and that he would be better than
+ever by morning.
+
+This belief was strengthened by the doctor, who came while Toby was
+still with his friend, and who, in answer to a question, said, cheerily:
+
+"Of course he'll be all right; he may not be quite smart enough to go
+out to-morrow, but before the week is ended I'll guarantee that you'll
+have hard work to keep him in the house."
+
+Toby's heart was light again as he attended to his evening's work; and
+when he met Joe, on his way to the pasture, he laid plans for the coming
+exhibition with a greater zest than he had displayed since the matter
+was first spoken of.
+
+Now that the tent was up, and Abner on the sure and rapid road to
+recovery, Toby thought it quite time that Mr. Stubbs's brother should be
+taught to take some part in the performance. Joe was of the same
+opinion, and they decided to commence the education of the monkey that
+very night, giving him two or three lessons each day until he should be
+thoroughly trained.
+
+The cows were not exactly hurried on the way home that night; but they
+were not allowed to loiter by the roadside when they saw particularly
+tempting tufts of grass, and as soon as they were in the barn Mr.
+Stubbs's brother was taken to the tent.
+
+He was in anything rather than a good condition for training, for he
+evidently remembered his frolic of the afternoon, and was anxious to
+repeat it. Toby thought he could be made to leap through hoops as a
+beginning of his circus education, and all the energies of the boys were
+bent to the accomplishment of this.
+
+But the monkey was either remarkably stupid just then, or determined to
+take no part in the show, for although Joe held the hoops until his arms
+ached, and Toby coaxed and scolded till he was hoarse, Mr. Stubbs's
+brother could not be persuaded even to attempt to leap.
+
+"It's no use to try any more to-night," said Toby, impatiently, when it
+was nearly dark inside the tent, and his pet was showing signs of anger.
+"We'll commence the first thing in the mornin', an' I guess he'll do
+it."
+
+"I'd whip him if I was you," said Joe, who was thoroughly tired, and
+angry at the monkey's obstinacy. "If you would give him a good
+switchin', he'd know he's got to do it."
+
+"I wouldn't whip him if he never did anything," said Toby, as he hugged
+his pet tightly, almost as if he feared Joe might attempt, as one of the
+partners in the enterprise, to whip the unwilling performer.
+
+"'Tain't my monkey, so I hain't got nothin' to say about it," and Joe
+was impatient now; "but if he was mine, I'll bet he'd do what I told him
+to."
+
+It seemed almost as if Mr. Stubbs's brother knew what had been said
+about him, for he nestled close to Toby, hiding his face on the boy's
+neck in a way that would have prevented his master from whipping him
+even if he had been disposed so to do.
+
+"We'll put him in the shed, an' I guess he'll be good enough to-morrow,"
+said Toby, cheerfully; and then, after fastening the flag in the front
+of the tent in such a way that the wind would be kept out, if nothing
+more, he and Joe walked towards the house, discussing the question of
+the kind of tickets they should use at the show.
+
+While they were yet some distance from the wood-shed in which Mr.
+Stubbs's brother was lodged, Aunt Olive called Toby to come quickly to
+the house.
+
+"You put him in the wood-shed, an' fasten him in snug," said Toby, as he
+handed the monkey to Joe, and started for the house at full speed.
+
+Now Joe knew perfectly well where Mr. Stubbs's brother was kept; but, as
+he had never seen him put away for the night, he was uncertain whether
+he should be tied there, or simply shut in. It hardly seemed to him that
+Toby would leave the monkey tied up by the neck all night, so he set him
+up comfortably on a bench, and carefully shut the door.
+
+Toby had been called to go to the druggist's for some medicine, and he
+came out of the house in such haste, calling to Joe to follow him, that
+nothing more was thought of the insecurely prisoned monkey.
+
+When Toby returned, it was so late that Uncle Daniel advised him to go
+to bed if he had any desire to be "healthy, wealthy, and wise," and he
+obeyed at once.
+
+Positive that Abner was on the road to recovery, sure that all his work
+had been done, and with nothing to trouble him, it was not very long
+that Toby lay awake after he was once in bed.
+
+It seemed to him that he had been sleeping a long while, when he was
+awakened by the sound as of some one hunting around in his room; and,
+before he had time to call out, the candle was lighted, showing that the
+intruder was Uncle Daniel, only partially dressed and in a high state of
+excitement.
+
+"What is it? What's the matter?" asked Toby, in alarm, thinking at once
+of Abner, and fearing that something had happened to him.
+
+"Hush!" said Uncle Daniel, warningly; "don't make a noise, for some one
+is trying to get into the hen-house, an' I am going to make an example
+of him. I suppose it's one of the tramps who went by here to-day, an' I
+want to find that gun I saw in here yesterday."
+
+There was such a weapon in Toby's room, or, at least, what had once been
+a gun was there, for a hired man whom Uncle Daniel had employed left it
+there. It had been an army musket, and appeared to have been used as a
+collection of materials to repair others guns with, for the entire lock,
+ramrod, and at least four inches of the stock had been taken away,
+leaving it a mere wreck of a gun.
+
+"It's up there in the corner behind the wash-stand," said Toby, coming
+out of the bed as quickly as if he had tumbled out, and alarmed at the
+thought of burglars. "It hain't no good, Uncle Dan'l, for there's only
+a little of it left."
+
+"It will do as well for me as a better one," said Uncle Daniel, grimly.
+"I don't want to shoot anybody, only to give them a severe fright, and
+perhaps capture them."
+
+"Then what'll you do with 'em?" asked Toby in a whisper, almost as much
+alarmed by Uncle Daniel's savage way of speaking as by the thought of
+the burglars.
+
+"I don't know, Toby, boy--I don't know. The tramps do trouble me
+greatly, an' I'd like to make an example of these; but I suppose they
+must be hungry, or else they wouldn't try to get into the hen-house, I
+guess if we catch one we'll give him a good breakfast, and try to
+persuade him to go to work like an honest man."
+
+Uncle Daniel's anger usually had some such peaceful ending, as Toby
+knew; but he did look bloodthirsty as he stood there in his
+shirt-sleeves, with one stocking on, and his night-cap covering one ear
+and but a small portion of his head, while he handled the invalid gun
+recklessly.
+
+By the time he was ready to go in search of the supposed chicken-thief,
+Aunt Olive, looking thoroughly frightened, came into the room with his
+other stocking and his boots in her hand, insisting that he should put
+them on before he ventured out.
+
+It must have been a very tame burglar who would have continued at his
+work after the lights had warned him that the inmates of the house were
+aroused; but Toby did not think of that. He saw that Aunt Olive had
+armed herself with the fire-shovel, that Uncle Daniel kept a firm hold
+of the gun even while he was trying to put his boots on, and he was
+frightened by the warlike preparations.
+
+Toby put on his trousers and shoes as quickly as possible, and when
+Uncle Daniel was ready to start, he stationed himself directly behind
+Aunt Olive, a position which he thought would afford him a fair view of
+what was going on, and at the same time be safe.
+
+"Now be careful of that gun, Dan'l, an' don't go so far that they can
+hurt you, for there's no telling what they will do if they find out you
+mean to catch them," and Aunt Olive looked quite as badly frightened as
+did Toby.
+
+"There, there, Olive, don't be alarmed," said Uncle Daniel, soothingly,
+"they will probably run as soon as they see the gun, and that will end
+it. I only hope that I can catch one," and Uncle Daniel went down the
+stairs as determined and savage looking a man as ever started in search
+of a supposed chicken-thief.
+
+Aunt Olive insisted on carrying the candle, though Uncle Daniel urged
+that it would not be possible for him to surprise the burglars if she
+held this light as a warning; but she had no idea of allowing him to go
+out where there was every probability that he would be in danger,
+unless she could see what was going on.
+
+When the party reached the kitchen, the sounds which came from the
+hen-house told plainly that the party they were in search of had not
+ceased his work because the household had been alarmed. The snapping of
+wood could be heard, and if Aunt Olive had not been thoroughly aroused
+before, she was then, for laths were being broken, and one of her
+choicest broods of ducks was secured only by such frail barriers against
+either two or four-legged thieves.
+
+"Stop them quick, or all the ducks will be out," she screamed; and, thus
+urged, Uncle Daniel made a bold stand.
+
+"Get behind me, and hold your hand over the light," he whispered, and
+then he shouted, as he brought the gun up to his shoulder in a very
+threatening manner, "Come out here, and give yourselves up at once."
+
+There was no answer made to this peremptory command, and, strangely
+enough, the work of destruction was continued as vigorously as if Uncle
+Daniel and his broken gun were a thousand miles away, instead of on the
+spot and ready for action.
+
+"Come away from there instantly, and save yourself any further trouble,"
+shouted Uncle Daniel in a louder voice, stamping his foot, while Aunt
+Olive brandished the fire-shovel to give emphasis to his words.
+
+There was silence for a moment, as if the burglar had stopped to
+consider the matter, and then the work was continued with greater energy
+than before.
+
+"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Uncle Daniel, as he brought the butt of his
+gun down on his own foot with such force that he was obliged to give
+immediate attention to the wounded member.
+
+Toby had always had a wholesome dread of a gun; but his fear became
+greater than ever when he saw how much mischief could be done with one
+as near a total wreck as that was, for Uncle Daniel had seated himself
+on the grass, regardless of the dew, and was hugging his foot as if he
+feared he should lose it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+A LOST MONKEY
+
+
+Even though her husband was wounded, Aunt Olive could not stop to offer
+any aid while her precious ducks were in such peril, as the breaking of
+the laths proved they were; and she started forward alone and unarmed,
+save with the shovel, until a loud quacking indicated that the robber
+had made at least one prisoner.
+
+Dropping the shovel, but still clinging to the candle, Aunt Olive seized
+the gun, and, dragging it along by the muzzle, she cried:
+
+"I'll shoot you if you don't let them ducks alone, and go right straight
+away from here!"
+
+The loud quacking of another duck proved that she had not alarmed the
+burglar; and as she was now quite near the bold robber, by holding her
+candle above her head she could discern in the darkness what looked like
+a boy, with a duck tightly clutched in each hand.
+
+"It's only a boy," she cried to Uncle Daniel, who had given over
+attending to his foot, and was coming up; and then, as she ran towards
+the thief, she cried, "Put down them ducks, you little rascal, or I will
+whip you soundly!"
+
+The boy did not put the ducks down, nor did he stay for the whipping;
+but, with both the noisy prizes held in one hand, he began to climb the
+hen-house in a manner surprising in one so small.
+
+By this time both Toby and Uncle Daniel were on the spot, and the former
+saw that the supposed boy was using a long tail in his work of climbing
+the hen-house.
+
+"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother; don't shoot him!" he cried, forgetting, in
+his excitement, that the gun was dangerous only when dropped on one's
+foot; and then he too tried to climb upon the hen-house.
+
+"The monkey?" cried Uncle Daniel, as he felt on his forehead for his
+spectacles to enable him to see better. Aunt Olive made use of almost
+the same words; but, instead of feeling for her spectacles, she ran
+towards the building, as if she fancied it to be the easiest thing in
+the world to catch a mischievous monkey.
+
+Toby knew, if Aunt Olive did not, that it would be the work of some time
+to catch Mr. Stubbs's brother, and that no threats would induce him to
+come down. Therefore he put forth all his energies in the vain hope of
+overtaking him.
+
+Although the monkey was encumbered by the two ducks he had stolen, he
+could climb twice as fast as Toby could, and Aunt Olive realized the
+fact very soon.
+
+"Scare him till he drops the ducks," she cried to Toby; and then, to do
+her portion of the "scaring," she brandished the fire-shovel, and cried
+"shoo!" in a very energetic manner.
+
+Uncle Daniel waved his arms, and shouted, "Come down! come down!" as he
+ran from one side of the building to the other; but the only reply to
+his shout was the quacking of the half-strangled ducks.
+
+"Catch him, Toby, catch him, before he kills the ducks," cried Aunt
+Olive, in an agony of fear lest these particular inmates of her
+poultry-yard should be killed.
+
+"That's what I'm tryin' to do," panted Toby, as he chased Mr. Stubbs's
+brother from one end of the roof to the other without even a chance of
+catching him.
+
+The quacking of the ducks was growing fainter every moment, and, knowing
+that something must be done at once, Uncle Daniel hunted around until he
+found a long pole, with which he struck at the monkey.
+
+This had the desired effect, for Mr. Stubbs's brother was so nearly hit
+two or three times that he dropped the almost dead ducks, curled his
+tail over his back, and leaped to the ground. He alighted so near Aunt
+Olive that she uttered a loud shriek, nearly falling backward over the
+wood-pile; but the monkey was out of sight in an instant, going in the
+direction of the road.
+
+As his pet disappeared in the darkness, Toby scrambled down from the
+roof of the building and started in pursuit; but before he had gone far
+he heard Uncle Daniel calling to him, while at the same time he realized
+that pursuit would be useless under the circumstances.
+
+"He's run away, an' I won't ever find him again," he said, in so
+mournful a tone that Uncle Daniel knew the tears were very near his
+eyelids.
+
+"He won't go very far, Toby, boy," said Uncle Daniel, consolingly, "and
+you can soon find him after the sun rises."
+
+"He'll be more'n seven miles off by that time," said Toby, as he choked
+back his sobs, and tried to speak firmly.
+
+"I don't know much about the nature of monkeys," replied Uncle Daniel,
+speaking very slowly; "but I am inclined to the belief that he will
+remain near here, since he has come to consider this his home. But it
+will be daylight in less than an hour, and then you can start after him.
+I will drive the cows to the pasture, so that you will have nothing to
+delay you."
+
+Aunt Olive had caught up the ducks as soon as Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+dropped them, and, believing it was yet possible to save their lives,
+she had started towards the house for the purpose of applying some
+remedies.
+
+"It's so near morning that I sha'n't go to bed again," she said, "and
+I'll get you something to eat, and put up a lunch for you, so you can
+stay out until you find him."
+
+This offer on Aunt Olive's part seemed doubly kind, since the monkey
+had done so much mischief among her pets, and Toby realized that it
+would be ungrateful in him to complain, more especially as Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive were willing to do all in their power to enable him to
+catch the fugitive.
+
+"I'll mend the duck-pen," he said, resolutely putting from his mind the
+thought of Mr. Stubbs's brother, who he firmly believed was trudging up
+the road in the direction taken by the circus when it left town.
+
+Uncle Daniel thought it would be just as well to remain up also, and he
+dragged the wreck of the gun into the house, putting it carefully away
+lest some one should be injured by it, before he commenced to build the
+fire.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother had labored industriously when he set about
+reducing the duck-pen to kindling-wood; and although Toby worked as fast
+as possible, it was nearly time for the sun to rise before he finished
+the job of repairing it.
+
+By that time Aunt Olive had a nice breakfast ready for him, and a
+generous lunch done up neatly in paper.
+
+Abner had not wakened, therefore Toby was obliged to go away without
+knowing whether he was better or worse; but Aunt Olive told him that she
+thought he need have no fear regarding the invalid, for she felt certain
+he would be much better when he awoke.
+
+Toby ate his breakfast very hurriedly, and then started down the road in
+the direction of his partners' homes, for he thought there would be a
+better chance of capturing the runaway if four or five boys set out in
+pursuit than if he went out alone.
+
+Fully two hours were spent in arousing his partners, explaining what had
+happened, and waiting for them to get their breakfast; but at the end of
+that time every one of the circus managers was ready for the search.
+
+There was a decided difference of opinion among them as to which
+direction they should take, some believing the monkey had gone one way
+and some another, and the only plan by which the matter could be settled
+was to divide the force into two parties.
+
+Bob, Reddy, and Ben formed one division, and they started into the woods
+in a nearly straight line from Uncle Daniel's house. Toby, Joe, and
+Leander, making up the other party, went up the road, Toby insisting on
+this course because he was sure that Mr. Stubbs's brother would attempt
+to follow the circus of which he had once been a member, although so
+many weeks had elapsed since it had passed along there.
+
+Leander was of the opinion that they ought to have borrowed a dog, with
+which to track the monkey more easily, and even offered to go back to
+get one; but Toby thought that would be a waste of valuable time, more
+especially as it was by no means certain that Leander could procure the
+dog if he did go back.
+
+Joe thought each inch of the road should be examined with a view to
+finding tracks of the monkey; but that plan was given up in a very few
+moments after it was tried, for the good reason that the boys could not
+distinguish even their own footprints, the road was beaten so hard; and
+so they could only walk straight ahead, hoping to come up with the
+fugitive, or to hear some news of him.
+
+At each house on the road they stopped to ask if a stray monkey had been
+seen; but they could hear nothing encouraging until they had walked
+nearly three miles, and were just beginning to think it would have been
+wiser to remain with the party who went into the woods.
+
+At last, however, a farmer told them that he had seen an animal come up
+the main road, just about sunrise, and that it had gone up through his
+field into an oak grove. He had had no idea at the time that it was a
+monkey, and had intended to take his gun and go in search of it as soon
+as he could spare the time.
+
+Toby trembled as the man said this, for Mr. Stubbs's death was too vivid
+in his mind for him to think without a shudder of any one going in
+search of this monkey with a gun. He started for the grove at full
+speed, fearing that some one with more time at his disposal had seen his
+pet, and might even now be in pursuit of him.
+
+Of course the boys did not know certainly that the animal the farmer had
+seen was Mr. Stubbs's brother, but all were quite sure it was; and,
+before they had been in the oak grove ten minutes they saw the monkey
+himself, hanging by his tail and one paw from the branch of a tree.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+DRIVING A MONKEY
+
+
+Toby was so delighted at seeing his pet safe and alive that he set up a
+great shout; and the monkey, thus warned that boys who would chain him
+down to the drudgery of a circus ring were on his track, started off at
+full speed, scolding furiously as he went.
+
+To catch a monkey in the woods was even a harder task than to "scrape"
+him from the tent, or to capture him on the roof of the hen-house; but
+he must be caught, and the three boys started after him, fully aware of
+the difficult task before them.
+
+To Mr. Stubbs's brother this flight and pursuit was simply the wildest
+kind of a frolic, and he fairly screamed with delight as he leaped from
+one tree to another, sometimes allowing them almost to touch him, and
+then starting off at full speed until nearly out of sight.
+
+For an hour this tantalizing work was continued, and the pursuers were
+nearly exhausted. Half the time they had been running at full speed, and
+the only chance for rest had been when they were trying to creep upon
+Mr. Stubbs's brother unawares, which was just about no rest at all.
+
+Leander, who was naturally a very slow-moving boy, and quite fleshy, was
+more quickly tired than the others. When, for at least the twentieth
+time, they thought they had the monkey within their grasp, and he darted
+to the top of one of the tallest trees, Leander declared he could not
+take another step, even though the life of the monkey and the success of
+the circus depended upon it.
+
+Of course, it was not to be thought of that they should leave their band
+there exhausted and alone, so Toby decided they should rest as long as
+Mr. Stubbs's brother remained in the tree, and it was determined to
+occupy the time by eating the luncheon Aunt Olive had prepared.
+
+During the last ten minutes of the chase, Leander's face had worn a very
+gloomy expression; but it lighted wonderfully when the package of food
+was opened, and Toby helped him to a very generous slice of bread and
+meat.
+
+Nor was Leander the only one who looked with favor upon the food. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on at
+the foot of the tree in which he had taken refuge, and he showed every
+disposition to make one of the eating party.
+
+Seeing his evident hunger, Toby was sure it would be possible to capture
+the monkey by means of the food, and he walked around the trunk of the
+tree, holding a piece of ginger-bread temptingly in his fingers.
+
+The monkey came down from branch to branch, as if he had decided to
+allow himself to be made a prisoner for the sake of the food; but, just
+as Toby was about to seize him, he jumped back with a cry that sounded
+much as if he were laughing because of the disappointment he had caused.
+
+Then Joe tried his skill at monkey-catching, coming about as near
+success as Toby had done; and Leander was roused to action by the new
+phase the chase had assumed. He too held out some food in order to give
+Mr. Stubbs's brother the impression that all he had to do was to come
+and get it.
+
+In thus trying the coaxing plan, all three of the boys got on one side
+of the tree, while the greater part of their provisions was on the
+opposite side.
+
+The monkey descended again, first towards one boy and then towards
+another, as if it were his purpose to allow all three to catch him, and
+all were equally certain they were about to succeed, when Mr. Stubbs's
+brother suddenly ran along the branches towards the food. Before it was
+possible for any of the boys to intercept him, he had dropped to the
+ground, seized two of the very largest pieces of cake, and was up in the
+tree again so quickly that but for the cake he had in his paws it might
+have been doubted whether or not he had been on the ground at all.
+
+Now Mr. Stubbs's brother could laugh at his pursuers, if it is possible
+for a monkey to laugh; for, without any thanks to them, he had a trifle
+more than his share of the provisions, and was still at liberty.
+
+"It hain't any use," said Joe, in despair, as he threw himself on the
+ground and attacked the luncheon savagely, "I don't believe we shall
+ever get him; an' if we don't, it won't be much use for us to have our
+show, for every real circus has a monkey."
+
+"We _must_ catch him," replied Toby, mournfully, looking up into the
+tree where his pet sat eating the stolen food with the greatest
+possible enjoyment. "I wouldn't go home an' leave him here if I had to
+stay all night."
+
+"One might watch here while the others went back to the village an' got
+every feller there to come out an' help catch him," suggested Leander,
+who was famous for having ideas so brilliant that no one could carry
+them into execution.
+
+"We're goin' away from home all the time this way," said Toby, after he
+had studied the matter carefully, without paying any attention to the
+suggestion made by Leander; "now let's get a little ways the other side
+of the tree, an' when he comes down again he'll have to go towards home.
+Even if we can't catch him, perhaps we can drive him into the village."
+
+Even Leander could see the wisdom of this plan, and the party moved
+their luncheon and themselves to the side of the tree opposite to that
+on which they had approached it.
+
+Of course there was nothing to do but await Mr. Stubbs's brother's
+pleasure in the matter, and he seemed to be in no haste to make a move.
+He ate his cake in the most leisurely fashion possible, and then
+appeared to be wonderfully interested in the leaves, for he would spend
+several minutes pulling one apart, probably to see how it was made.
+
+But he was obliged to come down at last, and he chose the time just as
+Leander had settled himself comfortably for a nap, which did not tend to
+make the band regard him with additional favor.
+
+As Toby had thought, the monkey started back in the direction they had
+come; and, as he was going towards home, they did not make any effort to
+hurry him. If they could not catch him, they could at least drive him,
+and they were satisfied to let him go as slowly as he chose--a plan
+which met with hearty approval from Leander.
+
+For some time Mr. Stubbs's brother moved along as if it were his
+greatest desire to be back at Uncle Daniel's again, and then Toby saw
+him run along swiftly as if he had found something under a tree which
+interested him greatly.
+
+Afraid that the monkey had done this simply to avoid being driven, and
+that he might dart through the underbrush and get in rear of them again,
+Toby ran forward quickly; but before he had taken more than a dozen
+steps he heard piercing shrieks, which evidently came from the monkey,
+while the commotion among the bushes indicated that a struggle of some
+kind was taking place there.
+
+With but one thought, and that for the safety of his pet, Toby ran ahead
+regardless of the bushes that tore his clothing and scratched his face.
+A struggle was going on, as he saw when he pulled the branches of the
+trees away, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was getting decidedly the worst of
+it.
+
+A small, prickly ball curled up at the foot of the tree, and the monkey
+striking at it savagely with his paws, while porcupine quills were
+sticking in his face and body, told the whole story.
+
+The monkey had seen the porcupine, and, much to his discomfort, had
+tried to make that animal's acquaintance. As every boy knows, when one
+of these animals is attacked it immediately rolls itself up into a ball,
+with the quills or spines sticking straight out, and the attacking party
+generally gets plentifully supplied with them in a very short time.
+
+It was some moments before Toby could persuade his pet to stop trying to
+inflict punishment when he was getting the greater part himself; but he
+pulled him away at last, and the porcupine, unrolling himself with a
+grunt of satisfaction, trotted away into the bushes.
+
+There was no disposition on the part of Mr. Stubbs's brother to run away
+again. He stood there looking as sad and discouraged as a monkey ought
+to look who had commenced his day's work by stealing ducks, and
+concluded it by fighting a porcupine.
+
+The quills stood out from his face, making him look as if sadly in need
+of shaving, while on almost every inch of his body there was one of
+these natural weapons, giving him a decidedly comical appearance.
+
+As he stood there holding out his paws to Toby as if asking him to
+extract the spines, and squinting down now and then at those in his
+face, the boys did not try to restrain their laughter, which appeared to
+make the inquisitive monkey very angry.
+
+He screamed and scolded in the shrillest tones until Toby set about
+picking out the quills for him, and Joe took a firm hold of his collar,
+to make sure he should not escape when he was relieved from the effects
+of his introduction to the porcupine.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+COLLECTING THE ANIMALS
+
+
+It was quite a task to extract the porcupine quills from Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, because the operation was painful, and he danced about in a way
+that seriously interfered with the work.
+
+But the last one was out after a time, and the monkey was marched along
+between Joe and Toby, looking very repentant now that he was in his
+master's power again.
+
+"I tell you what it is," said Joe, sagely, after he had walked awhile in
+silence as if studying some matter, "we'd better get about six big
+chains an' fasten Mr. Stubbs's brother to the tent; 'cause if we keep on
+tryin' to train him, he'll keep on gettin' loose, an' before he gets
+through with it, we sha'n't have any show left."
+
+"I think that's the best thing we can do," panted Leander; "'cause if
+all hands of us has to start out many times like this, some of the boys
+will come up while we're off, an' pull the tent down."
+
+"We can tie him in the tent, and have him for a wild man of Borneo,"
+suggested Joe.
+
+"I guess we won't train him," replied Toby, rather sorry to deprive his
+pet of the pleasure of being one of the performers, and yet fearing the
+trouble he would cause if they should try to make anything more than an
+ordinary monkey out of him.
+
+The pursuit had led the boys farther from home than they had imagined,
+and it was noon when, weary and hungry, they arrived at the tent, where
+they found the other party, who had given up the search some time
+before. They had travelled through the woods without hearing or seeing
+anything of the runaway, and had returned in the hope that the others
+had been more successful.
+
+Leaving Mr. Stubbs's brother in charge of the partners, who, it was
+safe to say, would now take very good care to prevent his escape, Toby
+hurried into the house to see Abner.
+
+The sick boy was no better, Aunt Olive said, neither did he appear to be
+any worse--he was sleeping then; and, after eating some of his dinner at
+the table, and taking the remainder in his hands, Toby went out to the
+tent again.
+
+He found his partners indulging in an animated discussion as to when the
+performance should be given.
+
+Reddy was in favor of having it within two or three days at furthest;
+Bob thought that, as Mr. Stubbs's brother was not to be one of the
+performers, there was no reason for delay.
+
+All the others were of the same opinion, but Toby urged them to wait
+until Abner could take part in it.
+
+To this Bob had a very reasonable objection: in two weeks more school
+would begin, and then, of course, the circus would be out of the
+question. If their first exhibition should be a success, as it
+undoubtedly would be, they could give a second performance when Abner
+should get well enough to attend it; and that would be quite as pleasing
+to him as for all the talent to remain idle while waiting for his
+recovery.
+
+Toby felt that his partners asked him to do only that which was fair;
+the circus scheme had already done Abner more harm than good, and, as he
+did not seem to be dangerously sick, it would be unkind to the others to
+insist on waiting.
+
+"I'd rather Abner was with us when we had the first show," said Toby;
+"but I s'pose it'll be just as well to go ahead with it, an' then give
+another after he can come out."
+
+"Then we'll have it Saturday afternoon; an' while Reddy's fixin' up the
+tickets, Ben an' I'll get the animals up here, so's to see how they'll
+look, an' to let 'em get kinder used to the tent."
+
+Reddy was a boy who did not believe in wasting any time after a matter
+was decided upon, and almost as soon as Toby consented to go on with the
+show, he went for materials with which to make posters and tickets.
+
+His activity aroused the others, and all started out to bring in the
+animals, leaving Toby to guard Mr. Stubbs's brother and the tent. The
+canvas would take care of itself, so long as it was unmolested, but the
+other portion of Toby's charge was not so easily managed. After much
+thought, however, he settled the monkey question by tying Mr. Stubbs's
+brother to the end pole, with a rope long enough to allow him to climb
+nearly to the top, but short enough to keep him at a safe distance from
+the canvas.
+
+By the time this was done, Ben arrived with the first instalment of
+curiosities. His crowing hen he had under his arm, and Mrs. Simpson's
+three-legged cat and four kittens he brought in a basket.
+
+"Joe's got a cage 'most built for the hen, an' I'll fix one for the cat
+this afternoon," he said, as he seated himself on the basket, and held
+the hen in his lap.
+
+"You can't fix it if you've got to hold her," said Toby, as he brought
+from the barn a bushel-basket, which was converted into a coop by
+turning it bottom side up, and putting the hen underneath it.
+
+Ben was about to make a search of the barn for the purpose of finding
+some materials with which to build the cat's cage, when a great noise
+was heard outside, and the two partners left the tent hurriedly.
+
+"It's Bob an' his calf," said Ben, who had got out first, and then he
+started towards the newcomers at full speed.
+
+It was Bob and his calf; but the animal should have been mentioned
+first, for it seemed very much as if he were bringing his master,
+instead of being brought by him. In order to carry his cage of mice and
+lead the calf at the same time, Bob had tied the rope that held this
+representative of a grizzly bear around his waist, and had taken the
+cage under his arm. This plan had worked well enough until just as they
+were entering the field that led to the tent, when Bob tripped and fell,
+scaring the calf so that he started at full speed for the barn, of
+course dragging the unfortunate Bob with him.
+
+Sometimes on his face, sometimes on his back, screaming for help
+whenever his mouth was uppermost, and clinging firmly to the cage of
+mice, Bob was dragged almost to the door of the tent, where the
+frightened animal was finally secured.
+
+"Well, I've got him here, an' I hain't lost a single mouse," said Bob,
+as he counted his treasures before even scraping the dirt from his face.
+
+Ben and Toby led the calf into the tent after some difficulty, owing to
+the attempts of Mr. Stubbs's brother to frighten him, and then they did
+their best to separate the dirt from their partner.
+
+In this good work they had but partially succeeded, when Reddy arrived
+with a large package of brown paper, and his cat without a tail. This
+startling curiosity he carried in a bag slung over his shoulder, and
+from the expression on his face when he came up it seemed almost certain
+that the cat's claws had passed through the bag and into her master's
+flesh.
+
+"There," he exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, as he threw his live
+burden at the foot of the post to which Mr. Stubbs's brother was tied,
+"I've kept shiftin' that cat from one shoulder to the other ever since I
+started, an' I tell you she can scratch as well as if she had a tail as
+long as the monkey's."
+
+It surely seemed as if the work of building the cages had been too long
+neglected, for here were a number of curiosities without anything in
+which they could be exhibited, and the audience might be dissatisfied
+if asked to pay to see a cat in a bag, or a hen under a bushel-basket.
+
+Toby spoke of this, and Bob assured him that it could easily be arranged
+as soon as all the partners should arrive.
+
+"You see, we've got to carry Mrs. Simpson's cat an' kittens home every
+night, 'cause she says the rats are so thick she can spare her only
+day-times, an' we don't need a cage for her till the show comes off,"
+said Bob, as he bustled around again to find materials.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother demanded his master's attention about this time,
+owing to his attempts to make friends with the calf. From the time that
+this peaceful animal, who was to be transformed into a grizzly bear, had
+been brought into the tent, the monkey had tried in every possible way
+to get at him, and the calf had shown unmistakable signs of a desire to
+butt the monkey; but the ropes which held them both had prevented the
+meeting. Now, however, Bob detected Mr. Stubbs's brother in trying to
+bite his rope in two, and it was considered necessary to set a guard
+over him.
+
+Reddy was already busily engaged in painting the posters, despite the
+confusion that reigned, and, as his work would keep him inside the tent,
+he was chosen to have general care of the animals, a task which he,
+without a thought of possible consequences, accepted cheerfully.
+
+Leander and Joe came together, the first bringing his accordion, and
+four rabbits in a cage, and the last carrying five striped squirrels in
+a paste-board box.
+
+Leander was the only one who had been thoughtful enough to have his
+animals ready for exhibition, and the cage in which the long-eared pets
+were confined bore the inscription, done in a very fanciful way with
+blue and red crayons, "Wolves. Keep off!"
+
+This cage was placed in the corner near the band-stand, where the
+musician could attend to his musical work and have a watchful eye on his
+pets at the same time.
+
+Reddy had been busily engaged in painting a notice to be hung up over
+the calf; and, as he fastened it to the barn just over the spot where
+the animal was to be kept, Bob read, with no small degree of pride in
+the thought that he was the fortunate possessor of such a prize,
+
+
+                       GRIzsLee BARE
+                 FROM THE ROCKY MOunTAINS
+
+
+Then the artist went back to his task of painting posters, while the
+others set to work, full of determination to build the necessary number
+of cages if there was wood enough in Uncle Daniel's barn.
+
+They found timber enough and to spare; but, as it was not exactly the
+kind they wanted, Toby proposed that they should all go over to the
+house, explain the matter to Aunt Olive, and ask her to give them as
+many empty boxes as she could afford to part with.
+
+As has been said before, Aunt Olive looked upon the circus scheme with
+favor, and when she was called upon to aid in the way of furnishing
+cages for wild animals, she gave the boys full permission to take all
+the boxes they could find in the shed. They found so many that they were
+able to select those best suited to the different species of animals,
+and yet have quite a stock to fall back upon in case they should make
+additions to their menagerie.
+
+Now that the boys had found cages ready made, and needing only some bars
+or slats across the front, they did not think it necessary to hurry.
+They stayed for some time to talk of Abner, and to test some doughnuts
+Aunt Olive was frying. It is very likely that they would have remained
+even longer than they did, if the doughnut-frying had not been
+completed, and the tempting dainties placed upon a high shelf beyond
+their reach, as a gentle intimation that they had had about as many as
+they would get that afternoon.
+
+After leaving the house, they walked leisurely towards the barn, little
+dreaming what a state of confusion their property was in--until Reddy
+rushed out of the tent, his jacket torn, his face bleeding, and his
+general appearance that of a boy who had been having rather a hard time
+of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE SHOW BROKE UP
+
+
+"Why, what's the matter? Why don't you stay an' watch the animals?"
+asked Bob, in a tone intended to convey reproach and surprise that one
+of the projectors of the enterprise should desert his post of duty.
+
+"Watch the animals?" screamed Reddy, in a rage; "you go an' watch 'em
+awhile instead of eatin' doughnuts, an' see how you like it. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother picked a hole in the bag so my cat got out, an' she
+jumped on the calf, an' he tore 'round awful till he let the hen an'
+Mrs. Simpson's cat loose, an' I got knocked down an' scratched, an' the
+whole show's broke up."
+
+Reddy sat down on the ground, and wiped the blood from his face after he
+had imparted the painful news; and all the party started for the tent
+as rapidly as possible.
+
+It was a scene of ruin which they looked in upon after they had pulled
+aside Mr. Mansfield's flag, and one well calculated to discourage
+amateur circus proprietors.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was seated amid Reddy's paper and paint, holding
+the crowing hen by the head while he picked her wing-feathers out one by
+one. Mrs. Simpson's cat and kittens each had one of Bob's mice in its
+mouth, while Reddy's cat was chasing one of the squirrels with a
+murderous purpose. The calf was no longer an inmate of the tent; but a
+large rent in the canvas showed that he had opened a door for himself
+when the cat scratched him; and afar in the distance he could be seen,
+head down and tail up, as if fleeing from everything that looked like a
+circus.
+
+The destruction was as complete as it could well have been made in so
+short a time, and the partners were, quite naturally, discouraged. Toby
+retained sufficient presence of mind, amid the trouble, to rescue the
+crowing hen from the murderous clutches of Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the
+monkey scampered up the tent-pole, brandishing two or three of poor
+biddy's best and longest wing-feathers, while he screamed with
+satisfaction that he had accomplished at least a portion of the work of
+stripping the fowl.
+
+"The show's broke up, an' that's all there's to it," said Bob,
+sorrowfully, as he gazed alternately at the hole in the canvas and his
+rapidly vanishing calf.
+
+"Are the squirrels all gone?" asked Joe, driving the cat from her
+intended prey long enough to allow Master Bushy-tail to gain a refuge
+under the barn.
+
+"Every one," replied Reddy. "The calf kicked the box over when he come
+towards me, an' it looked as if there was as many as a hundred come out
+jest as soon as the cover was off. I could have caught one or two; but
+somehow Mrs. Simpson's cat got out of the basket jest then, an' she flew
+right on to my face."
+
+The marks on Reddy's cheeks and nose told most eloquently with what
+force the cat "flew," and search was at once made for that pet of the
+Simpson family. She, with her kittens, had taken refuge under the barn
+as soon as the boys entered, and thus another trouble was added to the
+load the circus managers had to bear, for that cat must be returned to
+her mistress by night, or trouble might come of it.
+
+The mice were entirely consumed, two tails alone remaining of what would
+have been shown to the good people of Guilford as strange animals from
+some far-off country.
+
+The squirrels were gone, the calf had fled, the hen was in a thoroughly
+battered condition, and nothing remained of all that vast and wonderful
+collection of animals except Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the rabbits,
+protected by the cage which their master's thoughtfulness had provided.
+
+[Illustration: TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER]
+
+"I guess I'll take the rabbits home," said Leander, as he lifted the box
+to his shoulder. "It wouldn't do to have only them for animals, an' it
+hain't very certain how long they'll stay alive while that monkey's
+'round."
+
+"He's broke up the whole show, that's what he's done," and Ben shook his
+fist at Mr. Stubbs's brother, while he tried to soothe his half-plucked
+hen.
+
+"What _are_ we goin' to do?" asked Toby, almost in despair.
+
+"I know what I'm goin' to do," said Ben, as he again placed the hen
+under the basket; "I'm goin' to crawl under the barn an' try to catch
+that cat, an' then I'm goin' home with my hen."
+
+It seemed to be the desire of all the partners to get home with what
+remained of their pets, and as Ben went under the barn on his hands and
+knees, Leander started off with his rabbits, Bob went to look for his
+calf, Reddy gathered up his bundle of paper, and Joe seized his
+pasteboard box, all going away where they could think over the ruin in
+solitude.
+
+But high up on the post the cause of all this trouble chattered and
+scolded, while his master sat on the ground, looking at him as if he
+wondered whether or not it would ever be possible to reform such a
+monkey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+ABNER'S DEATH
+
+
+After Toby was left alone in the tent, he remained for some time looking
+at the triumphant monkey, and listening to Ben's attempts to crawl
+around under the barn as fast as the cat could, when suddenly, as if
+such a thought had not occurred to him before, he cried out:
+
+"Don't you want me to come an' help you, Ben?"
+
+"You keep that monkey back, that's all the helpin' I want," Ben replied,
+almost sharply, and then the sounds indicated that the cat had suddenly
+changed her position to one farther under the barn, while the boy was
+trying to frighten her out.
+
+"Give it up, Ben," shouted Toby, after waiting some time longer, and not
+seeing any sign of success on the part of his friend. "If you come up
+here about dark you'll have a chance to catch her, for she'll have to
+come out for something to eat."
+
+"You take the monkey into the house, an' I'll get along all right," was
+the almost savage reply. "She smells him, an' jest as long as he's there
+she'll stay under here."
+
+It seemed to Toby almost cruel to desert his friend and partner just at
+a time when he needed assistance; but he could do no less than go away,
+since he had been urged so peremptorily to do so, and, catching his pet
+without much difficulty, he carried Mr. Stubbs's brother away from the
+scene of the ruin he had caused.
+
+Ben's remark, that the monkey had "broke the show all up," seemed to be
+very near the truth; for the boys would not think of going on with so
+small a number of animals; and, even if they decided to do without the
+menagerie, Bob's calf had wrecked one side of the tent so completely
+that that particular piece of canvas was past mending.
+
+"I don't know what we'll do," said Toby, mournfully, after he had
+finished telling the story to Aunt Olive. "The boys act as if they
+blamed me, because Mr. Stubbs's brother is so bad, and Joe's squirrels
+an' Bob's mice are all gone. Ben's hen don't look as if she'd ever
+'mount to much, an' it don't seem to me that he can get Mrs. Simpson's
+cat an' every one of the kittens out from under the barn."
+
+"Now don't go to worryin' about that, Toby," said Aunt Olive, as she
+patted him on the head, and gave him a large piece of cake at the same
+time. "You can get a dozen cats for Mrs. Simpson if she wants 'em; and
+as for mice, you tell Bob to set his trap out in the granary two or
+three times, an' he'll have as many as he can take care of. I'm glad the
+squirrels did get away, for it seems such a sin to shut them up in a
+cage when they're so happy in the woods."
+
+Toby was cheered by the very philosophical view that Aunt Olive took of
+the affair, and came to the conclusion that matters were not more than
+half so bad as they might have been.
+
+"You be careful that your monkey don't get out again, an' go to cuttin'
+up as he did last night, for I shall get provoked with him if he hurts
+my ducks any more," and, with this bit of advice, Aunt Olive went
+up-stairs to see Abner.
+
+Toby went out to the shed to assure himself that Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was tied so that he could not escape, and while he was there Uncle
+Daniel came in with an armful of strips of board.
+
+"There, Toby, boy," he said, as he laid them on the floor, and looked
+around for the hammer and nails, "I'm going to build a pen for your
+monkey right up here in one corner, so that we sha'n't be called up
+again in the night by a false alarm of burglars. Besides, it's almost
+time for school to begin again, an' I'm 'most too old to commence
+chasing monkeys around the country in case he gets out while you're
+away."
+
+Had it been suggested the day before that Mr. Stubbs's brother was to be
+shut up in a cage, Toby would have thought it a very great hardship for
+his pet to endure; but the experience he had had in the last twenty-four
+hours convinced him that the imprisonment was for the best.
+
+He helped Uncle Daniel in his labor to such purpose that, when it was
+time for him to go to the pasture, the cage was built, and Mr. Stubbs's
+brother was in it, looking as if he considered himself a thoroughly
+abused monkey, because he was not allowed to play just such pranks as
+had roused the household as well as broken up the circus scheme.
+
+On his way to the pasture, Toby met Joe, and the two had a long talk
+about the disaster of the afternoon. Joe believed that the enterprise
+must be abandoned--for that summer at least--as it would take them some
+time to repair the damage done, and his short experience in the business
+caused him to believe that they could hardly hope to compete with real
+circuses until they had more material with which to work.
+
+Joe promised to see the other partners that evening or the next morning;
+and, if they were of the same opinion, the tent should be taken down and
+returned to its owner.
+
+"Perhaps we can fix it all right next year, an' then Abner will be
+'round to help," said Toby, as he parted with Joe that night; and thus
+was the circus project ended very sensibly, for the chances were that it
+would have been a failure if they had attempted to give their
+exhibition.
+
+During that afternoon Toby had worried less about Abner than on any day
+since he had been sick; he had felt that his friend's recovery was
+certain, and a load was lifted from his shoulders when he and Joe had
+decided regarding the circus; for, that out of the way, he could devote
+all his attention to his sick friend. Surely, with the ponies and the
+monkey they could have a great deal of sport during the two weeks that
+yet remained before school would begin, and Toby felt thoroughly happy.
+
+But his happiness was changed to alarm very soon after he entered the
+house, for the doctor was there again, and, from the look on the faces
+of Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive, he knew Abner must be worse.
+
+"What is it, Uncle Dan'l? is Abner any sicker?" he asked, with quivering
+lip, as he looked up at the wrinkled face that ever wore a kindly look
+for him.
+
+Uncle Daniel laid his hand affectionately on the head of the boy, whom
+he had cared for with the tenderness of a father since the day he
+repented and asked forgiveness for having run away, and his voice
+trembled as he said:
+
+"It is very likely that the good God will take the crippled boy to
+Himself to-night, Toby, and there in the heavenly mansions will he find
+relief from all his pain and infirmities. Then the poor-farm boy will no
+longer be an orphan or deformed, but, with his Almighty Father, will
+enter into such joys as we can have no conception of."
+
+"Oh, Uncle Dan'l! must Abner really die?" cried Toby, while the great
+tears chased each other down his cheeks, and he hid his face on Uncle
+Daniel's knee.
+
+"He will die here, Toby, boy, but it is simply an awakening into a
+perfect, glorious life, to which I pray that both you and I may be
+prepared to go when our Father calls us."
+
+For some time there was silence in the room, broken only by Toby's sobs;
+and, while Uncle Daniel stroked the weeping boy's head, the great
+white-winged messenger of God came into the chamber above, bearing away
+with him the spirit of the poor-farm boy.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
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+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis.
+    </title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Mr. Stubbs's Brother
+       A Sequel to 'Toby Tyler'
+
+Author: James Otis
+
+Release Date: January 5, 2009 [EBook #27702]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Garcia, Martin Pettit and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Kentuckiana Digital Library)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER</h1>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><a name="ill-002.jpg" id="ill-002.jpg"></a><img src="images/ill-002.jpg" width='487' height='700' alt="MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF" /></div>
+
+<blockquote><p class="right"><b>[See p. 205]</b></p></blockquote>
+
+<h4>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h1>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER</h1>
+
+<h3>A Sequel to</h3>
+
+<h2>"TOBY TYLER"</h2>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">By</span> JAMES OTIS</h3>
+
+<h4>AUTHOR OF<br />"TIM AND TIP," ETC.</h4>
+
+<h4>ILLUSTRATED</h4>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/ill-003.jpg" width='142' height='172' alt="logo" /></div>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>HARPER &amp; BROTHERS PUBLISHERS</h3>
+
+<h4>NEW YORK AND LONDON</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h4>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER<br />&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+COPYRIGHT, 1882, 1910, BY HARPER &amp; BROTHERS<br />&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY JAMES OTIS KALER<br />&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</h4>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<div class="index">
+<ul>
+<li><span class="mono">CHAPTER</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_I">I.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Scheme</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_II">II.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Blind Horse</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_III">III.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Abner Bolton</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_IV">IV.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Pony</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_V">V.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Old Ben</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_VI">VI.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Great Event</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_VII">VII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Attractions for the Little Circus</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_VIII">VIII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Dinner Party</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_IX">IX.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Mr. Stubbs's Brother</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_X">X.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Accident</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XI">XI.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Change of Plans</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XII">XII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">A Rehearsal</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XIII">XIII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Results of Long Training</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XIV">XIV.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Raising the Tent</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XV">XV.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Stealing Ducks</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XVI">XVI.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">A Lost Monkey</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XVII">XVII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Driving a Monkey</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XVIII">XVIII.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Collecting the Animals</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XIX">XIX.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">The Show Broke Up</span></li>
+<li><span class="mono">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Chapter_XX">XX.</a></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Abner's Death</span></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<div class="index">
+<ul>
+<li><span class="mono"><a href="#ill-002.jpg"><span class="smcap">Mr. Stubbs's Brother Misbehaves Himself</span></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<i>Frontispiece</i></span></li>
+<li><span class="mono"><a href="#ill-025.jpg"><span class="smcap">Planning the Circus</span></a></span></li>
+<li><span class="mono"><a href="#ill-105.jpg"><span class="smcap">Mr. and Mrs. Treat Exhibit Privately</span></a></span></li>
+<li><span class="mono"><a href="#ill-249.jpg"><span class="smcap">Toby Rescues the Crowing Hen from Mr. Stubbs's Brother</span></a></span></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER</h1>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_I" id="Chapter_I"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter I</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE SCHEME</h3>
+
+<p>"Why, we could start a circus jest as easy as a wink, Toby, 'cause you
+know all about one an' all you'd have to do would be to tell us fellers
+what to do, an' we'd 'tend to the rest."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but you see we hain't got a tent, or bosses, or wagons, or
+nothin', an' I don't see how you could get a circus up that way;" and
+the speaker hugged his knees as he rocked himself to and fro in a musing
+way on the rather sharp point of a large rock, on which he had seated
+himself in order to hear what his companions had to say that was so
+important.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you come down with me to Bob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> Atwood's, an' see what he says about
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I'll do that if you'll come out afterwards for a game of I-spy
+'round the meetin'-house."</p>
+
+<p>"All right; if we can find enough of the other fellers, I will."</p>
+
+<p>Then the boys slipped down from the rocks, found the cows, and drove
+them home as the preface to their visit to Bob Atwood's.</p>
+
+<p>The boy who was so anxious to start a circus was a little fellow with
+such a wonderful amount of remarkably red hair that he was seldom called
+anything but Reddy, although his name was known&mdash;by his parents, at
+least&mdash;to be Walter Grant. His companion was Toby Tyler, a boy who, a
+year before, had thought it would be a very pleasant thing to run away
+from his Uncle Daniel and the town of Guilford in order to be with a
+circus, and who, in ten weeks, was only too glad to run back home as
+rapidly as possible.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p><p>During the first few months of his return, very many brilliant offers
+had been made Toby by his companions to induce him to aid them in
+starting an amateur circus; but he had refused to have anything to do
+with the schemes, and for several reasons. During the ten weeks he had
+been away, he had seen quite as much of a circus life as he cared to
+see, without even such a mild dose as would be this amateur show; and,
+again, whenever he thought of the matter, the remembrance of the death
+of his monkey, Mr. Stubbs, would come upon him so vividly, and cause him
+so much sorrow, that he resolutely put the matter from his mind.</p>
+
+<p>Now, however, it had been a year since the monkey was killed; school had
+closed during the summer season; and he was rather more disposed to
+listen to the requests of his friends.</p>
+
+<p>On this particular night, Reddy Grant had offered to go with him for the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>cows&mdash;an act of generosity which Toby accounted for only on the theory
+that Reddy wanted some of the strawberries which grew so plentifully in
+Uncle Daniel's pasture. But when they arrived there the strawberries
+were neglected for the circus question, and Toby then showed he was at
+least willing to talk about it.</p>
+
+<p>There was no doubt that Bob Atwood knew Reddy was going to try to induce
+Toby to help start a circus, and Bob knew, also, that Reddy and Toby
+would visit him, although he appeared very much surprised when he saw
+them coming up the hill towards his house. He was at home, evidently
+waiting for something, at an hour when all the other boys were out
+playing; and that, in itself, would have made Toby suspicious if he had
+paid much attention to the matter.</p>
+
+<p>Bob was perfectly willing to talk about a circus&mdash;so willing that,
+almost before Toby was aware of it, he was laying plans<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> with the others
+for such a show as could be given with the material at hand.</p>
+
+<p>"You see we'd have to get a tent the first thing," said Toby, as he
+seated himself on the saw-horse as a sort of place of honor, and
+proceeded to give his companions the benefit of his experience in the
+circus line. "I s'pose we could get along without a fat woman, or a
+skeleton; but we'd have to have the tent anyway, so's folks couldn't
+look right in an' see the show for nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy had decided some time before how that trifling matter could be
+arranged; and, as he went industriously to work making shavings out of a
+portion of a shingle, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"I've got all that settled, Toby; an' when you say you're willin' to go
+ahead an' fix up the show, I'll be on hand with a tent that'll make your
+eyes stick out over a foot."</p>
+
+<p>Bob nodded his head to show he was convinced Reddy could do just as he
+had promised; but Toby was anxious for more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> particulars, and insisted
+on knowing where this very necessary portion of a circus was coming
+from.</p>
+
+<p>"You see a tent is a big thing," he said seriously; "an' it would cost
+more money than the fellers in this town could raise if they should pick
+all the strawberries in Uncle Dan'l's pasture."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I don't say as the tent Reddy's got his eye on is a reg'lar one
+like a real circus has," said Bob slowly and candidly, as he began to
+draw on the side of the wood-shed a picture of what he probably intended
+should represent a horse; "but he knows how he can rig one up that'll be
+big enough, an' look stavin'."</p>
+
+<p>With this information Toby was obliged to be satisfied; and with the
+view of learning more of the details, in case his companions had
+arranged for them, he asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Where you goin' to get the company&mdash;the folks that ride, an' turn
+hand-springs, an' all them things?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p><p>"Ben Cushing can turn twice as many hand-springs as any feller you ever
+saw, an' he can walk on his hands twice round the engine-house. I guess
+you couldn't find many circuses that could beat him, an' he's been
+practising in his barn all the chance he could get for more'n a week."</p>
+
+<p>Without intending to do so, Bob had thus let the secret out that the
+scheme had already been talked up before Toby was consulted, and then
+there was no longer any reason for concealment.</p>
+
+<p>"You see we thought we'd kinder get things fixed," said Reddy quickly,
+anxious to explain away the seeming deception he had been guilty of,
+"an' we wouldn't say anything to you till we knew whether we could get
+one up or not."</p>
+
+<p>"An' we're goin' to ask three cents to come in; an' lots of the fellers
+have promised to buy tickets if we'll let 'em do some of the ridin', or
+else lead the hosses."</p>
+
+<p>"But how are you goin' to get any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> hosses?" asked Toby, thoroughly
+surprised at the way in which the scheme had already been developed.</p>
+
+<p>"Reddy can get Jack Douglass's blind one, an' we can train him so's
+he'll go 'round the ring all right; an' your Uncle Dan'l will let you
+have his old white one that's lame, if you ask him. I ain't sure but I
+can get one of Chandler Merrill's ponies," continued Bob, now so excited
+by his subject that he left his picture while it was yet a three-legged
+horse, and stood in front of his friends; "an' if we could sell tickets
+enough, we could hire one of Rube Rowe's hosses for you to ride."</p>
+
+<p>"An' Bob's goin' to be the clown, an' his mother's goin' to make him a
+suit of clothes out of one of his grandmother's curtains," added Reddy,
+as he snapped an imaginary whip with so many unnecessary flourishes that
+he tumbled over the saw-horse, thereby mixing a large quantity of
+sawdust in his brilliantly colored hair.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p><p>"An' Reddy's goin' to be ring-master," explained Bob, as he assisted
+his friend to rise, and acted the part of Good Samaritan by trying to
+get the sawdust from his hair with a curry-comb. "Joe Robinson says
+he'll sell tickets, an' 'tend the door, an' hold the hoops for you to
+jump through."</p>
+
+<p>"Leander Leighton's goin' to be the band. He's got a pair of clappers;
+an' Mrs. Doak's goin' to show him how to play on the accordion with one
+finger, so's he'll know how to make an awful lot of noise," said Reddy,
+as he gave up the task of extracting the sawdust, and devoted his entire
+attention to the scheme.</p>
+
+<p>"An' we can have some animals," said Bob, with the air of one who adds
+the crowning glory to some brilliant work.</p>
+
+<p>Toby had been surprised at the resources of the town for a circus, of
+which he had not even dreamed; and at Bob's last remark he left his
+saw-horse seat as if to enable him to hear more distinctly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p><p>"Yes," continued Bob, "we can get a good many of some kinds. Old Mrs.
