u slept well after the excitement."

A sudden thought came to Kit. Mr. Barlow looked like a kind hearted man,
and he had already shown that he was well disposed toward him.

"I slept very poorly," he said.

"Was it the thought of the danger you had been in?"

"No, sir; I learned that my uncle, without consulting me, had arranged
to apprentice me to a blacksmith."

Mr. Barlow looked surprised.

"But you look like a boy of independent means," he said, puzzled.

"I have always supposed that this was the case," said Kit, "but my uncle
told me yesterday, to my surprise, that I was dependent upon him, and
had no expectations."

"You don't want to be a blacksmith?"

"No, sir; I consider any kind of work honorable, but that would not suit
me."

"You would succeed well in my business," said the showman, "but I am
very careful how I recommend it to boys. It isn't a good school for
them. They are exposed to many temptations in it. But if a boy has a
strong will, and good principles, he may avoid all the evils connected
with it."

Kit had not thought of it before, but now the question suggested itself:
"Why should I not join the circus. I should like it better than being a
blacksmith."

"How much do you pay acrobats?" he asked.

"Are you an acrobat?" asked Mr. Barlow.

Kit told the story of his practicing with the Vincenti Brothers.

"Good!" said Mr. Barlow. "If they indorse you, it is sufficient. If you
decide to join my company, I will give you, to begin with, ten dollars
a week and your expenses."

"Thank you, sir," said Kit, dazzled by the offer, "Where will you be on
Saturday?"

"At Grafton on Saturday, and Milltown on Monday."

"If I decide to join you, I will do so at one or the other of those
places."

Here the railroad omnibus came up, and Mr. Barlow entered it, for he was
to leave by the next train.

CHAPTER VII.

AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.

Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits. He saw a way out of his
difficulties. Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's
life would be distasteful to him. He was fond of study, and had looked
forward to a college course. Now this was out of the question. It seemed
that he was as poor as his friend, Dan Clark, with his own way to make
in the world. When he left school, at the beginning of the vacation, he
supposed that he would inherit a competence. It was certainly a great
change in his prospects, but now he did not feel dis