if Top doesn't
come back Sky can't do those tricks. Oh dear, I wish I knew who had our
two trick poodles!"

"So do I!" chimed in Janet.

Mr. Martin called up the Cresco police and told them of the theft. Word
was also sent to the town where the Curlytops had stopped for lunch the
day they had brought home Uncle Toby's pets, when "Shorty" had been left
on guard.

After that there was nothing to do but wait, though Ted and Jan wanted to
go around among their friends, asking if, by chance, any of them had
seen Top. And after breakfast their mother allowed them to do this.

To house after house of their friends and neighbors went the two
Curlytops, telling the story of the theft of Top, and asking if anyone
had seen him. But it was a hopeless search, as Mrs. Martin knew it would
be. For whoever had taken Top, she felt sure, would hide him away, and
not let him be seen in or about Cresco, where the pet animal was well
known.

"What's the matter, Curlytops?" asked Policeman Cassidy, as he saw Teddy
and Janet going along the street one day, having called at several
houses, without getting any word about Top. "What's the matter? Can't you
have the circus you were counting on?"

"We can't have it as nice as we want it with Top gone," answered Teddy,
and then he explained about the theft, of which the policeman had not
heard, having been away on his vacation.

"We've been looking all over for Top," added Janet, when her brother had
finished, "but we can't find him."

"You aren't looking in the right places," said the policeman. "You won't
find him at the houses of any of your friends. If he was there he'd run
back to you as soon as he got outside. Where you want to look is in some
dog show."

"Dog show?" exclaimed Teddy.

"Yes," went on Mr. Cassidy. "I've heard about stolen dogs before. They
are taken by men who want to make money. And since Top was a trick dog,
as well as Tip, I'm sure someone has them who would put them in a show.
So look for a dog show, and when you find it go in and look at the dogs.
That's where you'll find Top, and maybe Tip, too. It's in a dog show you
should be looking!"

"Yes," agreed Teddy, after thinking the matter over, "I guess we should.
Thank you, Mr. Cassidy. Come on, Jan, we'll look for a dog show. Do you
think there's one in Cresco, Mr. Cassidy?"

"None that I've heard of," the officer answered. "You'll see bill
posters, and advertisements on the fences when there's a dog show ar