effects of the shock,
"now see if you can behave yourself an' chew your meat as you ought to!
One of these days when you're alone you'll try that game, and that 'll
be the last of you."

"If he'd try to do one of my tricks long enough he'd get so that there
wouldn't hardly anything choke him," the sword swallower ventured to
suggest, mildly, as he wiped a small stream of cranberry sauce from his
chin and laid a well polished turkey bone by the side of his plate.

"I'd like to see him try it!" said the fat lady, with just a shade
of anger in her voice. Then turning toward her husband, she said,
emphatically, "Samuel, don't you ever let me catch you swallowing a
sword!"

"I won't, my love, I won't; and I will try to chew my meat more,"
replied the very thin glutton, in a feeble tone. Toby thought that
perhaps the skeleton might keep the first part of that promise, but he
was not quite sure about the last.

It required no little coaxing on the part of both Toby and Mrs. Treat
to induce Mr. Stubbs to come down from his lofty perch; but the task was
accomplished at last, and by the gift of a very large doughnut he was
induced to resume his seat at the table.

The time had now come when the duties of a host, in his own peculiar way
of viewing them, devolved upon Mr. Treat, and he said, as he pushed his
chair back a short distance from the table and tried to polish the front
of his vest with his napkin:

"I don't want this fact lost sight of, because it is an important one:
everyone must remember that we have gathered here to meet and become
better acquainted with the latest and best addition to this circus, Mr.
Toby Tyler."

Poor Toby! As the company all looked directly at him, and Mrs. Treat
nodded her enormous head energetically, as if to say that she agreed
exactly with her husband, the poor boy's face grew very red and the
squash pie lost its flavor.

"Although Mr. Tyler may not be exactly one of us, owing to the fact that
he does not belong to the profession, but is only one of the adjuncts
to it, so to speak," continued the skeleton, in a voice which was fast
being raised to its highest pitch, "we feel proud, after his exploits
at the time of the accident, to have him with us, and gladly welcome him
now, through the medium of this little feast prepared by my Lilly."

Here the Albino Children nodded their heads in approval, and the sword
swallower gave a grunt of assent; and, thus encouraged, the skeleton
pro