's just Roly-Poly and some sticky fly paper," answered Mr. Blake.
"He must have run home to get a bath after he got all tangled up in the
sticky stuff at the Thompson house."

By using the hose, and by greasing the fly paper, which really loosened it
more than water did, and then by using soap suds and a brush, Roly-Poly
was finally cleaned. Then on their way to school Hal and Mab stopped at
the Thompson home to find out what had happened.

"Roly-Poly was very good, all the while he was here," said Mrs. Thompson,
"though at first he was lonesome for you. He would have run back to your
house if I had let him out, but I knew he might make trouble in your
garden so I kept him here.

"This morning I put some of the sticky fly paper around the house and left
a window open in the room where Roly was sleeping. The wind must have
blown the sticky paper on his curly coat of hair and this so frightened
him that he jumped out of the window and ran back home to you."

"Only he went in the yard next door, instead of in ours," said Mab, "and
he hid under the morning glory vines."

"And on his way," added Hal, "he rolled in dried leaves and grass until he
was all covered, and he looked twice as big as he is now."

"And Sammie thought he was a lion," went on Mab.

"Are you going to bring Roly-Poly back to me to keep?" asked Mrs.
Thompson.

"Thank you, no," answered Hal. "Daddy says our garden is growing so well
now that Roly can't do much harm. Besides we're going to teach him he
mustn't dig holes, to hide his bones, in places where we have things
planted. So we'll keep Roly now."

"And we're much obliged to you for being so nice to him," added Mab, "and
we're sorry he spoiled your fly paper."

"Oh, I have plenty more fly paper," laughed Mrs. Thompson. "I'm only sorry
poor Roly was so stuck up. Good-bye!"

Hal and Mab hurried on to school, laughing over what had happened to their
pet poodle. When their lessons were done they went back to their garden,
anxious to see if Roly had been good, and had not dug up any corn or
beans.

"Everything is all right," said Mab, as she looked at her bush beans,
which were now in blossom. Soon the blossoms would drop off and in their
places would come tiny bean pods.

"Oh, see Uncle Pennyweight!" cried Mab, when she had found that Roly was
peacefully sleeping on the shady porch. "What's he doing?"

"Planting something, I guess," replied Hal after he had looked at his
growing corn, and