til the little fellow's body and
limbs were nearly covered with the blue and black stripes.

For three lessons only was the wooden upright used to keep him from
falling; after that he was forced to ride standing erect on the broad
wooden saddle, or pad, as it is properly called; and whenever he lost
his balance and fell there was no question asked as to whether or not he
had hurt himself, but he was mercilessly cut with the whip.

Messrs. Lord and Jacobs gained very much by comparison with Mr. Castle
in Toby's mind. He had thought that his lot could not be harder than it
was with them; but when he had experienced the pains of two or three of
Mr. Castle's lessons in horsemanship he thought that he would stay with
the candy venders all the season cheerfully rather than take six more
lessons of Mr. Castle.

Night after night he fell asleep from the sheer exhaustion of crying, as
he had been pouring out his woes in the old monkey's ears and laying his
plans to run away. Now more than ever was he anxious to get away,
and yet each day was taking him farther from home and consequently
necessitating a larger amount of money with which to start. As Old Ben
did not give him as much sympathy as Toby thought he ought to give--for
the old man, while he would not allow Mr. Job Lord to strike the boy
if he was near, thought it a necessary portion of the education for Mr.
Castle to lash him all he had a mind to--he poured out all his troubles
in the old monkey's ears, and kept him with him from the time he ceased
work at night until he was obliged to commence again in the morning.

The skeleton and his wife thought Toby's lot a hard one, and tried by
every means in their power to cheer the poor boy. Neither one of them
could say to Mr. Castle what they had said to Mr. Lord, for the rider
was a far different sort of a person and one whom they would not be
allowed to interfere with in any way. Therefore poor Toby was obliged
to bear his troubles and his whippings as best he might, with only the
thought to cheer him of the time when he could leave them all by running
away.

But, despite all his troubles, Toby learned to ride faster than his
teacher had expected he would, and in three weeks he found little or no
difficulty in standing erect while his horse went around the ring at
his fastest gait. After that had been accomplished his progress was more
rapid, and he gave promise of be--coming a very good rider--a fact which
pleased bot