h snow to
make it slip easy now."

"Yes, I guess we could go in the pony sled," agreed Mart. "And we can
stop at Mr. Winkler's and ask Mr. Treadwell, if he's at home, if he
wants us to come to rehearsal to-night."

Soon Bunny, Sue, Mart, and Lucile were riding down the street in the
pony sled, having a fine time in the snow storm. It was quite a heavy
fall of snow, but the weather was not very cold.

After mailing the letter the four children drove to the home of Mr.
Winkler.

"I hope the monkey does something queer," said Bunny.

"I wish the parrot would sing a funny song!" exclaimed Sue.

"Something seems to be the matter, anyhow," said Lucile, as they got out
of the little sled and walked toward the front door of Mr. Winkler's
house, where the actor boarded. "Look at Miss Winkler running around,"
and she pointed to the sister of the old sailor. Miss Winkler could be
seen hurrying about the room from one window to another.

"Do you want us all to come to practice to-night, Mr. Treadwell?" asked
Mart, as he and the children entered the house and saw the actor
hurrying around after Miss Winkler.

"Come to practice? Oh, I don't know!" was the answer. "I can't talk to
you right away, Mart. Something has happened!"

"What is it?" asked Lucile. "Have you heard anything about----?"

"Oh, it isn't about your kin, I'm sorry to say," was the actor's answer.
"It's just that one of my best wigs is missing--the one I wear when I
dress up like General Washington. Those wigs are scarce, and I hardly
ever let it out of my box. But now it is gone!"

"And I've searched high and low for it all over this house, but I can't
find it!" said Miss Winkler.

Bunny and Sue did not know quite what to make of all the excitement over
the lost wig which Mr. Treadwell wore on his head in certain parts of
the play. So they stood to one side while the search went on. Sue looked
in the sitting room, while Mr. Treadwell and Miss Winkler went into the
parlor that was hardly ever opened.

Something that Bunny saw in a chair in front of the kitchen stove made
him call out:

"Oh, Miss Winkler! there's a funny old man in your kitchen, and he's
trying to open the cupboard door where you keep the cookies. Come and
see the funny old man!"

CHAPTER XIX

UNCLE BILL

"What's that, Bunny Brown?" called Miss Winkler, stepping to the door of
the parlor, in which Mr. Treadwell was looking for his missing wig.
"What's that you said about