s glass-sided tank. "I'll be glad when we get Uncle Toby's
menagerie safely home," said Mr. Martin.

"So shall I," his wife added. "Though the animals seem very nice. Trouble
loves Snuff already."

"Oh, I suppose we shall get to like them all," agreed Mr. Martin. "We'll
have to let Ted and Janet make places for them in the barn. It is warm
weather now, and even the tropical animals, like the monkey, can stay
out there."

"I wonder if the parrot will talk much?" ventured Mrs. Martin. "I have
always rather wished for a talking parrot. Hello, Polly!" she called to
the red and green bird in his cage.

"Hello, Polly!" answered Mr. Nip. "I'm a crack-crack-cracker!" he shouted
at the top of his voice, and several persons, passing along the street,
turned to smile at the Martins with their automobile load of pets. Then
Mr. Nip began to whistle, so very much like a boy, that Skyrocket, Ted's
dog, imagined his master was whistling to him, and barked in answer. Then
Top, the remaining pet poodle, also began to bark, and Jack, the monkey,
chattered in his own queer way.

"I'm a crack-crack-cracker!" Mr. Nip shouted at the top of his voice, and
by this time quite a little crowd had gathered around the automobile.

"I wish we were at home!" exclaimed Mrs. Martin, who did not like so many
strange persons staring at her and her husband and Trouble. But Trouble,
who was trying to smooth down the fluffy fur of the Persian cat, did not
seem to mind.

"What's this--a traveling circus?" asked a policeman, stepping up to the
side of the car. "You have to get a permit if you're going to give a
parade," he added to Mr. Martin.

"Oh, I'm not going to give a parade," answered the father of the
Curlytops. "We are just waiting to see if we can find one of our pets, a
trick dog that ran away--or that was taken away," and he explained what
had happened.

"Do you know anything about that young man--Shorty he called himself--who
watched our auto while we ate?" asked Mrs. Martin.

"I know him--yes," the policeman answered. "Sometimes he is bad, again he
is good. I'd say he was bad more often than he was good."

"Just what I was afraid of!" exclaimed Mr. Martin. "I think
Shorty knows more about the missing dog than he has told us. I
don't believe he'll come back to get the dollar I promised him."

"Here come Ted and Janet," said their mother. "They didn't find Tip,
either."

The Curlytops were hurrying along the street toward the automob