Just outside the tent he met Old Ben, who said, as he showed signs of indulging in another of his internal laughing spells:
“Hello! has the skeleton an' his lily of a wife been givin' a blowout to you, too?”
“They invited me in there to dinner,” said Toby, modestly.
“Of course they did—of course they did,” replied Ben, with a chuckle; “they carries a cookin' stove along with 'em, so's they can give these little spreads whenever we stay over a day in a place. Oh, I've been there!”
“And did they ask you to make a speech?”
“Of course. Did they try it on you?”
“Yes,” said Toby, mournfully, “an' I tumbled off the platform when I got through.”
“I didn't do exactly that,” replied Ben, thoughtfully; “but I s'pose you got too much steam on, seein' 's how it was likely your first speech. Now you'd better go into the tent an try to get a little sleep, 'cause we've got a long ride tonight over a rough road, an' you won't get more 'n a cat nap all night.”
“But where are you going?” asked Toby, as he shifted Mr. Stubbs over to his other shoulder, preparatory to following his friend's advice.
“I'm goin' to church,” said Ben, and then Toby noticed for the first time that the old driver had made some attempt at dressing up. “I've been with the circus, man an boy, for nigh to forty years, an' I allus go to meetin' once on Sunday. It's somethin' I promised my old mother I would do, an' I hain't broke my promise yet.”