When the doors of the big tent were opened, and the people began to
crowd in, just as Toby had seen them do at Guilford, Mr. Lord announced
to his young clerk that it was time for him to go into the tent to work.
Then it was that Toby learned for the first time that he had two masters
instead of one, and this knowledge caused him no little uneasiness. If
the other one was anything like Mr. Lord, his lot would be just twice
as bad, and he began to wonder whether he could even stand it one day
longer.
As the boy passed through the tent on his way to the candy stand, where
he was really to enter upon the duties for which he had run away from
home, he wanted to stop for a moment and speak with the old monkey who
he thought had taken such an interest in him. But when he reached the
cage in which his friend was confined, there was such a crowd around it
that it was impossible for him to get near enough to speak without being
overheard.
This was such a disappointment to the little fellow that the big tears
came into his eyes, and in another instant would have gone rolling down
his cheeks if his aged friend had not chanced to look toward him. Toby
fancied that the monkey looked at him in the most friendly way, and
then he was Certain that he winked one eye. Toby felt that there was no
mistake about that wink, and it seemed as if it was intended to convey
comfort to him in his troubles. He winked back at the monkey in the most
emphatic and grave manner possible, and then went on his way, feeling
wonderfully comforted.
The work inside the tent was far different and much harder than it was
outside. He was obliged to carry around among the audience trays of
candy, nuts, and lemonade for sale, and he was expected to cry aloud the
description of that which he offered. The partner of Mr. Lord, who had
charge of the stand inside the tent, showed himself to be neither better
nor worse than Mr. Lord himself. When Toby first presented himself for
work he handed him a tray filled with glasses of lemonade, and told him
to go among the audience, crying, “Here's your nice cold lemonade, only
five cents a glass!”
Toby started to do as he was bidden; but when he tried to repeat the
words in anything like a loud tone of voice they stuck in his throat,
and he found it next to impossible to utter a sound above a whisper. It
seemed to him that everyone in the audience was looking only at him, and
the very sound of his own voice made him afraid.
He went entirely around the tent once without making a sale, and when he
returned to the stand he was at once convinced that one of his masters
was quite as bad as the other. This one--and he knew that his name was
Jacobs, for he heard someone call him so--very kindly told him that he
would break every bone in his body if he didn't sell something, and Toby
confidently believed that he would carry out his threat.
It was with a very heavy heart that he started around again in obedience
to Mr. Jacobs's angry command; but this time he did manage to cry out,
in a very thin and very squeaky voice, the words which he had been told
to repeat.
This time--perhaps owing to his pitiful and imploring look, certainly
not because of the noise he made--he met with very good luck, and
sold every glass of the mixture which Messrs. Lord and Jacobs called
lemonade, and went back to the stand for more.
He certainly thought he had earned a word of praise, and fully expected
it as he put the empty glasses and money on the stand in front of Mr.
Jacobs. But, instead of the kind words, he was greeted with a volley of
curses; and the reason for it was that he had taken in payment for two
of the glasses a lead ten cent piece. Mr. Jacobs, after scolding poor
little Toby to his heart's content, vowed that the amount should be kept
from his first week's wages, and then handed back the coin, with orders
to give it to the first man who gave him money to change, under the
penalty of a severe flogging if he failed to do so.
Poor Toby tried to explain matters by saying: “You see, I don't know
anything about money; I never had more 'n a cent at a time, an' you
mustn't expect me to get posted all at once.”
“I'll post you with a stick if you do it again; an' it won't be well for
you if you bring that ten cent piece back here!”
Now Toby was very well aware that to pass the coin, knowing it to be
bad, would be a crime, and he resolved to take the consequences of which
Mr. Jacobs had intimated, if he could not find the one who had given him
the counterfeit and persuade him to give him good money in its stead. He
remembered very plainly where he had sold each glass of lemonade, and
he retraced his steps, glancing at each face carefully as he passed. At
last he was confident that he saw the man who had gotten him into such
trouble, and he climbed up the board seats, saying, as he stood in front
of him and held out the coin: “Mister, this money that you gave me is
bad. Won't you give me another one for it?”
The man was a rough looking party who had taken his girl to the circus,
and who did not seem at all disposed to pay any heed to Toby's request.
Therefore he repeated it, and this time more loudly.
“Get out the way!” said the man, angrily. “How can you expect me to see
the show if you stand right in front of me?”
“You'll like it better,” said Toby, earnestly, “if you give me another
ten cent piece.”
“Get out an' don't bother me!” was the angry rejoinder; and the little
fellow began to think that perhaps he would be obliged to “get out”
without getting his money.
It was becoming a desperate case, for the man was growing angry very
fast and if Toby did not succeed in getting good money for the bad, he
would have to take the consequences of which Mr. Jacobs had spoken.
“Please, mister,” he said, imploringly--for his heart began to grow very
heavy, and he was fearing that he should not succeed--“won't you please
give me the money back? You know you gave it to me, an' I'll have to pay
it if you don't.”
The boy's lip was quivering, and those around began to be interested in
the affair, while several in the immediate vicinity gave vent to their
indignation that a man should try to cheat a boy out of ten cents by
giving him counterfeit money.
