cted the widow.

"Wa'al," said David, resuming, "he says to me, 'Would you like to go to
the cirkis?' an' with that it occurred to me that I did want to go to
that cirkis more'n anythin' I ever wanted to before--nor since, it seems
to me. But I tell ye the truth, I was so far f'm expectin' to go't I
really hadn't knowed I wanted to. I looked at him, an' then down agin,
an' began tenderin' up a stun-bruise on one heel agin the other instep,
an' all I says was, bein' so dum'd shy, 'I dunno,' I says. But I guess
he seen in my face what my feelin's was, fer he kind o' laughed an'
pulled out half-a-dollar an' says: 'D' you think you could git a couple
o' tickits in that crowd? If you kin, I think I'll go myself, but I
don't want to git my boots all dust,' he says. I allowed I c'd try; an'
I guess them bare feet o' mine tore up the dust some gettin' over to the
wagin. Wa'al, I had another scare gettin' the tickits, fer fear some one
that knowed me 'd see me with a half-a-dollar, an' think I must 'a'
stole the money. But I got 'em an' carried 'em back to him, an' he took
'em an' put 'em in his vest pocket, an' handed me a ten-cent piece, an'
says, 'Mebbe you'll want somethin' in the way of refreshments fer
yourself an' mebbe the el'phant,' he says, an' walked off toward the
tent; an' I stood stun still, lookin' after him. He got off about a rod
or so an' stopped an' looked back. 'Ain't you comin'?' he says.

"'Be I goin' with _you_?" I says.

"'Why not?' he says, ''nless you'd ruther go alone,' an' he put his
finger an' thumb into his vest pocket. Wa'al, ma'am, I looked at him a
minute, with his shiny hat an' boots, an' fine clo'es, an' gold pin, an'
thought of my ragged ole shirt, an' cotton pants, an' ole chip hat with
the brim most gone, an' my tin pail an' all. 'I ain't fit to,' I says,
ready to cry--an'--wa'al, he jest laughed, an' says, 'Nonsense,' he
says, 'come along. A man needn't be ashamed of his workin' clo'es,' he
says, an' I'm dum'd if he didn't take holt of my hand, an' in we went
that way together."

"How like him that was!" said the widow softly.

"Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, I reckon it was," said David, nodding.

"Wa'al," he went on after a little pause, "I was ready to sink into the
ground with shyniss at fust, but that wore off some after a little, an'
we two seen the hull show, I _tell_ ye. We walked 'round the cages, an'
we fed the el'phant--that is, he bought the stuff an' I fed him. I
'member--he, he