you're going to take 'em with you and keep 'em
you'll have to feed 'em."

With the help of Ted and Janet, who set out food to the dogs and cat,
Uncle Toby's animals were soon all being given things to eat, and this
made them quiet. Then, while the children stood and watched the animals
eat, Mrs. Watson took Daddy and Mother Martin into the next room and told
them about Uncle Toby and the pets.

"I never knew that my uncle was so fond of animals," said Mr. Martin.

"He wasn't, when I first came here to keep house for him," explained Mrs.
Watson. "But he made friends, once, with a sailor, who had the parrot.
When the sailor started off on his next sea voyage, and didn't want to
take Mr. Nip, the parrot, with him, Uncle Toby said the bird could stay
here. I didn't much mind that, as it was rather lonesome when Uncle
Toby--as I always call him--went out. So I got to liking Mr. Nip.

"Then, after a while, another sailor gave Uncle Toby Jack, the monkey.
The house was more lively after that, for the monkey and parrot used to
fight, though they don't any more. I thought this would be about all the
pets Uncle Toby would get; but lo and behold! about a month after that
another sailor, hearing that Uncle Toby had a monkey and a parrot, came
and asked us if we wouldn't take Slider."

"Who is Slider?" asked Mrs. Martin. "It sounds like a pair of roller
skates."

"Slider is the pet alligator. He came from Florida," explained Mrs.
Watson. "Uncle Toby took him in, as he had the monkey and the parrot, and
I began to wonder what would happen next."

"Did anything?" asked Daddy Martin, as he watched the Curlytops playing
in the next room with the pets.

"Oh, my land, yes!" exclaimed Mrs. Watson. "It wasn't more than two weeks
after he got Slider--that's the alligator--that an old circus man came
along with the two dogs, Tip and Top."

"Are those their names?" asked Mrs. Martin, watching Ted as he made one
of the dogs turn somersaults.

"Yes, one of the white poodles--the one with the black spot on his
tail--is named Tip," the housekeeper said. "You see the spot is on the
tip of his tail."

"I can see that--yes," replied Mr. Martin from where he sat. He was
wondering where all this was going to end.

"And the other dog is named Top," said the housekeeper. "He has a black
spot on the top of his head."

"They are both very nice, and I like the names, too--Tip and Top,"
remarked Mrs. Martin. "See!" she exclaimed. "Our own dog