ght be
going to whoop things up some before morning comes along."

"Well, it's Sunday, and all we could do would be to hang around the
house, or walk down to see how the old circus was coming on," Steve
observed, with the calm philosophy of a boy.

"It's going to clear the air for next week, and give us the greatest
time ever," Max went on to say, in his optimistic way, for he was ever
ready to see the bright side of things, and no trouble could come along
but what Max quickly discovered that the gloomy cloud had a silver
lining.

In this spirit the boys separated, each one heading for his particular
home, for it was close on supper time; and Steve wanted to change his
clothes before he allowed his folks to see him.

Toby too knew that he would have certain chores to look after connected
with the feeding of his pets. He was too tender-hearted a boy to let
them go hungry when it could be helped; and besides, his mother always
insisted that if he must keep such a little menagerie in the back yard
he should always have the place tidied up, and under no circumstances
allow his captives to suffer from lack of attention on his part.

The 'coon was glad to see him, and even allowed Toby to pat his sleek
back, although the boy could remember many occasions in the past when he
had been nipped by those sharp teeth, or else felt the angry animal's
claws.

His red fox was also very tame, and would eat out of his hand, though
Toby did not dare let him loose, even with a chain like that holding the
'coon, for fear of losing him.

Even the wildcat seemed to be pretty friendly on this occasion, and
growled in a lower key than usual when Toby was pushing the meat scraps
through the openings between the bars of its cage.

Toby was mentally exulting in the possibility that his collection might
soon be added to by the coming of that partly grown black bear cub,
which Bandy-legs had half promised to let him have.

He even figured out just where he would keep Nicodemus fastened, and
what kind of a cage he would have to construct for him; because he had
never fully liked the one now being used as a place of shelter for the
cub, Bandy-legs not being much of a carpenter, to tell the truth.

It was with his mind filled with future triumphs in this line of
collecting wild animals that Toby sat him down to supper that evening.
He was unusually quiet, because he was thinking, and planning, and
seeing visions of great things to come to p