"Fire away, Miss," urged the showman, clasping his pudgy hands, on a finger of one of them showing the enormous seal ring.
Agnes "began at the beginning," for once. She did not really know why she did so, but she gave the particulars of all that had happened to Neale--as she knew them--since he had rushed in at that gate the man had so lately entered and saved her from falling into the big peachtree by the bedroom window.
Mr. Sorber's comments as she went along, were characteristic. Sometimes he chuckled and nodded, anon he scowled, and more than once he rapped his bootleg soundly with the whip.
"The little rascal!" he said at last. "And he could have stayed with us, hived up as us'al in the winter with only the critters to nuss and tend, and been sure of his three squares.
"What does he rather do, but work and slave, and almost freeze and starve--jest to git what, I ax ye?"
"An education, I guess," said Agnes, mildly.
"Huh!" grunted Sorber. Then he was silent; but after a while he said: "His father all over again. Jim O'Neil was a kid-gloved chap. If he could have let drink alone, he never would have come down to us show people.
"Huh! Well, my sister was as good as he was. And she stayed in the business all her life. And what was good enough for Jim O'Neil's wife was good enough for his kid--and is good enough to-day. Now I've got him, and I'm a-going to lug him back--by the scruff of the neck, if need be!"
Agnes felt her lip trembling. What should she do? If Neale came right away, this awful man would take him away--as he said--"by the scruff of his neck."
And what would happen to poor Neale? What would ever become of him? And Miss Georgiana was so proud of him. Mr. Marks had praised him. He was going to graduate into high school in June----
"And he shall!" thought the Corner House girl with an inspired determination. "Somehow I'll find a way to tame this lion tamer--see if I don't!"
"Well, Miss, you'd better perduce the villain," chuckled Mr. Sorber. "If he goes peaceable, we'll let bygones be bygones. He's my own sister's child. And Twomley says for me not to come back without him. I tell ye, he's a drawin' card, and no mistake."
"But, Mr. Sorber!" cried Agnes. "He wants to study so."