+Simpson has got a three-legged cat with four kittens, an' Ben Cushing
+has got a hen that crows; an' we can take my calf for a grizzly bear,
+an' Jack Havener's two lambs for white bears. I've caught six mice, an'
+I'll have more'n a dozen before the show comes off; an' Reddy's goin' to
+bring his cat that ain't got any tail. Leander Leighton's goin' to bring
+four of his rabbits an' make believe they're wolves; an' Joe Robinson's
+goin' to catch all the squirrels he can&mdash;we'll have the largest for
+foxes, an' the smallest for hyenas; an' Joe'll keep howlin' while he's
+tendin' the door, so's to make 'em sound right."</p>
+
+<p>"Bob's sister's goin' to show him how to sing a couple of songs, an'
+he's goin' to write 'em out on paper so's to have a book to sell," added
+Reddy, delighted at the surprise expressed in Toby's face. "Nahum Baker
+says if we have any kind of a show he'll bring up some lemonade an' some
+pies to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> sell, an' pass 'em 'round jest as they do in a reg'lar circus."</p>
+
+<p>This last information was indeed surprising, for, inasmuch as Nahum
+Baker was a man who had an apology for a fruit-store near the wharves,
+it lent an air of realism to the plan, this having a grown man connected
+with them in the enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>"But he mustn't get any of the boys to help him, an' then treat them as
+Job Lord did me," said Toby earnestly, the scheme having grown so in the
+half-hour that he began to fear it might be too much like the circus
+with which he had spent ten of the longest and most dreary weeks he had
+ever known.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll look out for that," said Bob confidently, "If he tries any of them
+games we'll make him leave, no matter how good a trade he's doin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, where we goin' to have the show?" and from the way Toby asked the
+question it was easily seen that he had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>decided to accept the position
+of manager which had been so delicately offered him.</p>
+
+<p>"That's jest what we ain't fixed about," said Bob, as if he blamed
+himself severely for not having already attended to this portion of the
+business. "You see, if your Uncle Dan'l would let us have it up by his
+barn that would be jest the place, an' I almost know he'd say yes if you
+asked him."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you s'pose it would be big enough? You know when there's a circus in
+town everybody comes from all around to see it, an' it wouldn't do to
+have a place where they couldn't all get in," and Toby spoke as if there
+could be no doubt as to the crowds that would collect to see this
+wonderful show of theirs.</p>
+
+<p>"It'll have to be big enough, if we use the tent I'm goin' to get," said
+Reddy decidedly; "for you see that won't be so awful large, an' it would
+make it look kinder small if we put it where the other circuses put
+theirs."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p><p>"Well, then, I s'pose we'll have to make that do, an' we can have two
+or three shows if there are too many to come in at one time," said Toby
+in a satisfied way that matters could be arranged so easily; and then,
+with a big sigh, he added, "If only Mr. Stubbs hadn't got killed, what a
+show we could have! I never saw him ride; but I know he could have done
+better than any one else that ever tried it, if he wanted to, an' if we
+had him we could have a reg'lar circus without anybody else."</p>
+
+<p>Then the boys bewailed the untimely fate of Mr. Stubbs, until they saw
+that Toby was fast getting into a mood altogether too sad for the proper
+transaction of circus business, and Bob proposed that a visit be paid
+Ben Cushing, for the purpose of having him give them a private
+exhibition of his skill, in order that Toby might see some of the talent
+which was to help make their circus a glorious success.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_II" id="Chapter_II"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter II</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE BLIND HORSE</h3>
+
+<p>Reddy had laid his plans so well that all the intending partners were
+where they could easily be found on this evening when Toby's consent was
+to be won, and Ben Cushing was no exception. On the hard, uneven floor
+of his father's barn, with all his clothes discarded save his trousers
+and shirt, he was making such heroic efforts in the way of practice,
+that while the boys were yet some distance from the building they could
+hear the thud of Ben's head or heels as he unexpectedly came in contact
+with the floor.</p>
+
+<p>When the three visitors stood at the door and looked in, Ben professed
+to be unaware of their presence, and began a series of hand-springs that
+might have been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>wonderful, if he had not miscalculated the distance,
+and struck the side of the barn just as he was getting well into the
+work.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="ill-025.jpg" id="ill-025.jpg"></a><img src="images/ill-025.jpg" width='488' height='700' alt="PLANNING THE CIRCUS" /></div>
+
+<h4>PLANNING THE CIRCUS</h4>
+
+<p>Then, having lost his opportunity of dazzling them by showing that even
+when he was alone he could turn any number of hand-springs simply in the
+way of exercise, he suddenly became aware of their presence, and greeted
+his friends with the anxiously asked question as to what Toby had
+decided to do about entering the circus business.</p>
+
+<p>Bob and Reddy, instead of answering, waited for Toby to speak; it was a
+good opportunity to have the important matter settled definitely, and
+they listened anxiously for his decision.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm goin' into it," said Toby after a pause, during which it appeared
+as if he were trying to make up his mind, "'cause it seems as if you had
+it almost done now. You know when I got home last summer I didn't ever
+want to hear of a circus or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> see one, for I'd had about enough of them,
+an' then I'd think of poor Mr. Stubbs, an' that would make me feel awful
+bad. I didn't think, either, that we could get up such a good show; but
+now you fellers have got so much done towards it, I think we'd better go
+ahead&mdash;though I do wish Mr. Stubbs was alive, an' we had a skeleton an'
+a fat woman."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy Grant cheered very loudly as a means of showing how delighted he
+was at thus having finally enlisted Toby in the scheme, and Bob, as
+proof of the high esteem in which all the projectors of the enterprise
+held this famous circus-rider, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Now you know all about circuses, Toby, an' you shall be the chief boss
+of this one, an' we'll do just what you say."</p>
+
+<p>Toby almost blushed as this great honor was actually thrust upon him,
+and he hardly knew what reply to make, when Ben ceased his acrobatic
+exercises, and, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> Bobby and Reddy, stood waiting for him to give his
+orders.</p>
+
+<p>"I s'pose the first thing to do," he said at length, "is to see if Jack
+Douglass is willin' for us to have his hoss, an' then find out what
+Uncle Dan'l says about it. If we don't get the hoss, it won't be any use
+to say anything to Uncle Dan'l."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy was so anxious to have matters settled at once that he offered to
+go up to Mr. Douglass's house then, if the others would wait there for
+his return, which proposition was at once accepted.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Douglass was an old colored man who lived fully half a mile from the
+village; but Reddy's eagerness caused quick travelling, and in a
+surprisingly short time he was back breathless and happy. The coveted
+horse was to be theirs for as long a time as they wanted him, provided
+they fed him well, and did not attempt to harness him into a wagon.</p>
+
+<p>The owner of the sightless animal had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> expressed his doubts as to
+whether he would ever make much of a circus-horse, owing to his lack of
+sight and his extreme age; but he argued that if, as was very probable,
+the animal fell while being ridden, he would hurt his rider quite as
+much as himself, and therefore the experiment would not be tried so
+often as seriously to injure the steed.</p>
+
+<p>It only remained to consult Uncle Daniel on the matter, and of course
+that was to be attended to by Toby. He would have waited until a fitting
+opportunity presented itself; but his companions insisted so strongly,
+that he went home at once to have the case decided.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel was seated by the window as usual, looking out over the
+distant hills as if he were trying to peer in at the gates of that city
+where so many loved ones awaited him, and it was some moments before
+Toby could make him understand what it was he was trying to say.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p><p>"So ye didn't get circusin' enough last summer?" asked the old
+gentleman, when at last he realized what it was the boy was talking
+about.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, I did!" replied Toby, quickly; "but you see that was a real
+one, an' this of ours is only a little make-believe for three cents. We
+want to get you to let us have the lot between the barn an' the road to
+put our tent on, an' then lend us old Whitey. We're goin' to have Jack
+Douglass's hoss that's blind, an' we've got a three-legged cat, an' one
+without any tail, an' lots of things."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a kind of a cripples' circus, eh? Well, Toby boy, you can do as
+you want to, an' you shall have old Whitey; but it seems to me you'd
+better tie her lame leg on, or she'll shake it off when you get to
+makin' her cut up antics."</p>
+
+<p>Then Uncle Daniel returned to his reverie, and the show was thus decided
+upon, the projectors going again to view the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>triangular piece of land
+so soon to be decorated with their tents and circus belongings.</p>
+
+<p>Each hour that passed after Toby had decided, with Uncle Daniel's
+consent, to go into the circus business made him more eager to carry out
+the brilliant plan that had been unfolded by Bob Atwood and Reddy Grant,
+until his brain was in a perfect whirl when he went to bed that night.
+He was sure he could ride as well as when he was under Mr. Castle's
+rather severe training, and he thought over and over again how he would
+surprise every one who knew him; but he did not stop to think that there
+might be a difference between the horse he had ridden in the circus and
+the lame one of Uncle Daniel's, or the blind one belonging to Mr.
+Douglass. He had an idea that it all depended upon himself, with very
+little reference to the animal, and he was sure he had his lesson
+perfectly.</p>
+
+<p>Early as he got up the next morning, his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> partners in the enterprise
+were waiting for him just around the corner of the barn, where he found
+them as he went for the cows, and they walked to the pasture with him in
+order to discuss the matter.</p>
+
+<p>Ben Cushing was in light-marching and acrobatic costume, worn for the
+occasion in order to give a full exhibition of his skill; and Reddy had
+been up so long that he had had time to procure Mr. Douglass's wonderful
+steed, which he had already led to the pasture so that he could be
+experimented upon.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought I'd get him up there," he said to Toby, "so's you could try
+him; 'cause if we don't get money enough to hire one of Rube Rowe,
+you'll have to ride the blind one or the lame one, an' you'd better find
+out which you want. If you try him in the pasture the fellers won't see
+you; but if you did it down by your house, every one of 'em would huddle
+'round."</p>
+
+<p>Toby thought the general idea was a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> good one; but he was just a trifle
+uncertain as to how the blind horse would get along on such uneven
+ground. However, he said nothing, lest his companions should think he
+was afraid to make the attempt; and when Ben and Bob proceeded to mark
+out a ring, he advised them as to its size.</p>
+
+<p>The most level piece of ground that could be found was selected as the
+place for the trial, but several small mounds prevented it from being
+all a circus-rider could ask for.</p>
+
+<p>Bob volunteered to lead the horse around the track several times, hoping
+he would become so accustomed to it as to be able to go by himself after
+a while; and Toby made his preparations by laying his hat on the ground
+with a stone on it, so that he should be sure to find it when his
+rehearsal was done.</p>
+
+<p>It was a warm job Bob had undertaken, this leading the blind animal
+along the ill-defined line that marked the limits of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> ring, for the
+sun shone brightly, and there were no friendly trees to lend a shelter;
+but he paid no attention to his discomfort because of the fact that he
+was doing something towards the enterprise which was to bring them in
+both honor and money.</p>
+
+<p>The poor old horse was the least interested of the party, and he
+stumbled around the circle in an abused sort of way, as if he considered
+it a piece of gross injustice to force him on the weary round when the
+grass was so plentiful and tender just under his feet.</p>
+
+<p>Ben was busily engaged in lengthening Mr. Douglass's rather weak and
+aged bridle with a small piece of rope, and from time to time he
+encouraged the ambitious clown in his labor.</p>
+
+<p>"Keep it up, if it is hot!" he shouted; "an' when we get him so's he can
+do it alone, he'll be jest as good a circus-hoss as anybody would want,
+for we can stuff him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> with hay an' grass till he's fat," and Ben looked
+at the clearly defined ribs in a critical way, as if trying to decide
+how much food would be necessary to cover them with flesh.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I can keep on as long as the hoss can," said Bob, as he wiped the
+perspiration from his face with one hand, and clung firmly to the
+forelock of the animal with the other; "but we've been round here as
+many as six times already, an' he don't seem to know the way any better
+than when we started."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, he does," cried Reddy, who was practising for his duties as
+ring-master, anxious that his education should advance as fast as the
+horse's did; "he's got so he knows enough to turn out for that second
+knoll, though he does stumble a little over the first one."</p>
+
+<p>By this time Ben had the bridle adjusted to suit him, Toby was ready to
+make his first attempt at riding since he left the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>circus, and the more
+serious work was begun.</p>
+
+<p>Ben bridled the horse after some difficulty, Reddy drew out from its
+hiding-place a whip made by tying a piece of cod-line to an alder
+branch, and Toby was about to mount, when Joe Robinson came in sight.</p>
+
+<p>He had been running at full speed, and was nearly breathless; but he
+managed to cry out so that he could be understood after considerable
+difficulty:</p>
+
+<p>"Hold on! don't go to ridin' till after we get some hoops for you to
+jump through."</p>
+
+<p>"I guess I won't try any jumpin' till after I see how he goes," said
+Toby as he looked rather doubtfully first at the horse's weak legs, and
+then at his sharp back; "besides, we can't use the hoops till he gets
+more used to the ring."</p>
+
+<p>Joe threw himself on the ground as if he felt quite as much aggrieved
+because he was thus left out of the programme as the horse apparently
+did because he was in it, and Bob consoled him by explaining that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> he
+had no reason to feel slighted, since he, who, as the clown, was to be
+the life of the entertainment, could take no other part in these
+preparatory steps than to lead a blind horse around a still blinder
+ring.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold him while I get on," said Toby as he clutched the mane and a
+portion of the prominent backbone, drawing himself up at some risk of
+upsetting the rather shaky steed.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no necessity of his giving this order, for, although four
+boys sprang to do his bidding, the weary horse remained as motionless as
+a statue, save for his hard breathing which proclaimed the fact that the
+"heaves" had long since singled him out as a victim.</p>
+
+<p>Toby succeeded in getting on the animal's back after some exertion; but
+he found standing there an entirely different matter from standing on
+the broad saddles that were used in the circus, and the boy and the
+horse made a shaky-looking pair.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p><p>"Shall I start him?" asked Bob, while Reddy stood as near the centre of
+the ring as he could get, prepared to snap his cod-line whip at the
+first signal.</p>
+
+<p>Toby hesitated a moment; he knew that to attempt to stand upon, or on
+either side of, that prominent backbone, after its owner was in motion,
+would be simply to invite his own downfall; and he said, as he seated
+himself carefully astride the bone:</p>
+
+<p>"Let him walk around once till I see how he goes."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy cracked his whip without producing any effect upon the patient
+steed, but, after much coaxing, Bob succeeded in starting him again,
+while Toby bounced up and down much like a kernel of corn on a griddle,
+such a decided motion did the horse have.</p>
+
+<p>"He won't ever do for a ridin' hoss," said Toby with much difficulty,
+when he was half-way around the circle, "'cause you see his bones is so
+sharp that he feels<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> as if he was comin' to pieces every time he steps."</p>
+
+<p>"Jest get him to trottin' once, an' then you can tell what he's good
+for," suggested Reddy, anxious to try the effect of his whip; and,
+without waiting for the rider's permission, he lashed the unfortunate
+animal with the cod-line until he succeeded in rousing him thoroughly.</p>
+
+<p>It was in vain Toby begged him to stop, and Bob shouted that such a
+course was not the proper one for a ring-master to pursue. Reddy was
+determined the rider should have an opportunity of trying the horse
+under full speed, and the result was that the animal broke loose from
+Bob's guiding hand, rushing out of the imaginary ring into the centre of
+the pasture at a rate of speed that would have surprised and frightened
+Mr. Douglass had he been there to see it.</p>
+
+<p>Shaken first up, then down, and from one side to the other, Toby
+stretched himself<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> out at full length, clasping the horse around the
+neck as the patched bridle broke, and shouting "Whoa!" at the full
+strength of his lungs.</p>
+
+<p>After running fully fifty yards, until it seemed to Toby that his head
+and his body had been pounded into one, the horse stopped, leaned one
+heel up against the other, and stood as if dreamily asking whether they
+wanted any more circus out of him.</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't anybody ride him, he jolts so," said Toby to his partners, as
+they came running up to where he stood trying to find out whether or not
+his tongue was bleeding, and fearing it was, because his teeth had been
+pounded down on it so hard two or three times. "You see, in the circus
+they had big, wide saddles, an' the hosses didn't go anything like him."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we can fix a saddle," said Bob, thoughtfully; "but I don't know
+as we could do anything to the hoss."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p><p>"Perhaps old Whitey'll go better, 'cause she's lame," suggested Reddy,
+feeling that considerable credit was due him for having made it possible
+to test the animal's qualities in so short a time.</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't wonder if this one would be all right when he gets a saddle
+on an' is trained," said Joe, and then he added, quickly, "I hain't got
+anything more to do to-day, an' I'll stay up here an' train him."</p>
+
+<p>The partners were only too glad to accept this offer; and while Joe led
+the horse back to the supposed ring, Ben gave a partial exhibition of
+his acrobatic feats, omitting the most difficult, owing to the uneven
+surface of the land.</p>
+
+<p>Then the partners retired to the shade of some alder bushes, where they
+could fight mosquitoes and talk over their plans at the same time, while
+Joe was perspiring in his self-imposed task of educating the blind
+horse.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_III" id="Chapter_III"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter III</span></h2>
+
+<h3>ABNER BOLTON</h3>
+
+<p>"Now I'll see about makin' the saddle," said Bob, "'cause I've seen 'em
+a good many times in a circus, an' I know jest how they're made. While
+I'm doin' that you fellers must be fixin' 'bout who else we'll have in
+the show. Leander Leighton will come up here to-morrow, so's we can hear
+how he plays, an' we must have everything fixed by then."</p>
+
+<p>"Why didn't he come to-day?" asked Ben, thinking that all the members of
+the firm should have been present at this first rehearsal.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you see, he had to split some wood, an' he had to take care of
+the baby. I offered to help him with the wood; but he said he couldn't
+get away any quicker<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> if I did, for just as soon as the baby saw another
+feller waitin' 'round, she'd yell so awful hard he'd have to stay in all
+day."</p>
+
+<p>This explanation as to the absence of the band appeared to be perfectly
+satisfactory to those present, and they began to discuss the merits of
+certain of their companions in order to decide upon the proper ones to
+enlist as members, since the number of their performers was not so large
+as they thought it should be in a show where an admission fee of three
+cents was to be charged.</p>
+
+<p>Just as they were getting well into their discussion, and, of course,
+speaking of such matters as managers should keep a profound secret from
+the public, Bob cried out:</p>
+
+<p>"There comes Abner Bolton! He's always runnin' 'round where he hain't
+wanted; an' I wonder how he come to know we was here? I'll send him off
+mighty quick now, you see."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p><p>The boy who had disturbed Bob so greatly was so near when he was first
+discovered that by the time the threat had been uttered he was close
+upon them. He was a small boy, not more than eight years old, and hardly
+as large as a boy of six should be; he walked on crutches because of his
+deformed legs, which hung withered and useless, barely capable of
+supporting his slight weight.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, what do <i>you</i> want?" asked Bob, in an angry tone.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't want anything," was the mild reply, as the cripple halted just
+outside the shade, as if not daring to come any farther until invited.
+"I heard you was goin' to get up a circus, an' I thought perhaps you'd
+let me watch you, 'cause I wouldn't bother you any."</p>
+
+<p>"You would bother us, an' you can't stay 'round here, for we hain't
+goin' to have anybody watchin' us. You may come to the show if you can
+get three cents."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p><p>"I don't s'pose I could do that," said the boy, looking longingly
+towards the shade, but still standing in the sun. "I don't have any
+chance to get money, an' I do wish you boys would let me stay where you
+are, for it's so awful lonesome out to the poor-farm, an' I can't run
+around as you can."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you can't stay here, an' the sooner you go back to the village
+the better we'll like it, for we don't want anybody to know what we're
+talkin' about."</p>
+
+<p>Toby had attempted to speak once or twice while Bob was engaged with the
+cripple from the poor-farm; but he did not get an opportunity until
+Abner turned to go away, looking thoroughly sad and disheartened.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go, Abner, but come and set down here where it's cool, an'
+perhaps we can fix it for you."</p>
+
+<p>The cripple turned as Toby spoke, and the look which came into his face
+went right to the heart of the boy, who for ten<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> long weeks had known
+what it was to be almost entirely without a friend.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see what you want him 'round here for," said Bob, petulantly,
+as Abner seated himself by Toby's side, thoroughly exhausted by his long
+walk. "He can't do nothin'; an' if he could, we don't want no fellers
+from the poor-farm mixed up with the show."</p>
+
+<p>"It don't make any difference if he does live to the poor-farm," said
+Toby, as he put his little brown hand on Abner's thin fingers. "He has
+to stay there 'cause his father and mother's dead, an' perhaps I'd been
+there, 'cept for Uncle Dan'l. If I'd thought before about his bein'
+lonesome an' not bein' able to play like the rest of us, I'd gone out to
+see him; an' now we do know it we'll let him stay with us, an' perhaps
+he can do something in the circus."</p>
+
+<p>"The fellers will laugh at us, an' say we're runnin' a poorhouse show,"
+replied Bob, sulkily.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p><p>"Well, let 'em laugh; we'll feel a good deal better'n they do, 'cause
+we'll know we're tryin' to let a little feller have some fun what don't
+get many chances;" and, in his excitement, Toby spoke so loudly that Joe
+came running up to see what was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"Let him stay 'round here to-day, 'cause we've got all through
+practisin', an' then tell him to keep away," said Ben, thinking this
+idea a very generous one.</p>
+
+<p>"He can belong to the show jest as well as not; an' if you fellers will
+let him, I'll give you my part of all the money we make."</p>
+
+<p>This proposition of Toby's put the matter on a very different basis, and
+both Ben and Bob now looked favorably inclined towards it.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you do that, Toby," said Abner, his eyes filling with tears
+because of the kindness shown him. "I'll go right away,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> an' I won't
+come into the village again to bother you."</p>
+
+<p>"You shall come into the village every day, Abner, an' you won't bother
+us at all, for you shall go 'long of me everywhere I do, an' I won't
+never walk any faster'n you can;" and Toby moved his seat nearer Abner,
+to show that he took him under his especial care.</p>
+
+<p>"He might help tend the door," said Joe, kindly, anxious to please Toby,
+"an' that'll give me a chance to do more howlin' for the hyenas, 'cause
+that'll be 'bout all I oughter do if I have to hold the hoops."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, he can do that," and Toby was very eager now, "an' we can get him
+a stool to sit on, an' he can do jest as much as if he could stand up."</p>
+
+<p>By this time Bob and Ben had decided that, in consideration of Toby's
+offer, Abner should be counted as one of the company, and the matters
+under discussion that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> had been interrupted by the cripple's coming were
+again taken up.</p>
+
+<p>Owing to the possible chance that Joe could not succeed in training the
+blind horse sufficiently to make him useful in the ring, it was
+necessary to know just what animals they could procure, and Bob offered
+to see Chandler Merrill for the purpose of securing the services of his
+Mexican pony, who had never allowed any one to ride him without first
+having a severe battle.</p>
+
+<p>"We can train him down all right," said Bob; "an' you fellers come down
+now while I find out 'bout the pony, so's we can come back here after
+dinner."</p>
+
+<p>As it was very important that this matter should be settled as soon as
+possible, Bob's advice was acted upon; and as the boys started to go,
+Toby said:</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Abner, you come home with me an' get some dinner, an' then you
+can come back here when I do."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p><p>Bob was disposed to make sport of this sudden friendship; but Toby paid
+no attention to what he said, and if any of them wanted to talk with
+him, they too were obliged to walk with the boy from the poor-farm.</p>
+
+<p>By the time they arrived at Uncle Daniel's, Toby had formed many plans
+for making the life of the homeless boy more cheerful than it ever had
+been.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_IV" id="Chapter_IV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter IV</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE PONY</h3>
+
+<p>Toby's interest in the crippled boy whom he had taken under his charge
+was considerably greater than in the contemplated circus; and both Bob
+and Ben felt angry and injured when, in the midst of some brilliant plan
+for startling those of the good people of Guilford who should come to
+their circus, Toby would stop to say something to Abner, who was
+hobbling along as fast as possible in order that he might not oblige the
+party to wait for him.</p>
+
+<p>For a number of years Toby had known that there was a crippled orphan at
+the poor-farm; but it so happened that he had not met him very often,
+and even then he had no idea of the lonely life the boy was obliged to
+lead.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p><p>On the way to the village he had formed several plans by which he might
+aid Abner; but none of them could be put into operation until after he
+had consulted Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly noon, and the understanding was that each one should get
+his dinner and go to the pasture again, when it would be known whether
+they were to be able to number Chandler Merrill's pony among the
+attractions of their show, or be wholly dependent upon the disabled
+horses that as yet made up their collection.</p>
+
+<p>"You're comin' to get dinner with me, Abner," said Toby, as he stopped
+in front of Uncle Daniel's gate, while the little fellow was continuing
+on his way to the only place he could call home, there to get his dinner
+with the other paupers.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid your aunt won't want me," he said, shyly, while it was plain
+to be seen that he would be more than well pleased to accept the
+invitation.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p><p>"Aunt Olive won't care a bit, an' she'll be glad to have you, I know,
+'cause she says it always does her good to see hungry people eat, though
+if that's so I must have done her an awful sight of good lots of times,
+for it don't seem to me I ever set down to the table in my life but what
+I was awful hungry. Come on now, so's we'll have time to get our hands
+an' faces washed before the dinner-bell rings."</p>
+
+<p>Abner followed Toby in a hesitating way, much as if he expected each
+moment to be ordered back; and when they arrived at the door he stood on
+the threshold, not daring to enter until permission had been given.</p>
+
+<p>"This is Abner Bolton, Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, as he saw that his newly
+made friend would not come in without an invitation from some one
+besides himself. "He lives out to the poor-farm, an' he don't have any
+such nice home as I've got, so I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> thought you wouldn't care if I brought
+him in to dinner."</p>
+
+<p>"You've got a good heart, Toby, boy, and the Lord will reward you for
+it," said Uncle Daniel, as he stroked the boy's refractory hair; and
+then he said to Abner, "Come in, my lad, and share Toby's dinner, nor
+need you ever hesitate about accepting any such invitation when it leads
+you here."</p>
+
+<p>Then Aunt Olive greeted Abner so kindly that the poor boy hardly knew
+whether it was reality or a dream, so strange was it all to him.</p>
+
+<p>During the dinner Toby told of the difficulty he had had in getting his
+partners to consent to Abner's being one of the company, and Aunt Olive,
+who had shown considerable interest in the circus scheme, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you let him keep a stand, and then he can make some money for
+himself. I will bake him a lot of doughnuts<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> and ginger-snaps, and your
+Uncle Dan'l will lend him money enough to buy lemons an' sugar. It will
+be a deal better than to have Nahum Baker there with his pies that are
+as heavy as lead, an' doughnuts that have soaked up all the fat in the
+pan."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was delighted with the plan, and Abner's eyes glistened at the mere
+idea that it might be possible for him to do, once in his life at least,
+as did other and more fortunate boys.</p>
+
+<p>It certainly seemed, when they arrived at the pasture again, as if
+everything was conspiring in favor of their circus, for Chandler Merrill
+had willingly consented to let them use his pony; but he had done so
+with the kindly prophecy that the little animal would "kick their brains
+out" if they were not careful with him.</p>
+
+<p>In order to make sure that the consent would not be withdrawn, and at
+the same time to prove that he told the truth, Bob had brought the pony
+with him, and, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>judging from his general appearance as he stood gazing
+suspiciously at the Douglass horse, he deserved all that was said of him
+regarding his vicious qualities. He was about half the size of an
+ordinary horse, and his coat was ragged-looking, owing to its having
+been rubbed off in spots, thus giving him the air of just such a pony as
+one would suppose willing to join a party of boys in starting a circus.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, there's a hoss that hain't either lame or blind," said Bob,
+proudly, as he led the pony once around the ring to show his partners
+how he stepped. If he was intending to say anything more, he concluded
+to defer it while he made some very rapid movements in order to escape
+the blow the "hoss" aimed at him with his hind-feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Kicks, don't he?" said Toby, in a tone which plainly told he did not
+think him very well suited to their purpose.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he did then," and Bob fastened the halter more securely by
+putting one end<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> of the rope through the pony's mouth; "but you see
+that's 'cause he hain't been used much, an' he's tickled 'cause he's
+goin' to belong to a circus."</p>
+
+<p>"How long before he'll get over bein' tickled?" asked Joe. "I'm willin'
+to train Jack Douglass's hoss; but I don't know 'bout this one till he
+gets sorry enough not to kick."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he'll be all right jest as soon as Toby rides him 'round the ring a
+little while."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think I'm goin' to ride him?" asked Toby, beginning to believe
+his partners expected more of him than ever Mr. Castle did.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course; a feller what's been with a circus ought to know how to ride
+any hoss that ever lived," replied Bob, with considerable emphasis,
+owing to the fact that the pony kicked and plunged so that his words
+were jerked out of him, rather than spoken.</p>
+
+<p>"I s'pose some fellers can; but I wasn't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> with the circus long enough to
+find out how to ride such hosses as them," and Toby retired to the shade
+of the alder bushes, where Abner was sitting to wait until Bob and the
+pony had come to terms.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite as much as Bob could do to hold his prize, without trying
+to make any arrangements for having him ridden, and he called Reddy to
+help him.</p>
+
+<p>Now, as the ring-master of the contemplated circus, Reddy ought to have
+known all about horses, and he thought he did until the pony made one
+plunge, just as he came up smiling with whip in hand. Then he said, as
+he ran towards Toby:</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe I want to be ring-master if we're goin' to have that
+hoss."</p>
+
+<p>"Here, Joe, you help me," cried Bob, in desperation, growing each moment
+more afraid of the steed. "I want to get him up by the fence, where we
+can hitch him, till we find out what to do with him."</p>
+
+<p>Joe was perfectly willing to assist the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> unfortunate clown in his
+troubles; but, as he started towards him, the pony wheeled and flung his
+heels out with a force that showed he would do some damage if he could,
+and Joe also joined the party among the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>Bob was thus left alone with his prize, and a most uncomfortable time he
+appeared to be having of it, standing there in the hot sun clinging
+desperately to the halter, and jumping from one side to the other when
+the pony attempted to bite, or strike him with his fore-feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Let him go; he hain't any good," shouted Reddy from his secure retreat.</p>
+
+<p>"If I let go the halter, he'll jump right at me," and there was a
+certain ring in Bob's voice that told he was afraid.</p>
+
+<p>"Hitch him to the fence, an' then climb over," suggested Joe.</p>
+
+<p>"But I can't get him over there, for he won't go a step," and Bob
+continued to hold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> fast to the halter, afraid to do so, but still more
+afraid to let go.</p>
+
+<p>He had borrowed the pony; but it certainly seemed as if the animal had
+borrowed him, for his fear caused him to cling desperately to the halter
+as the only possible means of saving his life.</p>
+
+<p>The boys under the alder bushes were fully alive to the fact that
+something should be done although they were undecided as to what that
+something should be.</p>
+
+<p>Joe proposed that they all rush out and scare the pony away, but Bob
+insisted that he would be the sufferer by such a course. Reddy thought
+if Bob should show more spirit, and let the vicious little animal see
+that he was not afraid of him, everything would be all right; but when
+it was proposed that he try the plan himself, he concluded, perhaps,
+there might be serious objections to such a course.</p>
+
+<p>Ben thought if all of them got hold of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> the halter, they could pull the
+pony to the fence, and this plan was looked upon with such favor that it
+was adopted at once.</p>
+
+<p>Every one, except Abner, took hold of the halter, after some little
+delay in getting there, owing to the readiness of the pony to use his
+heels at the slightest provocation; and, just when they were about to
+put forth all their strength in pulling, the pony jumped towards them
+suddenly, rendering their efforts useless, and starting all, save Bob,
+back to the alder bushes in ignominious flight.</p>
+
+<p>Bob still remained at his post, or, more correctly speaking, the halter,
+and it was very much against his will that he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish Chandler Merrill would come up here an' get his old hoss, for I
+don't want him any longer," he said, angrily. "He ought to be prosecuted
+for lettin' us have such a old tiger."</p>
+
+<p>Bob did not seem to remember that, if he had refused the loan of the
+pony, he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> would have considered Chandler Merrill very selfish; in fact,
+he hardly remembered anything save his own desire to get rid of the
+animal, and as quickly as possible.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall I do?" he cried, in desperation. "I can't stand here all
+day, an' the hoss don't mean to let me get away."</p>
+
+<p>"We've got to help Bob," said Toby, decidedly, as he arose to his feet
+again, and went towards the unfortunate clown. "If you fellers will try
+to hold him, I'll get on his back, an' then Bob can get away."</p>
+
+<p>"But he'll throw you off, an' hurt you," objected Abner, trying to
+prevent his newly made friend from going.</p>
+
+<p>"I can stop him from doing that, an' it's the only way I know of to help
+Bob."</p>
+
+<p>"You get on, Toby, an' then I'll scoot jest as soon as you get hold of
+the halter," said Bob, happy at this prospect of being relieved. "Then,
+when you get a chance, you jump off, an' we'll let somebody else take
+him home."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p><p>It was a hard task, and they all ran considerable risk of getting
+kicked; but at last it was accomplished, so far as mounting was
+concerned. Toby was on the pony's back with a firm grasp of the rope
+that was made to serve as bridle.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, be all ready to run," he said; and there was no disposition to
+linger shown by any of his friends.</p>
+
+<p>"Let go!" he shouted, and at the sound of his voice the boys went one
+way and the pony another at full speed.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until the would-be circus managers were within the shelter of
+the clump of bushes that they stopped to look for their partner, and
+then they saw him at the further end of the pasture, the pony running
+and leaping as if doing his best to dislodge his rider.</p>
+
+<p>Even the Douglass horse seemed to be excited by the display of spirit,
+for he capered around in a manner very unbecoming one as old and blind
+as he.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p><p>Only for a few moments could they watch the contest, and then the
+distant trees hid Toby Tyler and Chandler Merrill's pony from view.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_V" id="Chapter_V"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter V</span></h2>
+
+<h3>OLD BEN</h3>
+
+<p>Some time the boys watched for Toby's return, and just as they were
+beginning to think they ought to go in search of him, and fearing lest
+he had been hurt by the vicious pony, they saw him coming from among the
+trees, alone and on foot.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Bob, with a sigh of relief, "he's got rid of the hoss, an'
+that was all we wanted."</p>
+
+<p>Toby's story, when at last, hot and tired, he reached the alder bushes,
+was not nearly so exciting as his partners anticipated. He had clung to
+the pony until they entered the woods, where he was brushed off by the
+branches of the trees as easily as if he had been a fly, and with as
+little damage.</p>
+
+<p>How they should get the pony back into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> its owner's keeping was a
+question difficult to answer, and they were all so completely worn out
+by their exertions to get rid of him that they did not attempt to come
+to any conclusion regarding it.</p>
+
+<p>While they were resting from their labors, and before they had ceased to
+congratulate each other that they had succeeded in separating themselves
+from the pony, Leander Leighton, his accordion under his arm and his
+clappers in his hand, made his appearance.</p>
+
+<p>His struggle with the baby had evidently come to an end sooner than he
+had dared hope, and the managers were happy at this speedy prospect of
+hearing what their band could do in the way of music.</p>
+
+<p>"Boys!" shouted Leander, excitedly, while he was some distance away,
+"there's a real circus comin' here next week&mdash;the same one Toby Tyler
+run away with&mdash;an' the men are pastin' up the bills now, down to the
+village!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p><p>The boys looked at each other in surprise; it had never entered into
+their calculations that they might have a real circus as a rival, and
+certainly Toby had never thought he would again see those whom he had
+first run away with and then run away from. He was rather disturbed by
+the prospect at first, for it seemed certain that Job Lord and Mr.
+Castle would try to compel him to go with them; but a moment's thought
+convinced him that Uncle Daniel would not allow them to carry him away,
+and he grew as eager for more news as any of the others.</p>
+
+<p>Leander knew no more than he had already told; after having been
+relieved from his care of the baby, he had started for the pasture, and
+had seen the show-bills as he came along. He was certain it was the same
+circus Toby had gone with, for the names on the bills were the same, and
+he had heard some of the townspeople say so as he came along.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p><p>"An' I shall see the skeleton an' the fat woman again," said Toby,
+delighted at the idea of meeting those kind friends from whom he had
+thought himself parted with forever.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you s'pose you could get 'em to leave that show an' come with
+ours?" asked Bob, thinking perhaps some kind fortune had thrown this
+opportunity in their way that they might the better succeed in their
+project.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was not sure such a plan could be made to work, for the reason that
+they were only intending to give two or three performances, and Mr. and
+Mrs. Treat might not think it worth their while to leave the circus they
+were with on the strength of such uncertain prospects.</p>
+
+<p>"And you shall go to the show, Abner," said Toby, pleased at the
+opportunity he would have of making the crippled boy happy for one day
+at least; "an' I'll take all of you fellers down, an' get the skeleton<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
+to talk at you, so's you can see how nice he is. You shall see his wife,
+an' old Ben, an' Ella, an'&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But won't you be afraid of Job Lord?" interrupted Leander, fearful lest
+Toby's dread of meeting his old employer might prevent them from having
+all this promised enjoyment.</p>
+
+<p>"Uncle Dan'l wouldn't let him take me away, an' now I'm home here I
+don't believe old Ben would let him touch me."</p>
+
+<p>There was evidently no probability that they would transact any more
+business relative to their own circus that day, so intent were they on
+talking about the one that was to come, and it was not until nearly time
+to drive the cows home that they remembered the presence of their band.</p>
+
+<p>Ben proposed that Leander should show them what he could do in the way
+of music, so that he need not be at the trouble of bringing his
+accordion up into the pasture again, and the boys ceased all
+conversation<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> for the purpose of listening to the so-called melody.</p>
+
+<p>After considerable preparation in the way of polishing his clappers on
+the cuff of his jacket and fingering the keys of his accordion to make
+sure they were in proper working order, Leander extracted with one
+finger a few bars of "Yankee Doodle" from the last-named instrument, and
+gave an imitation of a drum with the clappers, in a manner that won for
+him no small amount of applause.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, we'll go home," said Toby, "'cause Uncle Dan'l will be waitin' for
+me an' the cows, an' to-morrow I'll meet you down-town where the circus
+pictures be."</p>
+
+<p>Then he helped Abner on to his crutches, and walked beside him all the
+way, wishing, oh, so much! that he could save the poor boy from having
+to go out to the poor-farm to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>"You come in just as early as you can in the mornin', Abner, an' you
+shall eat <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>dinner with me," he said, as he parted with the boy at Uncle
+Daniel's gate, "an' perhaps you'll make so much money at our circus that
+you won't ever have to go out to the poor-farm again."</p>
+
+<p>Abner tried to thank his friend for the kindness he had shown him; but
+the sobs of gratitude came into his throat so fast that it was
+impossible, and he hobbled away towards his dreary home, while Toby ran
+into the house to tell the astounding news of the coming of the circus.</p>
+
+<p>"So all the people who were so kind to you will be here next week, will
+they?" said, rather than asked, Aunt Olive. "Well, Toby, we'll kill one
+of the lambs, an' you shall invite them up here to dinner, which will
+kind of encourage them to be good to any other little boy who may be as
+foolish as you were."</p>
+
+<p>Toby lay awake a long time that night, thinking of the pleasure he was
+to have in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Treat, old Ben and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> little Ella, eating
+dinner in Uncle Daniel's home, and of how good a boy he ought to be to
+repay his uncle and aunt for their loving-kindness to him.</p>
+
+<p>Operations were almost entirely suspended by the would-be circus
+managers in view of the coming of the real show. It would have been
+commercial folly to attempt to enter into competition with it; the real
+circus would, without a doubt, prove too strong a rival for them to
+contend against; and by waiting until after it had come and gone they
+might be able to pick up some useful ideas regarding the show they
+proposed to give.</p>
+
+<p>This delay would be to their advantage in a great many other ways. The
+band would have so much time for practice that he might learn another
+tune, or even be able to play with more than one finger; their acrobat
+would have so many rehearsals that he could, perhaps, double his present
+allowance of hand-springs, and Joe<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> would be able to bring his horses to
+a more perfect state of training.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Douglass, having no use for his horse, was perfectly willing he
+should remain under Joe's tuition, providing it was done in Uncle
+Daniel's pasture; but matters were not in so good a condition regarding
+the pony.</p>
+
+<p>Chandler Merrill was anxious to have his property returned to him, and
+not willing to go after it. Besides, Mr. Douglass's horse was in great
+danger of being kicked to death so long as the vicious little animal
+remained in the same pasture.</p>
+
+<p>Very many were the discussions the boys had on the subject; but nothing
+could be suggested which promised any relief, after Bob's brilliant idea
+of driving the pony out, and letting him find his way home as best he
+might, was tried without success. The pony not only refused to go out,
+but he actually drove the boys away by the liberal use he made of his
+heels.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p><p>Slowly the time passed until the day before the one on which the circus
+was to arrive, Toby had almost been counting the hours and Abner, who
+was to see the interior of a circus tent for the first time in his life,
+was quite as excited as he.</p>
+
+<p>The lamb had been killed as Aunt Olive had promised, and a rare store of
+good things in the way of apple-pies, cake, doughnuts, and custards had
+been prepared, until the pantry looked like a large-sized baker's shop
+just opened for inspection.</p>
+
+<p>Everything was ready for the guests, who were to be invited to dinner
+next day; and when Toby went to bed that night, it seemed as if he would
+never get to sleep for thinking of all the friends he was to see.</p>
+
+<p>Abner was in quite as sleepless a condition as Toby; Aunt Olive had
+invited him to remain overnight, so that he might see everything that
+was going on, and as he lay in the soft, geranium-scented bed, his eyes
+were kept wide open by his delight with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> what seemed to him the
+magnificence of the room.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed as though each boy in the village considered himself Toby's
+particular and intimate friend during the week that preceded the coming
+of the circus; and the marbles, balls, and boats that were showered upon
+him in the way of gifts would almost have stocked a small shop.</p>
+
+<p>Then, on this day before the circus, all the boys in town were most
+anxious to know just where Toby proposed meeting the cavalcade, at what
+time he was to start, and other details which showed quite plainly it
+was their intention to accompany him if possible.</p>
+
+<p>When Toby went to bed, it was with the express understanding with Uncle
+Daniel that he was to be called at daylight, in order that he might
+start out to meet the circus when it stopped to prepare for its entrance
+into the town. The place where the procession was usually formed was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+fully two miles from town, and as Abner could hardly walk that distance,
+and certainly could not walk so fast as Toby would want to go, he had
+agreed to drive the cows to pasture, after which he was to go to the
+tenting-ground, where his friend would introduce him to all the
+celebrities.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_VI" id="Chapter_VI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VI</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE GREAT EVENT</h3>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel seemed quite as anxious as Toby that he should leave the
+house in time to meet his circus friends before the entr&eacute;e was made, and
+Aunt Olive afterwards said he didn't sleep a wink after two o'clock for
+fear he might not waken in time to rouse the anxious boy.</p>
+
+<p>It was fully an hour before sunrise when Uncle Daniel awakened Toby, and
+cautioned him to eat as much of the lunch Aunt Olive had set out as
+possible, insisting that what he could not eat he should put into his
+pocket, as it would be a long while before he would get his dinner.</p>
+
+<p>The two miles Toby was obliged to walk seemed very short ones, and at
+nearly every house on the road one or more boys were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> watching for him
+quite as eagerly as for the show itself, so that by the time he arrived
+at the place where two or three of the wagons had drawn up by the side
+of the road, he had as many as a hundred boys for an escort, all of whom
+were urging him to get the manager to take out a few lions and tigers
+for their inspection before starting for the village.</p>
+
+<p>Toby could hold out no promise to them; on the contrary, he insisted
+that he hardly knew the manager, save by sight, and explained to them
+that they were unwise to come with him on any such errand, since none of
+the curiosities could be seen there, and if old Ben were still with the
+company he should ride back with him.</p>
+
+<p>But the boys put very little faith in what he said, seeming to have the
+idea that he simply wanted to get rid of them, and, instead of going
+away, they surrounded him more closely.</p>
+
+<p>Toby watched anxiously as each wagon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> came up, and he failed to
+recognize any of the drivers. For the first time it occurred to him that
+perhaps those whom he knew were no longer with this particular company,
+and his elation gave way to sadness.</p>
+
+<p>Fully twenty wagons had come, and he had just begun to think his fears
+had good foundation, when in the distance he saw the well-remembered
+monkey-wagon, with the burly form of old Ben on the box.</p>
+
+<p>Toby could not wait for that particular team to come up, even though it
+was driven at a reasonably rapid speed; but he started towards it as
+fast as he could run, and, following him something like the tail of a
+comet, were all his friends, who, having come so far, were determined
+not to lose sight of him for a single instant, if it could be prevented
+by any exertions on their part.</p>
+
+<p>Old Ben was driving in a sleepy sort of way, and paid no attention to
+the little fellow who was running towards him, until<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> Toby shouted, and
+then the horses were stopped with a jerk that nearly threw them back on
+their haunches.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Toby, my son! I declare, I am glad to see you;" and old Ben
+reached down for the double purpose of shaking hands and helping the boy
+on to the seat beside him. "Well, well, well, it's been some time since
+you've been on this 'ere box, hain't it? I'd kinder forgotten what town
+it was we took you from; I knew it was somewhere hereabouts though, an'
+I've kept my eye peeled for you ever since we've been in this part of
+the country. So you found your Uncle Dan'l all right, did you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Ben, an' he was awful good to me when I got home; but Mr. Stubbs
+got shot."</p>
+
+<p>"No? you don't tell me! How did that happen?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Toby told the story of his pet's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> death, and, although it had
+occurred a year before, he could not keep the tears from his eyes as he
+spoke of it.</p>
+
+<p>"You mustn't feel bad 'bout it, Toby," said Ben, consolingly, "for, you
+see, monkeys has got to die jest like folks, an' your Stubbs was sich a
+old feller that I reckon he'd died anyhow before long. But I've got one
+in the wagon here that looks a good deal like yours, an' I'll show him
+to you."</p>
+
+<p>As Ben spoke he drew his wagon, now completely surrounded by boys, up by
+the side of the road near the others, and opened the panel in the top so
+that Toby could have a view of his passengers.</p>
+
+<p>Curled up in the corner nearest the roof, where Mr. Stubbs had been in
+the habit of sitting, Toby saw, as Ben had said, a monkey that looked
+remarkably like Mr. Stubbs, save that he was younger and not so sedate.</p>
+
+<p>Toby uttered an exclamation of surprise<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> and joy as he pushed his hand
+through the bars of the cage, and the monkey shook hands with him as Mr.
+Stubbs used to do when greeted in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I never knew before that Mr. Stubbs had any relations!" said Toby,
+looking around with joy imprinted on every feature. "Do you know where
+the rest of the family is, Ben?"</p>
+
+<p>There was no reply from the driver for some time; but instead, Toby
+heard certain familiar sounds as if the old man were choking, while his
+face took on the purplish tinge which had so alarmed the boy when he saw
+it for the first time.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I don't know where his family is," said Ben, after he had recovered
+from his spasm of silent laughter, "an' I reckon he don't know nor care.
+Say, Toby, you don't really think this one is any relation to your
+monkey, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, it must be his brother," said Toby, earnestly, "'cause they look
+so much<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> alike; but perhaps Mr. Stubbs was only his cousin."</p>
+
+<p>Old Ben relapsed into another spasm, and Toby talked to the monkey, who
+chattered back at him, until the boys on the ground were in a perfect
+ferment of anxiety to know what was going on.</p>
+
+<p>It was some time before Toby could be persuaded to pay attention to
+anything else, so engrossed was he with Mr. Stubbs's brother, as he
+persisted in calling the monkey, and the only way Ben could engage him
+in conversation was by saying,</p>
+
+<p>"You don't seem to be very much afraid of Job Lord now."</p>
+
+<p>"You won't let him take me away if he should try, will you?" Toby asked,
+quickly, alarmed at the very mention of his former employer's name, even
+though he had thought he would not be afraid of him, protected as he now
+was by Uncle Daniel.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Toby, I wouldn't let him if he was to try it on, for you are just
+where every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> boy ought to be, an' that's at home; but Job's where he
+can't whip any more boys for some time to come."</p>
+
+<p>"Where's that?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's in jail. About a month after you left he licked his new boy so bad
+that they arrested him, an' he got two years for it, 'cause it pretty
+nigh made a cripple out of the youngster."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was about to make some reply; but Ben continued unfolding his
+budget of news.</p>
+
+<p>"Castle stayed with us till the season was over, an' then he went out
+West. I don't know whether he got his hair cut trying to show the Injuns
+how to ride, or not; but he never come back, an' nobody I ever saw has
+heard anything about him."</p>
+
+<p>"Are Mr. and Mrs. Treat with the show?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they're still here; he's a leetle thinner, I believe, an' she's
+twenty pound heavier. She says she weighs fifty pounds<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> more'n she did;
+but I don't believe that, even if she did strike for five dollars more a
+week this season on the strength of it, an' get it. They keep right on
+cookin' up dinners, an' invitin' of folks in, an' the skeleton gets
+choked about the same as when you was with the show. I don't know how it
+is that a feller so thin as Treat is can eat so much."</p>
+
+<p>"Uncle Dan'l says it's 'cause he works so hard to get full," said Toby,
+quietly, "an' I shouldn't wonder if I grew as thin as the skeleton one
+of these days, for I eat jest as awful much as I used to."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you look as if you got about all you needed, at any rate," said
+Ben, as he mentally compared the plump boy at his side with the thin,
+frightened-looking one who had run away from the circus with his monkey
+on his shoulder and his bundle under his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Is Ella here?" asked Toby, after a pause, during which it seemed as if
+he were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> thinking of much the same thing that Ben was.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, an' she keeps talkin' about what big cards you an' her would have
+been if you had only stayed with the show. But I'm glad you had pluck
+enough to run away, Toby, for a life like this hain't no fit one for
+boys."</p>
+
+<p>"And I was glad to get back to Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, with a great
+deal of emphasis. "I wouldn't go away without he wanted me to, if I
+could go with a circus seven times as large as this. Do you suppose
+young Stubbs would act bad if I was to take him for a walk?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who?" asked Ben, looking down at the crowd of boys with no slight show
+of perplexity.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Stubbs's brother," and Toby motioned to the door of the cage. "I'd
+like to take him up in my arms, 'cause it would seem so much like it
+used to before his brother died."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p><p>Ben was seized with one of the very worst laughing spasms Toby had ever
+seen, and there was every danger that he would roll off the seat before
+he could control himself; but he did recover after a time, and as the
+purple hue slowly receded from his face, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you what we'll do, Toby. You come to the tent when the
+afternoon performance is over, an' I'll fix it so's you shall see Mr.
