that you didn't break any of your bones."

"I s'pose I had," said Toby, soberly, as he looked back at the scene of
his disaster, and then up at the chattering monkey that had caused all
the trouble.

Shortly after this, Mr. Stubbs having again been coaxed down from his
lofty position, Toby took his departure, promising to call as often
during the week as he could get away from his exacting employers.

Just outside the tent he met Old Ben, who said, as he showed signs of
indulging in another of his internal laughing spells:

"Hello! has the skeleton an' his lily of a wife been givin' a blowout to
you, too?"

"They invited me in there to dinner," said Toby, modestly.

"Of course they did--of course they did," replied Ben, with a chuckle;
"they carries a cookin' stove along with 'em, so's they can give these
little spreads whenever we stay over a day in a place. Oh, I've been
there!"

"And did they ask you to make a speech?"

"Of course. Did they try it on you?"

"Yes," said Toby, mournfully, "an' I tumbled off the platform when I got
through."

"I didn't do exactly that," replied Ben, thoughtfully; "but I s'pose you
got too much steam on, seein' 's how it was likely your first speech.
Now you'd better go into the tent an try to get a little sleep, 'cause
we've got a long ride tonight over a rough road, an' you won't get more
'n a cat nap all night."

"But where are you going?" asked Toby, as he shifted Mr. Stubbs over to
his other shoulder, preparatory to following his friend's advice.

"I'm goin' to church," said Ben, and then Toby noticed for the first
time that the old driver had made some attempt at dressing up. "I've
been with the circus, man an boy, for nigh to forty years, an' I allus
go to meetin' once on Sunday. It's somethin' I promised my old mother I
would do, an' I hain't broke my promise yet."

"Why don't you take me with you?" asked Toby, wistfully, as he
thought of the little church on the hill at home, and wished--oh, so
earnestly!--that he was there then, even at the risk of being thumped on
the head with Uncle Daniel's book.

"If I'd seen you this mornin' I would," said Ben; "but now you must try
to bottle up some sleep ag'in' tonight, an' next Sunday I'll take you."

With these words Old Ben started off, and Toby proceeded to carry out
his wishes, although he rather doubted the possibility of "bottling up"
any sleep that afternoon.

He lay down on the top of the wagon, after havin