"
"I know you didn't mean to shoot Mr. Stubbs," said Toby, with
moistening eyes as he spoke of his pet, "an' I'm sorry I said what
I did to you in the woods."
Before there was time to say any more the warning whistle was
sounded, the plank pulled in, the great wheels commenced to revolve,
and Toby was really on his way to Uncle Daniel and Guilford.
It was then but five o'clock in the afternoon, and he could not
expect to reach home until two or three o'clock in the afternoon
of the next day; but he was in a tremor of excitement as he thought
that he should walk through the streets of Guilford once more, see
all the boys, and go home to Uncle Daniel.
And yet, whenever he thought of that home, of meeting those boys,
of going once more to all those old familiar places, the memory
of all that he had planned when he should take the monkey with him
would come into his mind and damp even his joy, great as it was.
That night he had considerable difficulty in falling asleep, but
did finally succeed in doing so; and when he awoke the steamer was
going up the river, whose waters seemed like an old friend, because
they had flowed right down past Guilford on their way to the sea.
At each town where a landing was made Toby looked eagerly out on
the pier, thinking that by chance someone from his home might be
there and he would see a familiar face again.
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