+Stubbs's brother as much as you want to."</p>
+
+<p>Just then Toby remembered that Ben was to be his guest for a while that
+day, and, after explaining all Aunt Olive had done in the way of
+preparing dainties, invited him to dinner.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll come, Toby, because it's to see you an' them that has been good to
+you," said Ben, slowly, and after quite a long pause: "but there hain't
+anybody else I know of who could coax me out to dinner; for, you see,
+rough fellows like me hain't fit to go<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> around much, except among our
+own kind. But say, Toby, your Uncle Dan'l hain't right on his speech, is
+he?"</p>
+
+<p>Toby looked so puzzled that Ben saw he had not been understood, and he
+explained:</p>
+
+<p>"I mean, he don't get up a dinner for the sake of havin' a chance to
+make a speech, like the skeleton, does he, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh no, Uncle Dan'l don't do that. I know you'll like him when you see
+him."</p>
+
+<p>"And I believe I shall, Toby," said Ben, speaking very seriously; "I'd
+be sure to, because he's such a good uncle to you."</p>
+
+<p>Just then the conversation was interrupted by the orders to prepare for
+the parade; and as the manager drove up to see that everything was done
+properly, he stopped to speak with and congratulate Toby on being home
+again, a condescension on his part that caused a lively feeling of envy
+in the breasts of the other boys, because they had not been so honored.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_VII" id="Chapter_VII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>ATTRACTIONS FOR THE LITTLE CIRCUS</h3>
+
+<p>While he stood there, the wagon in which the skeleton and his wife
+travelled rolled past; but Toby knew they were still sleeping, and would
+continue to do so until their tent was ready for them to go into.</p>
+
+<p>The carriage in which the women of the company rode also passed him, and
+he almost fancied he could see Ella sitting in one of the seats sleeping
+with her head on her mother's shoulder, as she had slept on the stormy
+night when his head was nearly jerked from his body as he tried to sleep
+while sitting upright.</p>
+
+<p>There were but three of the drivers who had been with the circus the
+year before, and, after speaking with them, he stood by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> the side of the
+road, and watched the preparations for the entr&eacute;e with feelings far
+different from those with which he had observed such preparations in
+that dreary time when he expected each moment to hear Job Lord order him
+to attend to his work.</p>
+
+<p>The other boys crowded quite as close to him as they could get, as if by
+this means they allied themselves in some way with the show; and when a
+drove of ponies were led past, Joe Robinson said, longingly:</p>
+
+<p>"There, Toby, if we had one or two of them to train, it would be
+different work from what it is to make the Douglass boss remember his
+way round the ring."</p>
+
+<p>"You wouldn't have to train them any," began Toby; and then he had no
+time to say anything more, for Ben, who had been talking with the
+manager, called to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Has your Uncle Dan'l got plenty of pasturage?" asked Ben, when the boy
+approached him.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p><p>"Well, he's got twenty acres up by the stone quarry, an' he keeps three
+cows on it, an' Jack Douglass's hoss, that don't count, for he's only
+there till we boys have our circus," said Toby, never for a moment
+dreaming of the good fortune that was in store for him.</p>
+
+<p>"So you're goin' to have a circus of your own, eh?" asked Ben, with a
+smile that alarmed Toby, because he feared it was a signal for one of
+those terrible laughing spells.</p>
+
+<p>"We're only goin' to have a little three-cent one," replied Toby,
+modestly, noting with satisfaction that Ben's mirth had gone no further
+than the smile.</p>
+
+<p>"Two of our ponies are about used up," said the manager, "and we've got
+to leave them somewhere. Ben tells me he is going to see your Uncle
+Dan'l this noon, so suppose you take one of these boys and ride them up
+to the pasture. Ben will make a bargain with your uncle for their
+keeping,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> and you can use them in your circus if you want to."</p>
+
+<p>Joe Robinson actually jumped for joy as he heard this, and Toby's
+delight spread itself all over his face, while Bob Atwood and Ben
+Gushing went near the fence, where they stood on their heads as a way of
+expressing their elation at thus being able to have real live ponies in
+their circus.</p>
+
+<p>A black and a red pony were the ones pointed out for Toby to take away,
+and they were not more than twice as large as Newfoundland dogs; they
+were, in fact, just exactly what was wanted for a little circus such as
+the boys were about to start.</p>
+
+<p>Joe was so puffed up with pride at being allowed to ride one of these
+ponies through the village that if his mind could have affected his body
+he would not have weighed more than a pound, and he held his head so
+high that it seemed a matter of impossibility for him to see his feet.</p>
+
+<p>Very much surprised were Uncle Daniel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> and Aunt Olive at seeing Toby and
+Joe dash into the yard astride of these miniature horses, just as they
+were sitting down to breakfast; and when the matter had been explained,
+Abner appeared quite as much pleased that the boys would have this
+attraction in their circus as if he were the sole proprietor of it.</p>
+
+<p>It was with the greatest reluctance that either of the boys left his
+pony in the stable-yard and sat down to breakfast, so eager was Joe to
+get back to the tenting-ground to see what was going on, and so anxious
+was Toby to see the skeleton and his wife as soon as possible. But they
+ate because Uncle Daniel insisted that they should do so; and, when
+breakfast was over, he advised that the ponies be left in the stable
+until Chandler Merrill's pony could be removed from the pasture.</p>
+
+<p>When they started down town again, Abner went with them, and it was so
+late in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> the morning that Toby was sure the skeleton and his wife would
+be prepared to receive visitors.</p>
+
+<p>When Toby, Abner, and Joe reached the tenting-ground, everything was in
+that delightful state of bustle and confusion which is attendant upon
+the exhibition of a circus in a country town, where the company do not
+expect that the tent will be more than half filled, and where, in
+consequence, the programme will be considerably shortened.</p>
+
+<p>It did not require much search on Toby's part to find the tent wherein
+the skeleton and his wife exhibited their contrasting figures, for the
+pictures which hung outside were so gaudy, and of such an unusually
+large size, that they commanded the attention of every visitor.</p>
+
+<p>"Now I'm goin' in to see 'em," said Toby, first making sure that the
+exhibition had not begun; "an' Joe, you take Abner over so's he can see
+how Nahum Baker<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> keeps a stand, an' then he'll know what to do when we
+have our circus. I'll come back here for you pretty soon."</p>
+
+<p>Then Toby ran around to the rear of the tent, where he knew he would
+find a private entrance, thus running less risk of receiving a blow on
+the head from some watchful attendant, and in a few moments he stood
+before Mr. and Mrs. Treat, who, having just completed their
+preparations, were about to announce that the exhibition could be
+opened.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Toby Tyler, you dear little thing!" cried the enormous lady, in a
+joyful tone, after she had looked at the boy intently for a moment, to
+make sure he was really the one whom she had rescued several times from
+Job Lord's brutality; and then she took him in her fat arms, hugging him
+much as if he were a lemon and she an unusually large squeezer. "Where
+did you come from? How have you been? Did you find your Uncle Daniel?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p><p>Her embrace was so vigorous that it was some seconds after she had
+released him before he could make any reply; and while he was trying to
+get his breath the fleshless Mr. Treat took him solemnly by the hand,
+and cleared his throat as if he were determined to take advantage of the
+occasion to make one of his famous speeches.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear Mr. Tyler," he said, squeezing Toby's hand until it ached, "it
+is almost impossible for me to express the joy I feel at meeting you
+once more. We&mdash;Lilly and I&mdash;have looked forward to such a moment as this
+with a great deal of impatience, and even during our most prosperous
+exhibitions we have found time to speak of you."</p>
+
+<p>"There, there, Samuel, don't take up so much time with your long-winded
+talk, but let me see the dear little fellow myself;" and Mrs. Treat
+lifted her slim husband into a chair, where he was out of her way, and
+again greeted Toby by kissing him on both cheeks with a resounding smack
+that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> rivalled anything Reddy Grant had yet been able to do in the way
+of cracking his whip.</p>
+
+<p>Then she fairly overwhelmed him with questions, nor would she allow her
+husband to say a word until Toby had answered them all. He was again
+obliged to tell the story of Mr. Stubbs's death; of his return home, and
+everything connected with his running away from the circus; while all
+the time the fat lady alternately kissed and hugged him, until it seemed
+as if he would never be able to finish his story.</p>
+
+<p>"And, now that you are home again, don't ever think of running away,
+even though I must admit that you made a wonderful success in the ring;"
+and Mr. Treat crossed one leg over the other in a triumphant way,
+pleased that he had at last succeeded in getting a chance to speak.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was very emphatic in his assurances that he should never run away
+again, for he had had quite as much experience<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> in that way as he
+wanted; and, after he had finished, Mrs. Treat, by way of further
+showing her joy at meeting him once more, brought out from a large black
+trunk fully half a dozen doughnuts, each quite as large among their kind
+as she was among women.</p>
+
+<p>"Now eat every one of them," she said, as she handed them to Toby, "an'
+it will do me good to see you, for you always used to be such a hungry
+little fellow."</p>
+
+<p>Toby had already had two breakfasts that morning, but he did not wish to
+refuse the kindly proffered gift, and he made every effort to do as she
+requested, though one of the cakes would have been quite a feast for him
+at his hungriest moment.</p>
+
+<p>The food reminded him of the dinner-invitation he was to deliver, and,
+as he forced down the rather heavy cake, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Aunt Olive's killed a lamb, an' made an awful lot of things for dinner
+to-day, an' Uncle Dan'l says he'd be glad to have you come up. Ben's
+coming an' I'm goin'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> to find Ella, so's to have her come, an' we'll
+have a good time."</p>
+
+<p>"Lilly an' I will be pleased to see your aunt's lamb, and we shall be
+delighted to meet your Uncle Daniel," replied the skeleton, before his
+wife could speak, and then a "far-away" look came into his eyes, as if
+he could already taste, or at least smell, the feast in which he was
+certain he should take so much pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>"That's just the way with Samuel," said Mrs. Treat, as if she would
+offer some apology for the almost greedy way in which her husband
+accepted the invitation; "he's always thinking so much about eating that
+I'm afraid he'll begin to fat up, and then I shall have to support both
+of us."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, my dear"&mdash;and Mr. Treat used a tone of mild reproof&mdash;"why should
+you have such ideas, and why express them before our friend, Mr. Tyler?
+I've eaten considerable, perhaps, at times; but during ten years you
+have never seen me grow an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> ounce the fatter, and surely I have grown
+some leaner in that time."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes, Sammy, I know it, and you shall eat all you can get, only try
+not to show that you think so much about it." Then, turning to Toby, she
+said, "He's such a trial, Sam is. We'll go to see your uncle, Toby, and
+we should be very glad to do so even if we wasn't going for dinner."</p>
+
+<p>"Ben an' me will come 'round when it's time to go," said Toby, and then,
+in a hesitating way, he added, "Abner's out here&mdash;he's a cripple that
+lives out to the poor-farm&mdash;an' he never saw a circus or anything. Can't
+I bring him in here a minute before you open the show?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you can, Toby, my dear, and you may bring all your friends.
+We'll give an exhibition especially for them. We haven't got a
+sword-swallower this year, and the albino children that you used to know
+have had to leave the business, because albinos got so plenty they
+couldn't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> earn their salt; but we've got a new snake-charmer, and a man
+without legs, and a bearded lady, so&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"So that our entertainment is quite as morally effective and
+instructively entertaining as ever," said Mr. Treat, interrupting his
+wife to speak a good word for the exhibition.</p>
+
+<p>Toby ran out quickly, that he might not delay the regular business any
+longer than was absolutely necessary; and at the very entrance of the
+tent, looking at the pictures in wonder that almost amounted to awe, he
+found Abner with his partners, and about a dozen other boys.</p>
+
+<p>"Come right in quick, fellers," said Toby, breathlessly, "an' you can
+see the whole show before it commences."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_VIII" id="Chapter_VIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VIII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE DINNER PARTY</h3>
+
+<p>The invitation was no sooner given than accepted; and in a twinkling
+every one of those boys was inside the tent, looking at the skeleton and
+the fat woman as though they had been old acquaintances.</p>
+
+<p>Toby had told Mr. and Mrs. Treat of the little circus they were
+intending to have, and he introduced to them his partners in the
+enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>The fleshy Lilly smiled encouragingly upon them, and the skeleton,
+moving his chair slightly to prevent his wife from interrupting him,
+said:</p>
+
+<p>"I am pleased to meet you, gentlemen, principally, and I might almost
+say wholly, because you are the friends of my old friend, Mr. Tyler.
+Whatever business <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>relations you may have with him, whether in the great
+profession of the circus, or in the humbler walks of life, I am sure he
+will honor the connection."</p>
+
+<p>From appearances Mr. Treat would have continued to talk for some time,
+but his wife passed around more doughnuts, and the attention of the
+visitors was so distracted that he was obliged to stop.</p>
+
+<p>"And this is Abner," said Toby, taking advantage of the break in the
+skeleton's speech to lead forward his crippled friend.</p>
+
+<p>Abner limped blushingly towards the gigantic lady, and when both she and
+her thin husband spoke to him kindly, he was so covered with confusion
+at the honor thus showered upon him that he was hardly able to say a
+word.</p>
+
+<p>But the time was passing rapidly, and as there were many persons
+outside, probably, waiting for an opportunity to pay their money to see
+the varied attractions of the show, Mrs. Treat gave the signal for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+snake-charmer to begin the entertainment, which was given as a mark of
+respect, as the skeleton explained, to their friend Toby Tyler.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="ill-105.jpg" id="ill-105.jpg"></a><img src="images/ill-105.jpg" width='510' height='700' alt="MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY" /></div>
+
+<h4>MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY</h4>
+
+<p>This private exhibition lasted about fifteen minutes, and when, at its
+close, the doors were thrown open to such of the public as were willing
+to pay to come in, the boys were not at all anxious to leave.</p>
+
+<p>"Let them stay as long as they want to, Toby," said the skeleton
+indulgently.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were only too glad to avail themselves of this permission, and
+Toby said to Abner:</p>
+
+<p>"I want to see if I can find Ella, an' you stay here till I come back."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll keep him right here by me," said Mrs. Treat, "and he'll be safe
+enough."</p>
+
+<p>Remembering how she had served Job Lord, Toby had no fears for the
+safety of his friend; he went at once, therefore, to deliver the
+invitation to the last of Aunt Olive's expected guests.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p><p>When, after some little time, Toby returned, the boys had satisfied
+their curiosity so far as the side-show was concerned, and all except
+Abner had left the tent.</p>
+
+<p>That he had found Ella was evident, as that young lady herself skipped
+along by his side in the greatest possible delight at having met her
+former riding companion; and that she had accepted his invitation to
+dinner was shown by the scrupulous care with which she was dressed.</p>
+
+<p>"It's time to go up to Uncle Dan'l's," Toby whispered to Mrs. Treat,
+"an' Ben's harnessin' the hosses into your wagon, so's you won't have to
+go to the trouble of puttin' on your other clothes."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know as we ought to go up there in this rig," said Mrs. Treat
+doubtfully, as she looked down at her "show dress," made to display her
+arms and neck to the greatest advantage, and then at her husband's
+costume, which was as scanty as his body. "I wanted to dress up when we
+went there;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> but I don't see how I'll get the chance to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't bother, 'cause Uncle Dan'l will like you jest as well that
+way, an' it will take you too long," said Toby impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>The skeleton, on being consulted as to the matter, decided to do as Toby
+wished, because by adopting that course they would the sooner get the
+dinner about which he had been thinking ever since he had received the
+invitation.</p>
+
+<p>But while Mrs. Treat was ready to believe that her costume might be
+reasonably fit to wear to a dinner party, she was certain that something
+more than tights and a pair of short, red velvet trousers was necessary
+for her husband.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Treat tried to argue with his much larger half, insisting that Uncle
+Daniel would understand the matter; but his wife insisted so strongly,
+and with such determination to have her own way, that he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>compromised by
+adding to his scanty wardrobe a black frock-coat and a tall silk hat,
+which gave him a rather more comical than distinguished appearance.</p>
+
+<p>The audience were dismissed as soon as possible; Abner was helped into
+the wagon, perfectly delighted at being allowed to ride in a circus van,
+and the party started for Uncle Daniel's.</p>
+
+<p>Toby sat on the box with Ben, to show him the way; and when the gaudily
+painted cart stopped in front of the farm-house; it was much as if a
+peacock had suddenly alighted amid a flock of demure hens.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel was out in the yard to receive his strangely assorted
+guests, and the greeting they received from both him and Aunt Olive was
+as hearty as if they had been old acquaintances.</p>
+
+<p>There was a look of calm satisfaction on the skeleton's face as the odor
+of roast lamb was mingled with Uncle Daniel's welcome when he descended
+from the wagon; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> as the company were ushered into the "fore-room,"
+the air of which was pungent with the odors of herbs used to keep the
+moths from carpet and furniture, a restful feeling came over them such
+as only those whose lives are dreary rounds of travelling can feel.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel insisted on taking care of the horses himself, for his idea
+of the duties of host would not allow that Ben should help him, and
+almost as soon as he had finished this work dinner was ready.</p>
+
+<p>When all the guests were at the table, and Uncle Daniel bowed his head
+to invoke a blessing on those who had befriended the fatherless, the
+look of general discomfort old Ben had worn from the time he reached the
+house passed away, and in its place came the peaceful look Toby had seen
+on Sundays after the old driver had come from church.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Toby that he had never really known Uncle Daniel before, so
+jolly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> was he in his efforts to entertain his guests; and the manner in
+which he portioned out the food, keeping the plates well filled all the
+time, was in the highest degree pleasing to Mr. Treat.</p>
+
+<p>Of course very much was said about the time when Toby was an unwilling
+member of the circus, and Mrs. Treat and Ben told of the boy's
+experiences in a way that brought many a blush to his cheeks. Mr. Treat
+was too busy with Aunt Olive's lamb, as he affectionately spoke of it,
+to be able to say anything; he was wonderfully fortunate in not choking
+himself but once, and that was such a trifling matter that it was all
+over in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>Old Ben told Toby that night, however, that Treat would not have got on
+so well, if his wife had not trodden on his toes frequently, as a hint
+to eat more slowly.</p>
+
+<p>Although Abner had spent several hours in the side-show, it seemed as if
+he would never tire of gazing at Mrs. Treat's <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>enormous frame, and so
+intently did he look at her that he missed a good chance of getting a
+second piece of custard pie, though Toby nudged him several times to
+intimate that he could have more as well as not.</p>
+
+<p>Ben told a number of stories of circus life; Mrs. Treat related some of
+her experiences in trying to prevent her husband from eating too fast;
+Ella told Aunt Olive of the home she and her mother lived in during
+winter; and the hour which had been devoted to this visit passed so
+pleasantly that every one was sorry when it was ended.</p>
+
+<p>"You've got a trim little farm here," said Ben to Uncle Daniel, when the
+two went out to harness the horses; "an' I reckon that a man who has got
+land enough to support him is fixed jest about as well as he can be. I
+don't know of anything I'd rather be than a farmer, if I could only get
+away from circus life."</p>
+
+<p>"Whenever you want to leave that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>business," said Uncle Daniel solemnly
+and earnestly, "you come right here, and I'll show you the chance to
+become a farmer."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to," said Ben, with a sigh of regret that the matter seemed so
+impossible; "but I've been with a circus now, man an' boy, goin' on
+forty-one years, an' I s'pose I shall always be with one."</p>
+
+<p>Then he changed the conversation, making an arrangement with Uncle
+Daniel for pasturing the ponies that were to be left behind, and by the
+time the bargain was completed the horses were at the door.</p>
+
+<p>While Uncle Daniel and old Ben had been at the stables, Mr. Treat had
+been showing his liberality by giving Aunt Olive tickets for the
+side-show and circus, and inducing her to promise that she and Uncle
+Daniel would see both shows. He had also given Toby fully a dozen circus
+tickets for distribution among his friends; and then, as Uncle Daniel
+entered, he said:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p><p>"I wish to express thanks&mdash;both for myself and my wife Lilly&mdash;for the
+very kind manner in which you have entertained us to-day."</p>
+
+<p>Before he could say anything more the others came to say good-bye, and
+he was disappointed again. Aunt Olive kissed Ella several times, while
+the parting with the others was almost as between old friends, and the
+guests started for the tent again, more than satisfied with their visit.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Toby, you look me up jest after the show is out this afternoon,
+an' we'll fix it so's you shall have a chance to talk with Mr. Stubbs's
+brother," said Ben, as they were driving along.</p>
+
+<p>As a matter of course Toby promised to be there, and to bring Abner with
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"You said that little cripple had to live at the poor-farm, didn't you?"
+asked Ben, after quite a long pause.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, an' it's 'cause he hain't got no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> father or mother, nor no Uncle
+Dan'l like I've got," said Toby sadly.</p>
+
+<p>"Hain't he got any relations anywhere?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; Uncle Dan'l said he didn't have a soul that he could go to."</p>
+
+<p>"It must be kinder hard for him to live there alone, an' I don't s'pose
+he'll ever be able to walk."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was not at all certain whether or not Abner could ever be cured;
+but he told the old driver what he knew of the lonely life the boy led.
+Ben did not appear to hear what was said, for he was in one of his deep
+studies and seemed unconscious of everything except the fact that his
+horses were going in the proper direction.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you what I'll do, Toby," he said, after remaining silent
+until they were nearly at the tent. "I hain't got a child or a chick in
+the world, an' I'll take care of that boy."</p>
+
+<p>Toby looked up in surprise, as he repeated, in a puzzled way:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p><p>"You'll take care of him?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't mean that I'll take hold an' tote' him 'round; but he shall
+have as much as he needs out of every dollar I get. I'll see your Uncle
+Dan'l, an' fix it somehow so he'll be taken out of the poorhouse."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Ben, how good you are!" and Toby looked up at his friend with
+sincere admiration imprinted on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"It hain't 'cause I'm good, my lad; but if I didn't help that poor
+fellow in some way, I'd see them big eyes an' that pale face of hisn
+every night I rode on this box alone; so you see I only do it for the
+sake of havin' peace," said Ben, with a forced laugh; and then he
+stopped the horses at the rear of Mr. Treat's tent. "Now you jump down,
+Toby, so's to see the skeleton don't break himself all to pieces gettin'
+out, for I'm kinder 'fraid he will some day. I'd rather drive a hundred
+monkeys than one sich slim man as him."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p><p>Then Ben had a fit of internal laughter caused by his own remark, and
+Uncle Daniel's guests were ready to resume their duties at the circus.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_IX" id="Chapter_IX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter IX</span></h2>
+
+<h3>MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER</h3>
+
+<p>It was so near the time for the circus to begin that Toby was obliged to
+hurry considerably in order to distribute among his friends the tickets
+the skeleton had given him, and he advised Abner to remain with Mrs.
+Treat while he did so, in order to escape the crowd, among which he
+might get injured.</p>
+
+<p>Then he gave his tickets to those boys who he knew had no money with
+which to buy any, and so generous was he that when he had finished he
+had none for himself and Abner.</p>
+
+<p>That he might not be able to witness the performance did not trouble him
+very greatly, although it would have been a disappointment not to see
+Ella ride; but he blamed himself very much because he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> not saved a
+ticket for Abner, and he hurried to find Ben that he might arrange
+matters for him.</p>
+
+<p>The old driver was easily found, and still more easily persuaded to
+grant the favor which permitted Abner to view the wonderful sights
+beneath the almost enchanted canvas.</p>
+
+<p>From one menagerie wagon to another Toby led his friend as quickly as
+possible, until they stood in front of the monkeys' cage, where Mr.
+Stubbs's supposed brother was perched as high as possible, away from the
+common herd of monkeys which chatted familiarly with every one who
+bribed them.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was in the highest degree excited; it seemed as if his pet that had
+been killed was again before him, and he crowded his way up to the bars
+of the cage, dragging Abner with him, until he was where he could have a
+full view of the noisy prisoners.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p><p>Toby called to the monkey as he had been in the habit of calling to Mr.
+Stubbs, but now the fellow paid no attention to him whatever; there were
+so many spectators that he could not spend his time upon one, unless he
+were to derive some benefit in return.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately, so far as his happiness was concerned, Toby had the means
+of inducing the monkey to visit him, for in his pocket yet remained two
+of the doughnuts Mrs. Treat had almost forced upon him; and, remembering
+how fond Mr. Stubbs had been of such sweet food, he held a piece out to
+the supposed brother.</p>
+
+<p>Almost immediately that monkey made up his mind that the freckle-faced
+boy with the doughnut was the one particular person whom he should be
+acquainted with, and he came down from his perch at a rapid rate.</p>
+
+<p>So long as Toby was willing to feed him with doughnuts he was willing to
+remain;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> but when his companions gathered around in such numbers that
+the supply of food was quickly exhausted, he went back to his lofty
+perch, much to the boy's regret.</p>
+
+<p>"He looks like Mr. Stubbs, and he acts like him, an' it must be his
+brother sure," said Toby to himself as Abner hurried him away to look at
+the other curiosities. When he was at some distance from the cage he
+turned and said, "Good-bye," as if he were speaking to his old pet.</p>
+
+<p>During the performance that afternoon Abner was in a delightful whirl of
+wonder and amazement; but Toby's attention was divided between what was
+going on in the ring and the thought of having Mr. Stubbs's brother all
+to himself as soon as the performance should be over.</p>
+
+<p>He did, however, watch the boy who sold peanuts and lemonade, but this
+one was much larger than himself, and looked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> rough enough to endure the
+hardships of such a life.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was also attentive when Ella was in the ring, and he was envied by
+all his acquaintances when she smiled as she passed the place where he
+was sitting.</p>
+
+<p>Abner would have been glad if the performance had been prolonged until
+midnight; but Toby, still thinking of Mr. Stubbs's brother, was pleased
+when it ended.</p>
+
+<p>He and Abner waited by the animal's cages until the crowd had again
+satisfied their curiosity; and as the last visitor was leaving the tent
+old Ben came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Treat, both in exhibition
+costume.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was somewhat surprised at seeing them, for he knew their busiest
+time was just at the close of the circus, and while he was yet wondering
+at their coming he saw Ella approaching from the direction of the
+dressing-tent.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p><p>He had not much time to spend in speculation, however, for Ben said, as
+he came up:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boy, you shall see Mr. Stubbs's brother, and talk to him just as
+long as you want to."</p>
+
+<p>The skeleton and his wife and Ella looked at each other and smiled in a
+queer way as Ben said this; but Toby was too much excited at the idea of
+having the monkey in his arms to pay any attention to what was going on
+around him.</p>
+
+<p>Ben, unlocking the door of the cage, succeeded, after considerable
+trouble, in catching the particular inmate he wanted, and, handing him
+to Toby, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Now let's see if he knows you as well as Stubbs did."</p>
+
+<p>Toby took the monkey in his arms with a glad cry of delight, and fondled
+him as if he really were the pet he had lost.</p>
+
+<p>Whether it was because the animal knew that the boy was petting him, or
+because<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> he had been treated harshly, and was willing to make friends
+with the first one who was kind to him, it is difficult to say; certain
+it is that as soon as he found himself in Toby's arms he nestled down
+with his face by the boy's neck, remaining there as contentedly as if
+the two had been friends for years.</p>
+
+<p>"There, don't you see he knows me!" cried the boy in delight, and then
+he sat down upon the ground, caressing the animal, and whispering all
+sorts of loving words in his ear.</p>
+
+<p>"He does seem to act as if he had been introduced to you," said old Ben,
+with a chuckle. "It would be kinder nice if you could keep him, wouldn't
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Deed it would," replied Toby earnestly. "I'd give everything I've got
+if I could have him, for he does act so much like Mr. Stubbs it seems as
+if it must be him."</p>
+
+<p>Then Ella whispered something to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> old driver, the skeleton bestowed
+a very mysterious wink upon him, the fat woman nodded her head till her
+cheeks shook like two balls of very soft butter, and Abner looked
+curiously on, wondering what was the matter with Toby's friends.</p>
+
+<p>He soon found out what it was, however, for Ben, after indulging in one
+of his laughing spasms, asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Whose monkey is that you've got in your arms, Toby?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, it belongs to the circus, don't it?" And the boy looked up in
+surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"No, it don't belong to the circus; it belongs to you&mdash;that's who owns
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"Me? Mine? Why, Ben&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Toby was so completely bewildered as to be unable to say a word, and
+just as he was beginning to think it some joke, Ben said:</p>
+
+<p>"The skeleton an' his wife, an' Ella and I, bought that monkey this
+forenoon, an' we give him to you so's you'll still be able to have a Mr.
+Stubbs in the family."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p><p>"Oh, Ben!" was all Toby could say; with the monkey tightly clasped in
+his arms, he took the old driver by the hand; but just then the skeleton
+stepped forward holding something which glistened.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Tyler," he said, in his usual speech-making style, "when our friend
+Ben told us this morning about your having discovered Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, we sent out and got this collar for the monkey, and we take the
+greatest possible pride in presenting it to you; although, if it had
+been something that my Lilly could have made with her own fair fingers,
+I should have liked it better."</p>
+
+<p>As he ceased speaking, he handed Toby a very pretty little dog-collar,
+on the silver plate of which was inscribed:</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/ill-127.jpg" width='400' height='156' alt="dog collar inscription" /></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p><p>Toby took the collar, and as he fastened it on the monkey's neck he
+said, in a voice that trembled considerably with emotion:</p>
+
+<p>"You've all of you been awful good to me, an' I don't know what to say
+so's you'll know how much I thank you. It seems as if ever since I
+started with the circus you've all tried to see how good you could be;
+an' now you've given me this monkey that I wanted so much. Some time,
+when I'm a man, I'll show you how much I think of all you've done for
+me."</p>
+
+<p>The tears of gratitude that were gathering in Toby's eyes prevented him
+from saying anything more, and then Mrs. Treat and Ella both kissed him,
+while Ben said, in a gruff tone:</p>
+
+<p>"Now carry the monkey home, an' get your supper, for you'll want to come
+down here this evening, an' you won't have time if you don't go now."</p>
+
+<p>Ella, after making Toby promise that he would see her again that night,
+went with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> Mr. and Mrs. Treat, while old Ben, as if afraid he might
+receive more thanks, walked quickly away towards the dressing-rooms, and
+there was nothing else for Toby and Abner to do but go home.</p>
+
+<p>It surely seemed as if every boy in the village knew that Toby Tyler had
+remained in the tent after the circus was over, and almost all of them
+were waiting around the entrance when the two boys came out with the
+monkey.</p>
+
+<p>If Toby had stayed there until each one of his friends had looked at and
+handled the monkey as much as he wanted to, he and Abner would have
+remained until morning, and Mr. Stubbs's brother would have been made
+very ill-natured.</p>
+
+<p>He waited until his friends had each looked at the monkey, and then he
+and Abner started home, escorted by nearly all the boys in town.</p>
+
+<p>The partners in the amateur-circus scheme were nearly as wild with joy
+as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> Toby was, for now their enterprise seemed an assured success, since
+they had two real ponies and a live monkey to begin with. They seemed to
+consider it their right to go to Uncle Daniel's with Toby; and when the
+party reached the corner that marked the centre of the village, they
+decided that the others of the escort should go no farther&mdash;a decision
+which relieved Toby of an inconvenient number of friends.</p>
+
+<p>As it was, the party was quite large enough to give Aunt Olive some
+uneasiness lest they should track dirt in upon her clean kitchen floor,
+and she insisted that both the boys and the monkey should remain in the
+yard.</p>
+
+<p>Toby had an idea that Mr. Stubbs's brother would be treated as one of
+the family; and, had any one hinted that the monkey would not be allowed
+to share his bed and eat at the same table with him, he would have
+resented it strongly.</p>
+
+<p>But Uncle Daniel soon convinced him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> that the proper place for his pet
+was in the wood-shed, where he could be chained to keep him out of
+mischief, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was soon safely secured in as snug a
+place as a monkey could ask for.</p>
+
+<p>Not until this was done did the partners return to their homes, or the
+centre of attraction&mdash;the tenting-grounds&mdash;nor did Toby find time to get
+his supper and go for the cows.</p>
+
+<p>Not once during the afternoon had Toby said anything to Abner of the
+good fortune that might come to him through old Ben; but when he got
+back from the pasture and met Uncle Daniel in the barn, he told him what
+the old driver had said about Abner.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure you heard him rightly, Toby, boy?" asked the old gentleman
+as he pushed his glasses up on his forehead, as he always did when he
+was surprised or perplexed.</p>
+
+<p>"I know he said that; but it seems as if it was too good to be true,
+don't it?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p><p>"The Lord's ways are not our ways, my boy, and if he sees fit to work
+some good to the poor cripple, he can do it as well through a circus
+driver as through one of his elect," said Uncle Daniel reverentially,
+and then he set about milking the cows in such an absent-minded way that
+he worried old Short-horn until she kicked the pail over when it was
+nearly half full.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_X" id="Chapter_X"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter X</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE ACCIDENT</h3>
+
+<p>That night Toby and Abner went to the circus grounds with Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive; and when old Ben approached the party as they were
+nearing the tent, Toby motioned the cripple to come with him, for he
+thought it might be better that the boy should not hear the conversation
+concerning himself.</p>
+
+<p>It had been decided by Uncle Daniel that the boys should go to the
+circus grounds that evening, and stay there until it was nearly dark,
+when they were to go home and go to bed; for he never believed it could
+do boys any good to be out after dark, while he was certain it was
+better for their health if they went to bed early.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore Toby intended to make this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> visit simply one of farewell,
+after Abner should see a little more of the bustle and confusion that
+had so fascinated him in the afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>To that end the boys walked around the enclosure, listened to the men
+who were loudly crying the wonderful things they had for sale, and all
+the while kept a bright lookout in the hope of seeing some of their
+circus friends.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly time for the performance to begin when the boys went into
+the skeleton's tent, and said good-bye to the thin man and his fat wife.</p>
+
+<p>Then Toby, anxious to run around to the dressing-rooms to speak with
+Ella, and not daring to take Abner with him, said to the boy:</p>
+
+<p>"Now you wait here for a minute, an' I'll be right back."</p>
+
+<p>Abner was perfectly contented to wait; it seemed to him that he would
+have been willing to stay there all night, provided the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> excitement
+should be continued, and he gazed around him in perfect delight as he
+leaned against one of the tent ropes.</p>
+
+<p>Toby found Ella without much difficulty; but both she and her mother had
+so much to say to him that it was some time before he could leave them
+to go in search of Ben.</p>
+
+<p>The old driver was curled up on his wagon, taking "forty winks," as he
+called a nap, before starting on the road again.</p>
+
+<p>When Toby awakened him, he explained that he would not have taken the
+liberty if it had not been for the purpose of saying good-bye, and Ben
+replied, good-naturedly:</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right, Toby; I should only have been angry with you if you
+had let me sleep. I've fixed it with your uncle about that little
+cripple; and now, when I get pitched off and killed some of these dark
+nights, there'll be one what'll be sorry I'm gone. Be a good boy, Toby;
+don't ever do anything you'd be afraid to tell your Uncle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> Dan'l of, and
+next year I'll see you again."</p>
+
+<p>Toby wanted to say something; but the old driver had spoken his
+farewell, and was evidently determined neither to say nor to hear
+anything more, for he crawled up on the box of the wagon again, and
+appeared to fall asleep instantly.</p>
+
+<p>Toby stood looking at him a moment, as if trying to make out whether
+this sudden sleep was real, or only feigned in order to prevent the
+parting from being a sad one; and then he said, as he started towards
+the door:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I thank you over and over again for Mr. Stubbs's brother, even if
+you have gone to sleep." Then he went to meet Abner.</p>
+
+<p>When he reached the place where he had left his friend, to his great
+surprise he could see nothing of him. There was no possibility that he
+could have made any mistake as to the locality, for he had left him
+standing just behind the skeleton's tent.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p><p>Toby ran quickly around the enclosure, asked some of the attendants in
+the dressing-room if they had seen a boy on crutches, and then he went
+into Mr. Treat's tent. But he could neither hear nor see anything of
+Abner, whose complete disappearance was, to say the least, very strange.</p>
+
+<p>Toby was completely bewildered by this sudden disappearance, and for
+some moments he stood looking at the place where he had left his friend,
+as if he thought that his eyes must have deceived him, and that the boy
+was still there.</p>
+
+<p>There were but few persons around the outside of the tent, those who had
+money enough to pay for their admission having gone in, and those who
+were penniless having gone home, so that Toby did not find many of whom
+to make inquiries. The attach&eacute;s of the circus were busily engaged
+packing the goods for the night's journey, and a number of them had
+gathered around one of the wagons a short distance away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> But Toby
+thought it useless to ask them for tidings of his missing friend, for he
+knew by experience how busy every one connected with the circus was at
+that hour.</p>
+
+<p>After he had looked at the tent rope against which he had seen Abner
+leaning, until he recovered his presence of mind, he went into the tent
+again for the purpose of getting Uncle Daniel to help him in the search.
+As he was passing the monkey wagon, however, he saw old Ben&mdash;whom he had
+left apparently in a heavy sleep&mdash;examining his wagon to make sure that
+everything was right, and to him he told the story of Abner's strange
+disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess he's gone off with some of the other fellows," said Ben,
+thinking the matter of but little importance, but yet going out of the
+tent with Toby as he spoke. "Boys are just like eels, an' you never know
+where to find 'em after you once let 'em slip through your fingers."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p><p>"But Abner promised me he'd stay right here," said Toby.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, some other fellows came along, an' he promised to go with them, I
+s'pose."</p>
+
+<p>"But I don't believe Abner would; he'd keep his promise after he made
+it."</p>
+
+<p>While they were talking they had gone out of the tent, and Ben started
+at once towards the crowd around the wagon, for he knew there was no
+reason why so many men should be there when they had work to do
+elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you go over there to see what was up?" asked the old driver.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I thought they were getting ready to start, an' I could see Abner
+wasn't there."</p>
+
+<p>"Something's the matter," muttered the old man, as he quickened his
+pace, and Toby, alarmed by the look on his friend's face, hurried on,
+hardly daring to breathe.</p>
+
+<p>One look into the wagon around which the men were gathered was
+sufficient to show why it was that Abner had not <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>remained by the tent
+as he had promised; for he lay in the bottom of the cart, to all
+appearances dead, while two of the party were examining him to learn the
+extent of his injuries.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the matter? How did this boy get hurt?" asked Ben, sternly, as
+he leaped upon the wagon, and laid his hand over the injured boy's
+heart.</p>
+
+<p>"He was standing there close by the guy ropes when we were getting ready
+to let the canvas down. One of the side poles fell and struck him on the
+head, or shoulder, I don't know which," replied a man.</p>
+
+<p>"It struck him here on the back of the neck," said one of those who were
+examining the boy, as he turned him half over to expose an ugly-looking
+wound around which the blood was rapidly settling. "It's a wonder it
+didn't kill him."</p>
+
+<p>"He hain't dead, is he?" asked Toby, piteously, as he climbed up on one
+of the wheels and looked over in a frightened way<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> at the little
+deformed body that lay so still and lifeless.</p>
+
+<p>"No, he hain't dead," said Ben, who had detected a faint pulsation of
+the heart; "but why didn't some of you send for a doctor when it first
+happened?"</p>
+
+<p>"We did," replied one of the men. "Some of the village boys were here,
+and we started them right off."</p>
+
+<p>Almost as the man spoke, Dr. Abbott, one of the physicians of the town,
+drove up and made his way through the crowd.</p>
+
+<p>Toby, too much alarmed to speak, watched the doctor's every movement as
+he made an examination of the wounded boy, and listened to the accounts
+the men gave of the way in which the accident had happened.</p>
+
+<p>"His injuries are not necessarily fatal, but they are very dangerous. He
+lives at the poor-farm, and should be taken there at once," said the
+doctor after he had made a slight and almost careless examination.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p><p>Toby was anxious that the poor boy should be taken to his home rather
+than to the comfortless place the doctor had proposed; but he did not
+dare make the suggestion before asking Uncle Daniel's consent to it. He
+was about to ask them not to move Abner until he could find his uncle,
+when Ben whispered something to the doctor that caused him to look at
+the old driver in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll ask Uncle Dan'l to take him home with us," said Toby as he slipped
+down from his high perch and started towards the tent.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll take care of that," said Ben as he went towards the tent with him.
+"I had just fixed it with your uncle so's he'd take Abner from the
+poor-farm an' board him, an' now there's all the more reason why he
+should do it. You go back an' stay with Abner, an' I'll bring your Uncle
+Dan'l out."</p>
+
+<p>Then Toby went back to the wagon where<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> the poor little cripple still
+lay as one dead, while the blood flowed in a tiny stream from one of his
+arms, where the physician had opened a vein.</p>
+
+<p>Not understanding the reason for this blood-letting, and supposing that
+the crimson flow was due to the injuries Abner had received, Toby cried
+out in his fear; but one of the men explained the case to him, and then
+he waited as patiently as possible for the driver's return.</p>
+
+<p>Both Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive came out with Ben, and within a very
+few moments Abner was being carried to the farm-house, in the same wagon
+that had taken him there before in company with the skeleton and his
+party, for that famous dinner.</p>
+
+<p>It frightened Toby still more to see the unconscious boy carried into
+the house by Ben and the doctor as though he were already dead; and when
+Aunt Olive led them into the best room, where no one had slept since
+Uncle Daniel's sister died, it seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> as if every one believed Abner
+could not live, or they would not have carried him there.</p>
+
+<p>Toby hardly knew when Ben went away, or whether he said anything before
+he left, or, in fact, anything else, so sad and confused was he. He did
+not even think about Mr. Stubbs's brother, but remained in one corner of
+the room, almost hidden by one of the flowing chintz curtains, until
+Uncle Daniel heard him sobbing, and led him away to his room.</p>
+
+<p>"There is good reason to hope Abner will recover," said the old man as
+he stroked Toby's hair; "but he is in the keeping of the One who never
+errs, and whatsoever He does is good."</p>
+
+<p>Then Uncle Daniel actually kissed the boy, as he told him to go to bed
+and go to sleep. Toby went to bed as he was commanded, though it seemed
+impossible he should sleep while it might be that Abner was dying.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XI" id="Chapter_XI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XI</span></h2>
+
+<h3>CHANGE OF PLANS</h3>
+
+<p>Toby was thoroughly surprised, when he awoke, to find that it was
+morning, and that his slumber had been as sweet as if nothing had
+happened. He dressed himself as quickly as possible, and ran
+down-stairs, and Uncle Daniel told him the doctor had just left, after
+saying he thought Abner would recover.</p>
+
+<p>It was a sad visit Toby paid Mr. Stubbs's brother that morning; and, as
+he petted him, the tears came into his eyes when he thought of poor
+Abner, until he was obliged to leave the monkey to himself, after having
+tied him so that he could take a short run out of doors.</p>
+
+<p>Then he visited the ponies in the stable, and when he returned to the
+house he found<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> all his partners in the circus enterprise, as well as
+several other boys, waiting to hear an account of the accident.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Abbott had reported that Abner had been injured; but, as he had not
+given any particulars, the villagers were in a state of anxious
+uncertainty regarding it.</p>
+
+<p>After Toby had told them all he knew about the matter, and had allowed
+them to see the monkey and the ponies, which some of them seemed to
+regard as of more importance than the injured boy, Bob asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, now what about our circus?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, we can't do anything on that till Abner gets well," said Toby, as
+if surprised that the matter should even be spoken about.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not? He wasn't goin' to do any of the ridin', an' now's the time
+for us to go ahead while we can remember what they did at the show
+yesterday. It don't make any difference 'bout our circus if he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> did get
+hurt," and Bob looked around at the others as if asking whether they
+agreed with him or not.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we ought to wait till he gets better," said Joe, "'cause he was
+goin' in with us, an' it don't seem jest fair to have the show when he's
+so sick."</p>
+
+<p>"That's foolish," said Ben, with a sneer. "If he hadn't come up to the
+pasture the other day, you wouldn't thought anything 'bout him, an' he'd
+been out to the poor-farm where he belongs."</p>
+
+<p>"If he hadn't come up there," said Toby, "I'd never known how lonesome
+he was, an' I'd gone right on havin' a good time without ever once
+thinkin' of him. An' if he hadn't come up there, perhaps he wouldn't got
+hurt, an' it seems almost as if I'd done it to him, 'cause I took him to
+the circus."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make a fool of yourself, Toby Tyler!" and Ben Gushing spoke
+almost angrily. "You act awful silly 'bout that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> feller, an' father says
+he's only a pauper anyway."</p>
+
+<p>"It wouldn't make any difference if he was, 'cause he's a poor lonesome
+cripple; but he hain't a pauper, for old Ben's goin' to take care of
+him, an' he pays Uncle Dan'l for lettin' him stay here."</p>
+
+<p>This news was indeed surprising to the boys, and as they fully realized
+that Abner was under the protection of a "circus man," he rose
+considerably in their estimation.</p>
+
+<p>They were anxious to know all about the matter, and when Toby told them
+all he could, they looked at the case in such an entirely different
+light that Ben Gushing even offered to go out in the field, where he
+could be seen from the windows of the room in which Abner lay, and go
+through his entire acrobatic performance in the hope the sight might do
+the invalid some good. Leander Leighton also offered to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> come twice each
+day and play "Yankee Doodle" with one finger on the accordion, in order
+to soothe him.</p>
+
+<p>But Toby thought it best to decline both these generous offers; he was
+glad they had been made, but would have been much better pleased if they
+had come while it was still believed Abner's only home was at the
+poorhouse.</p>
+
+<p>When the boys went away, Toby pleaded so hard that Aunt Olive consented
+to his sitting in the chamber where Abner lay, with the agreement that
+he should make no noise; and there he remained nearly all the day, as
+still as any mouse, watching the pale face on which death seemed already
+to have set its imprint.</p>
+
+<p>Each day for two weeks Toby remained on watch, leaving the room only
+when it was necessary, and he was at last rewarded by hearing Abner call
+him by name.</p>
+
+<p>After that, Aunt Olive allowed the two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> boys to talk a little, and a few
+days later Mr. Stubbs's brother was brought in to pay his respects to
+the invalid.</p>
+
+<p>Many times during Abner's illness had the boys been up to learn how he
+was getting on, and to try to persuade Toby to commence again the
+preparations for the circus; but he had steadily refused to proceed
+further in the matter until Abner could at least play the part of
+spectator.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel had had several letters from Ben inquiring about Abner's
+condition; and as each one contained money, some of which had been sent
+by the skeleton and his wife to "Toby Tyler's friend," the sick boy had
+wanted for nothing. Ben had also written that he had gained the consent
+of the proprietors of the circus to have the ponies driven for Abner's
+benefit, and had sent a dainty little carriage and harnesses so that he
+could ride out as soon as he was able.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p><p>Chandler Merrill had grown tired of waiting for his pony, and had taken
+him from the pasture, while Reddy had long since returned the blind
+horse to its owner.</p>
+
+<p>But during all these five weeks the work had gone slowly but steadily on
+circusward. Leander had become so expert a musician on the accordion,
+that he could play "Yankee Doodle" with all his fingers, "Old Hundred"
+with two; and was fast mastering the intricacies of "Old Dog Tray."</p>
+
+<p>As to Ben Gushing, it would be hard to say exactly how much progress he
+had made, the reports differed so much. He claimed to be able to turn
+hand-springs around the largest circus ring that was ever made, and to
+stand on his head for a week; but some of the boys who were not partners
+in the enterprise flatly contradicted this, and declared that they could
+do as many feats in the acrobatic line as he could.</p>
+
+<p>Joe Robinson had practised howling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> until Reddy insisted that there was
+little or no difference between him and the fiercest and
+strongest-lunged hyena that ever walked. Bob could sing the two songs
+his sister had taught him, and had written out twelve copies of them in
+order to have a good stock to sell from; but Leander predicted that he
+would not be able to dispose of many, because one was the "Suwanee
+River," and the other "A Poor Wayfaring Man," the words of which any boy
+could get by consulting an old music-book.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy had made a remarkably large whip, which he could snap once out of
+every three attempts, and not hit himself on the head more than once out
+of five.</p>
+
+<p>Thus the circus project was as promising as ever, and Abner, as well as
+the other partners, had urged Toby to take hold of it again; but he had
+made no promises until the day came when Abner was able to sit up, and
+Dr. Abbott said that he could go<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> out for a ride in another week, if he
+still continued to improve.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was that Toby told his partners he would meet them on the first
+day Abner went out for a ride, and tell them when he would take up the
+circus work again, which made every one more anxious than ever to see
+the poor-farm boy out of doors.</p>
+
+<p>From the time when the tiny little carriage and the two sets of harness
+glistening with silver had come, Toby had been anxious for a drive with
+the ponies; but he had resolutely refused to use them until Abner could
+go with him, although Uncle Daniel had told him he could try them
+whenever he wished. He had waited for his other pleasures until Abner
+could join him, and he insisted on waiting for this one. One day, when
+Aunt Olive spoke to him about it, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"If I was sick, an' had such a team sent to me, I'd feel kinder bad to
+have some other boy using it, an' so I'm goin' to let<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> Abner be the
+first one to go out with the ponies."</p>
+
+<p>It was hard not even to get into the little carriage that was so
+carefully covered with a white cloth in the stable; but Toby resisted
+the temptation, and when at last the day did come that Aunt Olive and
+Uncle Daniel helped the sick boy down-stairs, and lifted him into the
+prettiest little pony carriage ever seen in Guilford, he felt amply
+rewarded for his denial.</p>
+
+<p>They drove all over the town, stopping now and then to speak with some
+of their friends, or to answer questions as to Abner's health; and when
+it was nearly time to return home Toby turned the ponies' heads towards
+the pasture, where he knew his partners were waiting for him according
+to agreement.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go on with the circus now," he said to Abner, "for I can take you
+with me in this team, an' you can stay in it all the time we're
+practising so's it'll be 'most as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> good as if you could do something
+towards it yourself."</p>
+
+<p>Abner was quietly happy; the tender, thoughtful care that had been
+bestowed upon him since his mishap had been such as, in his mind at
+least, repaid him for all the pain.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you will have it," he said, earnestly, "for, even if I can't be
+with you all the time, I won't feel as if I was keepin' you from it."</p>
+
+<p>Then he put his hand in a loving way on Toby's cheek, and the "boss of
+the circus" felt fully repaid for having waited for his pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>At the pasture all the partners were gathered, for Toby had promised to
+tell them when he would begin operations; and as he drove the ponies up
+to the bars, he shouted:</p>
+
+<p>"Abner an' me will be up here about nine o'clock to-morrow morning, an'
+we'll bring Mr. Stubbs's brother with us."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p><p>There was a mighty shout, and Ben Cushing stood on his head, when this
+announcement was made, and then Toby and Abner drove home as quickly as
+their ponies could scamper.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XII" id="Chapter_XII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>A REHEARSAL</h3>
+
+<p>When Toby told Uncle Daniel that night of their intention to go on with
+the work of the long-delayed circus, and that Abner was to ride up to
+the pasture where he could see everything that was going on, the old
+gentleman shook his head doubtingly, as if he feared the consequences to
+the invalid, who appeared very much exhausted even by the short ride he
+had taken.</p>
+
+<p>Abner, interpreting Uncle Daniel's shake of the head the same way Toby
+did, pleaded hard to be allowed to go, insisting that he would be no
+more tired sitting in the little carriage than he would in a chair at
+home; and Aunt Olive joined in the boys' entreaty, promising to arrange
+the pillows in such a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> manner that Abner could lie down or sit up, as
+best suited him.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll see what the doctor has to say about it," replied Uncle Daniel,
+and, with much anxiety, the boys awaited the physician's coming.</p>
+
+<p>"Go? Why, of course he can go, and it will do him good to be
+out-of-doors," said the medical gentleman when he made his regular
+afternoon visit and Uncle Daniel laid the case before him.</p>
+
+<p>Toby insisted on bringing Mr. Stubbs's brother into the invalid's room
+as a signal mark of rejoicing at the victory the doctor had won for
+them, and Abner was so delighted with the funny pranks the monkey played
+that it would have been difficult to tell by his face that the morning
+ride had tired him.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother was quite as mischievous as a monkey could be; he
+capered around the room, picking at this thing and looking into that,
+until Aunt Olive laughed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> herself tired, and Uncle Daniel declared that
+if the other monkey was anything like this one, Toby was right when he
+named him Steve Stubbs, so much did he resemble that gentleman in
+inquisitiveness.</p>
+
+<p>The day had been so exciting to the boy who had been confined to one
+room for several weeks, that he was quite ready to go to bed when Aunt
+Olive suggested it; and Toby went about his evening's work with a
+lighter heart than he had had since the night he found his crippled
+friend lying so still and death-like in the circus wagon.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Toby was up some time before the sun peeped in through
+the crevices of Uncle Daniel's barn to awaken the cows, and he groomed
+the tiny ponies till their coats shone like satin. The carriage was
+washed until every portion of it reflected one's face like a mirror, and
+the harnesses with their silver mountings were free from the slightest
+suspicion of dirt.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p><p>Then after the cows had been driven to the pasture Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was treated to a bath, and was brushed and combed until, losing all
+patience at such foolishness, he escaped from his too cleanly-disposed
+master, taking refuge on the top of the shed, where he chattered and
+scolded at a furious rate as he tried to explain that he had no idea of
+coming down until the curry-comb and brush had been put away.</p>
+
+<p>But when the pony team was driven up to the door, and Toby decorated the
+bridles of the little horses with some of Aunt Olive's roses, Mr.
