m glad you have him back."

"I glad. Vera mooch-a glad, too!" said the Italian, taking off his hat,
and bowing to Aunt Jo and Mrs. Bunker. "Petro bring me in pennies. I
play for you, but I no want-a pennies. No take pennies--you find my
Petro."

"This little boy found him," said William, pointing to Laddie.

"I gave him peanuts," said Laddie. "He was up a tree."

"Mooch 'bliged," said the Italian. "I make-a de music for you. Petro do
tricks."

Then he fastened the long cord he had in his pocket to Petro's collar,
and began to grind out what he called "music." He also made the monkey
do several tricks, such as turning somersaults or climbing trees and
jumping from one branch to another.

Then, with more thanks, and promising to come and play again for them,
and not to let Petro take any pennies, the Italian went on his way with
the monkey and the hand-organ.

Laddie and the others were sorry to lose their pet, but, as Daddy Bunker
said afterward, the monkey and Alexis might not have been good friends.

"Well, I found a monkey, and somebody came for it," said Laddie that
night. "But nobody has come for the pocketbook yet."

"And, if they don't, I'm going to have the money," said Rose. "Anyhow, I
can have some of it, daddy says. And I'm going to buy a pair of new
roller skates, 'cause my old ones are 'most worn out."

However, Rose could still skate on them, and speaking of them as she
did, made her think of them the next day. So, when she had put her dolls
to "sleep," the little girl went out roller-skating on the sidewalk in
front of Aunt Jo's house.

Rose had not been skating long before her mother heard her crying.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" Rose was saying.

"What's the matter?" asked her mother, hurrying out to the porch. "Did
you fall and hurt yourself, Rose, my dear?"

"No. But I struck my foot against the curbstone, and now one of my
roller skates is broken, and I can't have any fun!"

Rose held up one foot. The skate that had been on it was now in two
pieces, and Mrs. Bunker saw that it could not easily be fixed again. It
was too bad!

CHAPTER XVII

THE SKATE WAGON

While Rose and her mother were looking at the little girl's broken
roller skate, Russ came along. He had been in the yard, playing with
Alexis, and his clothes were covered with grass, some of it green and
some of it dried.

"But I had lots of fun," said Russ, as he whistled a merry tune. "And
grass doesn't hurt my old clo