"I'll let you know
who you've got to deal with when you get hold of me!"
"And I'll let you know who you've got to deal with when you get
hold of me!" said a woman's voice; and just as Mr. Lord raised his
foot to kick the boy again the fat woman seized him by the collar,
jerked him back over one of the tent ropes, and left him quite as
prostrate as he had left Toby.
"Now, Job Lord," said the angry woman, as she towered above the
thoroughly enraged but thoroughly frightened man, "I want you to
understand that you can't knock and beat this boy while I'm around.
I've seen enough of your capers, an' I'm going to put a stop to
them. That boy wasn't in this tent more than two minutes, an' he
attends to his work better than anyone you have ever had; so see
that you treat him decent. Get up," she said to Toby, who had not
dared to rise from the ground; "and if he offers to strike you
again, come to me."
Toby scrambled to his feet, and ran to the booth in time to attend
to one or two customers who had just come up. He could see from out
the corner of his eye that Mr. Lord had arisen to his feet also,
and was engaged in an angry conversation with Mrs. Treat, the result
of which he very much feared would be another and a worse whipping
for him.
But in this he was mistaken, for Mr. Lord, after the conversation
was ended, came toward the booth, and began to attend to his business
without speaking one word to Toby.
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