Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-09-30


Grove street"
"Over there" was indicated by a
semicircular sweep of the arm, and
the big man pulled out watch from
the coat he had resumed.
"You want to come with us If your
mother will let your he asked.
! Toby's face fell.
"She won't" he said dolefully. "She |
hates circuses. She's going to whip |
me when 1 get home. She made me
promise not to come, not even to look
at the parade"
Hes a circus boy, all right, Ted"
laughed one of the other men. "She
knew that IL he hit the tents 1t would
all come back to him, and 1t has. He
worked like veteran. He'd make
great top mounter."
Hes going to make one," announced
Ted I'm goin' to see his mother.
don't know what crouch she's got
against us show folks, but I'll talk
her out of it. Come, kid"
He held out a hand to Toby, and to-
gether they left the tent Ted stopped
to speak to man in the dressing tent,
and then they struck out across lots
for the tiny little home where for the
last four years Rena Atkins had
sought to support herself and her son
by millinery and dressmaking. She
was on the steps now peering up and
down the street, hoping against hope
that Toby would come. But at the
sight of the man with him she shrank
into the house, though not before the
. stranger had caught sight of her and
5 had gone bounding forward.
l When Toby's shorter legs had COM
passed the distance he found his moth
err in the strangers arms striving to
) fight him off. Toby valiantly came to
J the rescue with feet and fists, but the
big man seemed scarcely to notice the
attack.
II give found you at last" he was say
! ing. "Why did you run away, dearT'
!, "You ask me that" Her voice was
quiet now and tense with scorn. Let
me go and / will show you"
His arms dropped to his side, and she
8 slipped across the room to where her
e pocketbook lay. Silently she offered
E slip of paper frayed with handling and
y yellowed with age.
l. "You believed this?" asked the man.
"You really thought had eloped with
I Clara Greyp We left the same night
/ because Griffith was doing us out OF
our salaries. Her husband. Jim Grey,
!. was playing with Coles circus, and she
Joined him. played a couple of houses
for expense money to get back home
with. / wrote, but the letter was there
at the boarding house when ! arrived.
They told me you had gone. Griffith
put that lying notice in the paper to
hide the real reason for our leaving, his
own dishonesty"
"And / believed it." she sobbed, "and
I'VE been trying to hide ever since to
keep the boy from being like his IA
Their"
"Its in the blood" the big man said
tenderly. "Why, the kiddie came into
the big top and saw us working on the
mat, and he went at it like he used t.
In the old days. / never guessed tina
he was my child 1 only saw what
great top mounter he would make, ant
/ came to see If you would apprentice
him to us. l never hoped to find
wife and little son where / was look
ing for topper"
"You-you forgive me?" she faltered
"You were just foolish little chil'
| to run away before you found out tn
4 truth" he said. with tender laugh
II ITS all the more reason you SHOULD
\ have husband to look after you, an
know that Toby wants father"
| qYou bet do" put in Toby, at las
| finding something he could understand
| "Are you my dadP"
81 am that" said the big man as b
' Rugged Toby to his breast. "And your
true chip of the old block. VIII!
'As laddie, I taught you these tricks 20
showed us this afternoon. 1t all cam
iio out when you saw a ring again"
ne I'm glad broke my promise" sal
Toby complacently, "even If l al
a whipped for It,"
lse But the whipping was deferred Il
eI' definitely.