e subject was willing to have her bed-linen decorating
the interior of a circus-tent, even though the show was to be only a
little one for three cents.

Reddy was quite sure he could mend one or two of the largest holes if he
had a darning-needle and some twine; but after he got both from Aunt
Olive, and stuck the needle twice in his own hand, once in Joe
Robinson's, and then broke it, he concluded that it would be just as
well to paste brown paper over the holes.

It was a hard job to dig the ground up in order to make as large a ring
as the boys had marked out, but by persistent work it was accomplished,
as almost everything can be; and then Ben went to practising, in order
that he might, as he expressed it, "get the hang of the thing."

Of course, the fact that a tent had been put up by the side of Uncle
Daniel's barn was soon known to every boy in the village, and the rush
of visitors that afternoon was so great that Joe was obliged to begin
his duties as door-keeper in advance, in order to keep back the crowd.

The number of questions asked by each boy who arrived kept Joe so busy
answering them that, after every one in town knew exactly what was going
on, Reddy hit upon the happy plan of getting a large piece of paper, and
painting on it an announcement of their exhibition.

It was while he was absent in search of the necessary materials with
which to carry out this work that the finishing touches were put on the
interior; and the partners were counting the number of hand-springs Ben
could turn without stopping, when a great shout arose from the visitors
outside, and the circus owners heard a pattering and scratching on the
canvas above their heads.

"Mr. Stubbs's brother has got loose, an' he's tearin' 'round on the
tent!" shouted Joe, as he poked his head in through a hole in the flag,
and at the same time struggled to keep back a small but bold boy with
his foot.

Toby, followed by the other proprietors, rushed out at this alarming bit
of news, and, sure enough, there was the monkey dancing around on the
top of the tent like a crazy person, while the rope with which he had
been tied dangled from his neck.

It seemed to Toby that no other monkey could possibly behave half so
badly as did Mr. Stubbs's brother on that occasion. He danced back and
forth from one end of the tent to the other, as if he had been a
tight-rope performer giving a free exhibition; then he would sit down
and try to find out just h