saw Darn Darner's father sitting by the living-room window and
came to a stop. Mr. Darner was a dour, heavy-set man with a coarse,
bristling gray beard. He glared at Whiteface through thick glasses.

"What does all this hullabaloo mean?" he asked Mrs. Mullarkey, in a
gruff voice.

"It means," said Whiteface, answering for her and advancing towards Mr.
Darner, Jerry's hand held tightly in his, "that Jerry Elbow has found
his parents and the people have followed us here to show how glad they
are."

"You his father? A clown in a circus?" asked Mr. Darner.

"Yes, I am his father and I am a clown in a circus," replied Whiteface.

"Mr. Darner is the County Overseer of the Poor," Mrs. Mullarkey
explained. "He's been at me to give Jerry up and let him take him to the
poor farm ever since my Dan died."

"It's for your own good and your children's--and Jerry's, too, if you
weren't too blind to see it," the Overseer stated.

"After Dan's insurance money was all gone--and a good part of it went to
finish paying for this house," Mrs. Mullarkey continued, "I couldn't
make enough to keep the children decently. Mr. Darner's kept telling me
that if I didn't let him take Jerry to the poor farm, I'd break down
sooner or later and have to send my own children there or let them be
adopted out. Mr. Phillips thought he could help--"

"Phillips is always butting into things that are none of his business,"
growled Mr. Darner.

"But this afternoon Mr. Darner came to take Jerry and I just couldn't
hold out any longer--I haven't the money or the strength. And he wants
Danny to go to a place in the country to work for his board and wants me
to let Celia Jane be adopted by a family in Hampton who are looking for
a girl. He thinks I ought to see if Celia Jane won't suit them."

"Mother! Take me away from home!" wailed Celia Jane aghast.

"I'm at the end of my string," Mrs. Mullarkey's discouraged voice
continued. "I've never been able to make both ends meet since Dan died."

"She couldn't make them meet so's to give us money to buy tickets to the
circus," Jerry explained corroboratively to his father.

"You'll have to come to it eventually, Mrs. Mullarkey," warned the
County Overseer. "This is a good chance for Celia Jane. The Thompsons
are well fixed; they'll give her a fine home and a good education."

Celia Jane at that sat down on the floor and let her body relax into a
limp bundle.

"I won't go!" she sobbed. "I won't leave mothe