me to the summer-house in time to
hear the following remarkable narrative:

"Why, ye see how it was, little ladies, ye see how it was. I saw the
folks in that town didn't like us--not a little bit. Some country folks
_don't_ like circus people."

"I wonder why?" asked Tess, breathlessly.

"Don't know, don't know," said Mr. Sorber. "Just born with a nateral
_hate_ for us, I guess. Anyway, I seen there was likely to be a big
clem--that's what we say for 'fight' in the show business--and I didn't
get far from the lions--no, ma'am!"

"Were you afraid some of the bad men might hurt your lions, sir?" asked
Dot, with anxiety.

"You can't never tell what a man that's mad is going to do," admitted
the old showman, seriously. "I wasn't going to take any chances with
'em. About a wild animal you can tell. But mad folks are different!

"So I kept near the lion den; and when the row broke out and the roughs
from the town began to fight our razorbacks--them's our pole- and
canvas-men," explained Mr. Sorber, parenthetically, "I popped me right
into the cage--yes, ma'am!

"Old Doublepaws and the Rajah was some nervous, and was traveling back
and forth before the bars. They was disturbed by the racket. But they
knowed me, and I felt a whole lot safer than I would have outside.

"'The show's a fake!' was what those roughs was crying. 'We want our
money back!' But that was a wicked story," added Mr. Sorber, earnestly.
"We was giving them a _big_ show for their money. We had a sacred cow, a
white elephant, and a Wild Man of Borneo that you couldn't have told
from the real thing--he was dumb, poor fellow, and so the sounds he made
when they prodded him sounded just as wild as wild could be!

"But you can't satisfy _some_ folks," declared Mr. Sorber, warmly. "And
there those roughs was shouting for their money. As I was telling you, I
doubled, selling tickets and putting the lions through their paces. I'd
taken the cashbox with me when I run for cover at the beginning of the
trouble, and I'd brought it into the lions' cage with me.

"Twomley tried to pacify the gang, but it was no use. They were going to
tear the big top down. That's the main tent, little ladies.

"So I knocks Old Doublepaws and Rajah aside--they was tame as kittens,
but roared awful savage when I hit 'em--and I sings out:

"'Here's your money, ladies and gentlemen. Them that wants theirs back
please enter the cage. One at a time, and no crowding, gents----' Haw