+Stubbs's brother came down from his high perch, and picked some of the
+flowers for himself, putting them over his ears to imitate the ponies;
+then he gravely seated himself in the carriage, and Toby had no
+difficulty in fastening the cord to his collar again.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Olive nearly filled the little carriage with pillows so soft that a
+very small boy would almost have sunk out of sight in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> them; and in the
+midst of these Abner was placed carefully, looking for all the world, as
+Toby said, like a chicken in a nest.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother was fastened in the front in such a way that his
+head came just above the dash-board, over which he looked in the most
+comical manner possible.</p>
+
+<p>Then Toby squeezed in on one side, declaring he had plenty of room,
+although there was not more than three square inches of space left on
+the seat, and even a portion of that was occupied by a fan and some
+other things Aunt Olive had put in for Abner's use.</p>
+
+<p>Both the boys were in the highest possible state of happiness, and Abner
+was tucked in until he could hardly have been shaken had he been in a
+cart instead of a carriage with springs.</p>
+
+<p>"Be sure to keep Abner in the shade, and come home just as soon as he
+begins to grow tired," cried Aunt Olive as Toby spoke to the ponies, and
+they dashed off like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> couple of well-trained Newfoundland dogs.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll take care of him like he was wax," cried Toby as they drove out
+through the gateway, and Mr. Stubbs's brother screamed and chattered
+with delight, while Abner lay back restful and happy.</p>
+
+<p>It was just the kind of a morning for a ride, and Abner appeared to
+enjoy it so much that Toby turned the little steeds in the direction of
+the village, driving fully a mile before going to the pasture.</p>
+
+<p>When they did arrive at the place where the first rehearsal was to be
+held, they found the partners gathered in full force; and, although it
+was not even then nine o'clock, they had evidently been there some time.</p>
+
+<p>Joe Robinson ran to let the bars down, while the ponies pranced into the
+field as if they knew they were the objects of admiration from all that
+party, and they shook their tiny heads until the petals fell from the
+roses in a shower upon the grass.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p><p>Mr. Stubbs's brother stood as erect as possible, and was so excited by
+the cheers of the boys that he seized the flowers he had tucked over his
+ears, and flung them at the party in great glee.</p>
+
+<p>The carriage was driven into the shade cast by the alders; the ponies
+were unharnessed, and fastened where they could have a feast of grass;
+and Toby was ready for business, or thought he was. But, just as he was
+about to consult with his partners, a scream from both Abner and the
+monkey caused him to turn towards the carriage quickly.</p>
+
+<p>From the moment they had entered the pasture, Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+shown the greatest desire to be free; and when he saw his master walking
+away, while he was still a prisoner, he made such efforts to release
+himself that he got his body over the dash-board of the carriage, and,
+when Toby looked, he was hanging there by the neck as if he had just
+committed suicide.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p><p>Toby ran quickly to the relief of his pet; and when he had released him
+from his uncomfortable position, the other boys pleaded so hard that
+Toby gave him his freedom, which he celebrated by scampering across the
+pasture on all four paws, with his tail curled up over his back like a
+big letter O.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed very much as if Mr. Stubbs's brother would break up the
+rehearsal, for he did look so comical as he scampered around that all
+the partners neglected their business to watch and laugh at him, until
+Toby reminded them that he could not stay there very long because of
+Abner's weakness.</p>
+
+<p>Then Bob and Reddy straightened themselves up in a manner befitting
+circus proprietors, and began their work.</p>
+
+<p>"Leander is goin' to commence the show by playin' 'Yankee Doodle,'" said
+Bob, as he consulted a few badly written words he had traced on the back
+of one of his father's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> business cards, "an' while he's doin' it Joe'll
+put in an' howl all he knows how, for that's the way the hyenas did at
+the last circus."</p>
+
+<p>The entire programme was evidently to be carried out that morning, for,
+as Bob spoke, Leander marched with his accordion and a great deal of
+dignity to a rock near where a line representing the ring had been cut
+in the turf.</p>
+
+<p>"Now you'll see how good he can do it," said Bob, with no small amount
+of pride; and Leander, with his head held so high that it was almost
+impossible to see his instrument, struck one or two notes as a prelude,
+while Joe took his station at a point about as far distant from the ring
+as the door of the tent would probably be.</p>
+
+<p>Leander started with the first five or six notes all right, and Joe
+began some of the most wonderful howling ever heard, which appeared to
+disconcert the band, for he got entirely off the track of his original
+tune, and mixed "Yankee Doodle" with "Old<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> Dog Tray" in the most
+reckless manner, Joe howling louder at every false note.</p>
+
+<p>Almost every one in that pasture, save possibly the performers
+themselves, was astonished at the din made by these two small boys; and
+Mr. Stubbs's brother, who had hung himself up on a tree by his tail,
+dropped to his feet in the greatest alarm, adding his chatter of fear to
+the general confusion.</p>
+
+<p>But the two performers were not to be daunted by anything that could
+occur; in fact, Joe felt rather proud that his howling was so savage as
+to frighten the monkey, and he increased his efforts until his face was
+as red as a nicely boiled beet.</p>
+
+<p>For fully five minutes the overture was continued; then the band stopped
+and looked around with an air of triumph, while Joe uttered two or three
+more howls by way of effect, and to show that he could have kept it up
+longer had it been necessary.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p><p>"There! what do you think of that?" asked Reddy, in delight. "You
+couldn't get much more noise if you had a whole band, could you?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's a good deal of noise," said Toby, not feeling quite at liberty to
+express exactly his views regarding the music; "but what was it Leander
+was playin'?"</p>
+
+<p>"I played two tunes," replied Leander, proudly. "I can play 'Yankee
+Doodle' with the whole of one hand; but I think it sounds better to play
+that with my thumb and two fingers, an' 'Old Dog Tray' with the other
+two fingers. You see, I can give 'em both tunes at once that way."</p>
+
+<p>The monkey went back to the tree as soon as the noise had subsided; but,
+from the way he looked over his shoulder now and then, one could fancy
+he was getting ready to run at the first sign that it was to commence
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't that sound like a whole cageful of hyenas?" asked Joe, as he
+wiped the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> perspiration from his face, and came towards his partners. "I
+can keep that up about as long as Leander can play, only it's awful hard
+work."</p>
+
+<p>Toby had no doubt as to the truth of that statement; but before he could
+make any reply, Bob said:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, this is where Ben comes in. He starts the show, an' he ends it,
+an' I sing right after he gets through turnin' hand-springs this first
+time. Now, Leander, you start the music jest as soon as Ben comes, an'
+keep it up till he gets through."</p>
+
+<p>Ben was prepared for his portion of the work. His trousers were belted
+tightly around his waist by a very narrow leather belt, with an
+enormously large buckle, and his shirt-sleeves were rolled up as high as
+he could get them, in order to give full play to his arms.</p>
+
+<p>"He's been rubbin' goose-grease all over him for as much as two weeks,
+an' he can bend almost any way," whispered Reddy to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> Toby, as Ben stood
+swinging his arms at the entrance to the ring, as if limbering himself
+for the work to be done.</p>
+
+<p>Leander started "Yankee Doodle" in slow and solemn strains; Ben gathered
+himself for a mighty effort, and began to go around the ring in a series
+of hand-springs in true acrobatic style.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XIII" id="Chapter_XIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE RESULTS OF LONG TRAINING</h3>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on,
+probably to guard against another sudden fright such as the overture had
+given him, and the moment Ben commenced to revolve he leaped from the
+tree, running with full speed towards the whirling acrobat.</p>
+
+<p>Toby started to catch him, but the monkey was too quick in his
+movements: before any one could prevent him he had caught the revolving
+boy by one leg, and for a few seconds it was difficult to tell which was
+Ben and which the monkey.</p>
+
+<p>Of course such an interruption as that broke up the performance for the
+time being, and Toby was obliged to exert all his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> authority to
+disentangle the monkey from the performer.</p>
+
+<p>"I knew it wouldn't do to let him be loose," said Toby, in a
+half-apologetic tone. "Now I'll set here an' hold him while you commence
+over again, Ben."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, now, be sure you hold him," said Ben, seriously, "for I don't
+want him to catch me again when I'm goin' 'round so fast, for it hurts a
+feller to tumble the way he made me."</p>
+
+<p>Bob offered to help hold the unruly monkey, and, when he and Toby had
+taken a firm grip on the collar, the music was started again, and Ben
+recommenced his performance.</p>
+
+<p>This time he got through with it in a highly successful and creditable
+manner; he proved to be a really good acrobat, so far as turning
+hand-springs and standing on his head were concerned, and Toby felt
+certain that this portion of the entertainment would be pleasing.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p><p>Bob now went into the ring, and began to sing the "Suwanee River" in a
+manner which he intended should captivate his audience; but he had
+neglected to give the band any orders, and the consequence was that,
+when he commenced to sing, Leander began to play "Old Dog Tray," a
+proceeding which mixed the musical matters considerably.</p>
+
+<p>"You mustn't do that, Leander," Bob said, sharply, after he had done his
+best to sing the band down, and failed in the attempt. "It won't do for
+you to play one thing while I'm tryin' to sing something else. Now, you
+be restin' while I'm doin' my part."</p>
+
+<p>Leander was so deeply interested in the enterprise that he was perfectly
+willing to keep on playing without ever thinking of taking a rest; but
+in deference to Bob's wishes he ceased his efforts, although he did
+venture to remark that he noticed particularly, when the real circus was
+there,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> that the band always played when the clown sang.</p>
+
+<p>Bob got along very well with his portion of the rehearsal after the
+first mistake had been rectified; and when he finished he bowed
+gracefully in response to the applause bestowed upon him.</p>
+
+<p>"Now's the time when you come in, Toby," said Bob; "an' if you'll see
+how you can ride the ponies, Joe'll run around the ring with 'em."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was willing to do his share of the work, and all the more so
+because he could see that Abner, from his cosy seat under the bushes,
+was deeply interested in all that was going on.</p>
+
+<p>Joe got one of the ponies while Toby made his preparations; and after
+the little horse had been led around the circle two or three times to
+show what was expected of him, Toby got on his back. This was Reddy's
+opportunity to act the part of ring-master, and he seized his long whip,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>standing in the centre of the ring, in what he believed to be the
+proper attitude.</p>
+
+<p>"Run around with him till I tell you to let go," said Toby, as he tied
+the reins together to form a bridle, and then stood on the pony's back
+as Mr. Castle had taught him to do.</p>
+
+<p>There was so great a difference between the motion of this horse and
+that of the one owned by Mr. Douglass, that Toby began to understand it
+might be quite as necessary to train the animal as its rider.</p>
+
+<p>Owing to his lack of practice he was a little clumsy; but after one or
+two attempts he went around the ring standing on one foot, almost as
+well as he had done it when with Ella.</p>
+
+<p>The boys, who had never seen Toby ride before were thoroughly elated by
+the brief exhibition he gave them; and if he had done as they wanted, he
+would have tired both himself and the pony completely.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p><p>"I'll practise some, now Abner can come out," said Toby, as he led his
+steed to a spot where he could get more grass, but neglected to fasten
+him; "an' I wouldn't wonder if I could ride two at once, after a little
+while."</p>
+
+<p>His partners in the enterprise were more than delighted with their
+rider, and they already began to believe they should have such a circus
+as would, in some points, eclipse the real one that had lately visited
+the town.</p>
+
+<p>After the excitement caused by Toby's riding had in a measure died away,
+Ben continued with his feats according to the programme, and then Bob
+commenced his second song.</p>
+
+<p>The audience of partners were listening to it intently, the more because
+it seemed to them that Bob had made a mistake as to the tune, and they
+were anxious to see what he was going to do about it&mdash;when the pony<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+Toby had been riding suddenly dashed into the ring, with what looked
+very like a boy on his back.</p>
+
+<p>The partners were amazed at this interruption, and Bob continued to
+sound the note he was wrestling with when he first saw the pony coming
+towards him, until it ended almost in a shriek.</p>
+
+<p>"Who is it?" cried Joe, as the pony dashed across the pasture, urged to
+full speed by its rider, and in an instant more all saw a long curling
+tail, which showed unmistakably who the culprit was.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother!" cried Toby, in alarm, "and how shall we
+catch him?"</p>
+
+<p>It was, indeed, the monkey, and during the next ten minutes it seemed to
+the boys that they ran over every square foot of that pasture, scaring
+the cows and tiring themselves, until the frightened little horse was
+penned up in one corner, and his disagreeable rider was taken from him.</p>
+
+<p>This last act of the rehearsal had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>occupied so much time, and the
+monkey was making himself so troublesome, that Toby decided to go home,
+the others promising to come to Uncle Daniel's barn that afternoon, when
+Reddy was to explain how the tent was to be procured, a matter which, up
+to this time, he had kept a profound secret from all but Bob.</p>
+
+<p>Short as the time spent at the rehearsal seemed to the boys, it was
+considerably too long for one in Abner's weak condition, as was evident
+from his face when Aunt Olive came to the door to help him out of the
+carriage.</p>
+
+<p>He seemed thoroughly exhausted, and, as soon as he got into the house,
+asked to be allowed to lie down&mdash;a confession of weakness that gave Aunt
+Olive a great deal of uneasiness, because she considered herself in a
+great measure responsible for the ride and its results, as she had urged
+Abner to go before the doctor's advice had been heard in the matter.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p><p>Toby's fears regarding the invalid were always reflections of Aunt
+Olive's; but when he saw Abner go to sleep so quickly, he thought she
+was alarmed without cause, and believed his friend would be quite
+himself so soon as he should awaken.</p>
+
+<p>Dinner-time came and passed, and Abner was still sleeping sweetly.
+Therefore Toby could see no reason why he should not join his partners,
+whom he saw going into the barn before dinner was over.</p>
+
+<p>"The boys have come up to see 'bout the tent," he said to Aunt Olive,
+"an' I'm goin' out to the barn, where they're waitin' for me. Will you
+call me when Abner wakes up?"</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Olive promised that he should be informed as soon as the sick boy
+could see him, and Toby joined his partners with never a fear but that
+Abner would soon be able to participate in all his sports.</p>
+
+<p>That the boys had come to Uncle Daniel's barn on very serious business
+was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>evident from their faces, and the two large packages they brought.</p>
+
+<p>Two rolls of what looked to be sail-cloth were lying on the barn floor,
+and around them Bob, Reddy, Joe, Ben, and Leander were seated with a
+look on their faces that was very nearly a troubled one.</p>
+
+<p>"What's them?" asked Toby, in surprise, as he pointed to the bundles.</p>
+
+<p>"The tent," and Reddy gave a big sigh as he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"What, have you got two?" asked Toby, a look of glad surprise showing
+itself on his face.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter? If there hain't two tents here, what makes the two
+bundles?" And Toby was almost impatient because he could not understand
+the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you see, this is just how it is," said Reddy, as he began to
+untie the fastenings from the rolls of canvas. "When I told you I could
+get a tent, I'd asked <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>Captain Whetmore to lend me two of the sails what
+he took off his schooner, an' he told me yes."</p>
+
+<p>"An' you've got 'em, haven't you?" and Toby looked meaningly at the
+canvas.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we've got 'em," replied Joe; "but now we don't know how to fix
+'em, 'cause you see we've got to put 'em up like a roof, an' we hain't
+got anything for the ends."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy had planned to use each of the sails as a side to the tent,
+fastening them along the top to a ridge-pole; and it had never occurred
+to him, in all the time he had had to think the matter over, that as yet
+he had nothing with which to form the ends.</p>
+
+<p>It was a question that puzzled the boys greatly, and caused their faces
+to grow very long, until Toby said:</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you how we can fix one end. We can put it right up against
+the barn, where the little door is, an' then we can have the stalls for
+a dressin'-room."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p><p>The faces of the partners lightened at once, and each wondered why he
+had not thought of such a plan.</p>
+
+<p>"An' I'll tell you how we could fix the other end," said Toby, quickly,
+as another happy thought presented itself. "If Mr. Mansfield would lend
+us his big flag, it would jest do it."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the very thing, an' I'll go an' ask him now;" and Bob started
+out of the barn at full speed, while Reddy, now that the important
+question was settled, displayed great alacrity in unrolling his
+treasures.</p>
+
+<p>The sails were not in a remarkable state of preservation, or Captain
+Whetmore would not have taken them from his vessel; but Reddy explained
+that the holes could be closed up by pasting paper over them, or by each
+boy borrowing a sheet from his mother and pinning it up underneath.</p>
+
+<p>One of the sails was considerably larger than the other; but Reddy had
+also thought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> of this, and proposed to make them look the same size by
+"tucking one in" at the end.</p>
+
+<p>Bob returned before the sails had been thoroughly inspected, and brought
+with him the coveted flag, thus showing he had been successful in his
+mission.</p>
+
+<p>"Now let's put it right up, an' then we can build our ring, an' do our
+practisin' there instead of goin' up to the pasture," suggested Ben.</p>
+
+<p>Since there was no reason why this should not be done, Bob and Ben
+started for the woods to cut some young trees with which to make a
+ridge-pole and posts, while the others carried the canvas out-of-doors,
+and made calculations as to where and how it should be put up.</p>
+
+<p>When they commenced work, they had no idea but that it would be
+completed before supper-time; but when the village clock struck the hour
+of five, they had not finished making the necessary poles and pegs.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p><p>"We can't come anywhere near getting it done to-night," said Toby,
+surprised at the lateness of the hour, and wondering why Aunt Olive had
+not called him as she had promised. "Let's put the sails back in the
+barn, an' to-morrow mornin' we can begin early, an' have it all done by
+noon."</p>
+
+<p>There was no hope that they could complete the work that night Therefore
+Toby's advice was followed; and when the partners separated, each
+promised to be ready for work early the next morning.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XIV" id="Chapter_XIV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIV</span></h2>
+
+<h3>RAISING THE TENT</h3>
+
+<p>Toby went into the house, feeling rather uneasy because he had not been
+called; but when Aunt Olive told him that Abner had aroused from his
+slumber but twice, and then only for a moment, he had no idea of being
+worried about his friend, although he did think it a little singular he
+should sleep so long.</p>
+
+<p>That evening Dr. Abbot called again, although he had been there once
+before that day; and when Toby saw how troubled Uncle Daniel and Aunt
+Olive looked after he had gone, he asked;</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think Abner is goin' to be sick, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel made no reply, and Aunt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> Olive did not speak for some
+moments; then she said:</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid he stayed out too long this morning; but the doctor hopes
+he will be better to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>If Toby had not been so busily engaged planning for Abner to see the
+work next day, he would have noticed that the sick boy was not left
+alone for more than a few moments at a time, and that both Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive seemed to have agreed not to say anything discouraging to
+him regarding his friend's illness.</p>
+
+<p>When he went to bed that night, he fancied Uncle Daniel's voice
+trembled, as he said:</p>
+
+<p>"May the good God guard and spare you to me, Toby, boy;" but he gave no
+particular thought to the matter, and the sandman threw dust in his eyes
+very soon after his head was on the pillow.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning his first question was regarding Abner, and then he was
+told that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> his friend was not nearly so well as he had been; Aunt Olive
+even said that Toby had better not go into the sick-room, for fear of
+disturbing the invalid.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on with your play by yourself, Toby, boy, and that will be a great
+deal better than trying to have Abner join you, until he is much
+better," said Uncle Daniel, kindly.</p>
+
+<p>"But hain't he goin' to have a ride this mornin'?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, he is not well enough to get up. You go on building your tent, and
+you will be so near the house that you can be called at any moment, if
+Abner asks for you."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was considerably disturbed by the fact that he was not allowed to
+see his friend, and by the way Uncle Daniel spoke; but he went out to
+the barn where his partners were already waiting for him, feeling all
+the more sad now because of his elation the day before.</p>
+
+<p>He had no heart for the work, and, after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> telling the boys that Abner
+was sick again, proposed to postpone operations until he should get
+better; but they insisted that as they were so near the house, it would
+be as well to go on with the work as to remain idle, and Toby could
+offer no argument to the contrary.</p>
+
+<p>Although he did quite as much towards the putting-up of the tent as the
+others did, it was plain to be seen that he had lost his interest in
+anything of the kind, and at least once every half-hour he ran into the
+house to learn how the sick boy was getting on.</p>
+
+<p>All of Aunt Olive's replies were the same: Abner slept a good portion of
+the time, and during the few moments he was awake said nothing, except
+in answer to questions. He did not complain of any pain, nor did he
+appear to take any notice of what was going on around him.</p>
+
+<p>"I think it's because he got all tired out yesterday, an' that he'll be
+himself again<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> to-morrow," said Aunt Olive, after Toby had come in for
+at least the sixth time, and she saw how worried he was.</p>
+
+<p>This hopeful remark restored Toby to something very near his usual good
+spirits; and when he went back to his work after that, his partners were
+pleased to see him take more interest in what was going on.</p>
+
+<p>The tent was up firmly enough to resist any moderate amount of wind, but
+it did not look quite so neat as it would have done had it not been
+necessary to perform the operation of "tucking in" one end, which made
+that side hang in folds that were by no means a pleasing addition to the
+general appearance.</p>
+
+<p>The small door of the barn, over which the tent was placed, served
+instead of a curtain to their dressing-room; and at one side of it, on
+an upturned barrel, arrangements were made for a band-stand.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Mansfield's flag covered the one end completely, and all the boys
+thought it gave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> a better appearance to the whole than if they had made
+it wholly of canvas.</p>
+
+<p>The ring, which Reddy marked out almost before the tent was up, occupied
+nearly the whole of the interior; but since they did not intend to have
+any seats for their audience, it was thought there would be plenty of
+room for all who would come to see them. The main point was to have the
+ring, and to have it as nearly like that of a regular circus as
+possible, while the audience could be trusted to take care of itself.</p>
+
+<p>The animals to be exhibited were to be placed in small cages at each
+corner. Reddy had at first insisted that each cage should be on a cart
+to make it look well; but he gave up that idea when Bob pointed out to
+him that six mice or two squirrels would make rather a small show in a
+wagon, and that they would be obliged to enlarge their tent if they
+carried out that plan, even provided they could get the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>necessary
+number of carts, which was very doubtful.</p>
+
+<p>In the matter of getting sheets from their mothers they had not been as
+successful as they had anticipated. No one of the ladies who had been
+spoken to on the subject was willing to have her bed-linen decorating
+the interior of a circus-tent, even though the show was to be only a
+little one for three cents.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy was quite sure he could mend one or two of the largest holes if he
+had a darning-needle and some twine; but after he got both from Aunt
+Olive, and stuck the needle twice in his own hand, once in Joe
+Robinson's, and then broke it, he concluded that it would be just as
+well to paste brown paper over the holes.</p>
+
+<p>It was a hard job to dig the ground up in order to make as large a ring
+as the boys had marked out, but by persistent work it was accomplished,
+as almost everything can be; and then Ben went to practising, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> order
+that he might, as he expressed it, "get the hang of the thing."</p>
+
+<p>Of course, the fact that a tent had been put up by the side of Uncle
+Daniel's barn was soon known to every boy in the village, and the rush
+of visitors that afternoon was so great that Joe was obliged to begin
+his duties as door-keeper in advance, in order to keep back the crowd.</p>
+
+<p>The number of questions asked by each boy who arrived kept Joe so busy
+answering them that, after every one in town knew exactly what was going
+on, Reddy hit upon the happy plan of getting a large piece of paper, and
+painting on it an announcement of their exhibition.</p>
+
+<p>It was while he was absent in search of the necessary materials with
+which to carry out this work that the finishing touches were put on the
+interior; and the partners were counting the number of hand-springs Ben
+could turn without stopping, when a great shout arose from the visitors
+outside,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> and the circus owners heard a pattering and scratching on the
+canvas above their heads.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Stubbs's brother has got loose, an' he's tearin' 'round on the
+tent!" shouted Joe, as he poked his head in through a hole in the flag,
+and at the same time struggled to keep back a small but bold boy with
+his foot.</p>
+
+<p>Toby, followed by the other proprietors, rushed out at this alarming bit
+of news, and, sure enough, there was the monkey dancing around on the
+top of the tent like a crazy person, while the rope with which he had
+been tied dangled from his neck.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Toby that no other monkey could possibly behave half so
+badly as did Mr. Stubbs's brother on that occasion. He danced back and
+forth from one end of the tent to the other, as if he had been a
+tight-rope performer giving a free exhibition; then he would sit down
+and try to find out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> just how large a hole he could tear in the tender
+canvas, until it seemed as if the tent would certainly be a wreck before
+they could get him down.</p>
+
+<p>Toby coaxed and scolded, and scolded and coaxed, but all to no purpose.
+The monkey would clamber down over the end of the tent as if he were
+about to allow himself to be made a prisoner, and then, just as Toby was
+about to catch the rope, he would spring upon the ridge-pole again,
+chattering with joy at the disappointment he had caused.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors fairly roared with delight, and even the proprietors, whose
+borrowed property was being destroyed, could not help laughing at times,
+although there was not one of them who would not have enjoyed punishing
+Mr. Stubbs's brother very severely.</p>
+
+<p>"He'll break the whole show up if we don't get him off," said Bob, as
+the monkey<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> tore a larger hole than he had yet made, and the crowd
+encouraged him in his mischievous work by their wild cheers.</p>
+
+<p>"I know it; but how can we get him down?" asked Toby, in perplexity,
+knowing that it would not be safe for any one of them to climb upon the
+decayed canvas, even if there were a chance that the monkey would wait
+for them to catch him after they got there.</p>
+
+<p>"Get a long pole, an' scrape him off," suggested Joe; but Toby shook his
+head, for he knew that to "scrape" a monkey from such a place would be
+an impossibility.</p>
+
+<p>Bob had an idea that if he had a rope long enough to make a lasso, he
+could get it around the animal's neck and pull him down; but just as he
+set out to find the rope, Mr. Stubbs's brother settled the matter
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>He had torn one hole fully five inches long, and commenced on another a
+short<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> distance from the first, when the thin fabric gave way, the two
+rents were made one, and down fell Mr. Monkey, only saved from falling
+to the ground by his chin catching on the edges of the cloth.</p>
+
+<p>There he hung, his little round head just showing above the canvas, with
+a bewildered, and, at the same time, discouraged look on his face.</p>
+
+<p>Toby knew that it would be but a moment before the monkey would get his
+paws out from under the canvas, and thus extricate himself from his
+uncomfortable position. Running quickly inside the tent, he seized Mr.
+Stubbs's brother by his long tail, pulling him completely through, and
+the mischievous pet was again a prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>It was a great disappointment to the boys on the outside when this
+portion of the circus was hidden from view; but it was equally as great
+a relief to the partners that the destruction of their tent was at last
+averted.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p><p>After the excitement had nearly subsided, and Toby was reading his pet
+a lesson on the sin of destructiveness, Reddy arrived with the materials
+for making his circus poster&mdash;a sheet of brown paper, a bottle of ink,
+and a brush made by chewing the end of a pine stick.</p>
+
+<p>He began his work at once. It was a long task, but was at last
+accomplished, and when the partners went to their respective homes that
+night, the following placard adorned one side of the tent:</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/ill-196.jpg" width='500' height='228' alt="placard" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XV" id="Chapter_XV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XV</span></h2>
+
+<h3>STEALING DUCKS</h3>
+
+<p>After Toby had secured Mr. Stubbs's brother so that he could not
+liberate himself, he ran into the house to inquire for Abner.</p>
+
+<p>The news this time was more encouraging, for the sick boy had awakened
+thoroughly after his long sleep, and had asked how the work on the tent
+was getting on. Aunt Olive thought Toby could see him, and, after
+promising that he would not remain very long, or allow Abner to talk
+much, he went up-stairs.</p>
+
+<p>The crippled boy was lying in the bed bolstered up with pillows, looking
+out of the window that commanded a view of the tent, and evidently
+puzzled to know whether the large sheet of brown paper<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> which he saw on
+one side was there as an ornament, or to serve some useful purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Toby explained to him that it was the poster Reddy had made, and then
+told him all that had been done that day towards getting ready for the
+great exhibition which was to dazzle the good people of Guilford, as
+well as to bring in a rich reward, in the way of money, to the managers.</p>
+
+<p>Abner was so interested in the matter, and seemed so bright and cheerful
+when he was talking about it, that Toby's fears regarding his illness
+were entirely dispelled; he came to the conclusion that Abner had simply
+been tired, as Aunt Olive had said, and that he would be better than
+ever by morning.</p>
+
+<p>This belief was strengthened by the doctor, who came while Toby was
+still with his friend, and who, in answer to a question, said, cheerily:</p>
+
+<p>"Of course he'll be all right; he may not be quite smart enough to go
+out <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>to-morrow, but before the week is ended I'll guarantee that you'll
+have hard work to keep him in the house."</p>
+
+<p>Toby's heart was light again as he attended to his evening's work; and
+when he met Joe, on his way to the pasture, he laid plans for the coming
+exhibition with a greater zest than he had displayed since the matter
+was first spoken of.</p>
+
+<p>Now that the tent was up, and Abner on the sure and rapid road to
+recovery, Toby thought it quite time that Mr. Stubbs's brother should be
+taught to take some part in the performance. Joe was of the same
+opinion, and they decided to commence the education of the monkey that
+very night, giving him two or three lessons each day until he should be
+thoroughly trained.</p>
+
+<p>The cows were not exactly hurried on the way home that night; but they
+were not allowed to loiter by the roadside when they saw particularly
+tempting tufts of grass, and as soon as they were in the barn Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+Stubbs's brother was taken to the tent.</p>
+
+<p>He was in anything rather than a good condition for training, for he
+evidently remembered his frolic of the afternoon, and was anxious to
+repeat it. Toby thought he could be made to leap through hoops as a
+beginning of his circus education, and all the energies of the boys were
+bent to the accomplishment of this.</p>
+
+<p>But the monkey was either remarkably stupid just then, or determined to
+take no part in the show, for although Joe held the hoops until his arms
+ached, and Toby coaxed and scolded till he was hoarse, Mr. Stubbs's
+brother could not be persuaded even to attempt to leap.</p>
+
+<p>"It's no use to try any more to-night," said Toby, impatiently, when it
+was nearly dark inside the tent, and his pet was showing signs of anger.
+"We'll commence the first thing in the mornin', an' I guess he'll do
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd whip him if I was you," said Joe,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> who was thoroughly tired, and
+angry at the monkey's obstinacy. "If you would give him a good
+switchin', he'd know he's got to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't whip him if he never did anything," said Toby, as he hugged
+his pet tightly, almost as if he feared Joe might attempt, as one of the
+partners in the enterprise, to whip the unwilling performer.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tain't my monkey, so I hain't got nothin' to say about it," and Joe
+was impatient now; "but if he was mine, I'll bet he'd do what I told him
+to."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed almost as if Mr. Stubbs's brother knew what had been said
+about him, for he nestled close to Toby, hiding his face on the boy's
+neck in a way that would have prevented his master from whipping him
+even if he had been disposed so to do.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll put him in the shed, an' I guess he'll be good enough to-morrow,"
+said Toby, cheerfully; and then, after fastening<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> the flag in the front
+of the tent in such a way that the wind would be kept out, if nothing
+more, he and Joe walked towards the house, discussing the question of
+the kind of tickets they should use at the show.</p>
+
+<p>While they were yet some distance from the wood-shed in which Mr.
+Stubbs's brother was lodged, Aunt Olive called Toby to come quickly to
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>"You put him in the wood-shed, an' fasten him in snug," said Toby, as he
+handed the monkey to Joe, and started for the house at full speed.</p>
+
+<p>Now Joe knew perfectly well where Mr. Stubbs's brother was kept; but, as
+he had never seen him put away for the night, he was uncertain whether
+he should be tied there, or simply shut in. It hardly seemed to him that
+Toby would leave the monkey tied up by the neck all night, so he set him
+up comfortably on a bench, and carefully shut the door.</p>
+
+<p>Toby had been called to go to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>druggist's for some medicine, and he
+came out of the house in such haste, calling to Joe to follow him, that
+nothing more was thought of the insecurely prisoned monkey.</p>
+
+<p>When Toby returned, it was so late that Uncle Daniel advised him to go
+to bed if he had any desire to be "healthy, wealthy, and wise," and he
+obeyed at once.</p>
+
+<p>Positive that Abner was on the road to recovery, sure that all his work
+had been done, and with nothing to trouble him, it was not very long
+that Toby lay awake after he was once in bed.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to him that he had been sleeping a long while, when he was
+awakened by the sound as of some one hunting around in his room; and,
+before he had time to call out, the candle was lighted, showing that the
+intruder was Uncle Daniel, only partially dressed and in a high state of
+excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it? What's the matter?" asked Toby, in alarm, thinking at once
+of Abner,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> and fearing that something had happened to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Hush!" said Uncle Daniel, warningly; "don't make a noise, for some one
+is trying to get into the hen-house, an' I am going to make an example
+of him. I suppose it's one of the tramps who went by here to-day, an' I
+want to find that gun I saw in here yesterday."</p>
+
+<p>There was such a weapon in Toby's room, or, at least, what had once been
+a gun was there, for a hired man whom Uncle Daniel had employed left it
+there. It had been an army musket, and appeared to have been used as a
+collection of materials to repair others guns with, for the entire lock,
+ramrod, and at least four inches of the stock had been taken away,
+leaving it a mere wreck of a gun.</p>
+
+<p>"It's up there in the corner behind the wash-stand," said Toby, coming
+out of the bed as quickly as if he had tumbled out, and alarmed at the
+thought of burglars.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> "It hain't no good, Uncle Dan'l, for there's only
+a little of it left."</p>
+
+<p>"It will do as well for me as a better one," said Uncle Daniel, grimly.
+"I don't want to shoot anybody, only to give them a severe fright, and
+perhaps capture them."</p>
+
+<p>"Then what'll you do with 'em?" asked Toby in a whisper, almost as much
+alarmed by Uncle Daniel's savage way of speaking as by the thought of
+the burglars.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know, Toby, boy&mdash;I don't know. The tramps do trouble me
+greatly, an' I'd like to make an example of these; but I suppose they
+must be hungry, or else they wouldn't try to get into the hen-house, I
+guess if we catch one we'll give him a good breakfast, and try to
+persuade him to go to work like an honest man."</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel's anger usually had some such peaceful ending, as Toby
+knew; but he did look bloodthirsty as he stood there in his
+shirt-sleeves, with one stocking on,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> and his night-cap covering one ear
+and but a small portion of his head, while he handled the invalid gun
+recklessly.</p>
+
+<p>By the time he was ready to go in search of the supposed chicken-thief,
+Aunt Olive, looking thoroughly frightened, came into the room with his
+other stocking and his boots in her hand, insisting that he should put
+them on before he ventured out.</p>
+
+<p>It must have been a very tame burglar who would have continued at his
+work after the lights had warned him that the inmates of the house were
+aroused; but Toby did not think of that. He saw that Aunt Olive had
+armed herself with the fire-shovel, that Uncle Daniel kept a firm hold
+of the gun even while he was trying to put his boots on, and he was
+frightened by the warlike preparations.</p>
+
+<p>Toby put on his trousers and shoes as quickly as possible, and when
+Uncle Daniel was ready to start, he stationed himself directly behind
+Aunt Olive, a position<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> which he thought would afford him a fair view of
+what was going on, and at the same time be safe.</p>
+
+<p>"Now be careful of that gun, Dan'l, an' don't go so far that they can
+hurt you, for there's no telling what they will do if they find out you
+mean to catch them," and Aunt Olive looked quite as badly frightened as
+did Toby.</p>
+
+<p>"There, there, Olive, don't be alarmed," said Uncle Daniel, soothingly,
+"they will probably run as soon as they see the gun, and that will end
+it. I only hope that I can catch one," and Uncle Daniel went down the
+stairs as determined and savage looking a man as ever started in search
+of a supposed chicken-thief.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Olive insisted on carrying the candle, though Uncle Daniel urged
+that it would not be possible for him to surprise the burglars if she
+held this light as a warning; but she had no idea of allowing him to go
+out where there was every probability<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> that he would be in danger,
+unless she could see what was going on.</p>
+
+<p>When the party reached the kitchen, the sounds which came from the
+hen-house told plainly that the party they were in search of had not
+ceased his work because the household had been alarmed. The snapping of
+wood could be heard, and if Aunt Olive had not been thoroughly aroused
+before, she was then, for laths were being broken, and one of her
+choicest broods of ducks was secured only by such frail barriers against
+either two or four-legged thieves.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop them quick, or all the ducks will be out," she screamed; and, thus
+urged, Uncle Daniel made a bold stand.</p>
+
+<p>"Get behind me, and hold your hand over the light," he whispered, and
+then he shouted, as he brought the gun up to his shoulder in a very
+threatening manner, "Come out here, and give yourselves up at once."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p><p>There was no answer made to this peremptory command, and, strangely
+enough, the work of destruction was continued as vigorously as if Uncle
+Daniel and his broken gun were a thousand miles away, instead of on the
+spot and ready for action.</p>
+
+<p>"Come away from there instantly, and save yourself any further trouble,"
+shouted Uncle Daniel in a louder voice, stamping his foot, while Aunt
+Olive brandished the fire-shovel to give emphasis to his words.</p>
+
+<p>There was silence for a moment, as if the burglar had stopped to
+consider the matter, and then the work was continued with greater energy
+than before.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Uncle Daniel, as he brought the butt of his
+gun down on his own foot with such force that he was obliged to give
+immediate attention to the wounded member.</p>
+
+<p>Toby had always had a wholesome dread of a gun; but his fear became
+greater than ever when he saw how much mischief could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> be done with one
+as near a total wreck as that was, for Uncle Daniel had seated himself
+on the grass, regardless of the dew, and was hugging his foot as if he
+feared he should lose it.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XVI" id="Chapter_XVI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVI</span></h2>
+
+<h3>A LOST MONKEY</h3>
+
+<p>Even though her husband was wounded, Aunt Olive could not stop to offer
+any aid while her precious ducks were in such peril, as the breaking of
+the laths proved they were; and she started forward alone and unarmed,
+save with the shovel, until a loud quacking indicated that the robber
+had made at least one prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>Dropping the shovel, but still clinging to the candle, Aunt Olive seized
+the gun, and, dragging it along by the muzzle, she cried:</p>
+
+<p>"I'll shoot you if you don't let them ducks alone, and go right straight
+away from here!"</p>
+
+<p>The loud quacking of another duck proved that she had not alarmed the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>burglar; and as she was now quite near the bold robber, by holding her
+candle above her head she could discern in the darkness what looked like
+a boy, with a duck tightly clutched in each hand.</p>
+
+<p>"It's only a boy," she cried to Uncle Daniel, who had given over
+attending to his foot, and was coming up; and then, as she ran towards
+the thief, she cried, "Put down them ducks, you little rascal, or I will
+whip you soundly!"</p>
+
+<p>The boy did not put the ducks down, nor did he stay for the whipping;
+but, with both the noisy prizes held in one hand, he began to climb the
+hen-house in a manner surprising in one so small.</p>
+
+<p>By this time both Toby and Uncle Daniel were on the spot, and the former
+saw that the supposed boy was using a long tail in his work of climbing
+the hen-house.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother; don't shoot him!" he cried, forgetting, in
+his excitement, that the gun was dangerous only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> when dropped on one's
+foot; and then he too tried to climb upon the hen-house.</p>
+
+<p>"The monkey?" cried Uncle Daniel, as he felt on his forehead for his
+spectacles to enable him to see better. Aunt Olive made use of almost
+the same words; but, instead of feeling for her spectacles, she ran
+towards the building, as if she fancied it to be the easiest thing in
+the world to catch a mischievous monkey.</p>
+
+<p>Toby knew, if Aunt Olive did not, that it would be the work of some time
+to catch Mr. Stubbs's brother, and that no threats would induce him to
+come down. Therefore he put forth all his energies in the vain hope of
+overtaking him.</p>
+
+<p>Although the monkey was encumbered by the two ducks he had stolen, he
+could climb twice as fast as Toby could, and Aunt Olive realized the
+fact very soon.</p>
+
+<p>"Scare him till he drops the ducks," she cried to Toby; and then, to do
+her portion of the "scaring," she brandished the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>fire-shovel, and cried
+"shoo!" in a very energetic manner.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel waved his arms, and shouted, "Come down! come down!" as he
+ran from one side of the building to the other; but the only reply to
+his shout was the quacking of the half-strangled ducks.</p>
+
+<p>"Catch him, Toby, catch him, before he kills the ducks," cried Aunt
+Olive, in an agony of fear lest these particular inmates of her
+poultry-yard should be killed.</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I'm tryin' to do," panted Toby, as he chased Mr. Stubbs's
+brother from one end of the roof to the other without even a chance of
+catching him.</p>
+
+<p>The quacking of the ducks was growing fainter every moment, and, knowing
+that something must be done at once, Uncle Daniel hunted around until he
+found a long pole, with which he struck at the monkey.</p>
+
+<p>This had the desired effect, for Mr. Stubbs's brother was so nearly hit
+two or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> three times that he dropped the almost dead ducks, curled his
+tail over his back, and leaped to the ground. He alighted so near Aunt
+Olive that she uttered a loud shriek, nearly falling backward over the
+wood-pile; but the monkey was out of sight in an instant, going in the
+direction of the road.</p>
+
+<p>As his pet disappeared in the darkness, Toby scrambled down from the
+roof of the building and started in pursuit; but before he had gone far
+he heard Uncle Daniel calling to him, while at the same time he realized
+that pursuit would be useless under the circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>"He's run away, an' I won't ever find him again," he said, in so
+mournful a tone that Uncle Daniel knew the tears were very near his
+eyelids.</p>
+
+<p>"He won't go very far, Toby, boy," said Uncle Daniel, consolingly, "and
+you can soon find him after the sun rises."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span></p><p>"He'll be more'n seven miles off by that time," said Toby, as he choked
+back his sobs, and tried to speak firmly.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know much about the nature of monkeys," replied Uncle Daniel,
+speaking very slowly; "but I am inclined to the belief that he will
+remain near here, since he has come to consider this his home. But it
+will be daylight in less than an hour, and then you can start after him.
+I will drive the cows to the pasture, so that you will have nothing to
+delay you."</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Olive had caught up the ducks as soon as Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+dropped them, and, believing it was yet possible to save their lives,
+she had started towards the house for the purpose of applying some
+remedies.</p>
+
+<p>"It's so near morning that I sha'n't go to bed again," she said, "and
+I'll get you something to eat, and put up a lunch for you, so you can
+stay out until you find him."</p>
+
+<p>This offer on Aunt Olive's part seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> doubly kind, since the monkey
+had done so much mischief among her pets, and Toby realized that it
+would be ungrateful in him to complain, more especially as Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive were willing to do all in their power to enable him to
+catch the fugitive.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll mend the duck-pen," he said, resolutely putting from his mind the
+thought of Mr. Stubbs's brother, who he firmly believed was trudging up
+the road in the direction taken by the circus when it left town.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel thought it would be just as well to remain up also, and he
+dragged the wreck of the gun into the house, putting it carefully away
+lest some one should be injured by it, before he commenced to build the
+fire.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother had labored industriously when he set about
+reducing the duck-pen to kindling-wood; and although Toby worked as fast
+as possible, it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> nearly time for the sun to rise before he finished
+the job of repairing it.</p>
+
+<p>By that time Aunt Olive had a nice breakfast ready for him, and a
+generous lunch done up neatly in paper.</p>
+
+<p>Abner had not wakened, therefore Toby was obliged to go away without
+knowing whether he was better or worse; but Aunt Olive told him that she
+thought he need have no fear regarding the invalid, for she felt certain
+he would be much better when he awoke.</p>
+
+<p>Toby ate his breakfast very hurriedly, and then started down the road in
+the direction of his partners' homes, for he thought there would be a
+better chance of capturing the runaway if four or five boys set out in
+pursuit than if he went out alone.</p>
+
+<p>Fully two hours were spent in arousing his partners, explaining what had
+happened, and waiting for them to get their breakfast; but at the end of
+that time every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> one of the circus managers was ready for the search.</p>
+
+<p>There was a decided difference of opinion among them as to which
+direction they should take, some believing the monkey had gone one way
+and some another, and the only plan by which the matter could be settled
+was to divide the force into two parties.</p>
+
+<p>Bob, Reddy, and Ben formed one division, and they started into the woods
+in a nearly straight line from Uncle Daniel's house. Toby, Joe, and
+Leander, making up the other party, went up the road, Toby insisting on
+this course because he was sure that Mr. Stubbs's brother would attempt
+to follow the circus of which he had once been a member, although so
+many weeks had elapsed since it had passed along there.</p>
+
+<p>Leander was of the opinion that they ought to have borrowed a dog, with
+which to track the monkey more easily, and even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> offered to go back to
+get one; but Toby thought that would be a waste of valuable time, more
+especially as it was by no means certain that Leander could procure the
+dog if he did go back.</p>
+
+<p>Joe thought each inch of the road should be examined with a view to
+finding tracks of the monkey; but that plan was given up in a very few
+moments after it was tried, for the good reason that the boys could not
+distinguish even their own footprints, the road was beaten so hard; and
+so they could only walk straight ahead, hoping to come up with the
+fugitive, or to hear some news of him.</p>
+
+<p>At each house on the road they stopped to ask if a stray monkey had been
+seen; but they could hear nothing encouraging until they had walked
+nearly three miles, and were just beginning to think it would have been
+wiser to remain with the party who went into the woods.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, a farmer told them that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> he had seen an animal come up
+the main road, just about sunrise, and that it had gone up through his
+field into an oak grove. He had had no idea at the time that it was a
+monkey, and had intended to take his gun and go in search of it as soon
+as he could spare the time.</p>
+
+<p>Toby trembled as the man said this, for Mr. Stubbs's death was too vivid
+in his mind for him to think without a shudder of any one going in
+search of this monkey with a gun. He started for the grove at full
+speed, fearing that some one with more time at his disposal had seen his
+pet, and might even now be in pursuit of him.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the boys did not know certainly that the animal the farmer had
+seen was Mr. Stubbs's brother, but all were quite sure it was; and,
+before they had been in the oak grove ten minutes they saw the monkey
+himself, hanging by his tail and one paw from the branch of a tree.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XVII" id="Chapter_XVII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>DRIVING A MONKEY</h3>
+
+<p>Toby was so delighted at seeing his pet safe and alive that he set up a
+great shout; and the monkey, thus warned that boys who would chain him
+down to the drudgery of a circus ring were on his track, started off at
+full speed, scolding furiously as he went.</p>
+
+<p>To catch a monkey in the woods was even a harder task than to "scrape"
+him from the tent, or to capture him on the roof of the hen-house; but
+he must be caught, and the three boys started after him, fully aware of
+the difficult task before them.</p>
+
+<p>To Mr. Stubbs's brother this flight and pursuit was simply the wildest
+kind of a frolic, and he fairly screamed with delight as he leaped from
+one tree to another, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>sometimes allowing them almost to touch him, and
+then starting off at full speed until nearly out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>For an hour this tantalizing work was continued, and the pursuers were
+nearly exhausted. Half the time they had been running at full speed, and
+the only chance for rest had been when they were trying to creep upon
+Mr. Stubbs's brother unawares, which was just about no rest at all.</p>
+
+<p>Leander, who was naturally a very slow-moving boy, and quite fleshy, was
+more quickly tired than the others. When, for at least the twentieth
+time, they thought they had the monkey within their grasp, and he darted
+to the top of one of the tallest trees, Leander declared he could not
+take another step, even though the life of the monkey and the success of
+the circus depended upon it.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, it was not to be thought of that they should leave their band
+there exhausted and alone, so Toby decided they should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> rest as long as
+Mr. Stubbs's brother remained in the tree, and it was determined to
+occupy the time by eating the luncheon Aunt Olive had prepared.</p>
+
+<p>During the last ten minutes of the chase, Leander's face had worn a very
+gloomy expression; but it lighted wonderfully when the package of food
+was opened, and Toby helped him to a very generous slice of bread and
+meat.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was Leander the only one who looked with favor upon the food. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on at
+the foot of the tree in which he had taken refuge, and he showed every
+disposition to make one of the eating party.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing his evident hunger, Toby was sure it would be possible to capture
+the monkey by means of the food, and he walked around the trunk of the
+tree, holding a piece of ginger-bread temptingly in his fingers.</p>
+
+<p>The monkey came down from branch to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> branch, as if he had decided to
+allow himself to be made a prisoner for the sake of the food; but, just
+as Toby was about to seize him, he jumped back with a cry that sounded
+much as if he were laughing because of the disappointment he had caused.</p>
+
+<p>Then Joe tried his skill at monkey-catching, coming about as near
+success as Toby had done; and Leander was roused to action by the new
+phase the chase had assumed. He too held out some food in order to give
+Mr. Stubbs's brother the impression that all he had to do was to come
+and get it.</p>
+
+<p>In thus trying the coaxing plan, all three of the boys got on one side
+of the tree, while the greater part of their provisions was on the
+opposite side.</p>
+
+<p>The monkey descended again, first towards one boy and then towards
+another, as if it were his purpose to allow all three to catch him, and
+all were equally certain they were about to succeed, when Mr. Stubbs's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
+brother suddenly ran along the branches towards the food. Before it was
+possible for any of the boys to intercept him, he had dropped to the
+ground, seized two of the very largest pieces of cake, and was up in the
+tree again so quickly that but for the cake he had in his paws it might
+have been doubted whether or not he had been on the ground at all.</p>
+
+<p>Now Mr. Stubbs's brother could laugh at his pursuers, if it is possible
+for a monkey to laugh; for, without any thanks to them, he had a trifle
+more than his share of the provisions, and was still at liberty.</p>
+
+<p>"It hain't any use," said Joe, in despair, as he threw himself on the
+ground and attacked the luncheon savagely, "I don't believe we shall
+ever get him; an' if we don't, it won't be much use for us to have our
+show, for every real circus has a monkey."</p>
+
+<p>"We <i>must</i> catch him," replied Toby, mournfully, looking up into the
+tree where his pet sat eating the stolen food with the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> greatest
+possible enjoyment. "I wouldn't go home an' leave him here if I had to
+stay all night."</p>
+
+<p>"One might watch here while the others went back to the village an' got
+every feller there to come out an' help catch him," suggested Leander,
+who was famous for having ideas so brilliant that no one could carry
+them into execution.</p>
+
+<p>"We're goin' away from home all the time this way," said Toby, after he
+had studied the matter carefully, without paying any attention to the
+suggestion made by Leander; "now let's get a little ways the other side
+of the tree, an' when he comes down again he'll have to go towards home.
