Lord nor Mr. Castle had any terrors for
him now.
He ran down the gangplank before it was ready, and clasped every
boy he saw there round the neck, and would have kissed them if they
had shown an inclination to let him do so.
Of course he was overwhelmed with questions, but before he would
answer any he asked for Uncle Daniel and the others at home.
Some of the boys ventured to predict that Toby would get a jolly
good whipping for running away, and the only reply which the happy
Toby made to that was:
"I hope I will, an' then I'll feel as if I had kinder paid for
runnin' away. If Uncle Dan'l will only let me stay with him again
he may whip me every mornin', an' I won't open my mouth to holler."
The boys were impatient to hear the story of Toby's travels, but
he refused to tell it them, saying:
"I'll go home, an' if Uncle Dan'l forgives me for bein' so wicked
I'll sit down this afternoon an' tell you all you want to know
about the circus."
Then, far more rapidly than he had run away from it, Toby ran toward
the home which he had called his ever since he could remember, and
his heart was full almost to bursting as he thought that perhaps
he would be told that he had forfeited all claim to it, and that
he could never more call it "home" again.
When he entered the old familiar sitting room Uncle Daniel was
seated near the window, alone, looking out wistfully -- as Toby
thought -- across the fields of yellow waving grain.
Pages:
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192