animal doctor look at Skyrocket's leg."

"Why, children! what is the matter? Has anything happened, Curlytops?"
asked Mrs. Martin, who had reached home with Trouble by the time the two
boys and Janet made their way up the back path to the house.

"Skyrocket's leg was caught in a trap, and can't we have the animal
doctor see if it's broken?" Teddy asked.

Then the story was told, not forgetting the brave and intelligent part
played by Top, and Mrs. Martin examined Skyrocket's sore leg.

"I don't believe it is broken, but we'll have the doctor look to make
sure," she said.

And you can just imagine how glad the Curlytops were, and Jimmy also,
when the doctor said:

"The leg is not broken, but it is badly bruised. However, it will be well
in a week or so. Keep Skyrocket as quiet as you can."

"We will!" promised Janet.

"We want him to get well so he can be in the circus," added Teddy.

"Oh, I guess he'll be all right for that," said the doctor, with a laugh
as he hurried away to look after a sick horse.

A soft bed was made for Skyrocket in the barn, and a basin of fresh water
was placed near him. He licked Teddy's hands in gratitude as the little
boy patted him in coming away.

It was several days after the adventure with Skyrocket and the trap that
something else exciting happened at the home of the Curlytops.

Mr. Nip, the red, green and yellow parrot, became ill. His feathers were
ruffled up, he sat all in a lump on his perch, and he would not eat.

"I guess you'd better have the man from the bird store come up to see
your parrot," said Mr. Martin, when he went out to the barn at the
children's request to look at Mr. Nip. "Your mother will call the bird
man on the telephone."

And when the bird man--that is to say the man who kept the bird and fish
store--came to see Mr. Nip, he said the parrot should be kept in the
kitchen and fed special food with a little medicine in it for a few days.

So that is how it happened that Mr. Nip was moved in from the barn to the
house. And it was the third night that the parrot had slept in the house
that something happened.

In the middle of the night the Curlytops were awakened by hearing Mr. Nip
cry out loudly:

"Go 'way! Go 'way! I'm a crack-crack-cracker! Get out of here!"

Teddy and Janet, who seemed to be the only ones awakened by this alarm of
Mr. Nip, listened, half shivering in their beds.

"Did you hear that?" called Teddy to his sister in the next ro