+Even if we can't catch him, perhaps we can drive him into the village."</p>
+
+<p>Even Leander could see the wisdom of this plan, and the party moved
+their luncheon and themselves to the side of the tree opposite to that
+on which they had approached it.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span></p><p>Of course there was nothing to do but await Mr. Stubbs's brother's
+pleasure in the matter, and he seemed to be in no haste to make a move.
+He ate his cake in the most leisurely fashion possible, and then
+appeared to be wonderfully interested in the leaves, for he would spend
+several minutes pulling one apart, probably to see how it was made.</p>
+
+<p>But he was obliged to come down at last, and he chose the time just as
+Leander had settled himself comfortably for a nap, which did not tend to
+make the band regard him with additional favor.</p>
+
+<p>As Toby had thought, the monkey started back in the direction they had
+come; and, as he was going towards home, they did not make any effort to
+hurry him. If they could not catch him, they could at least drive him,
+and they were satisfied to let him go as slowly as he chose&mdash;a plan
+which met with hearty approval from Leander.</p>
+
+<p>For some time Mr. Stubbs's brother<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> moved along as if it were his
+greatest desire to be back at Uncle Daniel's again, and then Toby saw
+him run along swiftly as if he had found something under a tree which
+interested him greatly.</p>
+
+<p>Afraid that the monkey had done this simply to avoid being driven, and
+that he might dart through the underbrush and get in rear of them again,
+Toby ran forward quickly; but before he had taken more than a dozen
+steps he heard piercing shrieks, which evidently came from the monkey,
+while the commotion among the bushes indicated that a struggle of some
+kind was taking place there.</p>
+
+<p>With but one thought, and that for the safety of his pet, Toby ran ahead
+regardless of the bushes that tore his clothing and scratched his face.
+A struggle was going on, as he saw when he pulled the branches of the
+trees away, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was getting decidedly the worst of
+it.</p>
+
+<p>A small, prickly ball curled up at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> foot of the tree, and the monkey
+striking at it savagely with his paws, while porcupine quills were
+sticking in his face and body, told the whole story.</p>
+
+<p>The monkey had seen the porcupine, and, much to his discomfort, had
+tried to make that animal's acquaintance. As every boy knows, when one
+of these animals is attacked it immediately rolls itself up into a ball,
+with the quills or spines sticking straight out, and the attacking party
+generally gets plentifully supplied with them in a very short time.</p>
+
+<p>It was some moments before Toby could persuade his pet to stop trying to
+inflict punishment when he was getting the greater part himself; but he
+pulled him away at last, and the porcupine, unrolling himself with a
+grunt of satisfaction, trotted away into the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>There was no disposition on the part of Mr. Stubbs's brother to run away
+again. He stood there looking as sad and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>discouraged as a monkey ought
+to look who had commenced his day's work by stealing ducks, and
+concluded it by fighting a porcupine.</p>
+
+<p>The quills stood out from his face, making him look as if sadly in need
+of shaving, while on almost every inch of his body there was one of
+these natural weapons, giving him a decidedly comical appearance.</p>
+
+<p>As he stood there holding out his paws to Toby as if asking him to
+extract the spines, and squinting down now and then at those in his
+face, the boys did not try to restrain their laughter, which appeared to
+make the inquisitive monkey very angry.</p>
+
+<p>He screamed and scolded in the shrillest tones until Toby set about
+picking out the quills for him, and Joe took a firm hold of his collar,
+to make sure he should not escape when he was relieved from the effects
+of his introduction to the porcupine.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XVIII" id="Chapter_XVIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVIII</span></h2>
+
+<h3>COLLECTING THE ANIMALS</h3>
+
+<p>It was quite a task to extract the porcupine quills from Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, because the operation was painful, and he danced about in a way
+that seriously interfered with the work.</p>
+
+<p>But the last one was out after a time, and the monkey was marched along
+between Joe and Toby, looking very repentant now that he was in his
+master's power again.</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you what it is," said Joe, sagely, after he had walked awhile in
+silence as if studying some matter, "we'd better get about six big
+chains an' fasten Mr. Stubbs's brother to the tent; 'cause if we keep on
+tryin' to train him, he'll keep on gettin' loose, an' before he gets
+through with it, we sha'n't have any show left."</p>
+
+<p>"I think that's the best thing we can do,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> panted Leander; "'cause if
+all hands of us has to start out many times like this, some of the boys
+will come up while we're off, an' pull the tent down."</p>
+
+<p>"We can tie him in the tent, and have him for a wild man of Borneo,"
+suggested Joe.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess we won't train him," replied Toby, rather sorry to deprive his
+pet of the pleasure of being one of the performers, and yet fearing the
+trouble he would cause if they should try to make anything more than an
+ordinary monkey out of him.</p>
+
+<p>The pursuit had led the boys farther from home than they had imagined,
+and it was noon when, weary and hungry, they arrived at the tent, where
+they found the other party, who had given up the search some time
+before. They had travelled through the woods without hearing or seeing
+anything of the runaway, and had returned in the hope that the others
+had been more successful.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p><p>Leaving Mr. Stubbs's brother in charge of the partners, who, it was
+safe to say, would now take very good care to prevent his escape, Toby
+hurried into the house to see Abner.</p>
+
+<p>The sick boy was no better, Aunt Olive said, neither did he appear to be
+any worse&mdash;he was sleeping then; and, after eating some of his dinner at
+the table, and taking the remainder in his hands, Toby went out to the
+tent again.</p>
+
+<p>He found his partners indulging in an animated discussion as to when the
+performance should be given.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy was in favor of having it within two or three days at furthest;
+Bob thought that, as Mr. Stubbs's brother was not to be one of the
+performers, there was no reason for delay.</p>
+
+<p>All the others were of the same opinion, but Toby urged them to wait
+until Abner could take part in it.</p>
+
+<p>To this Bob had a very reasonable <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span>objection: in two weeks more school
+would begin, and then, of course, the circus would be out of the
+question. If their first exhibition should be a success, as it
+undoubtedly would be, they could give a second performance when Abner
+should get well enough to attend it; and that would be quite as pleasing
+to him as for all the talent to remain idle while waiting for his
+recovery.</p>
+
+<p>Toby felt that his partners asked him to do only that which was fair;
+the circus scheme had already done Abner more harm than good, and, as he
+did not seem to be dangerously sick, it would be unkind to the others to
+insist on waiting.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd rather Abner was with us when we had the first show," said Toby;
+"but I s'pose it'll be just as well to go ahead with it, an' then give
+another after he can come out."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we'll have it Saturday afternoon; an' while Reddy's fixin' up the
+tickets, Ben<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> an' I'll get the animals up here, so's to see how they'll
+look, an' to let 'em get kinder used to the tent."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy was a boy who did not believe in wasting any time after a matter
+was decided upon, and almost as soon as Toby consented to go on with the
+show, he went for materials with which to make posters and tickets.</p>
+
+<p>His activity aroused the others, and all started out to bring in the
+animals, leaving Toby to guard Mr. Stubbs's brother and the tent. The
+canvas would take care of itself, so long as it was unmolested, but the
+other portion of Toby's charge was not so easily managed. After much
+thought, however, he settled the monkey question by tying Mr. Stubbs's
+brother to the end pole, with a rope long enough to allow him to climb
+nearly to the top, but short enough to keep him at a safe distance from
+the canvas.</p>
+
+<p>By the time this was done, Ben arrived with the first instalment of
+curiosities. His crowing hen he had under his arm, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> Mrs. Simpson's
+three-legged cat and four kittens he brought in a basket.</p>
+
+<p>"Joe's got a cage 'most built for the hen, an' I'll fix one for the cat
+this afternoon," he said, as he seated himself on the basket, and held
+the hen in his lap.</p>
+
+<p>"You can't fix it if you've got to hold her," said Toby, as he brought
+from the barn a bushel-basket, which was converted into a coop by
+turning it bottom side up, and putting the hen underneath it.</p>
+
+<p>Ben was about to make a search of the barn for the purpose of finding
+some materials with which to build the cat's cage, when a great noise
+was heard outside, and the two partners left the tent hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Bob an' his calf," said Ben, who had got out first, and then he
+started towards the newcomers at full speed.</p>
+
+<p>It was Bob and his calf; but the animal should have been mentioned
+first, for it seemed very much as if he were bringing his master,
+instead of being brought by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> him. In order to carry his cage of mice and
+lead the calf at the same time, Bob had tied the rope that held this
+representative of a grizzly bear around his waist, and had taken the
+cage under his arm. This plan had worked well enough until just as they
+were entering the field that led to the tent, when Bob tripped and fell,
+scaring the calf so that he started at full speed for the barn, of
+course dragging the unfortunate Bob with him.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes on his face, sometimes on his back, screaming for help
+whenever his mouth was uppermost, and clinging firmly to the cage of
+mice, Bob was dragged almost to the door of the tent, where the
+frightened animal was finally secured.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I've got him here, an' I hain't lost a single mouse," said Bob,
+as he counted his treasures before even scraping the dirt from his face.</p>
+
+<p>Ben and Toby led the calf into the tent after some difficulty, owing to
+the attempts<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> of Mr. Stubbs's brother to frighten him, and then they did
+their best to separate the dirt from their partner.</p>
+
+<p>In this good work they had but partially succeeded, when Reddy arrived
+with a large package of brown paper, and his cat without a tail. This
+startling curiosity he carried in a bag slung over his shoulder, and
+from the expression on his face when he came up it seemed almost certain
+that the cat's claws had passed through the bag and into her master's
+flesh.</p>
+
+<p>"There," he exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, as he threw his live
+burden at the foot of the post to which Mr. Stubbs's brother was tied,
+"I've kept shiftin' that cat from one shoulder to the other ever since I
+started, an' I tell you she can scratch as well as if she had a tail as
+long as the monkey's."</p>
+
+<p>It surely seemed as if the work of building the cages had been too long
+neglected, for here were a number of curiosities without anything in
+which they could be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>exhibited, and the audience might be dissatisfied
+if asked to pay to see a cat in a bag, or a hen under a bushel-basket.</p>
+
+<p>Toby spoke of this, and Bob assured him that it could easily be arranged
+as soon as all the partners should arrive.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, we've got to carry Mrs. Simpson's cat an' kittens home every
+night, 'cause she says the rats are so thick she can spare her only
+day-times, an' we don't need a cage for her till the show comes off,"
+said Bob, as he bustled around again to find materials.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother demanded his master's attention about this time,
+owing to his attempts to make friends with the calf. From the time that
+this peaceful animal, who was to be transformed into a grizzly bear, had
+been brought into the tent, the monkey had tried in every possible way
+to get at him, and the calf had shown unmistakable signs of a desire to
+butt the monkey; but the ropes which held them both had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> prevented the
+meeting. Now, however, Bob detected Mr. Stubbs's brother in trying to
+bite his rope in two, and it was considered necessary to set a guard
+over him.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy was already busily engaged in painting the posters, despite the
+confusion that reigned, and, as his work would keep him inside the tent,
+he was chosen to have general care of the animals, a task which he,
+without a thought of possible consequences, accepted cheerfully.</p>
+
+<p>Leander and Joe came together, the first bringing his accordion, and
+four rabbits in a cage, and the last carrying five striped squirrels in
+a paste-board box.</p>
+
+<p>Leander was the only one who had been thoughtful enough to have his
+animals ready for exhibition, and the cage in which the long-eared pets
+were confined bore the inscription, done in a very fanciful way with
+blue and red crayons, "Wolves. Keep off!"</p>
+
+<p>This cage was placed in the corner near<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> the band-stand, where the
+musician could attend to his musical work and have a watchful eye on his
+pets at the same time.</p>
+
+<p>Reddy had been busily engaged in painting a notice to be hung up over
+the calf; and, as he fastened it to the barn just over the spot where
+the animal was to be kept, Bob read, with no small degree of pride in
+the thought that he was the fortunate possessor of such a prize,</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/ill-242.jpg" width='500' height='92' alt="GRIzsLee BARE FROM THE ROCKY MOunTAINS" /></div>
+
+<p>Then the artist went back to his task of painting posters, while the
+others set to work, full of determination to build the necessary number
+of cages if there was wood enough in Uncle Daniel's barn.</p>
+
+<p>They found timber enough and to spare; but, as it was not exactly the
+kind they wanted, Toby proposed that they should all go over to the
+house, explain the matter to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> Aunt Olive, and ask her to give them as
+many empty boxes as she could afford to part with.</p>
+
+<p>As has been said before, Aunt Olive looked upon the circus scheme with
+favor, and when she was called upon to aid in the way of furnishing
+cages for wild animals, she gave the boys full permission to take all
+the boxes they could find in the shed. They found so many that they were
+able to select those best suited to the different species of animals,
+and yet have quite a stock to fall back upon in case they should make
+additions to their menagerie.</p>
+
+<p>Now that the boys had found cages ready made, and needing only some bars
+or slats across the front, they did not think it necessary to hurry.
+They stayed for some time to talk of Abner, and to test some doughnuts
+Aunt Olive was frying. It is very likely that they would have remained
+even longer than they did, if the doughnut-frying had not been
+completed, and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>tempting dainties placed upon a high shelf beyond
+their reach, as a gentle intimation that they had had about as many as
+they would get that afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>After leaving the house, they walked leisurely towards the barn, little
+dreaming what a state of confusion their property was in&mdash;until Reddy
+rushed out of the tent, his jacket torn, his face bleeding, and his
+general appearance that of a boy who had been having rather a hard time
+of it.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XIX" id="Chapter_XIX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIX</span></h2>
+
+<h3>THE SHOW BROKE UP</h3>
+
+<p>"Why, what's the matter? Why don't you stay an' watch the animals?"
+asked Bob, in a tone intended to convey reproach and surprise that one
+of the projectors of the enterprise should desert his post of duty.</p>
+
+<p>"Watch the animals?" screamed Reddy, in a rage; "you go an' watch 'em
+awhile instead of eatin' doughnuts, an' see how you like it. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother picked a hole in the bag so my cat got out, an' she
+jumped on the calf, an' he tore 'round awful till he let the hen an'
+Mrs. Simpson's cat loose, an' I got knocked down an' scratched, an' the
+whole show's broke up."</p>
+
+<p>Reddy sat down on the ground, and wiped the blood from his face after he
+had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> imparted the painful news; and all the party started for the tent
+as rapidly as possible.</p>
+
+<p>It was a scene of ruin which they looked in upon after they had pulled
+aside Mr. Mansfield's flag, and one well calculated to discourage
+amateur circus proprietors.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stubbs's brother was seated amid Reddy's paper and paint, holding
+the crowing hen by the head while he picked her wing-feathers out one by
+one. Mrs. Simpson's cat and kittens each had one of Bob's mice in its
+mouth, while Reddy's cat was chasing one of the squirrels with a
+murderous purpose. The calf was no longer an inmate of the tent; but a
+large rent in the canvas showed that he had opened a door for himself
+when the cat scratched him; and afar in the distance he could be seen,
+head down and tail up, as if fleeing from everything that looked like a
+circus.</p>
+
+<p>The destruction was as complete as it could well have been made in so
+short a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> time, and the partners were, quite naturally, discouraged. Toby
+retained sufficient presence of mind, amid the trouble, to rescue the
+crowing hen from the murderous clutches of Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the
+monkey scampered up the tent-pole, brandishing two or three of poor
+biddy's best and longest wing-feathers, while he screamed with
+satisfaction that he had accomplished at least a portion of the work of
+stripping the fowl.</p>
+
+<p>"The show's broke up, an' that's all there's to it," said Bob,
+sorrowfully, as he gazed alternately at the hole in the canvas and his
+rapidly vanishing calf.</p>
+
+<p>"Are the squirrels all gone?" asked Joe, driving the cat from her
+intended prey long enough to allow Master Bushy-tail to gain a refuge
+under the barn.</p>
+
+<p>"Every one," replied Reddy. "The calf kicked the box over when he come
+towards me, an' it looked as if there was as many as a hundred come out
+jest as soon as the cover<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> was off. I could have caught one or two; but
+somehow Mrs. Simpson's cat got out of the basket jest then, an' she flew
+right on to my face."</p>
+
+<p>The marks on Reddy's cheeks and nose told most eloquently with what
+force the cat "flew," and search was at once made for that pet of the
+Simpson family. She, with her kittens, had taken refuge under the barn
+as soon as the boys entered, and thus another trouble was added to the
+load the circus managers had to bear, for that cat must be returned to
+her mistress by night, or trouble might come of it.</p>
+
+<p>The mice were entirely consumed, two tails alone remaining of what would
+have been shown to the good people of Guilford as strange animals from
+some far-off country.</p>
+
+<p>The squirrels were gone, the calf had fled, the hen was in a thoroughly
+battered condition, and nothing remained of all that vast and wonderful
+collection of animals<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> except Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the rabbits,
+protected by the cage which their master's thoughtfulness had provided.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="ill-249.jpg" id="ill-249.jpg"></a><img src="images/ill-249.jpg" width='483' height='700' alt="TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER" /></div>
+
+<h4>TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER</h4>
+
+<p>"I guess I'll take the rabbits home," said Leander, as he lifted the box
+to his shoulder. "It wouldn't do to have only them for animals, an' it
+hain't very certain how long they'll stay alive while that monkey's
+'round."</p>
+
+<p>"He's broke up the whole show, that's what he's done," and Ben shook his
+fist at Mr. Stubbs's brother, while he tried to soothe his half-plucked
+hen.</p>
+
+<p>"What <i>are</i> we goin' to do?" asked Toby, almost in despair.</p>
+
+<p>"I know what I'm goin' to do," said Ben, as he again placed the hen
+under the basket; "I'm goin' to crawl under the barn an' try to catch
+that cat, an' then I'm goin' home with my hen."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to be the desire of all the partners to get home with what
+remained of their pets, and as Ben went under the barn<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> on his hands and
+knees, Leander started off with his rabbits, Bob went to look for his
+calf, Reddy gathered up his bundle of paper, and Joe seized his
+pasteboard box, all going away where they could think over the ruin in
+solitude.</p>
+
+<p>But high up on the post the cause of all this trouble chattered and
+scolded, while his master sat on the ground, looking at him as if he
+wondered whether or not it would ever be possible to reform such a
+monkey.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="Chapter_XX" id="Chapter_XX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XX</span></h2>
+
+<h3>ABNER'S DEATH</h3>
+
+<p>After Toby was left alone in the tent, he remained for some time looking
+at the triumphant monkey, and listening to Ben's attempts to crawl
+around under the barn as fast as the cat could, when suddenly, as if
+such a thought had not occurred to him before, he cried out:</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you want me to come an' help you, Ben?"</p>
+
+<p>"You keep that monkey back, that's all the helpin' I want," Ben replied,
+almost sharply, and then the sounds indicated that the cat had suddenly
+changed her position to one farther under the barn, while the boy was
+trying to frighten her out.</p>
+
+<p>"Give it up, Ben," shouted Toby, after waiting some time longer, and not
+seeing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> any sign of success on the part of his friend. "If you come up
+here about dark you'll have a chance to catch her, for she'll have to
+come out for something to eat."</p>
+
+<p>"You take the monkey into the house, an' I'll get along all right," was
+the almost savage reply. "She smells him, an' jest as long as he's there
+she'll stay under here."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Toby almost cruel to desert his friend and partner just at
+a time when he needed assistance; but he could do no less than go away,
+since he had been urged so peremptorily to do so, and, catching his pet
+without much difficulty, he carried Mr. Stubbs's brother away from the
+scene of the ruin he had caused.</p>
+
+<p>Ben's remark, that the monkey had "broke the show all up," seemed to be
+very near the truth; for the boys would not think of going on with so
+small a number of animals; and, even if they decided to do without the
+menagerie, Bob's calf had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> wrecked one side of the tent so completely
+that that particular piece of canvas was past mending.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what we'll do," said Toby, mournfully, after he had
+finished telling the story to Aunt Olive. "The boys act as if they
+blamed me, because Mr. Stubbs's brother is so bad, and Joe's squirrels
+an' Bob's mice are all gone. Ben's hen don't look as if she'd ever
+'mount to much, an' it don't seem to me that he can get Mrs. Simpson's
+cat an' every one of the kittens out from under the barn."</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't go to worryin' about that, Toby," said Aunt Olive, as she
+patted him on the head, and gave him a large piece of cake at the same
+time. "You can get a dozen cats for Mrs. Simpson if she wants 'em; and
+as for mice, you tell Bob to set his trap out in the granary two or
+three times, an' he'll have as many as he can take care of. I'm glad the
+squirrels did get<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> away, for it seems such a sin to shut them up in a
+cage when they're so happy in the woods."</p>
+
+<p>Toby was cheered by the very philosophical view that Aunt Olive took of
+the affair, and came to the conclusion that matters were not more than
+half so bad as they might have been.</p>
+
+<p>"You be careful that your monkey don't get out again, an' go to cuttin'
+up as he did last night, for I shall get provoked with him if he hurts
+my ducks any more," and, with this bit of advice, Aunt Olive went
+up-stairs to see Abner.</p>
+
+<p>Toby went out to the shed to assure himself that Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was tied so that he could not escape, and while he was there Uncle
+Daniel came in with an armful of strips of board.</p>
+
+<p>"There, Toby, boy," he said, as he laid them on the floor, and looked
+around for the hammer and nails, "I'm going to build a pen for your
+monkey right up here in one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> corner, so that we sha'n't be called up
+again in the night by a false alarm of burglars. Besides, it's almost
+time for school to begin again, an' I'm 'most too old to commence
+chasing monkeys around the country in case he gets out while you're
+away."</p>
+
+<p>Had it been suggested the day before that Mr. Stubbs's brother was to be
+shut up in a cage, Toby would have thought it a very great hardship for
+his pet to endure; but the experience he had had in the last twenty-four
+hours convinced him that the imprisonment was for the best.</p>
+
+<p>He helped Uncle Daniel in his labor to such purpose that, when it was
+time for him to go to the pasture, the cage was built, and Mr. Stubbs's
+brother was in it, looking as if he considered himself a thoroughly
+abused monkey, because he was not allowed to play just such pranks as
+had roused the household as well as broken up the circus scheme.</p>
+
+<p>On his way to the pasture, Toby met Joe,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> and the two had a long talk
+about the disaster of the afternoon. Joe believed that the enterprise
+must be abandoned&mdash;for that summer at least&mdash;as it would take them some
+time to repair the damage done, and his short experience in the business
+caused him to believe that they could hardly hope to compete with real
+circuses until they had more material with which to work.</p>
+
+<p>Joe promised to see the other partners that evening or the next morning;
+and, if they were of the same opinion, the tent should be taken down and
+returned to its owner.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we can fix it all right next year, an' then Abner will be
+'round to help," said Toby, as he parted with Joe that night; and thus
+was the circus project ended very sensibly, for the chances were that it
+would have been a failure if they had attempted to give their
+exhibition.</p>
+
+<p>During that afternoon Toby had worried less about Abner than on any day
+since he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> had been sick; he had felt that his friend's recovery was
+certain, and a load was lifted from his shoulders when he and Joe had
+decided regarding the circus; for, that out of the way, he could devote
+all his attention to his sick friend. Surely, with the ponies and the
+monkey they could have a great deal of sport during the two weeks that
+yet remained before school would begin, and Toby felt thoroughly happy.</p>
+
+<p>But his happiness was changed to alarm very soon after he entered the
+house, for the doctor was there again, and, from the look on the faces
+of Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive, he knew Abner must be worse.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, Uncle Dan'l? is Abner any sicker?" he asked, with quivering
+lip, as he looked up at the wrinkled face that ever wore a kindly look
+for him.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Daniel laid his hand affectionately on the head of the boy, whom
+he had cared for with the tenderness of a father since the day he
+repented and asked forgiveness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> for having run away, and his voice
+trembled as he said:</p>
+
+<p>"It is very likely that the good God will take the crippled boy to
+Himself to-night, Toby, and there in the heavenly mansions will he find
+relief from all his pain and infirmities. Then the poor-farm boy will no
+longer be an orphan or deformed, but, with his Almighty Father, will
+enter into such joys as we can have no conception of."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Uncle Dan'l! must Abner really die?" cried Toby, while the great
+tears chased each other down his cheeks, and he hid his face on Uncle
+Daniel's knee.</p>
+
+<p>"He will die here, Toby, boy, but it is simply an awakening into a
+perfect, glorious life, to which I pray that both you and I may be
+prepared to go when our Father calls us."</p>
+
+<p>For some time there was silence in the room, broken only by Toby's sobs;
+and, while Uncle Daniel stroked the weeping<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> boy's head, the great
+white-winged messenger of God came into the chamber above, bearing away
+with him the spirit of the poor-farm boy.</p>
+
+<h4>THE END</h4>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
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@@ -0,0 +1,4811 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Mr. Stubbs's Brother
+       A Sequel to 'Toby Tyler'
+
+Author: James Otis
+
+Release Date: January 5, 2009 [EBook #27702]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Garcia, Martin Pettit and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Kentuckiana Digital Library)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+[Illustration: MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF [See p. 205]]
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+A Sequel to "TOBY TYLER"
+
+BY JAMES OTIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "TIM AND TIP," ETC.
+
+ILLUSTRATED
+
+[Illustration: Logo]
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+NEW YORK AND LONDON
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1882, 1910, BY HARPER & BROTHERS
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY JAMES OTIS KALER
+
+PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER                                        PAGE
+
+    I. THE SCHEME                                 1
+
+   II. THE BLIND HORSE                           14
+
+  III. ABNER BOLTON                              31
+
+   IV. THE PONY                                  40
+
+    V. OLD BEN                                   54
+
+   VI. THE GREAT EVENT                           66
+
+  VII. ATTRACTIONS FOR THE LITTLE CIRCUS         78
+
+ VIII. THE DINNER PARTY                          91
+
+   IX. MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER                     105
+
+    X. THE ACCIDENT                             119
+
+   XI. CHANGE OF PLANS                          131
+
+  XII. A REHEARSAL                              143
+
+ XIII. THE RESULTS OF LONG TRAINING             156
+
+  XIV. RAISING THE TENT                         170
+
+   XV. STEALING DUCKS                           183
+
+  XVI. A LOST MONKEY                            197
+
+ XVII. DRIVING A MONKEY                         208
+
+XVIII. COLLECTING THE ANIMALS                   218
+
+  XIX. THE SHOW BROKE UP                        231
+
+   XX. ABNER'S DEATH                            237
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER MISBEHAVES HIMSELF             _Frontispiece_
+                                                            FACING
+                                                              PAGE
+PLANNING THE CIRCUS                                             14
+
+MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY                            92
+
+TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER         234
+
+
+
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE SCHEME
+
+
+"Why, we could start a circus jest as easy as a wink, Toby, 'cause you
+know all about one an' all you'd have to do would be to tell us fellers
+what to do, an' we'd 'tend to the rest."
+
+"Yes; but you see we hain't got a tent, or bosses, or wagons, or
+nothin', an' I don't see how you could get a circus up that way;" and
+the speaker hugged his knees as he rocked himself to and fro in a musing
+way on the rather sharp point of a large rock, on which he had seated
+himself in order to hear what his companions had to say that was so
+important.
+
+"Will you come down with me to Bob Atwood's, an' see what he says about
+it?"
+
+"Yes, I'll do that if you'll come out afterwards for a game of I-spy
+'round the meetin'-house."
+
+"All right; if we can find enough of the other fellers, I will."
+
+Then the boys slipped down from the rocks, found the cows, and drove
+them home as the preface to their visit to Bob Atwood's.
+
+The boy who was so anxious to start a circus was a little fellow with
+such a wonderful amount of remarkably red hair that he was seldom called
+anything but Reddy, although his name was known--by his parents, at
+least--to be Walter Grant. His companion was Toby Tyler, a boy who, a
+year before, had thought it would be a very pleasant thing to run away
+from his Uncle Daniel and the town of Guilford in order to be with a
+circus, and who, in ten weeks, was only too glad to run back home as
+rapidly as possible.
+
+During the first few months of his return, very many brilliant offers
+had been made Toby by his companions to induce him to aid them in
+starting an amateur circus; but he had refused to have anything to do
+with the schemes, and for several reasons. During the ten weeks he had
+been away, he had seen quite as much of a circus life as he cared to
+see, without even such a mild dose as would be this amateur show; and,
+again, whenever he thought of the matter, the remembrance of the death
+of his monkey, Mr. Stubbs, would come upon him so vividly, and cause him
+so much sorrow, that he resolutely put the matter from his mind.
+
+Now, however, it had been a year since the monkey was killed; school had
+closed during the summer season; and he was rather more disposed to
+listen to the requests of his friends.
+
+On this particular night, Reddy Grant had offered to go with him for the
+cows--an act of generosity which Toby accounted for only on the theory
+that Reddy wanted some of the strawberries which grew so plentifully in
+Uncle Daniel's pasture. But when they arrived there the strawberries
+were neglected for the circus question, and Toby then showed he was at
+least willing to talk about it.
+
+There was no doubt that Bob Atwood knew Reddy was going to try to induce
+Toby to help start a circus, and Bob knew, also, that Reddy and Toby
+would visit him, although he appeared very much surprised when he saw
+them coming up the hill towards his house. He was at home, evidently
+waiting for something, at an hour when all the other boys were out
+playing; and that, in itself, would have made Toby suspicious if he had
+paid much attention to the matter.
+
+Bob was perfectly willing to talk about a circus--so willing that,
+almost before Toby was aware of it, he was laying plans with the others
+for such a show as could be given with the material at hand.
+
+"You see we'd have to get a tent the first thing," said Toby, as he
+seated himself on the saw-horse as a sort of place of honor, and
+proceeded to give his companions the benefit of his experience in the
+circus line. "I s'pose we could get along without a fat woman, or a
+skeleton; but we'd have to have the tent anyway, so's folks couldn't
+look right in an' see the show for nothin'."
+
+Reddy had decided some time before how that trifling matter could be
+arranged; and, as he went industriously to work making shavings out of a
+portion of a shingle, he said:
+
+"I've got all that settled, Toby; an' when you say you're willin' to go
+ahead an' fix up the show, I'll be on hand with a tent that'll make your
+eyes stick out over a foot."
+
+Bob nodded his head to show he was convinced Reddy could do just as he
+had promised; but Toby was anxious for more particulars, and insisted
+on knowing where this very necessary portion of a circus was coming
+from.
+
+"You see a tent is a big thing," he said seriously; "an' it would cost
+more money than the fellers in this town could raise if they should pick
+all the strawberries in Uncle Dan'l's pasture."
+
+"Oh, I don't say as the tent Reddy's got his eye on is a reg'lar one
+like a real circus has," said Bob slowly and candidly, as he began to
+draw on the side of the wood-shed a picture of what he probably intended
+should represent a horse; "but he knows how he can rig one up that'll be
+big enough, an' look stavin'."
+
+With this information Toby was obliged to be satisfied; and with the
+view of learning more of the details, in case his companions had
+arranged for them, he asked:
+
+"Where you goin' to get the company--the folks that ride, an' turn
+hand-springs, an' all them things?"
+
+"Ben Cushing can turn twice as many hand-springs as any feller you ever
+saw, an' he can walk on his hands twice round the engine-house. I guess
+you couldn't find many circuses that could beat him, an' he's been
+practising in his barn all the chance he could get for more'n a week."
+
+Without intending to do so, Bob had thus let the secret out that the
+scheme had already been talked up before Toby was consulted, and then
+there was no longer any reason for concealment.
+
+"You see we thought we'd kinder get things fixed," said Reddy quickly,
+anxious to explain away the seeming deception he had been guilty of,
+"an' we wouldn't say anything to you till we knew whether we could get
+one up or not."
+
+"An' we're goin' to ask three cents to come in; an' lots of the fellers
+have promised to buy tickets if we'll let 'em do some of the ridin', or
+else lead the hosses."
+
+"But how are you goin' to get any hosses?" asked Toby, thoroughly
+surprised at the way in which the scheme had already been developed.
+
+"Reddy can get Jack Douglass's blind one, an' we can train him so's
+he'll go 'round the ring all right; an' your Uncle Dan'l will let you
+have his old white one that's lame, if you ask him. I ain't sure but I
+can get one of Chandler Merrill's ponies," continued Bob, now so excited
+by his subject that he left his picture while it was yet a three-legged
+horse, and stood in front of his friends; "an' if we could sell tickets
+enough, we could hire one of Rube Rowe's hosses for you to ride."
+
+"An' Bob's goin' to be the clown, an' his mother's goin' to make him a
+suit of clothes out of one of his grandmother's curtains," added Reddy,
+as he snapped an imaginary whip with so many unnecessary flourishes that
+he tumbled over the saw-horse, thereby mixing a large quantity of
+sawdust in his brilliantly colored hair.
+
+"An' Reddy's goin' to be ring-master," explained Bob, as he assisted
+his friend to rise, and acted the part of Good Samaritan by trying to
+get the sawdust from his hair with a curry-comb. "Joe Robinson says
+he'll sell tickets, an' 'tend the door, an' hold the hoops for you to
+jump through."
+
+"Leander Leighton's goin' to be the band. He's got a pair of clappers;
+an' Mrs. Doak's goin' to show him how to play on the accordion with one
+finger, so's he'll know how to make an awful lot of noise," said Reddy,
+as he gave up the task of extracting the sawdust, and devoted his entire
+attention to the scheme.
+
+"An' we can have some animals," said Bob, with the air of one who adds
+the crowning glory to some brilliant work.
+
+Toby had been surprised at the resources of the town for a circus, of
+which he had not even dreamed; and at Bob's last remark he left his
+saw-horse seat as if to enable him to hear more distinctly.
+
+"Yes," continued Bob, "we can get a good many of some kinds. Old Mrs.
+Simpson has got a three-legged cat with four kittens, an' Ben Cushing
+has got a hen that crows; an' we can take my calf for a grizzly bear,
+an' Jack Havener's two lambs for white bears. I've caught six mice, an'
+I'll have more'n a dozen before the show comes off; an' Reddy's goin' to
+bring his cat that ain't got any tail. Leander Leighton's goin' to bring
+four of his rabbits an' make believe they're wolves; an' Joe Robinson's
+goin' to catch all the squirrels he can--we'll have the largest for
+foxes, an' the smallest for hyenas; an' Joe'll keep howlin' while he's
+tendin' the door, so's to make 'em sound right."
+
+"Bob's sister's goin' to show him how to sing a couple of songs, an'
+he's goin' to write 'em out on paper so's to have a book to sell," added
+Reddy, delighted at the surprise expressed in Toby's face. "Nahum Baker
+says if we have any kind of a show he'll bring up some lemonade an' some
+pies to sell, an' pass 'em 'round jest as they do in a reg'lar circus."
+
+This last information was indeed surprising, for, inasmuch as Nahum
+Baker was a man who had an apology for a fruit-store near the wharves,
+it lent an air of realism to the plan, this having a grown man connected
+with them in the enterprise.
+
+"But he mustn't get any of the boys to help him, an' then treat them as
+Job Lord did me," said Toby earnestly, the scheme having grown so in the
+half-hour that he began to fear it might be too much like the circus
+with which he had spent ten of the longest and most dreary weeks he had
+ever known.
+
+"I'll look out for that," said Bob confidently, "If he tries any of them
+games we'll make him leave, no matter how good a trade he's doin'."
+
+"Now, where we goin' to have the show?" and from the way Toby asked the
+question it was easily seen that he had decided to accept the position
+of manager which had been so delicately offered him.
+
+"That's jest what we ain't fixed about," said Bob, as if he blamed
+himself severely for not having already attended to this portion of the
+business. "You see, if your Uncle Dan'l would let us have it up by his
+barn that would be jest the place, an' I almost know he'd say yes if you
+asked him."
+
+"Do you s'pose it would be big enough? You know when there's a circus in
+town everybody comes from all around to see it, an' it wouldn't do to
+have a place where they couldn't all get in," and Toby spoke as if there
+could be no doubt as to the crowds that would collect to see this
+wonderful show of theirs.
+
+"It'll have to be big enough, if we use the tent I'm goin' to get," said
+Reddy decidedly; "for you see that won't be so awful large, an' it would
+make it look kinder small if we put it where the other circuses put
+theirs."
+
+"Well, then, I s'pose we'll have to make that do, an' we can have two
+or three shows if there are too many to come in at one time," said Toby
+in a satisfied way that matters could be arranged so easily; and then,
+with a big sigh, he added, "If only Mr. Stubbs hadn't got killed, what a
+show we could have! I never saw him ride; but I know he could have done
+better than any one else that ever tried it, if he wanted to, an' if we
+had him we could have a reg'lar circus without anybody else."
+
+Then the boys bewailed the untimely fate of Mr. Stubbs, until they saw
+that Toby was fast getting into a mood altogether too sad for the proper
+transaction of circus business, and Bob proposed that a visit be paid
+Ben Cushing, for the purpose of having him give them a private
+exhibition of his skill, in order that Toby might see some of the talent
+which was to help make their circus a glorious success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BLIND HORSE
+
+
+Reddy had laid his plans so well that all the intending partners were
+where they could easily be found on this evening when Toby's consent was
+to be won, and Ben Cushing was no exception. On the hard, uneven floor
+of his father's barn, with all his clothes discarded save his trousers
+and shirt, he was making such heroic efforts in the way of practice,
+that while the boys were yet some distance from the building they could
+hear the thud of Ben's head or heels as he unexpectedly came in contact
+with the floor.
+
+When the three visitors stood at the door and looked in, Ben professed
+to be unaware of their presence, and began a series of hand-springs that
+might have been wonderful, if he had not miscalculated the distance,
+and struck the side of the barn just as he was getting well into the
+work.
+
+[Illustration: PLANNING THE CIRCUS]
+
+Then, having lost his opportunity of dazzling them by showing that even
+when he was alone he could turn any number of hand-springs simply in the
+way of exercise, he suddenly became aware of their presence, and greeted
+his friends with the anxiously asked question as to what Toby had
+decided to do about entering the circus business.
+
+Bob and Reddy, instead of answering, waited for Toby to speak; it was a
+good opportunity to have the important matter settled definitely, and
+they listened anxiously for his decision.
+
+"I'm goin' into it," said Toby after a pause, during which it appeared
+as if he were trying to make up his mind, "'cause it seems as if you had
+it almost done now. You know when I got home last summer I didn't ever
+want to hear of a circus or see one, for I'd had about enough of them,
+an' then I'd think of poor Mr. Stubbs, an' that would make me feel awful
+bad. I didn't think, either, that we could get up such a good show; but
+now you fellers have got so much done towards it, I think we'd better go
+ahead--though I do wish Mr. Stubbs was alive, an' we had a skeleton an'
+a fat woman."
+
+Reddy Grant cheered very loudly as a means of showing how delighted he
+was at thus having finally enlisted Toby in the scheme, and Bob, as
+proof of the high esteem in which all the projectors of the enterprise
+held this famous circus-rider, said:
+
+"Now you know all about circuses, Toby, an' you shall be the chief boss
+of this one, an' we'll do just what you say."
+
+Toby almost blushed as this great honor was actually thrust upon him,
+and he hardly knew what reply to make, when Ben ceased his acrobatic
+exercises, and, with Bobby and Reddy, stood waiting for him to give his
+orders.
+
+"I s'pose the first thing to do," he said at length, "is to see if Jack
+Douglass is willin' for us to have his hoss, an' then find out what
+Uncle Dan'l says about it. If we don't get the hoss, it won't be any use
+to say anything to Uncle Dan'l."
+
+Reddy was so anxious to have matters settled at once that he offered to
+go up to Mr. Douglass's house then, if the others would wait there for
+his return, which proposition was at once accepted.
+
+Mr. Douglass was an old colored man who lived fully half a mile from the
+village; but Reddy's eagerness caused quick travelling, and in a
+surprisingly short time he was back breathless and happy. The coveted
+horse was to be theirs for as long a time as they wanted him, provided
+they fed him well, and did not attempt to harness him into a wagon.
+
+The owner of the sightless animal had expressed his doubts as to
+whether he would ever make much of a circus-horse, owing to his lack of
+sight and his extreme age; but he argued that if, as was very probable,
+the animal fell while being ridden, he would hurt his rider quite as
+much as himself, and therefore the experiment would not be tried so
+often as seriously to injure the steed.
+
+It only remained to consult Uncle Daniel on the matter, and of course
+that was to be attended to by Toby. He would have waited until a fitting
+opportunity presented itself; but his companions insisted so strongly,
+that he went home at once to have the case decided.
+
+Uncle Daniel was seated by the window as usual, looking out over the
+distant hills as if he were trying to peer in at the gates of that city
+where so many loved ones awaited him, and it was some moments before
+Toby could make him understand what it was he was trying to say.
+
+"So ye didn't get circusin' enough last summer?" asked the old
+gentleman, when at last he realized what it was the boy was talking
+about.
+
+"Oh yes, I did!" replied Toby, quickly; "but you see that was a real
+one, an' this of ours is only a little make-believe for three cents. We
+want to get you to let us have the lot between the barn an' the road to
+put our tent on, an' then lend us old Whitey. We're goin' to have Jack
+Douglass's hoss that's blind, an' we've got a three-legged cat, an' one
+without any tail, an' lots of things."
+
+"It's a kind of a cripples' circus, eh? Well, Toby boy, you can do as
+you want to, an' you shall have old Whitey; but it seems to me you'd
+better tie her lame leg on, or she'll shake it off when you get to
+makin' her cut up antics."
+
+Then Uncle Daniel returned to his reverie, and the show was thus decided
+upon, the projectors going again to view the triangular piece of land
+so soon to be decorated with their tents and circus belongings.
+
+Each hour that passed after Toby had decided, with Uncle Daniel's
+consent, to go into the circus business made him more eager to carry out
+the brilliant plan that had been unfolded by Bob Atwood and Reddy Grant,
+until his brain was in a perfect whirl when he went to bed that night.
+He was sure he could ride as well as when he was under Mr. Castle's
+rather severe training, and he thought over and over again how he would
+surprise every one who knew him; but he did not stop to think that there
+might be a difference between the horse he had ridden in the circus and
+the lame one of Uncle Daniel's, or the blind one belonging to Mr.
+Douglass. He had an idea that it all depended upon himself, with very
+little reference to the animal, and he was sure he had his lesson
+perfectly.
+
+Early as he got up the next morning, his partners in the enterprise
+were waiting for him just around the corner of the barn, where he found
+them as he went for the cows, and they walked to the pasture with him in
+order to discuss the matter.
+
+Ben Cushing was in light-marching and acrobatic costume, worn for the
+occasion in order to give a full exhibition of his skill; and Reddy had
+been up so long that he had had time to procure Mr. Douglass's wonderful
+steed, which he had already led to the pasture so that he could be
+experimented upon.
+
+"I thought I'd get him up there," he said to Toby, "so's you could try
+him; 'cause if we don't get money enough to hire one of Rube Rowe,
+you'll have to ride the blind one or the lame one, an' you'd better find
+out which you want. If you try him in the pasture the fellers won't see
+you; but if you did it down by your house, every one of 'em would huddle
+'round."
+
+Toby thought the general idea was a good one; but he was just a trifle
+uncertain as to how the blind horse would get along on such uneven
+ground. However, he said nothing, lest his companions should think he
+was afraid to make the attempt; and when Ben and Bob proceeded to mark
+out a ring, he advised them as to its size.
+
+The most level piece of ground that could be found was selected as the
+place for the trial, but several small mounds prevented it from being
+all a circus-rider could ask for.
+
+Bob volunteered to lead the horse around the track several times, hoping
+he would become so accustomed to it as to be able to go by himself after
+a while; and Toby made his preparations by laying his hat on the ground
+with a stone on it, so that he should be sure to find it when his
+rehearsal was done.
+
+It was a warm job Bob had undertaken, this leading the blind animal
+along the ill-defined line that marked the limits of the ring, for the
+sun shone brightly, and there were no friendly trees to lend a shelter;
+but he paid no attention to his discomfort because of the fact that he
+was doing something towards the enterprise which was to bring them in
+both honor and money.
+
+The poor old horse was the least interested of the party, and he
+stumbled around the circle in an abused sort of way, as if he considered
+it a piece of gross injustice to force him on the weary round when the
+grass was so plentiful and tender just under his feet.
+
+Ben was busily engaged in lengthening Mr. Douglass's rather weak and
+aged bridle with a small piece of rope, and from time to time he
+encouraged the ambitious clown in his labor.
+
+"Keep it up, if it is hot!" he shouted; "an' when we get him so's he can
+do it alone, he'll be jest as good a circus-hoss as anybody would want,
+for we can stuff him with hay an' grass till he's fat," and Ben looked
+at the clearly defined ribs in a critical way, as if trying to decide
+how much food would be necessary to cover them with flesh.
+
+"Oh, I can keep on as long as the hoss can," said Bob, as he wiped the
+perspiration from his face with one hand, and clung firmly to the
+forelock of the animal with the other; "but we've been round here as
+many as six times already, an' he don't seem to know the way any better
+than when we started."
+
+"Oh yes, he does," cried Reddy, who was practising for his duties as
+ring-master, anxious that his education should advance as fast as the
+horse's did; "he's got so he knows enough to turn out for that second
+knoll, though he does stumble a little over the first one."
+
+By this time Ben had the bridle adjusted to suit him, Toby was ready to
+make his first attempt at riding since he left the circus, and the more
+serious work was begun.
+
+Ben bridled the horse after some difficulty, Reddy drew out from its
+hiding-place a whip made by tying a piece of cod-line to an alder
+branch, and Toby was about to mount, when Joe Robinson came in sight.
+
+He had been running at full speed, and was nearly breathless; but he
+managed to cry out so that he could be understood after considerable
+difficulty:
+
+"Hold on! don't go to ridin' till after we get some hoops for you to
+jump through."
+
+"I guess I won't try any jumpin' till after I see how he goes," said
+Toby as he looked rather doubtfully first at the horse's weak legs, and
+then at his sharp back; "besides, we can't use the hoops till he gets
+more used to the ring."
+
+Joe threw himself on the ground as if he felt quite as much aggrieved
+because he was thus left out of the programme as the horse apparently
+did because he was in it, and Bob consoled him by explaining that he
+had no reason to feel slighted, since he, who, as the clown, was to be
+the life of the entertainment, could take no other part in these
+preparatory steps than to lead a blind horse around a still blinder
+ring.
+
+"Hold him while I get on," said Toby as he clutched the mane and a
+portion of the prominent backbone, drawing himself up at some risk of
+upsetting the rather shaky steed.
+
+But there was no necessity of his giving this order, for, although four
+boys sprang to do his bidding, the weary horse remained as motionless as
+a statue, save for his hard breathing which proclaimed the fact that the
+"heaves" had long since singled him out as a victim.
+
+Toby succeeded in getting on the animal's back after some exertion; but
+he found standing there an entirely different matter from standing on
+the broad saddles that were used in the circus, and the boy and the
+horse made a shaky-looking pair.
+
+"Shall I start him?" asked Bob, while Reddy stood as near the centre of
+the ring as he could get, prepared to snap his cod-line whip at the
+first signal.
+
+Toby hesitated a moment; he knew that to attempt to stand upon, or on
+either side of, that prominent backbone, after its owner was in motion,
+would be simply to invite his own downfall; and he said, as he seated
+himself carefully astride the bone:
+
+"Let him walk around once till I see how he goes."
+
+Reddy cracked his whip without producing any effect upon the patient
+steed, but, after much coaxing, Bob succeeded in starting him again,
+while Toby bounced up and down much like a kernel of corn on a griddle,
+such a decided motion did the horse have.
+
+"He won't ever do for a ridin' hoss," said Toby with much difficulty,
+when he was half-way around the circle, "'cause you see his bones is so
+sharp that he feels as if he was comin' to pieces every time he steps."
+
+"Jest get him to trottin' once, an' then you can tell what he's good
+for," suggested Reddy, anxious to try the effect of his whip; and,
+without waiting for the rider's permission, he lashed the unfortunate
+animal with the cod-line until he succeeded in rousing him thoroughly.
+
+It was in vain Toby begged him to stop, and Bob shouted that such a
+course was not the proper one for a ring-master to pursue. Reddy was
+determined the rider should have an opportunity of trying the horse
+under full speed, and the result was that the animal broke loose from
+Bob's guiding hand, rushing out of the imaginary ring into the centre of
+the pasture at a rate of speed that would have surprised and frightened
+Mr. Douglass had he been there to see it.
+
+Shaken first up, then down, and from one side to the other, Toby
+stretched himself out at full length, clasping the horse around the
+neck as the patched bridle broke, and shouting "Whoa!" at the full
+strength of his lungs.
+
+After running fully fifty yards, until it seemed to Toby that his head
+and his body had been pounded into one, the horse stopped, leaned one
+heel up against the other, and stood as if dreamily asking whether they
+wanted any more circus out of him.
+
+"Couldn't anybody ride him, he jolts so," said Toby to his partners, as
+they came running up to where he stood trying to find out whether or not
+his tongue was bleeding, and fearing it was, because his teeth had been
+pounded down on it so hard two or three times. "You see, in the circus
+they had big, wide saddles, an' the hosses didn't go anything like him."
+
+"Well, we can fix a saddle," said Bob, thoughtfully; "but I don't know
+as we could do anything to the hoss."
+
+"Perhaps old Whitey'll go better, 'cause she's lame," suggested Reddy,
+feeling that considerable credit was due him for having made it possible
+to test the animal's qualities in so short a time.
+
+"I wouldn't wonder if this one would be all right when he gets a saddle
+on an' is trained," said Joe, and then he added, quickly, "I hain't got
+anything more to do to-day, an' I'll stay up here an' train him."
+
+The partners were only too glad to accept this offer; and while Joe led
+the horse back to the supposed ring, Ben gave a partial exhibition of
+his acrobatic feats, omitting the most difficult, owing to the uneven
+surface of the land.
+
+Then the partners retired to the shade of some alder bushes, where they
+could fight mosquitoes and talk over their plans at the same time, while
+Joe was perspiring in his self-imposed task of educating the blind
+horse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+ABNER BOLTON
+
+
+"Now I'll see about makin' the saddle," said Bob, "'cause I've seen 'em
+a good many times in a circus, an' I know jest how they're made. While
+I'm doin' that you fellers must be fixin' 'bout who else we'll have in
+the show. Leander Leighton will come up here to-morrow, so's we can hear
+how he plays, an' we must have everything fixed by then."
+
+"Why didn't he come to-day?" asked Ben, thinking that all the members of
+the firm should have been present at this first rehearsal.
+
+"Well, you see, he had to split some wood, an' he had to take care of
+the baby. I offered to help him with the wood; but he said he couldn't
+get away any quicker if I did, for just as soon as the baby saw another
+feller waitin' 'round, she'd yell so awful hard he'd have to stay in all
+day."
