CHAPTER XIV
THE TWINS ARE LOST
Early the next morning before the crowds of people began to come tothe Park, the goats had a fine time visiting all the animals, going upone path and down another and in one animal house and out anotheruntil they came to the lions' cages. These roaring, ferocious beastswith their glaring yellow eyes, tawny manes, big red mouths andgleaming teeth frightened the Twins nearly into spasms and they ranaway from the family so fast that their mother could not follow them.They dodged under this bush and that, around curves in the paths andbehind the animal cages so quickly that she gave up the chase and cameback to get their father to help her.
"They have gone and we can't catch up to them now," said he. "Stayhere and go with us a bit and when we have seen all the animals wewish to see, I'll look for them. They will be frightened after a whilewhen they find they are alone, and begin to hunt us," said theirfather.
So Billy Junior, Daisy and Nannie walked leisurely from cage to cage,saying a word here and a word there to all the animals and birds theysaw. And this is how it happened that the Twins found themselves alonein the Park.
"Gee! I hope those big beasts don't break out of their cage and comeafter us! We would only make one mouthful for them and I bet they liketender kid meat at that!" shuddered one Twin.
"Don't even mention it!" said the other. "I can feel my bones crunchin their big mouths and see them lick their chops after they haveeaten us."
"Where shall we go now? We can do as we please all day if we just keepout of sight of the family."
"We'll keep our eyes open for them, never mind, and if we see themcoming, we will hide. I wonder what is in that big cage over there? Isee something flying from one side to the other but it doesn't looklike a bird. Let's go see what it is."
So they trotted off and soon found themselves in front of the monkeys'cage.
"Oh, look, look! Aren't they the funniest looking things you ever saw?They have faces like a baby or an old man and tails like a cat!"
"See that big one away up in that perch holding a little teeny, tinyone in its arms just as a woman holds a baby!"
"One of them has its tail sticking out of the cage. Wait until I gopinch it with my teeth and see what it will do."
Cautiously the little mischief crept up to where the big monkey wassitting with his back to them, tail swinging outside the cage. But theTwin pinched it harder than he meant to, and the next thing he knewhis head was being banged against the bars of the cage and the monkeywas trying to pull him through the bars by his short horns.
The only thing that really saved the Twin was that his horns wereshort and slippery and the monkey could not hold on to them. Seeingthis, he let go to grab hold of the kid's ears, but he was not quickenough, for just as he let go one horn the kid gave a lurch and fellto the ground. It took but a second for him to regain his feet and baafor his brother. But what was his dismay to see his brother runningdown the path like mad, trying to shake off a tiny monkey that wassitting on his back!
While one Twin had been biting the big monkey's tail, the other hadbeen watching a baby monkey squeeze itself between the bars of thecage and escape. But he never would have watched had he known whatthat little monkey intended doing when he got out. It was this: to geta ride on the kid's back, for it had no sooner slipped through thebars of the cage than it made a bound and landed on the kid's back. Asits claws dug into his flesh, he kicked and butted to shake it off,but it only clung the tighter.
"You'll stick to my back in spite of me, will you? Well, we'll _see_!"and off the kid started for a duck pond near by. He was in the waterand swimming for the opposite shore before the monkey realized whathad happened. He could not jump off now as he did not know whether hecould swim or not, this being the first time he had ever been nearwater. He did not know that all animals can swim by instinct.
He chattered and called in monkey language for the ducks and thegeese to save him, but they were much too busy saving themselves fromthis stranger in their pond to give him any help, and they flewsquawking in all directions. At last after the kid had dived two orthree times and the monkey had come up with his eyes and mouth full ofwater, he decided to jump onto the back of one of the geese or swanswhen he got near enough one. Just then a stately swan that had refusedto be frightened or even disturbed by the entrance of the kid in hisparticular pond sailed majestically by with his head up, neck curvedand wings slightly raised to show them off to the very best advantage.
"That is a good safe place for me," thought the little monkey. "I'lljump and sit on that swan's back between his wings. They will shelterme and keep me from falling off."
