et out again, an' go to cuttin'
up as he did last night, for I shall get provoked with him if he hurts
my ducks any more," and, with this bit of advice, Aunt Olive went
up-stairs to see Abner.

Toby went out to the shed to assure himself that Mr. Stubbs's brother
was tied so that he could not escape, and while he was there Uncle
Daniel came in with an armful of strips of board.

"There, Toby, boy," he said, as he laid them on the floor, and looked
around for the hammer and nails, "I'm going to build a pen for your
monkey right up here in one corner, so that we sha'n't be called up
again in the night by a false alarm of burglars. Besides, it's almost
time for school to begin again, an' I'm 'most too old to commence
chasing monkeys around the country in case he gets out while you're
away."

Had it been suggested the day before that Mr. Stubbs's brother was to be
shut up in a cage, Toby would have thought it a very great hardship for
his pet to endure; but the experience he had had in the last twenty-four
hours convinced him that the imprisonment was for the best.

He helped Uncle Daniel in his labor to such purpose that, when it was
time for him to go to the pasture, the cage was built, and Mr. Stubbs's
brother was in it, looking as if he considered himself a thoroughly
abused monkey, because he was not allowed to play just such pranks as
had roused the household as well as broken up the circus scheme.

On his way to the pasture, Toby met Joe, and the two had a long talk
about the disaster of the afternoon. Joe believed that the enterprise
must be abandoned--for that summer at least--as it would take them some
time to repair the damage done, and his short experience in the business
caused him to believe that they could hardly hope to compete with real
circuses until they had more material with which to work.

Joe promised to see the other partners that evening or the next morning;
and, if they were of the same opinion, the tent should be taken down and
returned to its owner.

"Perhaps we can fix it all right next year, an' then Abner will be
'round to help," said Toby, as he parted with Joe that night; and thus
was the circus project ended very sensibly, for the chances were that it
would have been a failure if they had attempted to give their
exhibition.

During that afternoon Toby had worried less about Abner than on any day
since he had been sick; he had felt that his friend's recovery was
certain, and a load