om.

"Yes. What is it?" inquired Janet.

"It's Mr. Nip," whispered back the Curlytop boy. "He's calling to
someone. Maybe daddy or mother's down there giving him medicine."

But just then the parrot set up such a screeching as the children had
never heard, since he came from Uncle Toby's at least.

"Go 'way! Go 'way!" cried the bird. "I'm a crack-crack-cracker! Police!
Fire! Burglars!"

And then, to the surprise and terror of the Curlytops, a strange voice,
somewhere downstairs in their house, exclaimed in a harsh whisper:

"Do something to that parrot! Throw a rug over his cage, or he'll have
the whole house awake. Make him be quiet!"

CHAPTER XIII

THE HAND-ORGAN MAN

The Curlytops cuddled down in their beds. Janet said afterward that she
pulled the clothes over her ears. Teddy did the same at first, and then
he began to think. And his first thought was that someone besides those
who had a right to be there, were in his mother's kitchen. And of course
the next thought that came to Teddy was:

"Burglars!"

Somehow or other he happened to hit on just exactly the very thing that
was happening downstairs.

"Jan! Janet!" hoarsely whispered Teddy, thrusting his head out from under
the sheet he had pulled over himself.

But Janet did not answer.

From down in the kitchen, however, the little Curlytop boy could plainly
hear the parrot saying:

"I'm a crack-crack-cracker!"

"I'll hit him a crack if he doesn't keep quiet!" said a harsh voice. "Do
you hear anyone coming, Bill?"

"No," replied another voice, which, Teddy thought, must belong to the man
called Bill.

"They're burglars trying to get our parrot!" quickly thought Teddy. "I'm
not going to let them have Mr. Nip. If they take him away he can't be in
our circus. Course he can't do tricks like Skyrocket and Top, but he's
nice to look at. The burglars shan't get Mr. Nip!"

Teddy slipped out of bed and went, as softly as he could, to the room
where his father and mother slept. They were sound in slumber, which is
the reason neither of them heard the parrot talking and screeching.
Besides, the rooms of Teddy and Janet were nearer the kitchen.

"Daddy! Mother! Wake up!" whispered Teddy.

The sound of his parents' heavy breathing was the only answer the little
boy received.

"Daddy! Mother!" he called again. "Wake up! There's a burglar downstairs,
and he's trying to take Mr. Nip!"

There was silence for a moment, and then Teddy reached ov