The man whom Toby was speaking to was about to dismiss him with an angry
reply, when he saw that those about him were not only interested in the
matter, but were evidently taking sides with the boy against him; and
knowing well that he had given the counterfeit money, he took another
coin from his pocket and, handing it to Toby, said, “I didn't give you
the lead piece; but you're making such a fuss about it that here's ten
cents to make you keep quiet.”
“I'm sure you did give me the money,” said Toby, as he took the extended
coin, “an' I'm much obliged to you for takin' it back. I didn't want to
tell you before, 'cause you'd thought I was beggin'; but if you hadn't
given me this, I 'xpect I'd have got an awful whippin', for Mr. Jacobs
said he'd fix me if I didn't get the money for it.”
The man looked sheepish enough as he put the bad money in his pocket,
and Toby's innocently told story caused such a feeling in his behalf
among those who sat near that he not only disposed of his entire stock
then and there, but received from one gentleman twenty-five cents for
himself. He was both proud and happy as he returned to Mr. Jacobs with
empty glasses, and with the money to refund the amount of loss which
would have been caused by the counterfeit.
But the worthy partner of Mr. Lord's candy business had no words of
encouragement for the boy who was trying so hard to please.
“Let that make you keep your eyes open,” he growled out, sulkily; “an'
if you get caught in that trap again, you won't be let off so easy.”
Poor little Toby! his heart seemed ready to break; but his few hours'
previous experience had taught him that there was but one thing to do,
and that was to work just as hard as possible, trusting to some good
fortune to enable him to get out of the very disagreeable position in
which he had voluntarily placed himself.
He took the basket of candy that Mr. Jacobs handed him, and trudged
around the circle of seats, selling far more because of the pitifulness
of his face than because of the excellence of his goods; and even this
worked to his disadvantage. Mr. Jacobs was keen enough to see why his
little clerk sold so many goods, and each time that he returned to the
stand he said something to him in an angry tone, which had the effect of
deepening the shadow on the boy's face and at the same time increasing
trade.
By the time the performance was over Toby had in his pocket a dollar and
twenty-five cents which had been given him for himself by some of the
kind hearted in the audience, and he kept his hand almost constantly
upon it, for the money seemed to him like some kind friend who would
help him out of his present difficulties.
After the audience had dispersed, Mr. Jacobs set Toby at work washing
the glasses and clearing up generally, and then the boy started toward
the other portion of the store--that watched over by Mr. Lord. Not a
person save the watchman was in the tent, and as Toby went toward the
door he saw his friend the monkey sitting in one corner of the cage, and
apparently watching his every movement.
It was as if he had suddenly seen one of the boys from home, and Toby,
uttering an exclamation of delight, ran up to the cage and put his hand
through the wires.
The monkey, in the gravest possible manner, took one of the fingers in
his paw, and Toby shook hands with him very earnestly.
“I was sorry that I couldn't speak to you when I went in this noon,”
said Toby, as if making an apology; “but, you see, there were so many
around here to see you that I couldn't get the chance. Did you see me
wink at you?”
The monkey made no reply, but he twisted his face into such a funny
little grimace that Toby was quite as well satisfied as if he had
spoken.
“I wonder if you hain't some relation to Steve Stubbs?” Toby continued,
earnestly, “for you look just like him, only he don't have quite so many
whiskers. What I wanted to say was that I'm awful sorry I run away. I
used to think that Uncle Dan'l was bad enough; but he was just a perfect
good Samarathon to what Mr. Lord an' Mr. Jacobs are; an' when Mr. Lord
looks at me with that crooked eye of his I feel it 'way down in my
boots. Do you know”--and here Toby put his mouth nearer to the monkey's
head and whispered--“I'd run away from this circus if I could get the
chance. Wouldn't you?”
Just at this point, as if in answer to the question, the monkey stood up
on his hind feet and reached out his paw to the boy, who seemed to think
this was his way of being more emphatic in saying “Yes.”
Toby took the paw in his hand, shook it again earnestly, and said, as he
released it: “I was pretty sure you felt just about the same way I did,
Mr. Stubbs, when I passed you this noon. Look here”--and Toby took the
money from his pocket which had been given him--“I got all that this
afternoon, an' I'll try an' stick it out somehow till I get as much as
ten dollars, an' then we'll run away some night, an' go 'way off as far
as--as--as out West; an' we'll stay there, too.”
The monkey, probably tired with remaining in one position so long;
started toward the top of the cage, chattering and screaming, joining
the other monkeys, who had gathered in a little group in one of the
swings.
“Now see here, Mr. Stubbs,” said Toby, in alarm, “you mustn't go to
telling everybody about it, or Mr. Lord will know, an' then we'll be
dished, sure.”
The monkey sat quietly in the swing, as if he felt reproved by what the
boy had said; and Toby, considerably relieved by his silence, said,
as he started toward the door, “That's right--mum's the word; you keep
quiet, an' so will I, an' pretty soon we'll get away from the whole
crowd.”
All the monkeys chattered; and Toby, believing that everything which
he had said had been understood by the animals, went out of the door to
meet his other taskmaster.