+
+This explanation as to the absence of the band appeared to be perfectly
+satisfactory to those present, and they began to discuss the merits of
+certain of their companions in order to decide upon the proper ones to
+enlist as members, since the number of their performers was not so large
+as they thought it should be in a show where an admission fee of three
+cents was to be charged.
+
+Just as they were getting well into their discussion, and, of course,
+speaking of such matters as managers should keep a profound secret from
+the public, Bob cried out:
+
+"There comes Abner Bolton! He's always runnin' 'round where he hain't
+wanted; an' I wonder how he come to know we was here? I'll send him off
+mighty quick now, you see."
+
+The boy who had disturbed Bob so greatly was so near when he was first
+discovered that by the time the threat had been uttered he was close
+upon them. He was a small boy, not more than eight years old, and hardly
+as large as a boy of six should be; he walked on crutches because of his
+deformed legs, which hung withered and useless, barely capable of
+supporting his slight weight.
+
+"Now, what do _you_ want?" asked Bob, in an angry tone.
+
+"I don't want anything," was the mild reply, as the cripple halted just
+outside the shade, as if not daring to come any farther until invited.
+"I heard you was goin' to get up a circus, an' I thought perhaps you'd
+let me watch you, 'cause I wouldn't bother you any."
+
+"You would bother us, an' you can't stay 'round here, for we hain't
+goin' to have anybody watchin' us. You may come to the show if you can
+get three cents."
+
+"I don't s'pose I could do that," said the boy, looking longingly
+towards the shade, but still standing in the sun. "I don't have any
+chance to get money, an' I do wish you boys would let me stay where you
+are, for it's so awful lonesome out to the poor-farm, an' I can't run
+around as you can."
+
+"Well, you can't stay here, an' the sooner you go back to the village
+the better we'll like it, for we don't want anybody to know what we're
+talkin' about."
+
+Toby had attempted to speak once or twice while Bob was engaged with the
+cripple from the poor-farm; but he did not get an opportunity until
+Abner turned to go away, looking thoroughly sad and disheartened.
+
+"Don't go, Abner, but come and set down here where it's cool, an'
+perhaps we can fix it for you."
+
+The cripple turned as Toby spoke, and the look which came into his face
+went right to the heart of the boy, who for ten long weeks had known
+what it was to be almost entirely without a friend.
+
+"I don't see what you want him 'round here for," said Bob, petulantly,
+as Abner seated himself by Toby's side, thoroughly exhausted by his long
+walk. "He can't do nothin'; an' if he could, we don't want no fellers
+from the poor-farm mixed up with the show."
+
+"It don't make any difference if he does live to the poor-farm," said
+Toby, as he put his little brown hand on Abner's thin fingers. "He has
+to stay there 'cause his father and mother's dead, an' perhaps I'd been
+there, 'cept for Uncle Dan'l. If I'd thought before about his bein'
+lonesome an' not bein' able to play like the rest of us, I'd gone out to
+see him; an' now we do know it we'll let him stay with us, an' perhaps
+he can do something in the circus."
+
+"The fellers will laugh at us, an' say we're runnin' a poorhouse show,"
+replied Bob, sulkily.
+
+"Well, let 'em laugh; we'll feel a good deal better'n they do, 'cause
+we'll know we're tryin' to let a little feller have some fun what don't
+get many chances;" and, in his excitement, Toby spoke so loudly that Joe
+came running up to see what was the matter.
+
+"Let him stay 'round here to-day, 'cause we've got all through
+practisin', an' then tell him to keep away," said Ben, thinking this
+idea a very generous one.
+
+"He can belong to the show jest as well as not; an' if you fellers will
+let him, I'll give you my part of all the money we make."
+
+This proposition of Toby's put the matter on a very different basis, and
+both Ben and Bob now looked favorably inclined towards it.
+
+"Don't you do that, Toby," said Abner, his eyes filling with tears
+because of the kindness shown him. "I'll go right away, an' I won't
+come into the village again to bother you."
+
+"You shall come into the village every day, Abner, an' you won't bother
+us at all, for you shall go 'long of me everywhere I do, an' I won't
+never walk any faster'n you can;" and Toby moved his seat nearer Abner,
+to show that he took him under his especial care.
+
+"He might help tend the door," said Joe, kindly, anxious to please Toby,
+"an' that'll give me a chance to do more howlin' for the hyenas, 'cause
+that'll be 'bout all I oughter do if I have to hold the hoops."
+
+"Yes, he can do that," and Toby was very eager now, "an' we can get him
+a stool to sit on, an' he can do jest as much as if he could stand up."
+
+By this time Bob and Ben had decided that, in consideration of Toby's
+offer, Abner should be counted as one of the company, and the matters
+under discussion that had been interrupted by the cripple's coming were
+again taken up.
+
+Owing to the possible chance that Joe could not succeed in training the
+blind horse sufficiently to make him useful in the ring, it was
+necessary to know just what animals they could procure, and Bob offered
+to see Chandler Merrill for the purpose of securing the services of his
+Mexican pony, who had never allowed any one to ride him without first
+having a severe battle.
+
+"We can train him down all right," said Bob; "an' you fellers come down
+now while I find out 'bout the pony, so's we can come back here after
+dinner."
+
+As it was very important that this matter should be settled as soon as
+possible, Bob's advice was acted upon; and as the boys started to go,
+Toby said:
+
+"Come, Abner, you come home with me an' get some dinner, an' then you
+can come back here when I do."
+
+Bob was disposed to make sport of this sudden friendship; but Toby paid
+no attention to what he said, and if any of them wanted to talk with
+him, they too were obliged to walk with the boy from the poor-farm.
+
+By the time they arrived at Uncle Daniel's, Toby had formed many plans
+for making the life of the homeless boy more cheerful than it ever had
+been.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE PONY
+
+
+Toby's interest in the crippled boy whom he had taken under his charge
+was considerably greater than in the contemplated circus; and both Bob
+and Ben felt angry and injured when, in the midst of some brilliant plan
+for startling those of the good people of Guilford who should come to
+their circus, Toby would stop to say something to Abner, who was
+hobbling along as fast as possible in order that he might not oblige the
+party to wait for him.
+
+For a number of years Toby had known that there was a crippled orphan at
+the poor-farm; but it so happened that he had not met him very often,
+and even then he had no idea of the lonely life the boy was obliged to
+lead.
+
+On the way to the village he had formed several plans by which he might
+aid Abner; but none of them could be put into operation until after he
+had consulted Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive.
+
+It was nearly noon, and the understanding was that each one should get
+his dinner and go to the pasture again, when it would be known whether
+they were to be able to number Chandler Merrill's pony among the
+attractions of their show, or be wholly dependent upon the disabled
+horses that as yet made up their collection.
+
+"You're comin' to get dinner with me, Abner," said Toby, as he stopped
+in front of Uncle Daniel's gate, while the little fellow was continuing
+on his way to the only place he could call home, there to get his dinner
+with the other paupers.
+
+"I'm afraid your aunt won't want me," he said, shyly, while it was plain
+to be seen that he would be more than well pleased to accept the
+invitation.
+
+"Aunt Olive won't care a bit, an' she'll be glad to have you, I know,
+'cause she says it always does her good to see hungry people eat, though
+if that's so I must have done her an awful sight of good lots of times,
+for it don't seem to me I ever set down to the table in my life but what
+I was awful hungry. Come on now, so's we'll have time to get our hands
+an' faces washed before the dinner-bell rings."
+
+Abner followed Toby in a hesitating way, much as if he expected each
+moment to be ordered back; and when they arrived at the door he stood on
+the threshold, not daring to enter until permission had been given.
+
+"This is Abner Bolton, Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, as he saw that his newly
+made friend would not come in without an invitation from some one
+besides himself. "He lives out to the poor-farm, an' he don't have any
+such nice home as I've got, so I thought you wouldn't care if I brought
+him in to dinner."
+
+"You've got a good heart, Toby, boy, and the Lord will reward you for
+it," said Uncle Daniel, as he stroked the boy's refractory hair; and
+then he said to Abner, "Come in, my lad, and share Toby's dinner, nor
+need you ever hesitate about accepting any such invitation when it leads
+you here."
+
+Then Aunt Olive greeted Abner so kindly that the poor boy hardly knew
+whether it was reality or a dream, so strange was it all to him.
+
+During the dinner Toby told of the difficulty he had had in getting his
+partners to consent to Abner's being one of the company, and Aunt Olive,
+who had shown considerable interest in the circus scheme, said:
+
+"Why don't you let him keep a stand, and then he can make some money for
+himself. I will bake him a lot of doughnuts and ginger-snaps, and your
+Uncle Dan'l will lend him money enough to buy lemons an' sugar. It will
+be a deal better than to have Nahum Baker there with his pies that are
+as heavy as lead, an' doughnuts that have soaked up all the fat in the
+pan."
+
+Toby was delighted with the plan, and Abner's eyes glistened at the mere
+idea that it might be possible for him to do, once in his life at least,
+as did other and more fortunate boys.
+
+It certainly seemed, when they arrived at the pasture again, as if
+everything was conspiring in favor of their circus, for Chandler Merrill
+had willingly consented to let them use his pony; but he had done so
+with the kindly prophecy that the little animal would "kick their brains
+out" if they were not careful with him.
+
+In order to make sure that the consent would not be withdrawn, and at
+the same time to prove that he told the truth, Bob had brought the pony
+with him, and, judging from his general appearance as he stood gazing
+suspiciously at the Douglass horse, he deserved all that was said of him
+regarding his vicious qualities. He was about half the size of an
+ordinary horse, and his coat was ragged-looking, owing to its having
+been rubbed off in spots, thus giving him the air of just such a pony as
+one would suppose willing to join a party of boys in starting a circus.
+
+"Now, there's a hoss that hain't either lame or blind," said Bob,
+proudly, as he led the pony once around the ring to show his partners
+how he stepped. If he was intending to say anything more, he concluded
+to defer it while he made some very rapid movements in order to escape
+the blow the "hoss" aimed at him with his hind-feet.
+
+"Kicks, don't he?" said Toby, in a tone which plainly told he did not
+think him very well suited to their purpose.
+
+"Well, he did then," and Bob fastened the halter more securely by
+putting one end of the rope through the pony's mouth; "but you see
+that's 'cause he hain't been used much, an' he's tickled 'cause he's
+goin' to belong to a circus."
+
+"How long before he'll get over bein' tickled?" asked Joe. "I'm willin'
+to train Jack Douglass's hoss; but I don't know 'bout this one till he
+gets sorry enough not to kick."
+
+"Oh, he'll be all right jest as soon as Toby rides him 'round the ring a
+little while."
+
+"Do you think I'm goin' to ride him?" asked Toby, beginning to believe
+his partners expected more of him than ever Mr. Castle did.
+
+"Of course; a feller what's been with a circus ought to know how to ride
+any hoss that ever lived," replied Bob, with considerable emphasis,
+owing to the fact that the pony kicked and plunged so that his words
+were jerked out of him, rather than spoken.
+
+"I s'pose some fellers can; but I wasn't with the circus long enough to
+find out how to ride such hosses as them," and Toby retired to the shade
+of the alder bushes, where Abner was sitting to wait until Bob and the
+pony had come to terms.
+
+It was quite as much as Bob could do to hold his prize, without trying
+to make any arrangements for having him ridden, and he called Reddy to
+help him.
+
+Now, as the ring-master of the contemplated circus, Reddy ought to have
+known all about horses, and he thought he did until the pony made one
+plunge, just as he came up smiling with whip in hand. Then he said, as
+he ran towards Toby:
+
+"I don't believe I want to be ring-master if we're goin' to have that
+hoss."
+
+"Here, Joe, you help me," cried Bob, in desperation, growing each moment
+more afraid of the steed. "I want to get him up by the fence, where we
+can hitch him, till we find out what to do with him."
+
+Joe was perfectly willing to assist the unfortunate clown in his
+troubles; but, as he started towards him, the pony wheeled and flung his
+heels out with a force that showed he would do some damage if he could,
+and Joe also joined the party among the bushes.
+
+Bob was thus left alone with his prize, and a most uncomfortable time he
+appeared to be having of it, standing there in the hot sun clinging
+desperately to the halter, and jumping from one side to the other when
+the pony attempted to bite, or strike him with his fore-feet.
+
+"Let him go; he hain't any good," shouted Reddy from his secure retreat.
+
+"If I let go the halter, he'll jump right at me," and there was a
+certain ring in Bob's voice that told he was afraid.
+
+"Hitch him to the fence, an' then climb over," suggested Joe.
+
+"But I can't get him over there, for he won't go a step," and Bob
+continued to hold fast to the halter, afraid to do so, but still more
+afraid to let go.
+
+He had borrowed the pony; but it certainly seemed as if the animal had
+borrowed him, for his fear caused him to cling desperately to the halter
+as the only possible means of saving his life.
+
+The boys under the alder bushes were fully alive to the fact that
+something should be done although they were undecided as to what that
+something should be.
+
+Joe proposed that they all rush out and scare the pony away, but Bob
+insisted that he would be the sufferer by such a course. Reddy thought
+if Bob should show more spirit, and let the vicious little animal see
+that he was not afraid of him, everything would be all right; but when
+it was proposed that he try the plan himself, he concluded, perhaps,
+there might be serious objections to such a course.
+
+Ben thought if all of them got hold of the halter, they could pull the
+pony to the fence, and this plan was looked upon with such favor that it
+was adopted at once.
+
+Every one, except Abner, took hold of the halter, after some little
+delay in getting there, owing to the readiness of the pony to use his
+heels at the slightest provocation; and, just when they were about to
+put forth all their strength in pulling, the pony jumped towards them
+suddenly, rendering their efforts useless, and starting all, save Bob,
+back to the alder bushes in ignominious flight.
+
+Bob still remained at his post, or, more correctly speaking, the halter,
+and it was very much against his will that he did so.
+
+"I wish Chandler Merrill would come up here an' get his old hoss, for I
+don't want him any longer," he said, angrily. "He ought to be prosecuted
+for lettin' us have such a old tiger."
+
+Bob did not seem to remember that, if he had refused the loan of the
+pony, he would have considered Chandler Merrill very selfish; in fact,
+he hardly remembered anything save his own desire to get rid of the
+animal, and as quickly as possible.
+
+"What shall I do?" he cried, in desperation. "I can't stand here all
+day, an' the hoss don't mean to let me get away."
+
+"We've got to help Bob," said Toby, decidedly, as he arose to his feet
+again, and went towards the unfortunate clown. "If you fellers will try
+to hold him, I'll get on his back, an' then Bob can get away."
+
+"But he'll throw you off, an' hurt you," objected Abner, trying to
+prevent his newly made friend from going.
+
+"I can stop him from doing that, an' it's the only way I know of to help
+Bob."
+
+"You get on, Toby, an' then I'll scoot jest as soon as you get hold of
+the halter," said Bob, happy at this prospect of being relieved. "Then,
+when you get a chance, you jump off, an' we'll let somebody else take
+him home."
+
+It was a hard task, and they all ran considerable risk of getting
+kicked; but at last it was accomplished, so far as mounting was
+concerned. Toby was on the pony's back with a firm grasp of the rope
+that was made to serve as bridle.
+
+"Now, be all ready to run," he said; and there was no disposition to
+linger shown by any of his friends.
+
+"Let go!" he shouted, and at the sound of his voice the boys went one
+way and the pony another at full speed.
+
+It was not until the would-be circus managers were within the shelter of
+the clump of bushes that they stopped to look for their partner, and
+then they saw him at the further end of the pasture, the pony running
+and leaping as if doing his best to dislodge his rider.
+
+Even the Douglass horse seemed to be excited by the display of spirit,
+for he capered around in a manner very unbecoming one as old and blind
+as he.
+
+Only for a few moments could they watch the contest, and then the
+distant trees hid Toby Tyler and Chandler Merrill's pony from view.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+OLD BEN
+
+
+Some time the boys watched for Toby's return, and just as they were
+beginning to think they ought to go in search of him, and fearing lest
+he had been hurt by the vicious pony, they saw him coming from among the
+trees, alone and on foot.
+
+"Well," said Bob, with a sigh of relief, "he's got rid of the hoss, an'
+that was all we wanted."
+
+Toby's story, when at last, hot and tired, he reached the alder bushes,
+was not nearly so exciting as his partners anticipated. He had clung to
+the pony until they entered the woods, where he was brushed off by the
+branches of the trees as easily as if he had been a fly, and with as
+little damage.
+
+How they should get the pony back into its owner's keeping was a
+question difficult to answer, and they were all so completely worn out
+by their exertions to get rid of him that they did not attempt to come
+to any conclusion regarding it.
+
+While they were resting from their labors, and before they had ceased to
+congratulate each other that they had succeeded in separating themselves
+from the pony, Leander Leighton, his accordion under his arm and his
+clappers in his hand, made his appearance.
+
+His struggle with the baby had evidently come to an end sooner than he
+had dared hope, and the managers were happy at this speedy prospect of
+hearing what their band could do in the way of music.
+
+"Boys!" shouted Leander, excitedly, while he was some distance away,
+"there's a real circus comin' here next week--the same one Toby Tyler
+run away with--an' the men are pastin' up the bills now, down to the
+village!"
+
+The boys looked at each other in surprise; it had never entered into
+their calculations that they might have a real circus as a rival, and
+certainly Toby had never thought he would again see those whom he had
+first run away with and then run away from. He was rather disturbed by
+the prospect at first, for it seemed certain that Job Lord and Mr.
+Castle would try to compel him to go with them; but a moment's thought
+convinced him that Uncle Daniel would not allow them to carry him away,
+and he grew as eager for more news as any of the others.
+
+Leander knew no more than he had already told; after having been
+relieved from his care of the baby, he had started for the pasture, and
+had seen the show-bills as he came along. He was certain it was the same
+circus Toby had gone with, for the names on the bills were the same, and
+he had heard some of the townspeople say so as he came along.
+
+"An' I shall see the skeleton an' the fat woman again," said Toby,
+delighted at the idea of meeting those kind friends from whom he had
+thought himself parted with forever.
+
+"Don't you s'pose you could get 'em to leave that show an' come with
+ours?" asked Bob, thinking perhaps some kind fortune had thrown this
+opportunity in their way that they might the better succeed in their
+project.
+
+Toby was not sure such a plan could be made to work, for the reason that
+they were only intending to give two or three performances, and Mr. and
+Mrs. Treat might not think it worth their while to leave the circus they
+were with on the strength of such uncertain prospects.
+
+"And you shall go to the show, Abner," said Toby, pleased at the
+opportunity he would have of making the crippled boy happy for one day
+at least; "an' I'll take all of you fellers down, an' get the skeleton
+to talk at you, so's you can see how nice he is. You shall see his wife,
+an' old Ben, an' Ella, an'--"
+
+"But won't you be afraid of Job Lord?" interrupted Leander, fearful lest
+Toby's dread of meeting his old employer might prevent them from having
+all this promised enjoyment.
+
+"Uncle Dan'l wouldn't let him take me away, an' now I'm home here I
+don't believe old Ben would let him touch me."
+
+There was evidently no probability that they would transact any more
+business relative to their own circus that day, so intent were they on
+talking about the one that was to come, and it was not until nearly time
+to drive the cows home that they remembered the presence of their band.
+
+Ben proposed that Leander should show them what he could do in the way
+of music, so that he need not be at the trouble of bringing his
+accordion up into the pasture again, and the boys ceased all
+conversation for the purpose of listening to the so-called melody.
+
+After considerable preparation in the way of polishing his clappers on
+the cuff of his jacket and fingering the keys of his accordion to make
+sure they were in proper working order, Leander extracted with one
+finger a few bars of "Yankee Doodle" from the last-named instrument, and
+gave an imitation of a drum with the clappers, in a manner that won for
+him no small amount of applause.
+
+"Now, we'll go home," said Toby, "'cause Uncle Dan'l will be waitin' for
+me an' the cows, an' to-morrow I'll meet you down-town where the circus
+pictures be."
+
+Then he helped Abner on to his crutches, and walked beside him all the
+way, wishing, oh, so much! that he could save the poor boy from having
+to go out to the poor-farm to sleep.
+
+"You come in just as early as you can in the mornin', Abner, an' you
+shall eat dinner with me," he said, as he parted with the boy at Uncle
+Daniel's gate, "an' perhaps you'll make so much money at our circus that
+you won't ever have to go out to the poor-farm again."
+
+Abner tried to thank his friend for the kindness he had shown him; but
+the sobs of gratitude came into his throat so fast that it was
+impossible, and he hobbled away towards his dreary home, while Toby ran
+into the house to tell the astounding news of the coming of the circus.
+
+"So all the people who were so kind to you will be here next week, will
+they?" said, rather than asked, Aunt Olive. "Well, Toby, we'll kill one
+of the lambs, an' you shall invite them up here to dinner, which will
+kind of encourage them to be good to any other little boy who may be as
+foolish as you were."
+
+Toby lay awake a long time that night, thinking of the pleasure he was
+to have in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Treat, old Ben and little Ella, eating
+dinner in Uncle Daniel's home, and of how good a boy he ought to be to
+repay his uncle and aunt for their loving-kindness to him.
+
+Operations were almost entirely suspended by the would-be circus
+managers in view of the coming of the real show. It would have been
+commercial folly to attempt to enter into competition with it; the real
+circus would, without a doubt, prove too strong a rival for them to
+contend against; and by waiting until after it had come and gone they
+might be able to pick up some useful ideas regarding the show they
+proposed to give.
+
+This delay would be to their advantage in a great many other ways. The
+band would have so much time for practice that he might learn another
+tune, or even be able to play with more than one finger; their acrobat
+would have so many rehearsals that he could, perhaps, double his present
+allowance of hand-springs, and Joe would be able to bring his horses to
+a more perfect state of training.
+
+Mr. Douglass, having no use for his horse, was perfectly willing he
+should remain under Joe's tuition, providing it was done in Uncle
+Daniel's pasture; but matters were not in so good a condition regarding
+the pony.
+
+Chandler Merrill was anxious to have his property returned to him, and
+not willing to go after it. Besides, Mr. Douglass's horse was in great
+danger of being kicked to death so long as the vicious little animal
+remained in the same pasture.
+
+Very many were the discussions the boys had on the subject; but nothing
+could be suggested which promised any relief, after Bob's brilliant idea
+of driving the pony out, and letting him find his way home as best he
+might, was tried without success. The pony not only refused to go out,
+but he actually drove the boys away by the liberal use he made of his
+heels.
+
+Slowly the time passed until the day before the one on which the circus
+was to arrive, Toby had almost been counting the hours and Abner, who
+was to see the interior of a circus tent for the first time in his life,
+was quite as excited as he.
+
+The lamb had been killed as Aunt Olive had promised, and a rare store of
+good things in the way of apple-pies, cake, doughnuts, and custards had
+been prepared, until the pantry looked like a large-sized baker's shop
+just opened for inspection.
+
+Everything was ready for the guests, who were to be invited to dinner
+next day; and when Toby went to bed that night, it seemed as if he would
+never get to sleep for thinking of all the friends he was to see.
+
+Abner was in quite as sleepless a condition as Toby; Aunt Olive had
+invited him to remain overnight, so that he might see everything that
+was going on, and as he lay in the soft, geranium-scented bed, his eyes
+were kept wide open by his delight with what seemed to him the
+magnificence of the room.
+
+It seemed as though each boy in the village considered himself Toby's
+particular and intimate friend during the week that preceded the coming
+of the circus; and the marbles, balls, and boats that were showered upon
+him in the way of gifts would almost have stocked a small shop.
+
+Then, on this day before the circus, all the boys in town were most
+anxious to know just where Toby proposed meeting the cavalcade, at what
+time he was to start, and other details which showed quite plainly it
+was their intention to accompany him if possible.
+
+When Toby went to bed, it was with the express understanding with Uncle
+Daniel that he was to be called at daylight, in order that he might
+start out to meet the circus when it stopped to prepare for its entrance
+into the town. The place where the procession was usually formed was
+fully two miles from town, and as Abner could hardly walk that distance,
+and certainly could not walk so fast as Toby would want to go, he had
+agreed to drive the cows to pasture, after which he was to go to the
+tenting-ground, where his friend would introduce him to all the
+celebrities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE GREAT EVENT
+
+
+Uncle Daniel seemed quite as anxious as Toby that he should leave the
+house in time to meet his circus friends before the entree was made, and
+Aunt Olive afterwards said he didn't sleep a wink after two o'clock for
+fear he might not waken in time to rouse the anxious boy.
+
+It was fully an hour before sunrise when Uncle Daniel awakened Toby, and
+cautioned him to eat as much of the lunch Aunt Olive had set out as
+possible, insisting that what he could not eat he should put into his
+pocket, as it would be a long while before he would get his dinner.
+
+The two miles Toby was obliged to walk seemed very short ones, and at
+nearly every house on the road one or more boys were watching for him
+quite as eagerly as for the show itself, so that by the time he arrived
+at the place where two or three of the wagons had drawn up by the side
+of the road, he had as many as a hundred boys for an escort, all of whom
+were urging him to get the manager to take out a few lions and tigers
+for their inspection before starting for the village.
+
+Toby could hold out no promise to them; on the contrary, he insisted
+that he hardly knew the manager, save by sight, and explained to them
+that they were unwise to come with him on any such errand, since none of
+the curiosities could be seen there, and if old Ben were still with the
+company he should ride back with him.
+
+But the boys put very little faith in what he said, seeming to have the
+idea that he simply wanted to get rid of them, and, instead of going
+away, they surrounded him more closely.
+
+Toby watched anxiously as each wagon came up, and he failed to
+recognize any of the drivers. For the first time it occurred to him that
+perhaps those whom he knew were no longer with this particular company,
+and his elation gave way to sadness.
+
+Fully twenty wagons had come, and he had just begun to think his fears
+had good foundation, when in the distance he saw the well-remembered
+monkey-wagon, with the burly form of old Ben on the box.
+
+Toby could not wait for that particular team to come up, even though it
+was driven at a reasonably rapid speed; but he started towards it as
+fast as he could run, and, following him something like the tail of a
+comet, were all his friends, who, having come so far, were determined
+not to lose sight of him for a single instant, if it could be prevented
+by any exertions on their part.
+
+Old Ben was driving in a sleepy sort of way, and paid no attention to
+the little fellow who was running towards him, until Toby shouted, and
+then the horses were stopped with a jerk that nearly threw them back on
+their haunches.
+
+"Well, Toby, my son! I declare, I am glad to see you;" and old Ben
+reached down for the double purpose of shaking hands and helping the boy
+on to the seat beside him. "Well, well, well, it's been some time since
+you've been on this 'ere box, hain't it? I'd kinder forgotten what town
+it was we took you from; I knew it was somewhere hereabouts though, an'
+I've kept my eye peeled for you ever since we've been in this part of
+the country. So you found your Uncle Dan'l all right, did you?"
+
+"Yes, Ben, an' he was awful good to me when I got home; but Mr. Stubbs
+got shot."
+
+"No? you don't tell me! How did that happen?"
+
+Then Toby told the story of his pet's death, and, although it had
+occurred a year before, he could not keep the tears from his eyes as he
+spoke of it.
+
+"You mustn't feel bad 'bout it, Toby," said Ben, consolingly, "for, you
+see, monkeys has got to die jest like folks, an' your Stubbs was sich a
+old feller that I reckon he'd died anyhow before long. But I've got one
+in the wagon here that looks a good deal like yours, an' I'll show him
+to you."
+
+As Ben spoke he drew his wagon, now completely surrounded by boys, up by
+the side of the road near the others, and opened the panel in the top so
+that Toby could have a view of his passengers.
+
+Curled up in the corner nearest the roof, where Mr. Stubbs had been in
+the habit of sitting, Toby saw, as Ben had said, a monkey that looked
+remarkably like Mr. Stubbs, save that he was younger and not so sedate.
+
+Toby uttered an exclamation of surprise and joy as he pushed his hand
+through the bars of the cage, and the monkey shook hands with him as Mr.
+Stubbs used to do when greeted in the morning.
+
+"Why, I never knew before that Mr. Stubbs had any relations!" said Toby,
+looking around with joy imprinted on every feature. "Do you know where
+the rest of the family is, Ben?"
+
+There was no reply from the driver for some time; but instead, Toby
+heard certain familiar sounds as if the old man were choking, while his
+face took on the purplish tinge which had so alarmed the boy when he saw
+it for the first time.
+
+"No, I don't know where his family is," said Ben, after he had recovered
+from his spasm of silent laughter, "an' I reckon he don't know nor care.
+Say, Toby, you don't really think this one is any relation to your
+monkey, do you?"
+
+"Why, it must be his brother," said Toby, earnestly, "'cause they look
+so much alike; but perhaps Mr. Stubbs was only his cousin."
+
+Old Ben relapsed into another spasm, and Toby talked to the monkey, who
+chattered back at him, until the boys on the ground were in a perfect
+ferment of anxiety to know what was going on.
+
+It was some time before Toby could be persuaded to pay attention to
+anything else, so engrossed was he with Mr. Stubbs's brother, as he
+persisted in calling the monkey, and the only way Ben could engage him
+in conversation was by saying,
+
+"You don't seem to be very much afraid of Job Lord now."
+
+"You won't let him take me away if he should try, will you?" Toby asked,
+quickly, alarmed at the very mention of his former employer's name, even
+though he had thought he would not be afraid of him, protected as he now
+was by Uncle Daniel.
+
+"No, Toby, I wouldn't let him if he was to try it on, for you are just
+where every boy ought to be, an' that's at home; but Job's where he
+can't whip any more boys for some time to come."
+
+"Where's that?"
+
+"He's in jail. About a month after you left he licked his new boy so bad
+that they arrested him, an' he got two years for it, 'cause it pretty
+nigh made a cripple out of the youngster."
+
+Toby was about to make some reply; but Ben continued unfolding his
+budget of news.
+
+"Castle stayed with us till the season was over, an' then he went out
+West. I don't know whether he got his hair cut trying to show the Injuns
+how to ride, or not; but he never come back, an' nobody I ever saw has
+heard anything about him."
+
+"Are Mr. and Mrs. Treat with the show?"
+
+"Yes, they're still here; he's a leetle thinner, I believe, an' she's
+twenty pound heavier. She says she weighs fifty pounds more'n she did;
+but I don't believe that, even if she did strike for five dollars more a
+week this season on the strength of it, an' get it. They keep right on
+cookin' up dinners, an' invitin' of folks in, an' the skeleton gets
+choked about the same as when you was with the show. I don't know how it
+is that a feller so thin as Treat is can eat so much."
+
+"Uncle Dan'l says it's 'cause he works so hard to get full," said Toby,
+quietly, "an' I shouldn't wonder if I grew as thin as the skeleton one
+of these days, for I eat jest as awful much as I used to."
+
+"Well, you look as if you got about all you needed, at any rate," said
+Ben, as he mentally compared the plump boy at his side with the thin,
+frightened-looking one who had run away from the circus with his monkey
+on his shoulder and his bundle under his arm.
+
+"Is Ella here?" asked Toby, after a pause, during which it seemed as if
+he were thinking of much the same thing that Ben was.
+
+"Yes, an' she keeps talkin' about what big cards you an' her would have
+been if you had only stayed with the show. But I'm glad you had pluck
+enough to run away, Toby, for a life like this hain't no fit one for
+boys."
+
+"And I was glad to get back to Uncle Dan'l," said Toby, with a great
+deal of emphasis. "I wouldn't go away without he wanted me to, if I
+could go with a circus seven times as large as this. Do you suppose
+young Stubbs would act bad if I was to take him for a walk?"
+
+"Who?" asked Ben, looking down at the crowd of boys with no slight show
+of perplexity.
+
+"Mr. Stubbs's brother," and Toby motioned to the door of the cage. "I'd
+like to take him up in my arms, 'cause it would seem so much like it
+used to before his brother died."
+
+Ben was seized with one of the very worst laughing spasms Toby had ever
+seen, and there was every danger that he would roll off the seat before
+he could control himself; but he did recover after a time, and as the
+purple hue slowly receded from his face, he said:
+
+"I'll tell you what we'll do, Toby. You come to the tent when the
+afternoon performance is over, an' I'll fix it so's you shall see Mr.
+Stubbs's brother as much as you want to."
+
+Just then Toby remembered that Ben was to be his guest for a while that
+day, and, after explaining all Aunt Olive had done in the way of
+preparing dainties, invited him to dinner.
+
+"I'll come, Toby, because it's to see you an' them that has been good to
+you," said Ben, slowly, and after quite a long pause: "but there hain't
+anybody else I know of who could coax me out to dinner; for, you see,
+rough fellows like me hain't fit to go around much, except among our
+own kind. But say, Toby, your Uncle Dan'l hain't right on his speech, is
+he?"
+
+Toby looked so puzzled that Ben saw he had not been understood, and he
+explained:
+
+"I mean, he don't get up a dinner for the sake of havin' a chance to
+make a speech, like the skeleton, does he, eh?"
+
+"Oh no, Uncle Dan'l don't do that. I know you'll like him when you see
+him."
+
+"And I believe I shall, Toby," said Ben, speaking very seriously; "I'd
+be sure to, because he's such a good uncle to you."
+
+Just then the conversation was interrupted by the orders to prepare for
+the parade; and as the manager drove up to see that everything was done
+properly, he stopped to speak with and congratulate Toby on being home
+again, a condescension on his part that caused a lively feeling of envy
+in the breasts of the other boys, because they had not been so honored.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ATTRACTIONS FOR THE LITTLE CIRCUS
+
+
+While he stood there, the wagon in which the skeleton and his wife
+travelled rolled past; but Toby knew they were still sleeping, and would
+continue to do so until their tent was ready for them to go into.
+
+The carriage in which the women of the company rode also passed him, and
+he almost fancied he could see Ella sitting in one of the seats sleeping
+with her head on her mother's shoulder, as she had slept on the stormy
+night when his head was nearly jerked from his body as he tried to sleep
+while sitting upright.
+
+There were but three of the drivers who had been with the circus the
+year before, and, after speaking with them, he stood by the side of the
+road, and watched the preparations for the entree with feelings far
+different from those with which he had observed such preparations in
+that dreary time when he expected each moment to hear Job Lord order him
+to attend to his work.
+
+The other boys crowded quite as close to him as they could get, as if by
+this means they allied themselves in some way with the show; and when a
+drove of ponies were led past, Joe Robinson said, longingly:
+
+"There, Toby, if we had one or two of them to train, it would be
+different work from what it is to make the Douglass boss remember his
+way round the ring."
+
+"You wouldn't have to train them any," began Toby; and then he had no
+time to say anything more, for Ben, who had been talking with the
+manager, called to him.
+
+"Has your Uncle Dan'l got plenty of pasturage?" asked Ben, when the boy
+approached him.
+
+"Well, he's got twenty acres up by the stone quarry, an' he keeps three
+cows on it, an' Jack Douglass's hoss, that don't count, for he's only
+there till we boys have our circus," said Toby, never for a moment
+dreaming of the good fortune that was in store for him.
+
+"So you're goin' to have a circus of your own, eh?" asked Ben, with a
+smile that alarmed Toby, because he feared it was a signal for one of
+those terrible laughing spells.
+
+"We're only goin' to have a little three-cent one," replied Toby,
+modestly, noting with satisfaction that Ben's mirth had gone no further
+than the smile.
+
+"Two of our ponies are about used up," said the manager, "and we've got
+to leave them somewhere. Ben tells me he is going to see your Uncle
+Dan'l this noon, so suppose you take one of these boys and ride them up
+to the pasture. Ben will make a bargain with your uncle for their
+keeping, and you can use them in your circus if you want to."
+
+Joe Robinson actually jumped for joy as he heard this, and Toby's
+delight spread itself all over his face, while Bob Atwood and Ben
+Gushing went near the fence, where they stood on their heads as a way of
+expressing their elation at thus being able to have real live ponies in
+their circus.
+
+A black and a red pony were the ones pointed out for Toby to take away,
+and they were not more than twice as large as Newfoundland dogs; they
+were, in fact, just exactly what was wanted for a little circus such as
+the boys were about to start.
+
+Joe was so puffed up with pride at being allowed to ride one of these
+ponies through the village that if his mind could have affected his body
+he would not have weighed more than a pound, and he held his head so
+high that it seemed a matter of impossibility for him to see his feet.
+
+Very much surprised were Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive at seeing Toby and
+Joe dash into the yard astride of these miniature horses, just as they
+were sitting down to breakfast; and when the matter had been explained,
+Abner appeared quite as much pleased that the boys would have this
+attraction in their circus as if he were the sole proprietor of it.
+
+It was with the greatest reluctance that either of the boys left his
+pony in the stable-yard and sat down to breakfast, so eager was Joe to
+get back to the tenting-ground to see what was going on, and so anxious
+was Toby to see the skeleton and his wife as soon as possible. But they
+ate because Uncle Daniel insisted that they should do so; and, when
+breakfast was over, he advised that the ponies be left in the stable
+until Chandler Merrill's pony could be removed from the pasture.
+
+When they started down town again, Abner went with them, and it was so
+late in the morning that Toby was sure the skeleton and his wife would
+be prepared to receive visitors.
+
+When Toby, Abner, and Joe reached the tenting-ground, everything was in
+that delightful state of bustle and confusion which is attendant upon
+the exhibition of a circus in a country town, where the company do not
+expect that the tent will be more than half filled, and where, in
+consequence, the programme will be considerably shortened.
+
+It did not require much search on Toby's part to find the tent wherein
+the skeleton and his wife exhibited their contrasting figures, for the
+pictures which hung outside were so gaudy, and of such an unusually
+large size, that they commanded the attention of every visitor.
+
+"Now I'm goin' in to see 'em," said Toby, first making sure that the
+exhibition had not begun; "an' Joe, you take Abner over so's he can see
+how Nahum Baker keeps a stand, an' then he'll know what to do when we
+have our circus. I'll come back here for you pretty soon."
+
+Then Toby ran around to the rear of the tent, where he knew he would
+find a private entrance, thus running less risk of receiving a blow on
+the head from some watchful attendant, and in a few moments he stood
+before Mr. and Mrs. Treat, who, having just completed their
+preparations, were about to announce that the exhibition could be
+opened.
+
+"Why, Toby Tyler, you dear little thing!" cried the enormous lady, in a
+joyful tone, after she had looked at the boy intently for a moment, to
+make sure he was really the one whom she had rescued several times from
+Job Lord's brutality; and then she took him in her fat arms, hugging him
+much as if he were a lemon and she an unusually large squeezer. "Where
+did you come from? How have you been? Did you find your Uncle Daniel?"
+
+Her embrace was so vigorous that it was some seconds after she had
+released him before he could make any reply; and while he was trying to
+get his breath the fleshless Mr. Treat took him solemnly by the hand,
+and cleared his throat as if he were determined to take advantage of the
+occasion to make one of his famous speeches.
+
+"My dear Mr. Tyler," he said, squeezing Toby's hand until it ached, "it
+is almost impossible for me to express the joy I feel at meeting you
+once more. We--Lilly and I--have looked forward to such a moment as this
+with a great deal of impatience, and even during our most prosperous
+exhibitions we have found time to speak of you."
+
+"There, there, Samuel, don't take up so much time with your long-winded
+talk, but let me see the dear little fellow myself;" and Mrs. Treat
+lifted her slim husband into a chair, where he was out of her way, and
+again greeted Toby by kissing him on both cheeks with a resounding smack
+that rivalled anything Reddy Grant had yet been able to do in the way
+of cracking his whip.
+
+Then she fairly overwhelmed him with questions, nor would she allow her
+husband to say a word until Toby had answered them all. He was again
+obliged to tell the story of Mr. Stubbs's death; of his return home, and
+everything connected with his running away from the circus; while all
+the time the fat lady alternately kissed and hugged him, until it seemed
+as if he would never be able to finish his story.
+
+"And, now that you are home again, don't ever think of running away,
+even though I must admit that you made a wonderful success in the ring;"
+and Mr. Treat crossed one leg over the other in a triumphant way,
+pleased that he had at last succeeded in getting a chance to speak.
+
+Toby was very emphatic in his assurances that he should never run away
+again, for he had had quite as much experience in that way as he
+wanted; and, after he had finished, Mrs. Treat, by way of further
+showing her joy at meeting him once more, brought out from a large black
+trunk fully half a dozen doughnuts, each quite as large among their kind
+as she was among women.
+
+"Now eat every one of them," she said, as she handed them to Toby, "an'
+it will do me good to see you, for you always used to be such a hungry
+little fellow."
+
+Toby had already had two breakfasts that morning, but he did not wish to
+refuse the kindly proffered gift, and he made every effort to do as she
+requested, though one of the cakes would have been quite a feast for him
+at his hungriest moment.
+
+The food reminded him of the dinner-invitation he was to deliver, and,
+as he forced down the rather heavy cake, he said:
+
+"Aunt Olive's killed a lamb, an' made an awful lot of things for dinner
+to-day, an' Uncle Dan'l says he'd be glad to have you come up. Ben's
+coming an' I'm goin' to find Ella, so's to have her come, an' we'll
+have a good time."
+
+"Lilly an' I will be pleased to see your aunt's lamb, and we shall be
+delighted to meet your Uncle Daniel," replied the skeleton, before his
+wife could speak, and then a "far-away" look came into his eyes, as if
+he could already taste, or at least smell, the feast in which he was
+certain he should take so much pleasure.
+
+"That's just the way with Samuel," said Mrs. Treat, as if she would
+offer some apology for the almost greedy way in which her husband
+accepted the invitation; "he's always thinking so much about eating that
+I'm afraid he'll begin to fat up, and then I shall have to support both
+of us."
+
+"Now, my dear"--and Mr. Treat used a tone of mild reproof--"why should
+you have such ideas, and why express them before our friend, Mr. Tyler?
+I've eaten considerable, perhaps, at times; but during ten years you
+have never seen me grow an ounce the fatter, and surely I have grown
+some leaner in that time."
+
+"Yes, yes, Sammy, I know it, and you shall eat all you can get, only try
+not to show that you think so much about it." Then, turning to Toby, she
+said, "He's such a trial, Sam is. We'll go to see your uncle, Toby, and
+we should be very glad to do so even if we wasn't going for dinner."
+
+"Ben an' me will come 'round when it's time to go," said Toby, and then,
+in a hesitating way, he added, "Abner's out here--he's a cripple that
+lives out to the poor-farm--an' he never saw a circus or anything. Can't
+I bring him in here a minute before you open the show?"
+
+"Of course you can, Toby, my dear, and you may bring all your friends.
+We'll give an exhibition especially for them. We haven't got a
+sword-swallower this year, and the albino children that you used to know
+have had to leave the business, because albinos got so plenty they
+couldn't earn their salt; but we've got a new snake-charmer, and a man
+without legs, and a bearded lady, so--"
+
+"So that our entertainment is quite as morally effective and
+instructively entertaining as ever," said Mr. Treat, interrupting his
+wife to speak a good word for the exhibition.
+
+Toby ran out quickly, that he might not delay the regular business any
+longer than was absolutely necessary; and at the very entrance of the
+tent, looking at the pictures in wonder that almost amounted to awe, he
+found Abner with his partners, and about a dozen other boys.
+
+"Come right in quick, fellers," said Toby, breathlessly, "an' you can
+see the whole show before it commences."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE DINNER PARTY
+
+
+The invitation was no sooner given than accepted; and in a twinkling
+every one of those boys was inside the tent, looking at the skeleton and
+the fat woman as though they had been old acquaintances.
+
+Toby had told Mr. and Mrs. Treat of the little circus they were
+intending to have, and he introduced to them his partners in the
+enterprise.
+
+The fleshy Lilly smiled encouragingly upon them, and the skeleton,
+moving his chair slightly to prevent his wife from interrupting him,
+said:
+
+"I am pleased to meet you, gentlemen, principally, and I might almost
+say wholly, because you are the friends of my old friend, Mr. Tyler.
+Whatever business relations you may have with him, whether in the great
+profession of the circus, or in the humbler walks of life, I am sure he
+will honor the connection."
+
+From appearances Mr. Treat would have continued to talk for some time,
+but his wife passed around more doughnuts, and the attention of the
+visitors was so distracted that he was obliged to stop.
+
+"And this is Abner," said Toby, taking advantage of the break in the
+skeleton's speech to lead forward his crippled friend.
+
+Abner limped blushingly towards the gigantic lady, and when both she and
+her thin husband spoke to him kindly, he was so covered with confusion
+at the honor thus showered upon him that he was hardly able to say a
+word.
+
+But the time was passing rapidly, and as there were many persons
+outside, probably, waiting for an opportunity to pay their money to see
+the varied attractions of the show, Mrs. Treat gave the signal for the
+snake-charmer to begin the entertainment, which was given as a mark of
+respect, as the skeleton explained, to their friend Toby Tyler.
+
+[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. TREAT EXHIBIT PRIVATELY]
+
+This private exhibition lasted about fifteen minutes, and when, at its
+close, the doors were thrown open to such of the public as were willing
+to pay to come in, the boys were not at all anxious to leave.
+
+"Let them stay as long as they want to, Toby," said the skeleton
+indulgently.
+
+The boys were only too glad to avail themselves of this permission, and
+Toby said to Abner:
+
+"I want to see if I can find Ella, an' you stay here till I come back."
+
+"I'll keep him right here by me," said Mrs. Treat, "and he'll be safe
+enough."
+
+Remembering how she had served Job Lord, Toby had no fears for the
+safety of his friend; he went at once, therefore, to deliver the
+invitation to the last of Aunt Olive's expected guests.
+
+When, after some little time, Toby returned, the boys had satisfied
+their curiosity so far as the side-show was concerned, and all except
+Abner had left the tent.
+
+That he had found Ella was evident, as that young lady herself skipped
+along by his side in the greatest possible delight at having met her
+former riding companion; and that she had accepted his invitation to
+dinner was shown by the scrupulous care with which she was dressed.
+
+"It's time to go up to Uncle Dan'l's," Toby whispered to Mrs. Treat,
+"an' Ben's harnessin' the hosses into your wagon, so's you won't have to
+go to the trouble of puttin' on your other clothes."
+
+"I don't know as we ought to go up there in this rig," said Mrs. Treat
+doubtfully, as she looked down at her "show dress," made to display her
+arms and neck to the greatest advantage, and then at her husband's
+costume, which was as scanty as his body. "I wanted to dress up when we
+went there; but I don't see how I'll get the chance to do it."
+
+"I wouldn't bother, 'cause Uncle Dan'l will like you jest as well that
+way, an' it will take you too long," said Toby impatiently.
+
+The skeleton, on being consulted as to the matter, decided to do as Toby
+wished, because by adopting that course they would the sooner get the
+dinner about which he had been thinking ever since he had received the
+invitation.
+
+But while Mrs. Treat was ready to believe that her costume might be
+reasonably fit to wear to a dinner party, she was certain that something
+more than tights and a pair of short, red velvet trousers was necessary
+for her husband.
+
+Mr. Treat tried to argue with his much larger half, insisting that Uncle
+Daniel would understand the matter; but his wife insisted so strongly,
+and with such determination to have her own way, that he compromised by
+adding to his scanty wardrobe a black frock-coat and a tall silk hat,
+which gave him a rather more comical than distinguished appearance.
+
+The audience were dismissed as soon as possible; Abner was helped into
+the wagon, perfectly delighted at being allowed to ride in a circus van,
+and the party started for Uncle Daniel's.
+
+Toby sat on the box with Ben, to show him the way; and when the gaudily
+painted cart stopped in front of the farm-house; it was much as if a
+peacock had suddenly alighted amid a flock of demure hens.
+
+Uncle Daniel was out in the yard to receive his strangely assorted
+guests, and the greeting they received from both him and Aunt Olive was
+as hearty as if they had been old acquaintances.
+
+There was a look of calm satisfaction on the skeleton's face as the odor
+of roast lamb was mingled with Uncle Daniel's welcome when he descended
+from the wagon; and as the company were ushered into the "fore-room,"
+the air of which was pungent with the odors of herbs used to keep the
+moths from carpet and furniture, a restful feeling came over them such
+as only those whose lives are dreary rounds of travelling can feel.
+
+Uncle Daniel insisted on taking care of the horses himself, for his idea
+of the duties of host would not allow that Ben should help him, and
+almost as soon as he had finished this work dinner was ready.
+
+When all the guests were at the table, and Uncle Daniel bowed his head
+to invoke a blessing on those who had befriended the fatherless, the
+look of general discomfort old Ben had worn from the time he reached the
+house passed away, and in its place came the peaceful look Toby had seen
+on Sundays after the old driver had come from church.
+
+It seemed to Toby that he had never really known Uncle Daniel before, so
+jolly was he in his efforts to entertain his guests; and the manner in
+which he portioned out the food, keeping the plates well filled all the
+time, was in the highest degree pleasing to Mr. Treat.
+
+Of course very much was said about the time when Toby was an unwilling
+member of the circus, and Mrs. Treat and Ben told of the boy's
+experiences in a way that brought many a blush to his cheeks. Mr. Treat
+was too busy with Aunt Olive's lamb, as he affectionately spoke of it,
+to be able to say anything; he was wonderfully fortunate in not choking
+himself but once, and that was such a trifling matter that it was all
+over in a moment.
+
+Old Ben told Toby that night, however, that Treat would not have got on
+so well, if his wife had not trodden on his toes frequently, as a hint
+to eat more slowly.
+
+Although Abner had spent several hours in the side-show, it seemed as if
+he would never tire of gazing at Mrs. Treat's enormous frame, and so
+intently did he look at her that he missed a good chance of getting a
+second piece of custard pie, though Toby nudged him several times to
+intimate that he could have more as well as not.
+
+Ben told a number of stories of circus life; Mrs. Treat related some of
+her experiences in trying to prevent her husband from eating too fast;
+Ella told Aunt Olive of the home she and her mother lived in during
+winter; and the hour which had been devoted to this visit passed so
+pleasantly that every one was sorry when it was ended.
+
+"You've got a trim little farm here," said Ben to Uncle Daniel, when the
+two went out to harness the horses; "an' I reckon that a man who has got
+land enough to support him is fixed jest about as well as he can be. I
+don't know of anything I'd rather be than a farmer, if I could only get
+away from circus life."
+
+"Whenever you want to leave that business," said Uncle Daniel solemnly
+and earnestly, "you come right here, and I'll show you the chance to
+become a farmer."
+
+"I'd like to," said Ben, with a sigh of regret that the matter seemed so
+impossible; "but I've been with a circus now, man an' boy, goin' on
+forty-one years, an' I s'pose I shall always be with one."
+
+Then he changed the conversation, making an arrangement with Uncle
+Daniel for pasturing the ponies that were to be left behind, and by the
+time the bargain was completed the horses were at the door.
+
+While Uncle Daniel and old Ben had been at the stables, Mr. Treat had
+been showing his liberality by giving Aunt Olive tickets for the
+side-show and circus, and inducing her to promise that she and Uncle
+Daniel would see both shows. He had also given Toby fully a dozen circus
+tickets for distribution among his friends; and then, as Uncle Daniel
+entered, he said:
+
+"I wish to express thanks--both for myself and my wife Lilly--for the
+very kind manner in which you have entertained us to-day."
+
+Before he could say anything more the others came to say good-bye, and
+he was disappointed again. Aunt Olive kissed Ella several times, while
+the parting with the others was almost as between old friends, and the
+guests started for the tent again, more than satisfied with their visit.
+
+"Now, Toby, you look me up jest after the show is out this afternoon,
+an' we'll fix it so's you shall have a chance to talk with Mr. Stubbs's
+brother," said Ben, as they were driving along.
+
+As a matter of course Toby promised to be there, and to bring Abner with
+him.
+
+"You said that little cripple had to live at the poor-farm, didn't you?"
+asked Ben, after quite a long pause.
+
+"Yes, an' it's 'cause he hain't got no father or mother, nor no Uncle
+Dan'l like I've got," said Toby sadly.
+
+"Hain't he got any relations anywhere?"
+
+"No; Uncle Dan'l said he didn't have a soul that he could go to."
