any of his relations. No,
sir."

"Well, mebbe not," grumbled Mr. Sorber; "but it looks mightily like it."

Despite the roughness and uncouth manner of the man, the children "got
under his skin" as the saying is. Soon Tess and Dot bore the old showman
off to the summer-house to introduce him to their entire family.

At that moment Ruth arrived--to Agnes' vast relief.

"Oh, Ruthie!" the second Corner House girl gasped. "It's come!"

"What's come?" asked Ruth, in amazement.

"What Mr. Con Murphy said would happen some day. It's all out about
Neale----Poor Neale! The dam's busted!"

It was several minutes before Ruth could get any clear account from her
sister of what had happened. But when she _did_ finally get into the
story, Agnes told it lucidly--and she held Ruth's undivided attention,
the reader may be sure.

"Poor Neale indeed!" murmured Ruth.

"What can we do?" demanded Agnes.

"I don't know. But surely, there must be some way out. I--I'll telephone
to Mr. Howbridge."

"Oh, Ruthie! I never thought of that," squealed Agnes. "But suppose
Neale comes before you can get Mr. Howbridge here?"

Ruth put on her thinking cap. "I tell you," she said. "Introduce me to
Mr. Sorber. Get him to promise to stay to supper with Neale. That will
give us time."

This plot was carried out. Ruth saw Mr. Sorber, too, under a much more
favorable light. Dolls were much too tame for Dot and Tess, when they
realized that they had a real live lion tamer in their clutches. So they
had Mr. Sorber down on a seat in the corner of the summer-house, and he
was explaining to them just how the lions looked, and acted--even how
they roared.

"It's lots more int'resting than going to the circus to see them," Dot
said, reflectively. "For _then_ you're so scared of them that you can't
remember how they look. But Mr. Sorber is a perfectly _safe_ lion. He's
even got false teeth. He told us so."

Mr. Sorber could scarcely refuse Ruth's invitation. He was much
impressed by the appearance of the oldest Corner House girl.

"I reckon that rascally nevvy of mine has been playin' in great luck
since he run away from Twomley & Sorber's Herculean Circus and
Menagerie. Shouldn't blame him if he wanted to stay on. I'd wanter
myself. Pleased to meet you, Miss."

Ruth hurried to the nearest telephone and called up the lawyer's office.
She was not much surprised to find that he was not there, it being
Saturday afternoon.

So then she called up th