re before we go to see
the elephant."

With these two followed a boy of some thirteen years, freckled faced and
solemn, slim and wiry of body, who was anxiously striving to drag his
father away from one of the drinking booths that dotted the circus
grounds, and towards the big tent; but the father had been already a
too frequent visitor at the booth to be quite amenable to his son's
pleading. He, in a glorious mood of self-appreciation, kept announcing
to the public generally and to his hard-faced friend in particular--

"My name's Tom Haley; ye can't come over me!"

"Come on, father," pleaded Tim.

"No hurry, Timmy, me boy," said his father. "The elephants won't run
away with the monkeys and the clowns can't git out of the ring."

"Oh, come on, dad, I'm sure the show's begun."

"Cheese it, young feller," said the young man, "yer dad's able to take
care of himself."

"Aw, you shut yer mouth!" replied Tim fiercely. "I know what you're
suckin' round for."

"Good boy, Tim," laughed his father; "ye giv' 'im one that time. Guess
we'll go. So long, Sam, if that's yer name. Ye see I've jist got ter
take in this 'ere show this morning with Tim 'ere, and then we have got
some groceries to git for the old woman. See there," he drew a paper
from his pocket, "wouldn't dare show up without 'em, ye bet, eh, Tim!
Why, it's her egg and butter money and she wants value fer it, she does.
Well, so long, Sam, see ye later," and with the triumphant Tim he made
for the big tent, leaving a wrathful and disappointed man behind him.

Cameron spent the rest of the day partly in "taking in" the circus
and partly in conversing with the farmers who seemed to have taken
possession of the town; but in answer to his most diligent and careful
enquiries he could hear of no position on a farm for which he could
honestly offer himself. The farmers wanted mowers, or cradlers, or good
smart turnip hands, and Cameron sorrowfully had to confess he was none
of these. There apparently was no single bit of work in the farmer's
life that Cameron felt himself qualified to perform.

It was wearing towards evening when Cameron once more came across Tim.
He was standing outside the bar room door, big tears silently coursing
down his pale and freckled cheeks.

"Hello!" cried Cameron, "what's up old chap? Where's your dad, and has
he got his groceries yet?"

"No," said Tim, hastily wiping away his tears and looking up somewhat
shyly and sullenly into Cam