Toby Tyler

r time, you can come here an' tend shop for me while I go to supper. You crammed yourself this noon, an' it 'll teach

d this last punishment-that of losing his supper-caused the poor boy more sorrow than blows would. Mr. Lord started for the hotel as he conclude

Uncle Daniel's kindness by the ingratitude of running away. Toby thought that if he could only nestle his little red head on the pillows

an he had ever seen in all his life. The man had flesh colored tights on, and a spangled red velvet garment-that was neither pa

hly colored painting which was hanging in front of one of the small tents, Toby knew that the

e man, in a kindly tone. "What makes you cry

is man's voice expressed for him-"but I know that he's a mean, ugly thing-that's what I know; an' if I could onl

away from h

ok that ever I read that was half so sorry he'd been bad as I am. It's awful

asked the skeleton, as he seated hi

who 'pears to be sorry for me. You'd better not let Mr.

e skeleton. "But who is this Mr. Stubbs? I

call him so, 'cause he looks so much l

this Mr. Stubbs must be someone a

been whip

e hain't going to let me have any supper, 'cause I was so slow about my work-though

am! Sam

come from either Toby or the skeleton, but from an enormously large woman, dressed in a gaudy red and black dress, cut very short,

you'll catch your death o' cold, an' I shall have you wheez

ife Lilly, an' she's the Fat Woman of the show. She's always yellin' after me that way the minute I get out for a little fresh air, an' she's always sayin' just the

ent, as he looked at the enormously fat woman who stood in the t

ards says it's over six hundred, an' she earns almost as much money as I do. Of course she can't get so

e cry from the fat woman,

as he crossed one thin leg over the other and look

rs a week to any circus," she said, impatiently, at the same time coming

a proud wave of his hand, as he rose from his seat and gazed

skeleton-or Mr. Treat, as Toby now learned his na

ng no attention to the awkward little bend of the head w

lculate exactly how many inches high he was, "he is small; but he's got all the world before him to grow in, an' if h

ecious one, he is! An' some day I shall just give him a good shakin' up,

admiring shake of the head. "That woman hain't afraid of anybody, an'

venture to say so. While he was looking first at her, and then at her very thin husband, the skeleton told his wife

he skeleton, as he saw her

, "she's the gre

ead. Now you'll see about how mu

with just a shade of envy in his voic

ely-"it hain't so much the size, my boy; for I can s

warningly, "I wouldn't feel like it very often if I was you, Mr. Treat, 'cause

me; you'll see how I manage her if you sta

ot hear it then, for Mrs. Treat had just come out of her tent, carrying in her hands a l

f Toby, and as she did so

s partner Jacobs did say you shouldn't have any supper; an' I've brought you a picture of Samuel an' me

he words out at first; and then he said, as he put the two photographs in the same pocket with his money: "You're awful good to me, a

it had been as fair and white as possible. "You shall eat all you want to; an' if you get the stomachache, as Samuel does sometimes when he's been eatin' too much, I'll give you some c

l eater. Why, Uncle Dan'l used to say that I ate twice as much as I o

' time again. Some folks is made that way, an' some folks is made different. Now I don't eat

ide in his voice; "but you mustn't feel bad about it, for every

at a bit while we are here. After you've eaten what there is there, bring the plate in to me," s

food which he had taken from the dinner table he had eaten some while he was in the tent, and after that he had entirely forgotten

ntity which remained he readily found room for in his pockets. Then he washed the plate nicely;

y the thin man and fat woman, and handed it to

at it all?

a piece of pie left over, an' I put them in my pocket

nt to; an' any time that you get

ust go now, for I lef

ust let me know it, an' I'll keep hi

th; and just as he emerged from the tent, on a quick run, he received a blow on the ear

of itself, do you, an' run around tryin' to plot some mischief against m

ed Toby. "I wasn't gone but a minut

the angry man as he advanced to kick the boy again. "I'll let

and just as Mr. Lord raised his foot to kick the boy again the fat woman seized him by the collar

while I'm around. I've seen enough of your capers, an' I'm going to put a stop to them. That boy wasn't in this tent more than two minutes, an' he attends to his work better than

e could see from out the corner of his eye that Mr. Lord had arisen to his feet also, and was engaged in an angry

without speaking one word to Toby. When Mr. Jacobs returned from his supper, Mr. Lord took him by the arm and walked him out toward th

y to Toby save to tell him to go into the tent and begin his work there. The boy was only too glad to esca

y about being late, and seemed to think it no excuse at all th