Mr. Brown. "I wonder what

T go back to be beaten the way I was!" cried Ben. "I can't stand that.
That's why I ran away." "You can just stay with us; can't he Mother?"
pleaded Sue. "He can work on grandpa's farm with Bunker Blue." "What
does all this mean?" asked Grandpa Brown of the strange man who had
knocked at the door. "Are you after Ben?" "Yes, sir, I am after Ben,"
was the answer, and the man smiled. "I have been looking for him for a
long time, and I am glad I have found him. I will take him back with me
if he will come, and I will make him a promise that he will no more be
whipped. I never knew anything about that until after he had run away
from my circus." "Did you really do that, Ben?" asked Bunny. "Run away?"
"Yes. That was where I came from that night I begged a meal here--a
circus. But I'll go back, for I like being in a circus, if I'm not
beaten." "Tell us all about it," said grandpa. "I will," answered the
man. "My name is James Hooper. I own a small circus, with some other
men, and we travel about the country, giving performances in small towns
and cities. This boy, Ben Hall, has been in our show ever since he was a
baby. His father and mother were both circus people, but they died last
year, and Ben, who had learned to do many tricks, and who knew something
about animals, was such a bright chap that I kept him with us. I was
going to make a circus performer of him." "And I wanted very much to be
one--a clown," said Ben. "But the head clown was so mean to me, and
whipped me so much, that I made up my mind to run away, and I did." "I
don't know that I blame you," said Mr. Hooper. "I never knew that you
had such a hard time. I supposed you ran away just for fun, and I tried
to find you. I asked about you in all the places where we