+
+"It must be kinder hard for him to live there alone, an' I don't s'pose
+he'll ever be able to walk."
+
+Toby was not at all certain whether or not Abner could ever be cured;
+but he told the old driver what he knew of the lonely life the boy led.
+Ben did not appear to hear what was said, for he was in one of his deep
+studies and seemed unconscious of everything except the fact that his
+horses were going in the proper direction.
+
+"I'll tell you what I'll do, Toby," he said, after remaining silent
+until they were nearly at the tent. "I hain't got a child or a chick in
+the world, an' I'll take care of that boy."
+
+Toby looked up in surprise, as he repeated, in a puzzled way:
+
+"You'll take care of him?"
+
+"I don't mean that I'll take hold an' tote' him 'round; but he shall
+have as much as he needs out of every dollar I get. I'll see your Uncle
+Dan'l, an' fix it somehow so he'll be taken out of the poorhouse."
+
+"Why, Ben, how good you are!" and Toby looked up at his friend with
+sincere admiration imprinted on his face.
+
+"It hain't 'cause I'm good, my lad; but if I didn't help that poor
+fellow in some way, I'd see them big eyes an' that pale face of hisn
+every night I rode on this box alone; so you see I only do it for the
+sake of havin' peace," said Ben, with a forced laugh; and then he
+stopped the horses at the rear of Mr. Treat's tent. "Now you jump down,
+Toby, so's to see the skeleton don't break himself all to pieces gettin'
+out, for I'm kinder 'fraid he will some day. I'd rather drive a hundred
+monkeys than one sich slim man as him."
+
+Then Ben had a fit of internal laughter caused by his own remark, and
+Uncle Daniel's guests were ready to resume their duties at the circus.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER
+
+
+It was so near the time for the circus to begin that Toby was obliged to
+hurry considerably in order to distribute among his friends the tickets
+the skeleton had given him, and he advised Abner to remain with Mrs.
+Treat while he did so, in order to escape the crowd, among which he
+might get injured.
+
+Then he gave his tickets to those boys who he knew had no money with
+which to buy any, and so generous was he that when he had finished he
+had none for himself and Abner.
+
+That he might not be able to witness the performance did not trouble him
+very greatly, although it would have been a disappointment not to see
+Ella ride; but he blamed himself very much because he had not saved a
+ticket for Abner, and he hurried to find Ben that he might arrange
+matters for him.
+
+The old driver was easily found, and still more easily persuaded to
+grant the favor which permitted Abner to view the wonderful sights
+beneath the almost enchanted canvas.
+
+From one menagerie wagon to another Toby led his friend as quickly as
+possible, until they stood in front of the monkeys' cage, where Mr.
+Stubbs's supposed brother was perched as high as possible, away from the
+common herd of monkeys which chatted familiarly with every one who
+bribed them.
+
+Toby was in the highest degree excited; it seemed as if his pet that had
+been killed was again before him, and he crowded his way up to the bars
+of the cage, dragging Abner with him, until he was where he could have a
+full view of the noisy prisoners.
+
+Toby called to the monkey as he had been in the habit of calling to Mr.
+Stubbs, but now the fellow paid no attention to him whatever; there were
+so many spectators that he could not spend his time upon one, unless he
+were to derive some benefit in return.
+
+Fortunately, so far as his happiness was concerned, Toby had the means
+of inducing the monkey to visit him, for in his pocket yet remained two
+of the doughnuts Mrs. Treat had almost forced upon him; and, remembering
+how fond Mr. Stubbs had been of such sweet food, he held a piece out to
+the supposed brother.
+
+Almost immediately that monkey made up his mind that the freckle-faced
+boy with the doughnut was the one particular person whom he should be
+acquainted with, and he came down from his perch at a rapid rate.
+
+So long as Toby was willing to feed him with doughnuts he was willing to
+remain; but when his companions gathered around in such numbers that
+the supply of food was quickly exhausted, he went back to his lofty
+perch, much to the boy's regret.
+
+"He looks like Mr. Stubbs, and he acts like him, an' it must be his
+brother sure," said Toby to himself as Abner hurried him away to look at
+the other curiosities. When he was at some distance from the cage he
+turned and said, "Good-bye," as if he were speaking to his old pet.
+
+During the performance that afternoon Abner was in a delightful whirl of
+wonder and amazement; but Toby's attention was divided between what was
+going on in the ring and the thought of having Mr. Stubbs's brother all
+to himself as soon as the performance should be over.
+
+He did, however, watch the boy who sold peanuts and lemonade, but this
+one was much larger than himself, and looked rough enough to endure the
+hardships of such a life.
+
+Toby was also attentive when Ella was in the ring, and he was envied by
+all his acquaintances when she smiled as she passed the place where he
+was sitting.
+
+Abner would have been glad if the performance had been prolonged until
+midnight; but Toby, still thinking of Mr. Stubbs's brother, was pleased
+when it ended.
+
+He and Abner waited by the animal's cages until the crowd had again
+satisfied their curiosity; and as the last visitor was leaving the tent
+old Ben came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Treat, both in exhibition
+costume.
+
+Toby was somewhat surprised at seeing them, for he knew their busiest
+time was just at the close of the circus, and while he was yet wondering
+at their coming he saw Ella approaching from the direction of the
+dressing-tent.
+
+He had not much time to spend in speculation, however, for Ben said, as
+he came up:
+
+"Now, boy, you shall see Mr. Stubbs's brother, and talk to him just as
+long as you want to."
+
+The skeleton and his wife and Ella looked at each other and smiled in a
+queer way as Ben said this; but Toby was too much excited at the idea of
+having the monkey in his arms to pay any attention to what was going on
+around him.
+
+Ben, unlocking the door of the cage, succeeded, after considerable
+trouble, in catching the particular inmate he wanted, and, handing him
+to Toby, said:
+
+"Now let's see if he knows you as well as Stubbs did."
+
+Toby took the monkey in his arms with a glad cry of delight, and fondled
+him as if he really were the pet he had lost.
+
+Whether it was because the animal knew that the boy was petting him, or
+because he had been treated harshly, and was willing to make friends
+with the first one who was kind to him, it is difficult to say; certain
+it is that as soon as he found himself in Toby's arms he nestled down
+with his face by the boy's neck, remaining there as contentedly as if
+the two had been friends for years.
+
+"There, don't you see he knows me!" cried the boy in delight, and then
+he sat down upon the ground, caressing the animal, and whispering all
+sorts of loving words in his ear.
+
+"He does seem to act as if he had been introduced to you," said old Ben,
+with a chuckle. "It would be kinder nice if you could keep him, wouldn't
+it?"
+
+"'Deed it would," replied Toby earnestly. "I'd give everything I've got
+if I could have him, for he does act so much like Mr. Stubbs it seems as
+if it must be him."
+
+Then Ella whispered something to the old driver, the skeleton bestowed
+a very mysterious wink upon him, the fat woman nodded her head till her
+cheeks shook like two balls of very soft butter, and Abner looked
+curiously on, wondering what was the matter with Toby's friends.
+
+He soon found out what it was, however, for Ben, after indulging in one
+of his laughing spasms, asked:
+
+"Whose monkey is that you've got in your arms, Toby?"
+
+"Why, it belongs to the circus, don't it?" And the boy looked up in
+surprise.
+
+"No, it don't belong to the circus; it belongs to you--that's who owns
+it."
+
+"Me? Mine? Why, Ben--"
+
+Toby was so completely bewildered as to be unable to say a word, and
+just as he was beginning to think it some joke, Ben said:
+
+"The skeleton an' his wife, an' Ella and I, bought that monkey this
+forenoon, an' we give him to you so's you'll still be able to have a Mr.
+Stubbs in the family."
+
+"Oh, Ben!" was all Toby could say; with the monkey tightly clasped in
+his arms, he took the old driver by the hand; but just then the skeleton
+stepped forward holding something which glistened.
+
+"Mr. Tyler," he said, in his usual speech-making style, "when our friend
+Ben told us this morning about your having discovered Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, we sent out and got this collar for the monkey, and we take the
+greatest possible pride in presenting it to you; although, if it had
+been something that my Lilly could have made with her own fair fingers,
+I should have liked it better."
+
+As he ceased speaking, he handed Toby a very pretty little dog-collar,
+on the silver plate of which was inscribed:
+
+
+     +---------------------------------+
+     |     MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER.       |
+     |          PRESENTED TO           |
+     |           TOBY TYLER            |
+     |                                 |
+     |               BY                |
+     |                                 |
+     | THE SKELETON,    THE FAT WOMAN, |
+     | OLD BEN,         LITTLE ELLA.   |
+     +---------------------------------+
+
+
+Toby took the collar, and as he fastened it on the monkey's neck he
+said, in a voice that trembled considerably with emotion:
+
+"You've all of you been awful good to me, an' I don't know what to say
+so's you'll know how much I thank you. It seems as if ever since I
+started with the circus you've all tried to see how good you could be;
+an' now you've given me this monkey that I wanted so much. Some time,
+when I'm a man, I'll show you how much I think of all you've done for
+me."
+
+The tears of gratitude that were gathering in Toby's eyes prevented him
+from saying anything more, and then Mrs. Treat and Ella both kissed him,
+while Ben said, in a gruff tone:
+
+"Now carry the monkey home, an' get your supper, for you'll want to come
+down here this evening, an' you won't have time if you don't go now."
+
+Ella, after making Toby promise that he would see her again that night,
+went with Mr. and Mrs. Treat, while old Ben, as if afraid he might
+receive more thanks, walked quickly away towards the dressing-rooms, and
+there was nothing else for Toby and Abner to do but go home.
+
+It surely seemed as if every boy in the village knew that Toby Tyler had
+remained in the tent after the circus was over, and almost all of them
+were waiting around the entrance when the two boys came out with the
+monkey.
+
+If Toby had stayed there until each one of his friends had looked at and
+handled the monkey as much as he wanted to, he and Abner would have
+remained until morning, and Mr. Stubbs's brother would have been made
+very ill-natured.
+
+He waited until his friends had each looked at the monkey, and then he
+and Abner started home, escorted by nearly all the boys in town.
+
+The partners in the amateur-circus scheme were nearly as wild with joy
+as Toby was, for now their enterprise seemed an assured success, since
+they had two real ponies and a live monkey to begin with. They seemed to
+consider it their right to go to Uncle Daniel's with Toby; and when the
+party reached the corner that marked the centre of the village, they
+decided that the others of the escort should go no farther--a decision
+which relieved Toby of an inconvenient number of friends.
+
+As it was, the party was quite large enough to give Aunt Olive some
+uneasiness lest they should track dirt in upon her clean kitchen floor,
+and she insisted that both the boys and the monkey should remain in the
+yard.
+
+Toby had an idea that Mr. Stubbs's brother would be treated as one of
+the family; and, had any one hinted that the monkey would not be allowed
+to share his bed and eat at the same table with him, he would have
+resented it strongly.
+
+But Uncle Daniel soon convinced him that the proper place for his pet
+was in the wood-shed, where he could be chained to keep him out of
+mischief, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was soon safely secured in as snug a
+place as a monkey could ask for.
+
+Not until this was done did the partners return to their homes, or the
+centre of attraction--the tenting-grounds--nor did Toby find time to get
+his supper and go for the cows.
+
+Not once during the afternoon had Toby said anything to Abner of the
+good fortune that might come to him through old Ben; but when he got
+back from the pasture and met Uncle Daniel in the barn, he told him what
+the old driver had said about Abner.
+
+"Are you sure you heard him rightly, Toby, boy?" asked the old gentleman
+as he pushed his glasses up on his forehead, as he always did when he
+was surprised or perplexed.
+
+"I know he said that; but it seems as if it was too good to be true,
+don't it?"
+
+"The Lord's ways are not our ways, my boy, and if he sees fit to work
+some good to the poor cripple, he can do it as well through a circus
+driver as through one of his elect," said Uncle Daniel reverentially,
+and then he set about milking the cows in such an absent-minded way that
+he worried old Short-horn until she kicked the pail over when it was
+nearly half full.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE ACCIDENT
+
+
+That night Toby and Abner went to the circus grounds with Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive; and when old Ben approached the party as they were
+nearing the tent, Toby motioned the cripple to come with him, for he
+thought it might be better that the boy should not hear the conversation
+concerning himself.
+
+It had been decided by Uncle Daniel that the boys should go to the
+circus grounds that evening, and stay there until it was nearly dark,
+when they were to go home and go to bed; for he never believed it could
+do boys any good to be out after dark, while he was certain it was
+better for their health if they went to bed early.
+
+Therefore Toby intended to make this visit simply one of farewell,
+after Abner should see a little more of the bustle and confusion that
+had so fascinated him in the afternoon.
+
+To that end the boys walked around the enclosure, listened to the men
+who were loudly crying the wonderful things they had for sale, and all
+the while kept a bright lookout in the hope of seeing some of their
+circus friends.
+
+It was nearly time for the performance to begin when the boys went into
+the skeleton's tent, and said good-bye to the thin man and his fat wife.
+
+Then Toby, anxious to run around to the dressing-rooms to speak with
+Ella, and not daring to take Abner with him, said to the boy:
+
+"Now you wait here for a minute, an' I'll be right back."
+
+Abner was perfectly contented to wait; it seemed to him that he would
+have been willing to stay there all night, provided the excitement
+should be continued, and he gazed around him in perfect delight as he
+leaned against one of the tent ropes.
+
+Toby found Ella without much difficulty; but both she and her mother had
+so much to say to him that it was some time before he could leave them
+to go in search of Ben.
+
+The old driver was curled up on his wagon, taking "forty winks," as he
+called a nap, before starting on the road again.
+
+When Toby awakened him, he explained that he would not have taken the
+liberty if it had not been for the purpose of saying good-bye, and Ben
+replied, good-naturedly:
+
+"That's all right, Toby; I should only have been angry with you if you
+had let me sleep. I've fixed it with your uncle about that little
+cripple; and now, when I get pitched off and killed some of these dark
+nights, there'll be one what'll be sorry I'm gone. Be a good boy, Toby;
+don't ever do anything you'd be afraid to tell your Uncle Dan'l of, and
+next year I'll see you again."
+
+Toby wanted to say something; but the old driver had spoken his
+farewell, and was evidently determined neither to say nor to hear
+anything more, for he crawled up on the box of the wagon again, and
+appeared to fall asleep instantly.
+
+Toby stood looking at him a moment, as if trying to make out whether
+this sudden sleep was real, or only feigned in order to prevent the
+parting from being a sad one; and then he said, as he started towards
+the door:
+
+"Well, I thank you over and over again for Mr. Stubbs's brother, even if
+you have gone to sleep." Then he went to meet Abner.
+
+When he reached the place where he had left his friend, to his great
+surprise he could see nothing of him. There was no possibility that he
+could have made any mistake as to the locality, for he had left him
+standing just behind the skeleton's tent.
+
+Toby ran quickly around the enclosure, asked some of the attendants in
+the dressing-room if they had seen a boy on crutches, and then he went
+into Mr. Treat's tent. But he could neither hear nor see anything of
+Abner, whose complete disappearance was, to say the least, very strange.
+
+Toby was completely bewildered by this sudden disappearance, and for
+some moments he stood looking at the place where he had left his friend,
+as if he thought that his eyes must have deceived him, and that the boy
+was still there.
+
+There were but few persons around the outside of the tent, those who had
+money enough to pay for their admission having gone in, and those who
+were penniless having gone home, so that Toby did not find many of whom
+to make inquiries. The attaches of the circus were busily engaged
+packing the goods for the night's journey, and a number of them had
+gathered around one of the wagons a short distance away. But Toby
+thought it useless to ask them for tidings of his missing friend, for he
+knew by experience how busy every one connected with the circus was at
+that hour.
+
+After he had looked at the tent rope against which he had seen Abner
+leaning, until he recovered his presence of mind, he went into the tent
+again for the purpose of getting Uncle Daniel to help him in the search.
+As he was passing the monkey wagon, however, he saw old Ben--whom he had
+left apparently in a heavy sleep--examining his wagon to make sure that
+everything was right, and to him he told the story of Abner's strange
+disappearance.
+
+"I guess he's gone off with some of the other fellows," said Ben,
+thinking the matter of but little importance, but yet going out of the
+tent with Toby as he spoke. "Boys are just like eels, an' you never know
+where to find 'em after you once let 'em slip through your fingers."
+
+"But Abner promised me he'd stay right here," said Toby.
+
+"Well, some other fellows came along, an' he promised to go with them, I
+s'pose."
+
+"But I don't believe Abner would; he'd keep his promise after he made
+it."
+
+While they were talking they had gone out of the tent, and Ben started
+at once towards the crowd around the wagon, for he knew there was no
+reason why so many men should be there when they had work to do
+elsewhere.
+
+"Did you go over there to see what was up?" asked the old driver.
+
+"No, I thought they were getting ready to start, an' I could see Abner
+wasn't there."
+
+"Something's the matter," muttered the old man, as he quickened his
+pace, and Toby, alarmed by the look on his friend's face, hurried on,
+hardly daring to breathe.
+
+One look into the wagon around which the men were gathered was
+sufficient to show why it was that Abner had not remained by the tent
+as he had promised; for he lay in the bottom of the cart, to all
+appearances dead, while two of the party were examining him to learn the
+extent of his injuries.
+
+"What is the matter? How did this boy get hurt?" asked Ben, sternly, as
+he leaped upon the wagon, and laid his hand over the injured boy's
+heart.
+
+"He was standing there close by the guy ropes when we were getting ready
+to let the canvas down. One of the side poles fell and struck him on the
+head, or shoulder, I don't know which," replied a man.
+
+"It struck him here on the back of the neck," said one of those who were
+examining the boy, as he turned him half over to expose an ugly-looking
+wound around which the blood was rapidly settling. "It's a wonder it
+didn't kill him."
+
+"He hain't dead, is he?" asked Toby, piteously, as he climbed up on one
+of the wheels and looked over in a frightened way at the little
+deformed body that lay so still and lifeless.
+
+"No, he hain't dead," said Ben, who had detected a faint pulsation of
+the heart; "but why didn't some of you send for a doctor when it first
+happened?"
+
+"We did," replied one of the men. "Some of the village boys were here,
+and we started them right off."
+
+Almost as the man spoke, Dr. Abbott, one of the physicians of the town,
+drove up and made his way through the crowd.
+
+Toby, too much alarmed to speak, watched the doctor's every movement as
+he made an examination of the wounded boy, and listened to the accounts
+the men gave of the way in which the accident had happened.
+
+"His injuries are not necessarily fatal, but they are very dangerous. He
+lives at the poor-farm, and should be taken there at once," said the
+doctor after he had made a slight and almost careless examination.
+
+Toby was anxious that the poor boy should be taken to his home rather
+than to the comfortless place the doctor had proposed; but he did not
+dare make the suggestion before asking Uncle Daniel's consent to it. He
+was about to ask them not to move Abner until he could find his uncle,
+when Ben whispered something to the doctor that caused him to look at
+the old driver in surprise.
+
+"I'll ask Uncle Dan'l to take him home with us," said Toby as he slipped
+down from his high perch and started towards the tent.
+
+"I'll take care of that," said Ben as he went towards the tent with him.
+"I had just fixed it with your uncle so's he'd take Abner from the
+poor-farm an' board him, an' now there's all the more reason why he
+should do it. You go back an' stay with Abner, an' I'll bring your Uncle
+Dan'l out."
+
+Then Toby went back to the wagon where the poor little cripple still
+lay as one dead, while the blood flowed in a tiny stream from one of his
+arms, where the physician had opened a vein.
+
+Not understanding the reason for this blood-letting, and supposing that
+the crimson flow was due to the injuries Abner had received, Toby cried
+out in his fear; but one of the men explained the case to him, and then
+he waited as patiently as possible for the driver's return.
+
+Both Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive came out with Ben, and within a very
+few moments Abner was being carried to the farm-house, in the same wagon
+that had taken him there before in company with the skeleton and his
+party, for that famous dinner.
+
+It frightened Toby still more to see the unconscious boy carried into
+the house by Ben and the doctor as though he were already dead; and when
+Aunt Olive led them into the best room, where no one had slept since
+Uncle Daniel's sister died, it seemed as if every one believed Abner
+could not live, or they would not have carried him there.
+
+Toby hardly knew when Ben went away, or whether he said anything before
+he left, or, in fact, anything else, so sad and confused was he. He did
+not even think about Mr. Stubbs's brother, but remained in one corner of
+the room, almost hidden by one of the flowing chintz curtains, until
+Uncle Daniel heard him sobbing, and led him away to his room.
+
+"There is good reason to hope Abner will recover," said the old man as
+he stroked Toby's hair; "but he is in the keeping of the One who never
+errs, and whatsoever He does is good."
+
+Then Uncle Daniel actually kissed the boy, as he told him to go to bed
+and go to sleep. Toby went to bed as he was commanded, though it seemed
+impossible he should sleep while it might be that Abner was dying.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+CHANGE OF PLANS
+
+
+Toby was thoroughly surprised, when he awoke, to find that it was
+morning, and that his slumber had been as sweet as if nothing had
+happened. He dressed himself as quickly as possible, and ran
+down-stairs, and Uncle Daniel told him the doctor had just left, after
+saying he thought Abner would recover.
+
+It was a sad visit Toby paid Mr. Stubbs's brother that morning; and, as
+he petted him, the tears came into his eyes when he thought of poor
+Abner, until he was obliged to leave the monkey to himself, after having
+tied him so that he could take a short run out of doors.
+
+Then he visited the ponies in the stable, and when he returned to the
+house he found all his partners in the circus enterprise, as well as
+several other boys, waiting to hear an account of the accident.
+
+Dr. Abbott had reported that Abner had been injured; but, as he had not
+given any particulars, the villagers were in a state of anxious
+uncertainty regarding it.
+
+After Toby had told them all he knew about the matter, and had allowed
+them to see the monkey and the ponies, which some of them seemed to
+regard as of more importance than the injured boy, Bob asked:
+
+"Well, now what about our circus?"
+
+"Why, we can't do anything on that till Abner gets well," said Toby, as
+if surprised that the matter should even be spoken about.
+
+"Why not? He wasn't goin' to do any of the ridin', an' now's the time
+for us to go ahead while we can remember what they did at the show
+yesterday. It don't make any difference 'bout our circus if he did get
+hurt," and Bob looked around at the others as if asking whether they
+agreed with him or not.
+
+"I think we ought to wait till he gets better," said Joe, "'cause he was
+goin' in with us, an' it don't seem jest fair to have the show when he's
+so sick."
+
+"That's foolish," said Ben, with a sneer. "If he hadn't come up to the
+pasture the other day, you wouldn't thought anything 'bout him, an' he'd
+been out to the poor-farm where he belongs."
+
+"If he hadn't come up there," said Toby, "I'd never known how lonesome
+he was, an' I'd gone right on havin' a good time without ever once
+thinkin' of him. An' if he hadn't come up there, perhaps he wouldn't got
+hurt, an' it seems almost as if I'd done it to him, 'cause I took him to
+the circus."
+
+"Don't make a fool of yourself, Toby Tyler!" and Ben Gushing spoke
+almost angrily. "You act awful silly 'bout that feller, an' father says
+he's only a pauper anyway."
+
+"It wouldn't make any difference if he was, 'cause he's a poor lonesome
+cripple; but he hain't a pauper, for old Ben's goin' to take care of
+him, an' he pays Uncle Dan'l for lettin' him stay here."
+
+This news was indeed surprising to the boys, and as they fully realized
+that Abner was under the protection of a "circus man," he rose
+considerably in their estimation.
+
+They were anxious to know all about the matter, and when Toby told them
+all he could, they looked at the case in such an entirely different
+light that Ben Gushing even offered to go out in the field, where he
+could be seen from the windows of the room in which Abner lay, and go
+through his entire acrobatic performance in the hope the sight might do
+the invalid some good. Leander Leighton also offered to come twice each
+day and play "Yankee Doodle" with one finger on the accordion, in order
+to soothe him.
+
+But Toby thought it best to decline both these generous offers; he was
+glad they had been made, but would have been much better pleased if they
+had come while it was still believed Abner's only home was at the
+poorhouse.
+
+When the boys went away, Toby pleaded so hard that Aunt Olive consented
+to his sitting in the chamber where Abner lay, with the agreement that
+he should make no noise; and there he remained nearly all the day, as
+still as any mouse, watching the pale face on which death seemed already
+to have set its imprint.
+
+Each day for two weeks Toby remained on watch, leaving the room only
+when it was necessary, and he was at last rewarded by hearing Abner call
+him by name.
+
+After that, Aunt Olive allowed the two boys to talk a little, and a few
+days later Mr. Stubbs's brother was brought in to pay his respects to
+the invalid.
+
+Many times during Abner's illness had the boys been up to learn how he
+was getting on, and to try to persuade Toby to commence again the
+preparations for the circus; but he had steadily refused to proceed
+further in the matter until Abner could at least play the part of
+spectator.
+
+Uncle Daniel had had several letters from Ben inquiring about Abner's
+condition; and as each one contained money, some of which had been sent
+by the skeleton and his wife to "Toby Tyler's friend," the sick boy had
+wanted for nothing. Ben had also written that he had gained the consent
+of the proprietors of the circus to have the ponies driven for Abner's
+benefit, and had sent a dainty little carriage and harnesses so that he
+could ride out as soon as he was able.
+
+Chandler Merrill had grown tired of waiting for his pony, and had taken
+him from the pasture, while Reddy had long since returned the blind
+horse to its owner.
+
+But during all these five weeks the work had gone slowly but steadily on
+circusward. Leander had become so expert a musician on the accordion,
+that he could play "Yankee Doodle" with all his fingers, "Old Hundred"
+with two; and was fast mastering the intricacies of "Old Dog Tray."
+
+As to Ben Gushing, it would be hard to say exactly how much progress he
+had made, the reports differed so much. He claimed to be able to turn
+hand-springs around the largest circus ring that was ever made, and to
+stand on his head for a week; but some of the boys who were not partners
+in the enterprise flatly contradicted this, and declared that they could
+do as many feats in the acrobatic line as he could.
+
+Joe Robinson had practised howling until Reddy insisted that there was
+little or no difference between him and the fiercest and
+strongest-lunged hyena that ever walked. Bob could sing the two songs
+his sister had taught him, and had written out twelve copies of them in
+order to have a good stock to sell from; but Leander predicted that he
+would not be able to dispose of many, because one was the "Suwanee
+River," and the other "A Poor Wayfaring Man," the words of which any boy
+could get by consulting an old music-book.
+
+Reddy had made a remarkably large whip, which he could snap once out of
+every three attempts, and not hit himself on the head more than once out
+of five.
+
+Thus the circus project was as promising as ever, and Abner, as well as
+the other partners, had urged Toby to take hold of it again; but he had
+made no promises until the day came when Abner was able to sit up, and
+Dr. Abbott said that he could go out for a ride in another week, if he
+still continued to improve.
+
+Then it was that Toby told his partners he would meet them on the first
+day Abner went out for a ride, and tell them when he would take up the
+circus work again, which made every one more anxious than ever to see
+the poor-farm boy out of doors.
+
+From the time when the tiny little carriage and the two sets of harness
+glistening with silver had come, Toby had been anxious for a drive with
+the ponies; but he had resolutely refused to use them until Abner could
+go with him, although Uncle Daniel had told him he could try them
+whenever he wished. He had waited for his other pleasures until Abner
+could join him, and he insisted on waiting for this one. One day, when
+Aunt Olive spoke to him about it, he said:
+
+"If I was sick, an' had such a team sent to me, I'd feel kinder bad to
+have some other boy using it, an' so I'm goin' to let Abner be the
+first one to go out with the ponies."
+
+It was hard not even to get into the little carriage that was so
+carefully covered with a white cloth in the stable; but Toby resisted
+the temptation, and when at last the day did come that Aunt Olive and
+Uncle Daniel helped the sick boy down-stairs, and lifted him into the
+prettiest little pony carriage ever seen in Guilford, he felt amply
+rewarded for his denial.
+
+They drove all over the town, stopping now and then to speak with some
+of their friends, or to answer questions as to Abner's health; and when
+it was nearly time to return home Toby turned the ponies' heads towards
+the pasture, where he knew his partners were waiting for him according
+to agreement.
+
+"We'll go on with the circus now," he said to Abner, "for I can take you
+with me in this team, an' you can stay in it all the time we're
+practising so's it'll be 'most as good as if you could do something
+towards it yourself."
+
+Abner was quietly happy; the tender, thoughtful care that had been
+bestowed upon him since his mishap had been such as, in his mind at
+least, repaid him for all the pain.
+
+"I hope you will have it," he said, earnestly, "for, even if I can't be
+with you all the time, I won't feel as if I was keepin' you from it."
+
+Then he put his hand in a loving way on Toby's cheek, and the "boss of
+the circus" felt fully repaid for having waited for his pleasure.
+
+At the pasture all the partners were gathered, for Toby had promised to
+tell them when he would begin operations; and as he drove the ponies up
+to the bars, he shouted:
+
+"Abner an' me will be up here about nine o'clock to-morrow morning, an'
+we'll bring Mr. Stubbs's brother with us."
+
+There was a mighty shout, and Ben Cushing stood on his head, when this
+announcement was made, and then Toby and Abner drove home as quickly as
+their ponies could scamper.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A REHEARSAL
+
+
+When Toby told Uncle Daniel that night of their intention to go on with
+the work of the long-delayed circus, and that Abner was to ride up to
+the pasture where he could see everything that was going on, the old
+gentleman shook his head doubtingly, as if he feared the consequences to
+the invalid, who appeared very much exhausted even by the short ride he
+had taken.
+
+Abner, interpreting Uncle Daniel's shake of the head the same way Toby
+did, pleaded hard to be allowed to go, insisting that he would be no
+more tired sitting in the little carriage than he would in a chair at
+home; and Aunt Olive joined in the boys' entreaty, promising to arrange
+the pillows in such a manner that Abner could lie down or sit up, as
+best suited him.
+
+"We'll see what the doctor has to say about it," replied Uncle Daniel,
+and, with much anxiety, the boys awaited the physician's coming.
+
+"Go? Why, of course he can go, and it will do him good to be
+out-of-doors," said the medical gentleman when he made his regular
+afternoon visit and Uncle Daniel laid the case before him.
+
+Toby insisted on bringing Mr. Stubbs's brother into the invalid's room
+as a signal mark of rejoicing at the victory the doctor had won for
+them, and Abner was so delighted with the funny pranks the monkey played
+that it would have been difficult to tell by his face that the morning
+ride had tired him.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was quite as mischievous as a monkey could be; he
+capered around the room, picking at this thing and looking into that,
+until Aunt Olive laughed herself tired, and Uncle Daniel declared that
+if the other monkey was anything like this one, Toby was right when he
+named him Steve Stubbs, so much did he resemble that gentleman in
+inquisitiveness.
+
+The day had been so exciting to the boy who had been confined to one
+room for several weeks, that he was quite ready to go to bed when Aunt
+Olive suggested it; and Toby went about his evening's work with a
+lighter heart than he had had since the night he found his crippled
+friend lying so still and death-like in the circus wagon.
+
+The next morning Toby was up some time before the sun peeped in through
+the crevices of Uncle Daniel's barn to awaken the cows, and he groomed
+the tiny ponies till their coats shone like satin. The carriage was
+washed until every portion of it reflected one's face like a mirror, and
+the harnesses with their silver mountings were free from the slightest
+suspicion of dirt.
+
+Then after the cows had been driven to the pasture Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was treated to a bath, and was brushed and combed until, losing all
+patience at such foolishness, he escaped from his too cleanly-disposed
+master, taking refuge on the top of the shed, where he chattered and
+scolded at a furious rate as he tried to explain that he had no idea of
+coming down until the curry-comb and brush had been put away.
+
+But when the pony team was driven up to the door, and Toby decorated the
+bridles of the little horses with some of Aunt Olive's roses, Mr.
+Stubbs's brother came down from his high perch, and picked some of the
+flowers for himself, putting them over his ears to imitate the ponies;
+then he gravely seated himself in the carriage, and Toby had no
+difficulty in fastening the cord to his collar again.
+
+Aunt Olive nearly filled the little carriage with pillows so soft that a
+very small boy would almost have sunk out of sight in them; and in the
+midst of these Abner was placed carefully, looking for all the world, as
+Toby said, like a chicken in a nest.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was fastened in the front in such a way that his
+head came just above the dash-board, over which he looked in the most
+comical manner possible.
+
+Then Toby squeezed in on one side, declaring he had plenty of room,
+although there was not more than three square inches of space left on
+the seat, and even a portion of that was occupied by a fan and some
+other things Aunt Olive had put in for Abner's use.
+
+Both the boys were in the highest possible state of happiness, and Abner
+was tucked in until he could hardly have been shaken had he been in a
+cart instead of a carriage with springs.
+
+"Be sure to keep Abner in the shade, and come home just as soon as he
+begins to grow tired," cried Aunt Olive as Toby spoke to the ponies, and
+they dashed off like a couple of well-trained Newfoundland dogs.
+
+"I'll take care of him like he was wax," cried Toby as they drove out
+through the gateway, and Mr. Stubbs's brother screamed and chattered
+with delight, while Abner lay back restful and happy.
+
+It was just the kind of a morning for a ride, and Abner appeared to
+enjoy it so much that Toby turned the little steeds in the direction of
+the village, driving fully a mile before going to the pasture.
+
+When they did arrive at the place where the first rehearsal was to be
+held, they found the partners gathered in full force; and, although it
+was not even then nine o'clock, they had evidently been there some time.
+
+Joe Robinson ran to let the bars down, while the ponies pranced into the
+field as if they knew they were the objects of admiration from all that
+party, and they shook their tiny heads until the petals fell from the
+roses in a shower upon the grass.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother stood as erect as possible, and was so excited by
+the cheers of the boys that he seized the flowers he had tucked over his
+ears, and flung them at the party in great glee.
+
+The carriage was driven into the shade cast by the alders; the ponies
+were unharnessed, and fastened where they could have a feast of grass;
+and Toby was ready for business, or thought he was. But, just as he was
+about to consult with his partners, a scream from both Abner and the
+monkey caused him to turn towards the carriage quickly.
+
+From the moment they had entered the pasture, Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+shown the greatest desire to be free; and when he saw his master walking
+away, while he was still a prisoner, he made such efforts to release
+himself that he got his body over the dash-board of the carriage, and,
+when Toby looked, he was hanging there by the neck as if he had just
+committed suicide.
+
+Toby ran quickly to the relief of his pet; and when he had released him
+from his uncomfortable position, the other boys pleaded so hard that
+Toby gave him his freedom, which he celebrated by scampering across the
+pasture on all four paws, with his tail curled up over his back like a
+big letter O.
+
+It seemed very much as if Mr. Stubbs's brother would break up the
+rehearsal, for he did look so comical as he scampered around that all
+the partners neglected their business to watch and laugh at him, until
+Toby reminded them that he could not stay there very long because of
+Abner's weakness.
+
+Then Bob and Reddy straightened themselves up in a manner befitting
+circus proprietors, and began their work.
+
+"Leander is goin' to commence the show by playin' 'Yankee Doodle,'" said
+Bob, as he consulted a few badly written words he had traced on the back
+of one of his father's business cards, "an' while he's doin' it Joe'll
+put in an' howl all he knows how, for that's the way the hyenas did at
+the last circus."
+
+The entire programme was evidently to be carried out that morning, for,
+as Bob spoke, Leander marched with his accordion and a great deal of
+dignity to a rock near where a line representing the ring had been cut
+in the turf.
+
+"Now you'll see how good he can do it," said Bob, with no small amount
+of pride; and Leander, with his head held so high that it was almost
+impossible to see his instrument, struck one or two notes as a prelude,
+while Joe took his station at a point about as far distant from the ring
+as the door of the tent would probably be.
+
+Leander started with the first five or six notes all right, and Joe
+began some of the most wonderful howling ever heard, which appeared to
+disconcert the band, for he got entirely off the track of his original
+tune, and mixed "Yankee Doodle" with "Old Dog Tray" in the most
+reckless manner, Joe howling louder at every false note.
+
+Almost every one in that pasture, save possibly the performers
+themselves, was astonished at the din made by these two small boys; and
+Mr. Stubbs's brother, who had hung himself up on a tree by his tail,
+dropped to his feet in the greatest alarm, adding his chatter of fear to
+the general confusion.
+
+But the two performers were not to be daunted by anything that could
+occur; in fact, Joe felt rather proud that his howling was so savage as
+to frighten the monkey, and he increased his efforts until his face was
+as red as a nicely boiled beet.
+
+For fully five minutes the overture was continued; then the band stopped
+and looked around with an air of triumph, while Joe uttered two or three
+more howls by way of effect, and to show that he could have kept it up
+longer had it been necessary.
+
+"There! what do you think of that?" asked Reddy, in delight. "You
+couldn't get much more noise if you had a whole band, could you?"
+
+"It's a good deal of noise," said Toby, not feeling quite at liberty to
+express exactly his views regarding the music; "but what was it Leander
+was playin'?"
+
+"I played two tunes," replied Leander, proudly. "I can play 'Yankee
+Doodle' with the whole of one hand; but I think it sounds better to play
+that with my thumb and two fingers, an' 'Old Dog Tray' with the other
+two fingers. You see, I can give 'em both tunes at once that way."
+
+The monkey went back to the tree as soon as the noise had subsided; but,
+from the way he looked over his shoulder now and then, one could fancy
+he was getting ready to run at the first sign that it was to commence
+again.
+
+"Didn't that sound like a whole cageful of hyenas?" asked Joe, as he
+wiped the perspiration from his face, and came towards his partners. "I
+can keep that up about as long as Leander can play, only it's awful hard
+work."
+
+Toby had no doubt as to the truth of that statement; but before he could
+make any reply, Bob said:
+
+"Now, this is where Ben comes in. He starts the show, an' he ends it,
+an' I sing right after he gets through turnin' hand-springs this first
+time. Now, Leander, you start the music jest as soon as Ben comes, an'
+keep it up till he gets through."
+
+Ben was prepared for his portion of the work. His trousers were belted
+tightly around his waist by a very narrow leather belt, with an
+enormously large buckle, and his shirt-sleeves were rolled up as high as
+he could get them, in order to give full play to his arms.
+
+"He's been rubbin' goose-grease all over him for as much as two weeks,
+an' he can bend almost any way," whispered Reddy to Toby, as Ben stood
+swinging his arms at the entrance to the ring, as if limbering himself
+for the work to be done.
+
+Leander started "Yankee Doodle" in slow and solemn strains; Ben gathered
+himself for a mighty effort, and began to go around the ring in a series
+of hand-springs in true acrobatic style.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE RESULTS OF LONG TRAINING
+
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on,
+probably to guard against another sudden fright such as the overture had
+given him, and the moment Ben commenced to revolve he leaped from the
+tree, running with full speed towards the whirling acrobat.
+
+Toby started to catch him, but the monkey was too quick in his
+movements: before any one could prevent him he had caught the revolving
+boy by one leg, and for a few seconds it was difficult to tell which was
+Ben and which the monkey.
+
+Of course such an interruption as that broke up the performance for the
+time being, and Toby was obliged to exert all his authority to
+disentangle the monkey from the performer.
+
+"I knew it wouldn't do to let him be loose," said Toby, in a
+half-apologetic tone. "Now I'll set here an' hold him while you commence
+over again, Ben."
+
+"Well, now, be sure you hold him," said Ben, seriously, "for I don't
+want him to catch me again when I'm goin' 'round so fast, for it hurts a
+feller to tumble the way he made me."
+
+Bob offered to help hold the unruly monkey, and, when he and Toby had
+taken a firm grip on the collar, the music was started again, and Ben
+recommenced his performance.
+
+This time he got through with it in a highly successful and creditable
+manner; he proved to be a really good acrobat, so far as turning
+hand-springs and standing on his head were concerned, and Toby felt
+certain that this portion of the entertainment would be pleasing.
+
+Bob now went into the ring, and began to sing the "Suwanee River" in a
+manner which he intended should captivate his audience; but he had
+neglected to give the band any orders, and the consequence was that,
+when he commenced to sing, Leander began to play "Old Dog Tray," a
+proceeding which mixed the musical matters considerably.
+
+"You mustn't do that, Leander," Bob said, sharply, after he had done his
+best to sing the band down, and failed in the attempt. "It won't do for
+you to play one thing while I'm tryin' to sing something else. Now, you
+be restin' while I'm doin' my part."
+
+Leander was so deeply interested in the enterprise that he was perfectly
+willing to keep on playing without ever thinking of taking a rest; but
+in deference to Bob's wishes he ceased his efforts, although he did
+venture to remark that he noticed particularly, when the real circus was
+there, that the band always played when the clown sang.
+
+Bob got along very well with his portion of the rehearsal after the
+first mistake had been rectified; and when he finished he bowed
+gracefully in response to the applause bestowed upon him.
+
+"Now's the time when you come in, Toby," said Bob; "an' if you'll see
+how you can ride the ponies, Joe'll run around the ring with 'em."
+
+Toby was willing to do his share of the work, and all the more so
+because he could see that Abner, from his cosy seat under the bushes,
+was deeply interested in all that was going on.
+
+Joe got one of the ponies while Toby made his preparations; and after
+the little horse had been led around the circle two or three times to
+show what was expected of him, Toby got on his back. This was Reddy's
+opportunity to act the part of ring-master, and he seized his long whip,
+standing in the centre of the ring, in what he believed to be the
+proper attitude.
+
+"Run around with him till I tell you to let go," said Toby, as he tied
+the reins together to form a bridle, and then stood on the pony's back
+as Mr. Castle had taught him to do.
+
+There was so great a difference between the motion of this horse and
+that of the one owned by Mr. Douglass, that Toby began to understand it
+might be quite as necessary to train the animal as its rider.
+
+Owing to his lack of practice he was a little clumsy; but after one or
+two attempts he went around the ring standing on one foot, almost as
+well as he had done it when with Ella.
+
+The boys, who had never seen Toby ride before were thoroughly elated by
+the brief exhibition he gave them; and if he had done as they wanted, he
+would have tired both himself and the pony completely.
+
+"I'll practise some, now Abner can come out," said Toby, as he led his
+steed to a spot where he could get more grass, but neglected to fasten
+him; "an' I wouldn't wonder if I could ride two at once, after a little
+while."
+
+His partners in the enterprise were more than delighted with their
+rider, and they already began to believe they should have such a circus
+as would, in some points, eclipse the real one that had lately visited
+the town.
+
+After the excitement caused by Toby's riding had in a measure died away,
+Ben continued with his feats according to the programme, and then Bob
+commenced his second song.
+
+The audience of partners were listening to it intently, the more because
+it seemed to them that Bob had made a mistake as to the tune, and they
+were anxious to see what he was going to do about it--when the pony
+Toby had been riding suddenly dashed into the ring, with what looked
+very like a boy on his back.
+
+The partners were amazed at this interruption, and Bob continued to
+sound the note he was wrestling with when he first saw the pony coming
+towards him, until it ended almost in a shriek.
+
+"Who is it?" cried Joe, as the pony dashed across the pasture, urged to
+full speed by its rider, and in an instant more all saw a long curling
+tail, which showed unmistakably who the culprit was.
+
+"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother!" cried Toby, in alarm, "and how shall we
+catch him?"
+
+It was, indeed, the monkey, and during the next ten minutes it seemed to
+the boys that they ran over every square foot of that pasture, scaring
+the cows and tiring themselves, until the frightened little horse was
+penned up in one corner, and his disagreeable rider was taken from him.
+
+This last act of the rehearsal had occupied so much time, and the
+monkey was making himself so troublesome, that Toby decided to go home,
+the others promising to come to Uncle Daniel's barn that afternoon, when
+Reddy was to explain how the tent was to be procured, a matter which, up
+to this time, he had kept a profound secret from all but Bob.
+
+Short as the time spent at the rehearsal seemed to the boys, it was
+considerably too long for one in Abner's weak condition, as was evident
+from his face when Aunt Olive came to the door to help him out of the
+carriage.
+
+He seemed thoroughly exhausted, and, as soon as he got into the house,
+asked to be allowed to lie down--a confession of weakness that gave Aunt
+Olive a great deal of uneasiness, because she considered herself in a
+great measure responsible for the ride and its results, as she had urged
+Abner to go before the doctor's advice had been heard in the matter.
+
+Toby's fears regarding the invalid were always reflections of Aunt
+Olive's; but when he saw Abner go to sleep so quickly, he thought she
+was alarmed without cause, and believed his friend would be quite
+himself so soon as he should awaken.
+
+Dinner-time came and passed, and Abner was still sleeping sweetly.
+Therefore Toby could see no reason why he should not join his partners,
+whom he saw going into the barn before dinner was over.
+
+"The boys have come up to see 'bout the tent," he said to Aunt Olive,
+"an' I'm goin' out to the barn, where they're waitin' for me. Will you
+call me when Abner wakes up?"
+
+Aunt Olive promised that he should be informed as soon as the sick boy
+could see him, and Toby joined his partners with never a fear but that
+Abner would soon be able to participate in all his sports.
+
+That the boys had come to Uncle Daniel's barn on very serious business
+was evident from their faces, and the two large packages they brought.
+
+Two rolls of what looked to be sail-cloth were lying on the barn floor,
+and around them Bob, Reddy, Joe, Ben, and Leander were seated with a
+look on their faces that was very nearly a troubled one.
+
+"What's them?" asked Toby, in surprise, as he pointed to the bundles.
+
+"The tent," and Reddy gave a big sigh as he spoke.
+
+"What, have you got two?" asked Toby, a look of glad surprise showing
+itself on his face.
+
+Reddy shook his head.
+
+"What's the matter? If there hain't two tents here, what makes the two
+bundles?" And Toby was almost impatient because he could not understand
+the matter.
+
+"Well, you see, this is just how it is," said Reddy, as he began to
+untie the fastenings from the rolls of canvas. "When I told you I could
+get a tent, I'd asked Captain Whetmore to lend me two of the sails what
+he took off his schooner, an' he told me yes."
+
+"An' you've got 'em, haven't you?" and Toby looked meaningly at the
+canvas.
+
+"Yes, we've got 'em," replied Joe; "but now we don't know how to fix
+'em, 'cause you see we've got to put 'em up like a roof, an' we hain't
+got anything for the ends."
+
+Reddy had planned to use each of the sails as a side to the tent,
+fastening them along the top to a ridge-pole; and it had never occurred
+to him, in all the time he had had to think the matter over, that as yet
+he had nothing with which to form the ends.
+
+It was a question that puzzled the boys greatly, and caused their faces
+to grow very long, until Toby said:
+
+"I'll tell you how we can fix one end. We can put it right up against
+the barn, where the little door is, an' then we can have the stalls for
+a dressin'-room."
+
+The faces of the partners lightened at once, and each wondered why he
+had not thought of such a plan.
+
+"An' I'll tell you how we could fix the other end," said Toby, quickly,
+as another happy thought presented itself. "If Mr. Mansfield would lend
+us his big flag, it would jest do it."
+
+"That's the very thing, an' I'll go an' ask him now;" and Bob started
+out of the barn at full speed, while Reddy, now that the important
+question was settled, displayed great alacrity in unrolling his
+treasures.
+
+The sails were not in a remarkable state of preservation, or Captain
+Whetmore would not have taken them from his vessel; but Reddy explained
+that the holes could be closed up by pasting paper over them, or by each
+boy borrowing a sheet from his mother and pinning it up underneath.
+
+One of the sails was considerably larger than the other; but Reddy had
+also thought of this, and proposed to make them look the same size by
+"tucking one in" at the end.
+
+Bob returned before the sails had been thoroughly inspected, and brought
+with him the coveted flag, thus showing he had been successful in his
+mission.
+
+"Now let's put it right up, an' then we can build our ring, an' do our
+practisin' there instead of goin' up to the pasture," suggested Ben.
+
+Since there was no reason why this should not be done, Bob and Ben
+started for the woods to cut some young trees with which to make a
+ridge-pole and posts, while the others carried the canvas out-of-doors,
+and made calculations as to where and how it should be put up.
+
+When they commenced work, they had no idea but that it would be
+completed before supper-time; but when the village clock struck the hour
+of five, they had not finished making the necessary poles and pegs.
+
+"We can't come anywhere near getting it done to-night," said Toby,
+surprised at the lateness of the hour, and wondering why Aunt Olive had
+not called him as she had promised. "Let's put the sails back in the
+barn, an' to-morrow mornin' we can begin early, an' have it all done by
+noon."
+
+There was no hope that they could complete the work that night Therefore
+Toby's advice was followed; and when the partners separated, each
+promised to be ready for work early the next morning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+RAISING THE TENT
+
+
+Toby went into the house, feeling rather uneasy because he had not been
+called; but when Aunt Olive told him that Abner had aroused from his
+slumber but twice, and then only for a moment, he had no idea of being
+worried about his friend, although he did think it a little singular he
+should sleep so long.
+
+That evening Dr. Abbot called again, although he had been there once
+before that day; and when Toby saw how troubled Uncle Daniel and Aunt
+Olive looked after he had gone, he asked;
+
+"You don't think Abner is goin' to be sick, do you?"
+
+Uncle Daniel made no reply, and Aunt Olive did not speak for some
+moments; then she said:
+
+"I am afraid he stayed out too long this morning; but the doctor hopes
+he will be better to-morrow."
+
+If Toby had not been so busily engaged planning for Abner to see the
+work next day, he would have noticed that the sick boy was not left
+alone for more than a few moments at a time, and that both Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive seemed to have agreed not to say anything discouraging to
+him regarding his friend's illness.
+
+When he went to bed that night, he fancied Uncle Daniel's voice
+trembled, as he said:
+
+"May the good God guard and spare you to me, Toby, boy;" but he gave no
+particular thought to the matter, and the sandman threw dust in his eyes
+very soon after his head was on the pillow.
+
+In the morning his first question was regarding Abner, and then he was
+told that his friend was not nearly so well as he had been; Aunt Olive
+even said that Toby had better not go into the sick-room, for fear of
+disturbing the invalid.
+
+"Go on with your play by yourself, Toby, boy, and that will be a great
+deal better than trying to have Abner join you, until he is much
+better," said Uncle Daniel, kindly.
+
+"But hain't he goin' to have a ride this mornin'?"
+
+"No, he is not well enough to get up. You go on building your tent, and
+you will be so near the house that you can be called at any moment, if
+Abner asks for you."
+
+Toby was considerably disturbed by the fact that he was not allowed to
+see his friend, and by the way Uncle Daniel spoke; but he went out to
+the barn where his partners were already waiting for him, feeling all
+the more sad now because of his elation the day before.
+
+He had no heart for the work, and, after telling the boys that Abner
+was sick again, proposed to postpone operations until he should get
+better; but they insisted that as they were so near the house, it would
+be as well to go on with the work as to remain idle, and Toby could
+offer no argument to the contrary.
+
+Although he did quite as much towards the putting-up of the tent as the
+others did, it was plain to be seen that he had lost his interest in
+anything of the kind, and at least once every half-hour he ran into the
+house to learn how the sick boy was getting on.
+
+All of Aunt Olive's replies were the same: Abner slept a good portion of
+the time, and during the few moments he was awake said nothing, except
+in answer to questions. He did not complain of any pain, nor did he
+appear to take any notice of what was going on around him.
+
+"I think it's because he got all tired out yesterday, an' that he'll be
+himself again to-morrow," said Aunt Olive, after Toby had come in for
+at least the sixth time, and she saw how worried he was.
+
+This hopeful remark restored Toby to something very near his usual good
+spirits; and when he went back to his work after that, his partners were
+pleased to see him take more interest in what was going on.
+
+The tent was up firmly enough to resist any moderate amount of wind, but
+it did not look quite so neat as it would have done had it not been
+necessary to perform the operation of "tucking in" one end, which made
+that side hang in folds that were by no means a pleasing addition to the
+general appearance.
+
+The small door of the barn, over which the tent was placed, served
+instead of a curtain to their dressing-room; and at one side of it, on
+an upturned barrel, arrangements were made for a band-stand.
