ou did that," said Teddy. "But you shouldn't have,
Trouble. It was wrong to take our pet out of the barn, and it was wrong
to put Slider in the baby carriage."

"Yes, we didn't know Trouble was going to do anything like this," said
Janet, apologizing for her little brother's misdeed. "But Ted and I were
talking about what tricks we'd get Skyrocket and Top to do, now that Tip
is gone. And we'd just got through watching Snuff do a new trick on top
of a football, so we didn't watch Trouble very much."

"How many pets you have!" exclaimed Mrs. Johnson. "I suppose those are
pets you have been talking about?" she asked.

"Ours and Uncle Toby's," answered Teddy. "We have more pets than we ever
had before, and we're going to give a circus. Will you come, Mrs.
Johnson?"

"An' bring Ruff!" invited Trouble.

There was a laugh at this.

"If you love Ruth you mustn't put Slider in her carriage any more,"
cautioned Janet, as she lifted the pet alligator out from among the
blankets. "Little babies don't like alligators."

"All wite. I like 'em," said Trouble, and then he ran back across the
street.

"We'll be going now," said Teddy to Mrs. Johnson. "We're sorry William
made trouble."

"Oh, he didn't mean to," said Ruth's mother. "He's a dear little fellow.
I must come over and see your pets. Ruth loves a pussy or a dog, but she
doesn't know much about alligators."

"We have a monkey, too," said Janet.

"And a parrot named Mr. Nip," added her brother.

"And white rats and mice! They're real cute!" exclaimed Janet.

"I don't believe I would like the mice!" said Mrs. Johnson.

"But ours are white," Janet explained. "That makes a big difference.
They're as nice as rabbits!"

"They wouldn't be for me," said Ruth's mother, with a laugh. "Good-bye,
Curlytops! Come over again, and bring a pussy or doggie with you."

Ted and Janet promised they would, and then they hurried back across the
street after Trouble. They wanted to make sure he would not get into any
more mischief with the pets.

Daddy Martin was told, that evening after supper, all that had happened
during the day, from the discovery that Slider and Snuff could do tricks,
to the finding of the pet alligator in baby Ruth's carriage.

"Well, it seems you had lots of excitement to-day," he said to his wife.

"Just a little," she agreed.

"But if Uncle Toby's pets are to make trouble I don't know that we can
keep them," Daddy Martin said.

Teddy and Janet look