oby did leave a dog,
didn't he?" Teddy asked of Mrs. Watson. "I hear a dog barking in the
house."

"A dog!" exclaimed the queer little old housekeeper. "He left _two_ dogs,
Uncle Toby did!"

"Two dogs!" murmured Mrs. Martin, with a hopeless look at her husband.

"Did he leave a cat?" asked Janet. "I thought I heard one mewing. And
Turnover would like another cat to play with."

"Yes, Uncle Toby left you a cat, also," said Mrs. Watson.

Just then shrill screams, barks, squeaks and squawks, all mixed together,
seemed to float out of the opened windows of the old house--windows in
which were strong wire screens.

"Two dogs and a cat!" exclaimed Mr. Martin. "My dear Mrs. Watson," he
went on, as he sat down on the top step of the porch rather limply, "will
you please tell us, as fast as you can, just how many and what pets Uncle
Toby has left us? We may as well hear the worst at once," he said to his
wife. "I never imagined Uncle Toby cared for animal pets."

"Oh, indeed he did," replied Mrs. Watson. "Of late years he grew very
fond of animals. All his pets are animals, and he'd have gotten more only
I said I wouldn't stay and keep house for him if he brought in what he
spoke of last."

"What was that?" Mrs. Martin wanted to know.

"_Snakes_!" declared the little old lady. "I don't mind monkeys and
parrots so much, but I can't bear _snakes_! They give me the shivers,
though Uncle Toby said some snakes do a lot of good in this world, by
catching rats and mice. But he didn't bring in any snakes!"

"Do you mean to say he has a parrot?" asked Mr. Martin.

"Don't you hear him?" questioned Mrs. Watson. "Listen!"

As she finished speaking the Curlytops heard a shrill:

"Cracker! Cracker! Give Polly a crack-crack-cracker!"

"Oh, it _is_ a parrot!" cried Janet in delight.

"And is there a monkey, too?" demanded Ted.

"An' a han' ordan! Is dere a han' ordan?" asked Trouble.

"No hand organ, child, no," answered Mrs. Watson. "But there is a monkey,
a parrot, two dogs, and a cat, a----"

"Stop! Wait a moment!" begged Mrs. Martin. She took a seat beside her
husband on the top step. "I just wanted to sit down before I fainted when
I heard the worst," she went on. "Now go ahead, Mrs. Watson. Tell me the
rest. I'll have something to lean against in case she tells me there's an
elephant."

"An elephant!" cried Janet.

"Oh, I don't mean I want to lean on the elephant," said her mother. "I
just want to lean against the