her
that he wanted to see her, and he thought to himself that when she did
come she would be in a hurry, and could not stop long enough to make any
very lengthy objections to his leaving.

But she did not come at all--her mother sent out word that Toby could
not see her until after the performance was over, owing to the fact that
it was now nearly time for her to go into the ring, and she was not
dressed yet.

Toby was terribly disappointed. He knew that it would not be safe for
him to wait until the close of the performance if he were intending to
run away that night, and he felt that he could not go until he had said
a few last words to her.

He was in a great perplexity, until the thought came to him that he
could write a good-bye to her, and by this means any unpleasant
discussion would be avoided.

After some little difficulty he procured a small piece of not very clean
paper and a very short bit of lead-pencil, and using the top of one of
the wagons, as he sat on the seat, for a desk, he indited the following
epistle:

"deaR ella I Am goin to Run away two night, & i want two say
good by to yu & your mother. i am Small & unkle Danil says i
dont mount two much, but i am old enuf two know that you
have bin good two me, & when i Am a man i will buy you a
whole cirkus, and we Will ride together. dont forgit me & I
wont yu in haste TOBY TYLER."

Toby had no envelope in which to seal this precious letter, but he felt
that it would not be seen by prying eyes, and would safely reach its
destination, if he intrusted it to Old Ben.

It did not take him many moments to find the old driver, and he said, as
he handed him the letter, "I didn't see Ella to tell her I was goin', so
I wrote this letter, an' I want to know if you will give it to her?"

"Of course I will. But see here, Toby"--and Ben caught him by the sleeve
and led him aside where he would not be overheard--"have you got money
enough to take you home? for if you haven't I can let you have some."
And Ben plunged his hand into his capacious pocket, as if he was about
to withdraw from there the entire United States Treasury.

Toby assured him that he had sufficient for all his wants; but the old
man would not be satisfied until he had seen for himself, and then,
taking Toby's hand again, he said, "Now, my boy, it won't do for you to
stay around here any longer. Buy something to eat before you start, an'
go into the woods