+
+Mr. Mansfield's flag covered the one end completely, and all the boys
+thought it gave a better appearance to the whole than if they had made
+it wholly of canvas.
+
+The ring, which Reddy marked out almost before the tent was up, occupied
+nearly the whole of the interior; but since they did not intend to have
+any seats for their audience, it was thought there would be plenty of
+room for all who would come to see them. The main point was to have the
+ring, and to have it as nearly like that of a regular circus as
+possible, while the audience could be trusted to take care of itself.
+
+The animals to be exhibited were to be placed in small cages at each
+corner. Reddy had at first insisted that each cage should be on a cart
+to make it look well; but he gave up that idea when Bob pointed out to
+him that six mice or two squirrels would make rather a small show in a
+wagon, and that they would be obliged to enlarge their tent if they
+carried out that plan, even provided they could get the necessary
+number of carts, which was very doubtful.
+
+In the matter of getting sheets from their mothers they had not been as
+successful as they had anticipated. No one of the ladies who had been
+spoken to on the subject was willing to have her bed-linen decorating
+the interior of a circus-tent, even though the show was to be only a
+little one for three cents.
+
+Reddy was quite sure he could mend one or two of the largest holes if he
+had a darning-needle and some twine; but after he got both from Aunt
+Olive, and stuck the needle twice in his own hand, once in Joe
+Robinson's, and then broke it, he concluded that it would be just as
+well to paste brown paper over the holes.
+
+It was a hard job to dig the ground up in order to make as large a ring
+as the boys had marked out, but by persistent work it was accomplished,
+as almost everything can be; and then Ben went to practising, in order
+that he might, as he expressed it, "get the hang of the thing."
+
+Of course, the fact that a tent had been put up by the side of Uncle
+Daniel's barn was soon known to every boy in the village, and the rush
+of visitors that afternoon was so great that Joe was obliged to begin
+his duties as door-keeper in advance, in order to keep back the crowd.
+
+The number of questions asked by each boy who arrived kept Joe so busy
+answering them that, after every one in town knew exactly what was going
+on, Reddy hit upon the happy plan of getting a large piece of paper, and
+painting on it an announcement of their exhibition.
+
+It was while he was absent in search of the necessary materials with
+which to carry out this work that the finishing touches were put on the
+interior; and the partners were counting the number of hand-springs Ben
+could turn without stopping, when a great shout arose from the visitors
+outside, and the circus owners heard a pattering and scratching on the
+canvas above their heads.
+
+"Mr. Stubbs's brother has got loose, an' he's tearin' 'round on the
+tent!" shouted Joe, as he poked his head in through a hole in the flag,
+and at the same time struggled to keep back a small but bold boy with
+his foot.
+
+Toby, followed by the other proprietors, rushed out at this alarming bit
+of news, and, sure enough, there was the monkey dancing around on the
+top of the tent like a crazy person, while the rope with which he had
+been tied dangled from his neck.
+
+It seemed to Toby that no other monkey could possibly behave half so
+badly as did Mr. Stubbs's brother on that occasion. He danced back and
+forth from one end of the tent to the other, as if he had been a
+tight-rope performer giving a free exhibition; then he would sit down
+and try to find out just how large a hole he could tear in the tender
+canvas, until it seemed as if the tent would certainly be a wreck before
+they could get him down.
+
+Toby coaxed and scolded, and scolded and coaxed, but all to no purpose.
+The monkey would clamber down over the end of the tent as if he were
+about to allow himself to be made a prisoner, and then, just as Toby was
+about to catch the rope, he would spring upon the ridge-pole again,
+chattering with joy at the disappointment he had caused.
+
+The visitors fairly roared with delight, and even the proprietors, whose
+borrowed property was being destroyed, could not help laughing at times,
+although there was not one of them who would not have enjoyed punishing
+Mr. Stubbs's brother very severely.
+
+"He'll break the whole show up if we don't get him off," said Bob, as
+the monkey tore a larger hole than he had yet made, and the crowd
+encouraged him in his mischievous work by their wild cheers.
+
+"I know it; but how can we get him down?" asked Toby, in perplexity,
+knowing that it would not be safe for any one of them to climb upon the
+decayed canvas, even if there were a chance that the monkey would wait
+for them to catch him after they got there.
+
+"Get a long pole, an' scrape him off," suggested Joe; but Toby shook his
+head, for he knew that to "scrape" a monkey from such a place would be
+an impossibility.
+
+Bob had an idea that if he had a rope long enough to make a lasso, he
+could get it around the animal's neck and pull him down; but just as he
+set out to find the rope, Mr. Stubbs's brother settled the matter
+himself.
+
+He had torn one hole fully five inches long, and commenced on another a
+short distance from the first, when the thin fabric gave way, the two
+rents were made one, and down fell Mr. Monkey, only saved from falling
+to the ground by his chin catching on the edges of the cloth.
+
+There he hung, his little round head just showing above the canvas, with
+a bewildered, and, at the same time, discouraged look on his face.
+
+Toby knew that it would be but a moment before the monkey would get his
+paws out from under the canvas, and thus extricate himself from his
+uncomfortable position. Running quickly inside the tent, he seized Mr.
+Stubbs's brother by his long tail, pulling him completely through, and
+the mischievous pet was again a prisoner.
+
+It was a great disappointment to the boys on the outside when this
+portion of the circus was hidden from view; but it was equally as great
+a relief to the partners that the destruction of their tent was at last
+averted.
+
+After the excitement had nearly subsided, and Toby was reading his pet
+a lesson on the sin of destructiveness, Reddy arrived with the materials
+for making his circus poster--a sheet of brown paper, a bottle of ink,
+and a brush made by chewing the end of a pine stick.
+
+He began his work at once. It was a long task, but was at last
+accomplished, and when the partners went to their respective homes that
+night, the following placard adorned one side of the tent:
+
+
+     +-------------------------+
+     |       BiG CiRCUS        |
+     |                         |
+     |  DOORS OpEn PuTTy SOOn  |
+     |                         |
+     |      PRiCe 3 CEnTS      |
+     +-------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+STEALING DUCKS
+
+
+After Toby had secured Mr. Stubbs's brother so that he could not
+liberate himself, he ran into the house to inquire for Abner.
+
+The news this time was more encouraging, for the sick boy had awakened
+thoroughly after his long sleep, and had asked how the work on the tent
+was getting on. Aunt Olive thought Toby could see him, and, after
+promising that he would not remain very long, or allow Abner to talk
+much, he went up-stairs.
+
+The crippled boy was lying in the bed bolstered up with pillows, looking
+out of the window that commanded a view of the tent, and evidently
+puzzled to know whether the large sheet of brown paper which he saw on
+one side was there as an ornament, or to serve some useful purpose.
+
+Toby explained to him that it was the poster Reddy had made, and then
+told him all that had been done that day towards getting ready for the
+great exhibition which was to dazzle the good people of Guilford, as
+well as to bring in a rich reward, in the way of money, to the managers.
+
+Abner was so interested in the matter, and seemed so bright and cheerful
+when he was talking about it, that Toby's fears regarding his illness
+were entirely dispelled; he came to the conclusion that Abner had simply
+been tired, as Aunt Olive had said, and that he would be better than
+ever by morning.
+
+This belief was strengthened by the doctor, who came while Toby was
+still with his friend, and who, in answer to a question, said, cheerily:
+
+"Of course he'll be all right; he may not be quite smart enough to go
+out to-morrow, but before the week is ended I'll guarantee that you'll
+have hard work to keep him in the house."
+
+Toby's heart was light again as he attended to his evening's work; and
+when he met Joe, on his way to the pasture, he laid plans for the coming
+exhibition with a greater zest than he had displayed since the matter
+was first spoken of.
+
+Now that the tent was up, and Abner on the sure and rapid road to
+recovery, Toby thought it quite time that Mr. Stubbs's brother should be
+taught to take some part in the performance. Joe was of the same
+opinion, and they decided to commence the education of the monkey that
+very night, giving him two or three lessons each day until he should be
+thoroughly trained.
+
+The cows were not exactly hurried on the way home that night; but they
+were not allowed to loiter by the roadside when they saw particularly
+tempting tufts of grass, and as soon as they were in the barn Mr.
+Stubbs's brother was taken to the tent.
+
+He was in anything rather than a good condition for training, for he
+evidently remembered his frolic of the afternoon, and was anxious to
+repeat it. Toby thought he could be made to leap through hoops as a
+beginning of his circus education, and all the energies of the boys were
+bent to the accomplishment of this.
+
+But the monkey was either remarkably stupid just then, or determined to
+take no part in the show, for although Joe held the hoops until his arms
+ached, and Toby coaxed and scolded till he was hoarse, Mr. Stubbs's
+brother could not be persuaded even to attempt to leap.
+
+"It's no use to try any more to-night," said Toby, impatiently, when it
+was nearly dark inside the tent, and his pet was showing signs of anger.
+"We'll commence the first thing in the mornin', an' I guess he'll do
+it."
+
+"I'd whip him if I was you," said Joe, who was thoroughly tired, and
+angry at the monkey's obstinacy. "If you would give him a good
+switchin', he'd know he's got to do it."
+
+"I wouldn't whip him if he never did anything," said Toby, as he hugged
+his pet tightly, almost as if he feared Joe might attempt, as one of the
+partners in the enterprise, to whip the unwilling performer.
+
+"'Tain't my monkey, so I hain't got nothin' to say about it," and Joe
+was impatient now; "but if he was mine, I'll bet he'd do what I told him
+to."
+
+It seemed almost as if Mr. Stubbs's brother knew what had been said
+about him, for he nestled close to Toby, hiding his face on the boy's
+neck in a way that would have prevented his master from whipping him
+even if he had been disposed so to do.
+
+"We'll put him in the shed, an' I guess he'll be good enough to-morrow,"
+said Toby, cheerfully; and then, after fastening the flag in the front
+of the tent in such a way that the wind would be kept out, if nothing
+more, he and Joe walked towards the house, discussing the question of
+the kind of tickets they should use at the show.
+
+While they were yet some distance from the wood-shed in which Mr.
+Stubbs's brother was lodged, Aunt Olive called Toby to come quickly to
+the house.
+
+"You put him in the wood-shed, an' fasten him in snug," said Toby, as he
+handed the monkey to Joe, and started for the house at full speed.
+
+Now Joe knew perfectly well where Mr. Stubbs's brother was kept; but, as
+he had never seen him put away for the night, he was uncertain whether
+he should be tied there, or simply shut in. It hardly seemed to him that
+Toby would leave the monkey tied up by the neck all night, so he set him
+up comfortably on a bench, and carefully shut the door.
+
+Toby had been called to go to the druggist's for some medicine, and he
+came out of the house in such haste, calling to Joe to follow him, that
+nothing more was thought of the insecurely prisoned monkey.
+
+When Toby returned, it was so late that Uncle Daniel advised him to go
+to bed if he had any desire to be "healthy, wealthy, and wise," and he
+obeyed at once.
+
+Positive that Abner was on the road to recovery, sure that all his work
+had been done, and with nothing to trouble him, it was not very long
+that Toby lay awake after he was once in bed.
+
+It seemed to him that he had been sleeping a long while, when he was
+awakened by the sound as of some one hunting around in his room; and,
+before he had time to call out, the candle was lighted, showing that the
+intruder was Uncle Daniel, only partially dressed and in a high state of
+excitement.
+
+"What is it? What's the matter?" asked Toby, in alarm, thinking at once
+of Abner, and fearing that something had happened to him.
+
+"Hush!" said Uncle Daniel, warningly; "don't make a noise, for some one
+is trying to get into the hen-house, an' I am going to make an example
+of him. I suppose it's one of the tramps who went by here to-day, an' I
+want to find that gun I saw in here yesterday."
+
+There was such a weapon in Toby's room, or, at least, what had once been
+a gun was there, for a hired man whom Uncle Daniel had employed left it
+there. It had been an army musket, and appeared to have been used as a
+collection of materials to repair others guns with, for the entire lock,
+ramrod, and at least four inches of the stock had been taken away,
+leaving it a mere wreck of a gun.
+
+"It's up there in the corner behind the wash-stand," said Toby, coming
+out of the bed as quickly as if he had tumbled out, and alarmed at the
+thought of burglars. "It hain't no good, Uncle Dan'l, for there's only
+a little of it left."
+
+"It will do as well for me as a better one," said Uncle Daniel, grimly.
+"I don't want to shoot anybody, only to give them a severe fright, and
+perhaps capture them."
+
+"Then what'll you do with 'em?" asked Toby in a whisper, almost as much
+alarmed by Uncle Daniel's savage way of speaking as by the thought of
+the burglars.
+
+"I don't know, Toby, boy--I don't know. The tramps do trouble me
+greatly, an' I'd like to make an example of these; but I suppose they
+must be hungry, or else they wouldn't try to get into the hen-house, I
+guess if we catch one we'll give him a good breakfast, and try to
+persuade him to go to work like an honest man."
+
+Uncle Daniel's anger usually had some such peaceful ending, as Toby
+knew; but he did look bloodthirsty as he stood there in his
+shirt-sleeves, with one stocking on, and his night-cap covering one ear
+and but a small portion of his head, while he handled the invalid gun
+recklessly.
+
+By the time he was ready to go in search of the supposed chicken-thief,
+Aunt Olive, looking thoroughly frightened, came into the room with his
+other stocking and his boots in her hand, insisting that he should put
+them on before he ventured out.
+
+It must have been a very tame burglar who would have continued at his
+work after the lights had warned him that the inmates of the house were
+aroused; but Toby did not think of that. He saw that Aunt Olive had
+armed herself with the fire-shovel, that Uncle Daniel kept a firm hold
+of the gun even while he was trying to put his boots on, and he was
+frightened by the warlike preparations.
+
+Toby put on his trousers and shoes as quickly as possible, and when
+Uncle Daniel was ready to start, he stationed himself directly behind
+Aunt Olive, a position which he thought would afford him a fair view of
+what was going on, and at the same time be safe.
+
+"Now be careful of that gun, Dan'l, an' don't go so far that they can
+hurt you, for there's no telling what they will do if they find out you
+mean to catch them," and Aunt Olive looked quite as badly frightened as
+did Toby.
+
+"There, there, Olive, don't be alarmed," said Uncle Daniel, soothingly,
+"they will probably run as soon as they see the gun, and that will end
+it. I only hope that I can catch one," and Uncle Daniel went down the
+stairs as determined and savage looking a man as ever started in search
+of a supposed chicken-thief.
+
+Aunt Olive insisted on carrying the candle, though Uncle Daniel urged
+that it would not be possible for him to surprise the burglars if she
+held this light as a warning; but she had no idea of allowing him to go
+out where there was every probability that he would be in danger,
+unless she could see what was going on.
+
+When the party reached the kitchen, the sounds which came from the
+hen-house told plainly that the party they were in search of had not
+ceased his work because the household had been alarmed. The snapping of
+wood could be heard, and if Aunt Olive had not been thoroughly aroused
+before, she was then, for laths were being broken, and one of her
+choicest broods of ducks was secured only by such frail barriers against
+either two or four-legged thieves.
+
+"Stop them quick, or all the ducks will be out," she screamed; and, thus
+urged, Uncle Daniel made a bold stand.
+
+"Get behind me, and hold your hand over the light," he whispered, and
+then he shouted, as he brought the gun up to his shoulder in a very
+threatening manner, "Come out here, and give yourselves up at once."
+
+There was no answer made to this peremptory command, and, strangely
+enough, the work of destruction was continued as vigorously as if Uncle
+Daniel and his broken gun were a thousand miles away, instead of on the
+spot and ready for action.
+
+"Come away from there instantly, and save yourself any further trouble,"
+shouted Uncle Daniel in a louder voice, stamping his foot, while Aunt
+Olive brandished the fire-shovel to give emphasis to his words.
+
+There was silence for a moment, as if the burglar had stopped to
+consider the matter, and then the work was continued with greater energy
+than before.
+
+"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Uncle Daniel, as he brought the butt of his
+gun down on his own foot with such force that he was obliged to give
+immediate attention to the wounded member.
+
+Toby had always had a wholesome dread of a gun; but his fear became
+greater than ever when he saw how much mischief could be done with one
+as near a total wreck as that was, for Uncle Daniel had seated himself
+on the grass, regardless of the dew, and was hugging his foot as if he
+feared he should lose it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+A LOST MONKEY
+
+
+Even though her husband was wounded, Aunt Olive could not stop to offer
+any aid while her precious ducks were in such peril, as the breaking of
+the laths proved they were; and she started forward alone and unarmed,
+save with the shovel, until a loud quacking indicated that the robber
+had made at least one prisoner.
+
+Dropping the shovel, but still clinging to the candle, Aunt Olive seized
+the gun, and, dragging it along by the muzzle, she cried:
+
+"I'll shoot you if you don't let them ducks alone, and go right straight
+away from here!"
+
+The loud quacking of another duck proved that she had not alarmed the
+burglar; and as she was now quite near the bold robber, by holding her
+candle above her head she could discern in the darkness what looked like
+a boy, with a duck tightly clutched in each hand.
+
+"It's only a boy," she cried to Uncle Daniel, who had given over
+attending to his foot, and was coming up; and then, as she ran towards
+the thief, she cried, "Put down them ducks, you little rascal, or I will
+whip you soundly!"
+
+The boy did not put the ducks down, nor did he stay for the whipping;
+but, with both the noisy prizes held in one hand, he began to climb the
+hen-house in a manner surprising in one so small.
+
+By this time both Toby and Uncle Daniel were on the spot, and the former
+saw that the supposed boy was using a long tail in his work of climbing
+the hen-house.
+
+"It's Mr. Stubbs's brother; don't shoot him!" he cried, forgetting, in
+his excitement, that the gun was dangerous only when dropped on one's
+foot; and then he too tried to climb upon the hen-house.
+
+"The monkey?" cried Uncle Daniel, as he felt on his forehead for his
+spectacles to enable him to see better. Aunt Olive made use of almost
+the same words; but, instead of feeling for her spectacles, she ran
+towards the building, as if she fancied it to be the easiest thing in
+the world to catch a mischievous monkey.
+
+Toby knew, if Aunt Olive did not, that it would be the work of some time
+to catch Mr. Stubbs's brother, and that no threats would induce him to
+come down. Therefore he put forth all his energies in the vain hope of
+overtaking him.
+
+Although the monkey was encumbered by the two ducks he had stolen, he
+could climb twice as fast as Toby could, and Aunt Olive realized the
+fact very soon.
+
+"Scare him till he drops the ducks," she cried to Toby; and then, to do
+her portion of the "scaring," she brandished the fire-shovel, and cried
+"shoo!" in a very energetic manner.
+
+Uncle Daniel waved his arms, and shouted, "Come down! come down!" as he
+ran from one side of the building to the other; but the only reply to
+his shout was the quacking of the half-strangled ducks.
+
+"Catch him, Toby, catch him, before he kills the ducks," cried Aunt
+Olive, in an agony of fear lest these particular inmates of her
+poultry-yard should be killed.
+
+"That's what I'm tryin' to do," panted Toby, as he chased Mr. Stubbs's
+brother from one end of the roof to the other without even a chance of
+catching him.
+
+The quacking of the ducks was growing fainter every moment, and, knowing
+that something must be done at once, Uncle Daniel hunted around until he
+found a long pole, with which he struck at the monkey.
+
+This had the desired effect, for Mr. Stubbs's brother was so nearly hit
+two or three times that he dropped the almost dead ducks, curled his
+tail over his back, and leaped to the ground. He alighted so near Aunt
+Olive that she uttered a loud shriek, nearly falling backward over the
+wood-pile; but the monkey was out of sight in an instant, going in the
+direction of the road.
+
+As his pet disappeared in the darkness, Toby scrambled down from the
+roof of the building and started in pursuit; but before he had gone far
+he heard Uncle Daniel calling to him, while at the same time he realized
+that pursuit would be useless under the circumstances.
+
+"He's run away, an' I won't ever find him again," he said, in so
+mournful a tone that Uncle Daniel knew the tears were very near his
+eyelids.
+
+"He won't go very far, Toby, boy," said Uncle Daniel, consolingly, "and
+you can soon find him after the sun rises."
+
+"He'll be more'n seven miles off by that time," said Toby, as he choked
+back his sobs, and tried to speak firmly.
+
+"I don't know much about the nature of monkeys," replied Uncle Daniel,
+speaking very slowly; "but I am inclined to the belief that he will
+remain near here, since he has come to consider this his home. But it
+will be daylight in less than an hour, and then you can start after him.
+I will drive the cows to the pasture, so that you will have nothing to
+delay you."
+
+Aunt Olive had caught up the ducks as soon as Mr. Stubbs's brother had
+dropped them, and, believing it was yet possible to save their lives,
+she had started towards the house for the purpose of applying some
+remedies.
+
+"It's so near morning that I sha'n't go to bed again," she said, "and
+I'll get you something to eat, and put up a lunch for you, so you can
+stay out until you find him."
+
+This offer on Aunt Olive's part seemed doubly kind, since the monkey
+had done so much mischief among her pets, and Toby realized that it
+would be ungrateful in him to complain, more especially as Uncle Daniel
+and Aunt Olive were willing to do all in their power to enable him to
+catch the fugitive.
+
+"I'll mend the duck-pen," he said, resolutely putting from his mind the
+thought of Mr. Stubbs's brother, who he firmly believed was trudging up
+the road in the direction taken by the circus when it left town.
+
+Uncle Daniel thought it would be just as well to remain up also, and he
+dragged the wreck of the gun into the house, putting it carefully away
+lest some one should be injured by it, before he commenced to build the
+fire.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother had labored industriously when he set about
+reducing the duck-pen to kindling-wood; and although Toby worked as fast
+as possible, it was nearly time for the sun to rise before he finished
+the job of repairing it.
+
+By that time Aunt Olive had a nice breakfast ready for him, and a
+generous lunch done up neatly in paper.
+
+Abner had not wakened, therefore Toby was obliged to go away without
+knowing whether he was better or worse; but Aunt Olive told him that she
+thought he need have no fear regarding the invalid, for she felt certain
+he would be much better when he awoke.
+
+Toby ate his breakfast very hurriedly, and then started down the road in
+the direction of his partners' homes, for he thought there would be a
+better chance of capturing the runaway if four or five boys set out in
+pursuit than if he went out alone.
+
+Fully two hours were spent in arousing his partners, explaining what had
+happened, and waiting for them to get their breakfast; but at the end of
+that time every one of the circus managers was ready for the search.
+
+There was a decided difference of opinion among them as to which
+direction they should take, some believing the monkey had gone one way
+and some another, and the only plan by which the matter could be settled
+was to divide the force into two parties.
+
+Bob, Reddy, and Ben formed one division, and they started into the woods
+in a nearly straight line from Uncle Daniel's house. Toby, Joe, and
+Leander, making up the other party, went up the road, Toby insisting on
+this course because he was sure that Mr. Stubbs's brother would attempt
+to follow the circus of which he had once been a member, although so
+many weeks had elapsed since it had passed along there.
+
+Leander was of the opinion that they ought to have borrowed a dog, with
+which to track the monkey more easily, and even offered to go back to
+get one; but Toby thought that would be a waste of valuable time, more
+especially as it was by no means certain that Leander could procure the
+dog if he did go back.
+
+Joe thought each inch of the road should be examined with a view to
+finding tracks of the monkey; but that plan was given up in a very few
+moments after it was tried, for the good reason that the boys could not
+distinguish even their own footprints, the road was beaten so hard; and
+so they could only walk straight ahead, hoping to come up with the
+fugitive, or to hear some news of him.
+
+At each house on the road they stopped to ask if a stray monkey had been
+seen; but they could hear nothing encouraging until they had walked
+nearly three miles, and were just beginning to think it would have been
+wiser to remain with the party who went into the woods.
+
+At last, however, a farmer told them that he had seen an animal come up
+the main road, just about sunrise, and that it had gone up through his
+field into an oak grove. He had had no idea at the time that it was a
+monkey, and had intended to take his gun and go in search of it as soon
+as he could spare the time.
+
+Toby trembled as the man said this, for Mr. Stubbs's death was too vivid
+in his mind for him to think without a shudder of any one going in
+search of this monkey with a gun. He started for the grove at full
+speed, fearing that some one with more time at his disposal had seen his
+pet, and might even now be in pursuit of him.
+
+Of course the boys did not know certainly that the animal the farmer had
+seen was Mr. Stubbs's brother, but all were quite sure it was; and,
+before they had been in the oak grove ten minutes they saw the monkey
+himself, hanging by his tail and one paw from the branch of a tree.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+DRIVING A MONKEY
+
+
+Toby was so delighted at seeing his pet safe and alive that he set up a
+great shout; and the monkey, thus warned that boys who would chain him
+down to the drudgery of a circus ring were on his track, started off at
+full speed, scolding furiously as he went.
+
+To catch a monkey in the woods was even a harder task than to "scrape"
+him from the tent, or to capture him on the roof of the hen-house; but
+he must be caught, and the three boys started after him, fully aware of
+the difficult task before them.
+
+To Mr. Stubbs's brother this flight and pursuit was simply the wildest
+kind of a frolic, and he fairly screamed with delight as he leaped from
+one tree to another, sometimes allowing them almost to touch him, and
+then starting off at full speed until nearly out of sight.
+
+For an hour this tantalizing work was continued, and the pursuers were
+nearly exhausted. Half the time they had been running at full speed, and
+the only chance for rest had been when they were trying to creep upon
+Mr. Stubbs's brother unawares, which was just about no rest at all.
+
+Leander, who was naturally a very slow-moving boy, and quite fleshy, was
+more quickly tired than the others. When, for at least the twentieth
+time, they thought they had the monkey within their grasp, and he darted
+to the top of one of the tallest trees, Leander declared he could not
+take another step, even though the life of the monkey and the success of
+the circus depended upon it.
+
+Of course, it was not to be thought of that they should leave their band
+there exhausted and alone, so Toby decided they should rest as long as
+Mr. Stubbs's brother remained in the tree, and it was determined to
+occupy the time by eating the luncheon Aunt Olive had prepared.
+
+During the last ten minutes of the chase, Leander's face had worn a very
+gloomy expression; but it lighted wonderfully when the package of food
+was opened, and Toby helped him to a very generous slice of bread and
+meat.
+
+Nor was Leander the only one who looked with favor upon the food. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother had been a close observer of all that was going on at
+the foot of the tree in which he had taken refuge, and he showed every
+disposition to make one of the eating party.
+
+Seeing his evident hunger, Toby was sure it would be possible to capture
+the monkey by means of the food, and he walked around the trunk of the
+tree, holding a piece of ginger-bread temptingly in his fingers.
+
+The monkey came down from branch to branch, as if he had decided to
+allow himself to be made a prisoner for the sake of the food; but, just
+as Toby was about to seize him, he jumped back with a cry that sounded
+much as if he were laughing because of the disappointment he had caused.
+
+Then Joe tried his skill at monkey-catching, coming about as near
+success as Toby had done; and Leander was roused to action by the new
+phase the chase had assumed. He too held out some food in order to give
+Mr. Stubbs's brother the impression that all he had to do was to come
+and get it.
+
+In thus trying the coaxing plan, all three of the boys got on one side
+of the tree, while the greater part of their provisions was on the
+opposite side.
+
+The monkey descended again, first towards one boy and then towards
+another, as if it were his purpose to allow all three to catch him, and
+all were equally certain they were about to succeed, when Mr. Stubbs's
+brother suddenly ran along the branches towards the food. Before it was
+possible for any of the boys to intercept him, he had dropped to the
+ground, seized two of the very largest pieces of cake, and was up in the
+tree again so quickly that but for the cake he had in his paws it might
+have been doubted whether or not he had been on the ground at all.
+
+Now Mr. Stubbs's brother could laugh at his pursuers, if it is possible
+for a monkey to laugh; for, without any thanks to them, he had a trifle
+more than his share of the provisions, and was still at liberty.
+
+"It hain't any use," said Joe, in despair, as he threw himself on the
+ground and attacked the luncheon savagely, "I don't believe we shall
+ever get him; an' if we don't, it won't be much use for us to have our
+show, for every real circus has a monkey."
+
+"We _must_ catch him," replied Toby, mournfully, looking up into the
+tree where his pet sat eating the stolen food with the greatest
+possible enjoyment. "I wouldn't go home an' leave him here if I had to
+stay all night."
+
+"One might watch here while the others went back to the village an' got
+every feller there to come out an' help catch him," suggested Leander,
+who was famous for having ideas so brilliant that no one could carry
+them into execution.
+
+"We're goin' away from home all the time this way," said Toby, after he
+had studied the matter carefully, without paying any attention to the
+suggestion made by Leander; "now let's get a little ways the other side
+of the tree, an' when he comes down again he'll have to go towards home.
+Even if we can't catch him, perhaps we can drive him into the village."
+
+Even Leander could see the wisdom of this plan, and the party moved
+their luncheon and themselves to the side of the tree opposite to that
+on which they had approached it.
+
+Of course there was nothing to do but await Mr. Stubbs's brother's
+pleasure in the matter, and he seemed to be in no haste to make a move.
+He ate his cake in the most leisurely fashion possible, and then
+appeared to be wonderfully interested in the leaves, for he would spend
+several minutes pulling one apart, probably to see how it was made.
+
+But he was obliged to come down at last, and he chose the time just as
+Leander had settled himself comfortably for a nap, which did not tend to
+make the band regard him with additional favor.
+
+As Toby had thought, the monkey started back in the direction they had
+come; and, as he was going towards home, they did not make any effort to
+hurry him. If they could not catch him, they could at least drive him,
+and they were satisfied to let him go as slowly as he chose--a plan
+which met with hearty approval from Leander.
+
+For some time Mr. Stubbs's brother moved along as if it were his
+greatest desire to be back at Uncle Daniel's again, and then Toby saw
+him run along swiftly as if he had found something under a tree which
+interested him greatly.
+
+Afraid that the monkey had done this simply to avoid being driven, and
+that he might dart through the underbrush and get in rear of them again,
+Toby ran forward quickly; but before he had taken more than a dozen
+steps he heard piercing shrieks, which evidently came from the monkey,
+while the commotion among the bushes indicated that a struggle of some
+kind was taking place there.
+
+With but one thought, and that for the safety of his pet, Toby ran ahead
+regardless of the bushes that tore his clothing and scratched his face.
+A struggle was going on, as he saw when he pulled the branches of the
+trees away, and Mr. Stubbs's brother was getting decidedly the worst of
+it.
+
+A small, prickly ball curled up at the foot of the tree, and the monkey
+striking at it savagely with his paws, while porcupine quills were
+sticking in his face and body, told the whole story.
+
+The monkey had seen the porcupine, and, much to his discomfort, had
+tried to make that animal's acquaintance. As every boy knows, when one
+of these animals is attacked it immediately rolls itself up into a ball,
+with the quills or spines sticking straight out, and the attacking party
+generally gets plentifully supplied with them in a very short time.
+
+It was some moments before Toby could persuade his pet to stop trying to
+inflict punishment when he was getting the greater part himself; but he
+pulled him away at last, and the porcupine, unrolling himself with a
+grunt of satisfaction, trotted away into the bushes.
+
+There was no disposition on the part of Mr. Stubbs's brother to run away
+again. He stood there looking as sad and discouraged as a monkey ought
+to look who had commenced his day's work by stealing ducks, and
+concluded it by fighting a porcupine.
+
+The quills stood out from his face, making him look as if sadly in need
+of shaving, while on almost every inch of his body there was one of
+these natural weapons, giving him a decidedly comical appearance.
+
+As he stood there holding out his paws to Toby as if asking him to
+extract the spines, and squinting down now and then at those in his
+face, the boys did not try to restrain their laughter, which appeared to
+make the inquisitive monkey very angry.
+
+He screamed and scolded in the shrillest tones until Toby set about
+picking out the quills for him, and Joe took a firm hold of his collar,
+to make sure he should not escape when he was relieved from the effects
+of his introduction to the porcupine.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+COLLECTING THE ANIMALS
+
+
+It was quite a task to extract the porcupine quills from Mr. Stubbs's
+brother, because the operation was painful, and he danced about in a way
+that seriously interfered with the work.
+
+But the last one was out after a time, and the monkey was marched along
+between Joe and Toby, looking very repentant now that he was in his
+master's power again.
+
+"I tell you what it is," said Joe, sagely, after he had walked awhile in
+silence as if studying some matter, "we'd better get about six big
+chains an' fasten Mr. Stubbs's brother to the tent; 'cause if we keep on
+tryin' to train him, he'll keep on gettin' loose, an' before he gets
+through with it, we sha'n't have any show left."
+
+"I think that's the best thing we can do," panted Leander; "'cause if
+all hands of us has to start out many times like this, some of the boys
+will come up while we're off, an' pull the tent down."
+
+"We can tie him in the tent, and have him for a wild man of Borneo,"
+suggested Joe.
+
+"I guess we won't train him," replied Toby, rather sorry to deprive his
+pet of the pleasure of being one of the performers, and yet fearing the
+trouble he would cause if they should try to make anything more than an
+ordinary monkey out of him.
+
+The pursuit had led the boys farther from home than they had imagined,
+and it was noon when, weary and hungry, they arrived at the tent, where
+they found the other party, who had given up the search some time
+before. They had travelled through the woods without hearing or seeing
+anything of the runaway, and had returned in the hope that the others
+had been more successful.
+
+Leaving Mr. Stubbs's brother in charge of the partners, who, it was
+safe to say, would now take very good care to prevent his escape, Toby
+hurried into the house to see Abner.
+
+The sick boy was no better, Aunt Olive said, neither did he appear to be
+any worse--he was sleeping then; and, after eating some of his dinner at
+the table, and taking the remainder in his hands, Toby went out to the
+tent again.
+
+He found his partners indulging in an animated discussion as to when the
+performance should be given.
+
+Reddy was in favor of having it within two or three days at furthest;
+Bob thought that, as Mr. Stubbs's brother was not to be one of the
+performers, there was no reason for delay.
+
+All the others were of the same opinion, but Toby urged them to wait
+until Abner could take part in it.
+
+To this Bob had a very reasonable objection: in two weeks more school
+would begin, and then, of course, the circus would be out of the
+question. If their first exhibition should be a success, as it
+undoubtedly would be, they could give a second performance when Abner
+should get well enough to attend it; and that would be quite as pleasing
+to him as for all the talent to remain idle while waiting for his
+recovery.
+
+Toby felt that his partners asked him to do only that which was fair;
+the circus scheme had already done Abner more harm than good, and, as he
+did not seem to be dangerously sick, it would be unkind to the others to
+insist on waiting.
+
+"I'd rather Abner was with us when we had the first show," said Toby;
+"but I s'pose it'll be just as well to go ahead with it, an' then give
+another after he can come out."
+
+"Then we'll have it Saturday afternoon; an' while Reddy's fixin' up the
+tickets, Ben an' I'll get the animals up here, so's to see how they'll
+look, an' to let 'em get kinder used to the tent."
+
+Reddy was a boy who did not believe in wasting any time after a matter
+was decided upon, and almost as soon as Toby consented to go on with the
+show, he went for materials with which to make posters and tickets.
+
+His activity aroused the others, and all started out to bring in the
+animals, leaving Toby to guard Mr. Stubbs's brother and the tent. The
+canvas would take care of itself, so long as it was unmolested, but the
+other portion of Toby's charge was not so easily managed. After much
+thought, however, he settled the monkey question by tying Mr. Stubbs's
+brother to the end pole, with a rope long enough to allow him to climb
+nearly to the top, but short enough to keep him at a safe distance from
+the canvas.
+
+By the time this was done, Ben arrived with the first instalment of
+curiosities. His crowing hen he had under his arm, and Mrs. Simpson's
+three-legged cat and four kittens he brought in a basket.
+
+"Joe's got a cage 'most built for the hen, an' I'll fix one for the cat
+this afternoon," he said, as he seated himself on the basket, and held
+the hen in his lap.
+
+"You can't fix it if you've got to hold her," said Toby, as he brought
+from the barn a bushel-basket, which was converted into a coop by
+turning it bottom side up, and putting the hen underneath it.
+
+Ben was about to make a search of the barn for the purpose of finding
+some materials with which to build the cat's cage, when a great noise
+was heard outside, and the two partners left the tent hurriedly.
+
+"It's Bob an' his calf," said Ben, who had got out first, and then he
+started towards the newcomers at full speed.
+
+It was Bob and his calf; but the animal should have been mentioned
+first, for it seemed very much as if he were bringing his master,
+instead of being brought by him. In order to carry his cage of mice and
+lead the calf at the same time, Bob had tied the rope that held this
+representative of a grizzly bear around his waist, and had taken the
+cage under his arm. This plan had worked well enough until just as they
+were entering the field that led to the tent, when Bob tripped and fell,
+scaring the calf so that he started at full speed for the barn, of
+course dragging the unfortunate Bob with him.
+
+Sometimes on his face, sometimes on his back, screaming for help
+whenever his mouth was uppermost, and clinging firmly to the cage of
+mice, Bob was dragged almost to the door of the tent, where the
+frightened animal was finally secured.
+
+"Well, I've got him here, an' I hain't lost a single mouse," said Bob,
+as he counted his treasures before even scraping the dirt from his face.
+
+Ben and Toby led the calf into the tent after some difficulty, owing to
+the attempts of Mr. Stubbs's brother to frighten him, and then they did
+their best to separate the dirt from their partner.
+
+In this good work they had but partially succeeded, when Reddy arrived
+with a large package of brown paper, and his cat without a tail. This
+startling curiosity he carried in a bag slung over his shoulder, and
+from the expression on his face when he came up it seemed almost certain
+that the cat's claws had passed through the bag and into her master's
+flesh.
+
+"There," he exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, as he threw his live
+burden at the foot of the post to which Mr. Stubbs's brother was tied,
+"I've kept shiftin' that cat from one shoulder to the other ever since I
+started, an' I tell you she can scratch as well as if she had a tail as
+long as the monkey's."
+
+It surely seemed as if the work of building the cages had been too long
+neglected, for here were a number of curiosities without anything in
+which they could be exhibited, and the audience might be dissatisfied
+if asked to pay to see a cat in a bag, or a hen under a bushel-basket.
+
+Toby spoke of this, and Bob assured him that it could easily be arranged
+as soon as all the partners should arrive.
+
+"You see, we've got to carry Mrs. Simpson's cat an' kittens home every
+night, 'cause she says the rats are so thick she can spare her only
+day-times, an' we don't need a cage for her till the show comes off,"
+said Bob, as he bustled around again to find materials.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother demanded his master's attention about this time,
+owing to his attempts to make friends with the calf. From the time that
+this peaceful animal, who was to be transformed into a grizzly bear, had
+been brought into the tent, the monkey had tried in every possible way
+to get at him, and the calf had shown unmistakable signs of a desire to
+butt the monkey; but the ropes which held them both had prevented the
+meeting. Now, however, Bob detected Mr. Stubbs's brother in trying to
+bite his rope in two, and it was considered necessary to set a guard
+over him.
+
+Reddy was already busily engaged in painting the posters, despite the
+confusion that reigned, and, as his work would keep him inside the tent,
+he was chosen to have general care of the animals, a task which he,
+without a thought of possible consequences, accepted cheerfully.
+
+Leander and Joe came together, the first bringing his accordion, and
+four rabbits in a cage, and the last carrying five striped squirrels in
+a paste-board box.
+
+Leander was the only one who had been thoughtful enough to have his
+animals ready for exhibition, and the cage in which the long-eared pets
+were confined bore the inscription, done in a very fanciful way with
+blue and red crayons, "Wolves. Keep off!"
+
+This cage was placed in the corner near the band-stand, where the
+musician could attend to his musical work and have a watchful eye on his
+pets at the same time.
+
+Reddy had been busily engaged in painting a notice to be hung up over
+the calf; and, as he fastened it to the barn just over the spot where
+the animal was to be kept, Bob read, with no small degree of pride in
+the thought that he was the fortunate possessor of such a prize,
+
+
+                       GRIzsLee BARE
+                 FROM THE ROCKY MOunTAINS
+
+
+Then the artist went back to his task of painting posters, while the
+others set to work, full of determination to build the necessary number
+of cages if there was wood enough in Uncle Daniel's barn.
+
+They found timber enough and to spare; but, as it was not exactly the
+kind they wanted, Toby proposed that they should all go over to the
+house, explain the matter to Aunt Olive, and ask her to give them as
+many empty boxes as she could afford to part with.
+
+As has been said before, Aunt Olive looked upon the circus scheme with
+favor, and when she was called upon to aid in the way of furnishing
+cages for wild animals, she gave the boys full permission to take all
+the boxes they could find in the shed. They found so many that they were
+able to select those best suited to the different species of animals,
+and yet have quite a stock to fall back upon in case they should make
+additions to their menagerie.
+
+Now that the boys had found cages ready made, and needing only some bars
+or slats across the front, they did not think it necessary to hurry.
+They stayed for some time to talk of Abner, and to test some doughnuts
+Aunt Olive was frying. It is very likely that they would have remained
+even longer than they did, if the doughnut-frying had not been
+completed, and the tempting dainties placed upon a high shelf beyond
+their reach, as a gentle intimation that they had had about as many as
+they would get that afternoon.
+
+After leaving the house, they walked leisurely towards the barn, little
+dreaming what a state of confusion their property was in--until Reddy
+rushed out of the tent, his jacket torn, his face bleeding, and his
+general appearance that of a boy who had been having rather a hard time
+of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE SHOW BROKE UP
+
+
+"Why, what's the matter? Why don't you stay an' watch the animals?"
+asked Bob, in a tone intended to convey reproach and surprise that one
+of the projectors of the enterprise should desert his post of duty.
+
+"Watch the animals?" screamed Reddy, in a rage; "you go an' watch 'em
+awhile instead of eatin' doughnuts, an' see how you like it. Mr.
+Stubbs's brother picked a hole in the bag so my cat got out, an' she
+jumped on the calf, an' he tore 'round awful till he let the hen an'
+Mrs. Simpson's cat loose, an' I got knocked down an' scratched, an' the
+whole show's broke up."
+
+Reddy sat down on the ground, and wiped the blood from his face after he
+had imparted the painful news; and all the party started for the tent
+as rapidly as possible.
+
+It was a scene of ruin which they looked in upon after they had pulled
+aside Mr. Mansfield's flag, and one well calculated to discourage
+amateur circus proprietors.
+
+Mr. Stubbs's brother was seated amid Reddy's paper and paint, holding
+the crowing hen by the head while he picked her wing-feathers out one by
+one. Mrs. Simpson's cat and kittens each had one of Bob's mice in its
+mouth, while Reddy's cat was chasing one of the squirrels with a
+murderous purpose. The calf was no longer an inmate of the tent; but a
+large rent in the canvas showed that he had opened a door for himself
+when the cat scratched him; and afar in the distance he could be seen,
+head down and tail up, as if fleeing from everything that looked like a
+circus.
+
+The destruction was as complete as it could well have been made in so
+short a time, and the partners were, quite naturally, discouraged. Toby
+retained sufficient presence of mind, amid the trouble, to rescue the
+crowing hen from the murderous clutches of Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the
+monkey scampered up the tent-pole, brandishing two or three of poor
+biddy's best and longest wing-feathers, while he screamed with
+satisfaction that he had accomplished at least a portion of the work of
+stripping the fowl.
+
+"The show's broke up, an' that's all there's to it," said Bob,
+sorrowfully, as he gazed alternately at the hole in the canvas and his
+rapidly vanishing calf.
+
+"Are the squirrels all gone?" asked Joe, driving the cat from her
+intended prey long enough to allow Master Bushy-tail to gain a refuge
+under the barn.
+
+"Every one," replied Reddy. "The calf kicked the box over when he come
+towards me, an' it looked as if there was as many as a hundred come out
+jest as soon as the cover was off. I could have caught one or two; but
+somehow Mrs. Simpson's cat got out of the basket jest then, an' she flew
+right on to my face."
+
+The marks on Reddy's cheeks and nose told most eloquently with what
+force the cat "flew," and search was at once made for that pet of the
+Simpson family. She, with her kittens, had taken refuge under the barn
+as soon as the boys entered, and thus another trouble was added to the
+load the circus managers had to bear, for that cat must be returned to
+her mistress by night, or trouble might come of it.
+
+The mice were entirely consumed, two tails alone remaining of what would
+have been shown to the good people of Guilford as strange animals from
+some far-off country.
+
+The squirrels were gone, the calf had fled, the hen was in a thoroughly
+battered condition, and nothing remained of all that vast and wonderful
+collection of animals except Mr. Stubbs's brother, and the rabbits,
+protected by the cage which their master's thoughtfulness had provided.
+
+[Illustration: TOBY RESCUES THE CROWING HEN FROM MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER]
+
+"I guess I'll take the rabbits home," said Leander, as he lifted the box
+to his shoulder. "It wouldn't do to have only them for animals, an' it
+hain't very certain how long they'll stay alive while that monkey's
+'round."
+
+"He's broke up the whole show, that's what he's done," and Ben shook his
+fist at Mr. Stubbs's brother, while he tried to soothe his half-plucked
+hen.
+
+"What _are_ we goin' to do?" asked Toby, almost in despair.
+
+"I know what I'm goin' to do," said Ben, as he again placed the hen
+under the basket; "I'm goin' to crawl under the barn an' try to catch
+that cat, an' then I'm goin' home with my hen."
+
+It seemed to be the desire of all the partners to get home with what
+remained of their pets, and as Ben went under the barn on his hands and
+knees, Leander started off with his rabbits, Bob went to look for his
+calf, Reddy gathered up his bundle of paper, and Joe seized his
+pasteboard box, all going away where they could think over the ruin in
+solitude.
+
+But high up on the post the cause of all this trouble chattered and
+scolded, while his master sat on the ground, looking at him as if he
+wondered whether or not it would ever be possible to reform such a
+monkey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+ABNER'S DEATH
+
+
+After Toby was left alone in the tent, he remained for some time looking
+at the triumphant monkey, and listening to Ben's attempts to crawl
+around under the barn as fast as the cat could, when suddenly, as if
+such a thought had not occurred to him before, he cried out:
+
+"Don't you want me to come an' help you, Ben?"
+
+"You keep that monkey back, that's all the helpin' I want," Ben replied,
+almost sharply, and then the sounds indicated that the cat had suddenly
+changed her position to one farther under the barn, while the boy was
+trying to frighten her out.
+
+"Give it up, Ben," shouted Toby, after waiting some time longer, and not
+seeing any sign of success on the part of his friend. "If you come up
+here about dark you'll have a chance to catch her, for she'll have to
+come out for something to eat."
+
+"You take the monkey into the house, an' I'll get along all right," was
+the almost savage reply. "She smells him, an' jest as long as he's there
+she'll stay under here."
+
+It seemed to Toby almost cruel to desert his friend and partner just at
+a time when he needed assistance; but he could do no less than go away,
+since he had been urged so peremptorily to do so, and, catching his pet
+without much difficulty, he carried Mr. Stubbs's brother away from the
+scene of the ruin he had caused.
+
+Ben's remark, that the monkey had "broke the show all up," seemed to be
+very near the truth; for the boys would not think of going on with so
+small a number of animals; and, even if they decided to do without the
+menagerie, Bob's calf had wrecked one side of the tent so completely
+that that particular piece of canvas was past mending.
+
+"I don't know what we'll do," said Toby, mournfully, after he had
+finished telling the story to Aunt Olive. "The boys act as if they
+blamed me, because Mr. Stubbs's brother is so bad, and Joe's squirrels
+an' Bob's mice are all gone. Ben's hen don't look as if she'd ever
+'mount to much, an' it don't seem to me that he can get Mrs. Simpson's
+cat an' every one of the kittens out from under the barn."
+
+"Now don't go to worryin' about that, Toby," said Aunt Olive, as she
+patted him on the head, and gave him a large piece of cake at the same
+time. "You can get a dozen cats for Mrs. Simpson if she wants 'em; and
+as for mice, you tell Bob to set his trap out in the granary two or
+three times, an' he'll have as many as he can take care of. I'm glad the
+squirrels did get away, for it seems such a sin to shut them up in a
+cage when they're so happy in the woods."
+
+Toby was cheered by the very philosophical view that Aunt Olive took of
+the affair, and came to the conclusion that matters were not more than
+half so bad as they might have been.
+
+"You be careful that your monkey don't get out again, an' go to cuttin'
+up as he did last night, for I shall get provoked with him if he hurts
+my ducks any more," and, with this bit of advice, Aunt Olive went
+up-stairs to see Abner.
+
+Toby went out to the shed to assure himself that Mr. Stubbs's brother
+was tied so that he could not escape, and while he was there Uncle
+Daniel came in with an armful of strips of board.
+
+"There, Toby, boy," he said, as he laid them on the floor, and looked
+around for the hammer and nails, "I'm going to build a pen for your
+monkey right up here in one corner, so that we sha'n't be called up
+again in the night by a false alarm of burglars. Besides, it's almost
+time for school to begin again, an' I'm 'most too old to commence
+chasing monkeys around the country in case he gets out while you're
+away."
+
+Had it been suggested the day before that Mr. Stubbs's brother was to be
+shut up in a cage, Toby would have thought it a very great hardship for
+his pet to endure; but the experience he had had in the last twenty-four
+hours convinced him that the imprisonment was for the best.
+
+He helped Uncle Daniel in his labor to such purpose that, when it was
+time for him to go to the pasture, the cage was built, and Mr. Stubbs's
+brother was in it, looking as if he considered himself a thoroughly
+abused monkey, because he was not allowed to play just such pranks as
+had roused the household as well as broken up the circus scheme.
+
+On his way to the pasture, Toby met Joe, and the two had a long talk
+about the disaster of the afternoon. Joe believed that the enterprise
+must be abandoned--for that summer at least--as it would take them some
+time to repair the damage done, and his short experience in the business
+caused him to believe that they could hardly hope to compete with real
+circuses until they had more material with which to work.
+
+Joe promised to see the other partners that evening or the next morning;
+and, if they were of the same opinion, the tent should be taken down and
+returned to its owner.
+
+"Perhaps we can fix it all right next year, an' then Abner will be
+'round to help," said Toby, as he parted with Joe that night; and thus
+was the circus project ended very sensibly, for the chances were that it
+would have been a failure if they had attempted to give their
+exhibition.
+
+During that afternoon Toby had worried less about Abner than on any day
+since he had been sick; he had felt that his friend's recovery was
+certain, and a load was lifted from his shoulders when he and Joe had
+decided regarding the circus; for, that out of the way, he could devote
+all his attention to his sick friend. Surely, with the ponies and the
+monkey they could have a great deal of sport during the two weeks that
+yet remained before school would begin, and Toby felt thoroughly happy.
+
+But his happiness was changed to alarm very soon after he entered the
+house, for the doctor was there again, and, from the look on the faces
+of Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive, he knew Abner must be worse.
+
+"What is it, Uncle Dan'l? is Abner any sicker?" he asked, with quivering
+lip, as he looked up at the wrinkled face that ever wore a kindly look
+for him.
+
+Uncle Daniel laid his hand affectionately on the head of the boy, whom
+he had cared for with the tenderness of a father since the day he
+repented and asked forgiveness for having run away, and his voice
+trembled as he said:
+
+"It is very likely that the good God will take the crippled boy to
+Himself to-night, Toby, and there in the heavenly mansions will he find
+relief from all his pain and infirmities. Then the poor-farm boy will no
+longer be an orphan or deformed, but, with his Almighty Father, will
+enter into such joys as we can have no conception of."
+
+"Oh, Uncle Dan'l! must Abner really die?" cried Toby, while the great
+tears chased each other down his cheeks, and he hid his face on Uncle
+Daniel's knee.
+
+"He will die here, Toby, boy, but it is simply an awakening into a
+perfect, glorious life, to which I pray that both you and I may be
+prepared to go when our Father calls us."
+
+For some time there was silence in the room, broken only by Toby's sobs;
+and, while Uncle Daniel stroked the weeping boy's head, the great
+white-winged messenger of God came into the chamber above, bearing away
+with him the spirit of the poor-farm boy.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Stubbs's Brother, by James Otis
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