Toby's heart was light again as he attended to his evening's work; and
when he met Joe, on his way to the pasture, he laid plans for the coming
exhibition with a greater zest than he had displayed since the matter
was first spoken of.
Now that the tent was up, and Abner on the sure and rapid road to
recovery, Toby thought it quite time that Mr. Stubbs's brother should be
taught to take some part in the performance. Joe was of the same
opinion, and they decided to commence the education of the monkey that
very night, giving him two or three lessons each day until he should be
thoroughly trained.
The cows were not exactly hurried on the way home that night; but they
were not allowed to loiter by the roadside when they saw particularly
tempting tufts of grass, and as soon as they were in the barn Mr.
Stubbs's brother was taken to the tent.
He was in anything rather than a good condition for training, for he
evidently remembered his frolic of the afternoon, and was anxious to
repeat it. Toby thought he could be made to leap through hoops as a
beginning of his circus education, and all the energies of the boys were
bent to the accomplishment of this.
But the monkey was either remarkably stupid just then, or determined to
take no part in the show, for although Joe held the hoops until his arms
ached, and Toby coaxed and scolded till he was hoarse, Mr. Stubbs's
brother could not be persuaded even to attempt to leap.
"It's no use to try any more to-night," said Toby, impatiently, when it
was nearly dark inside the tent, and his pet was showing signs of anger.
"We'll commence the first thing in the mornin', an' I guess he'll do
it."
"I'd whip him if I was you," said Joe, who was thoroughly tired, and
angry at the monkey's obstinacy. "If you would give him a good
switchin', he'd know he's got to do it."
"I wouldn't whip him if he never did anything," said Toby, as he hugged
his pet tightly, almost as if he feared Joe might attempt, as one of the
partners in the enterprise, to whip the unwilling performer.
"'Tain't my monkey, so I hain't got nothin' to say about it," and Joe
was impatient now; "but if he was mine, I'll bet he'd do what I told him
to."
It seemed almost as if Mr. Stubbs's brother knew what had been said
about him, for he nestled close to Toby, hiding his face on the boy's
neck in a way that would have prevented his master from whipping him
even if he had been disposed so to do.
"We'll put him
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