kly 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 quickene