As the swan approached the kid, it hissed a warning for him to get outof the pond. His second hiss died in his throat with surprise when themonkey landed on his back. At first the swan was too much taken backto do anything but sail on by the kid, but when he had collected hissenses, he tipped himself upside down with head and half his bodyunder water, and remained in this position so long that the monkeyfell off and had to swim for shore.
When he came out of the water, he happened to come out beside the kid,who stood shaking himself. He stopped in a hurry when he saw the halfdrowned little monkey coming out of the pond looking more like adrowned rat than a monkey. He did not wait to give himself anothershake, but dove into the water and swam for the place where he hadfirst entered the pond, and there he found his Twin awaiting him,laughing as if his sides would split.
"Come along! We must hurry away from here before we have hissing geeseand quacking ducks bring the guards down on us. I smell sweet peas!Let's go eat some. I just love the blossoms--they are sweet as honey."
People driving along the parkway thought it strange that the Parkcommissioners would allow goats to run loose through the flower bedsand pull the sweet peas off their trellises. Had they driven by a fewminutes later they would have enjoyed the fun of seeing a big fatguard as broad as he was long, a long handled rake in his hand,trying to drive two innocent looking kids out of those very sameflower beds.
They were too spry for him, however, and when he drove them out of onebed they simply ran into another and stood eating until he was againwithin striking distance of them. Then they would scamper away andbegin on another bed. They did this until the man was so angry thathis face was as red as a turkey cock's, while his breath came ingasps. At last he tripped over the hose and fell sprawling in a puddleof water. This, however, gave him an idea, and he determined to turnthe water on the kids. Up he got and without looking to see if theywere still there, he turned the hose where they had stood but a secondbefore. But alas! the stream of water hit his best girl who waswalking between two of the flower beds pushing a baby carriage. Thekids were nowhere in sight!
"Oh, Rosy, Rosy, forgive me, forgive me! I thought you was a goat!"
"So I look like a goat, do I, you miserable old clumsy fellow, you!Take that--and that--and that!" as she struck him over the head withone of the baby pillows, and then began to cry. Blinded by her tears,she pushed the baby carriage right over the flower beds, heedless ofwhere she was walking, sobbing, "He thought I was a goat! I don't looklike a goat, I don't! Boo hoo hoo!"
By this time the gardener had collected his wits enough to go to herand explain. The last the kids saw of them as they bounded away, hehad his arm around her and was loving her, much to the amusement ofpassersby.
"I smell something good," said one of the Twins.
"So do I! Let's go see what it is."
"It comes from over by that big red brick building."
They trotted over and found it came from a popcorn wagon.
"Yum, yum! It is popcorn with butter and salt on it!"
"Oh, I just love it, don't you?"
"Yes, but I like it best with chocolate on it. Wait until the man whoowns the stand is not looking and then we will run up and grab a bag."
"I know a safer plan. Here come two little girls with bags in theirhands. One has a bag with buttered corn in it and the other h
as onewith chocolate poured over the corn. I saw the man fixing it for them.We will hide behind these bushes and when they are opposite us wewill jump out, grab the bags and run. Which girl do you think has thebuttered corn and which the chocolate?"
"The girl with the pink bow has the buttered corn, so you take herbag, while I go for the other one."
"Oh, oh! You horrid things! Where did you come from?" wailed onelittle girl when the kids jumped out of the shrubbery at her andgrabbed her bag of chocolate popcorn.
The other little girl held onto her bag and began to run, holding ithigh above her head, but she squeezed the bag so tightly that it brokeand the corn scattered on the ground. Then the kid quickly gathered upa great mouthful and ran off.
The little girl went wailing to a park policeman and told him hertroubles and the kids saw him turn and run toward them. They racedoff, chewing the paper bags as they ran, seeking a good place to hide,which they found in a thick clump of lilac bushes. After devouring thevery last bit of paper that had either butter or chocolate sticking toit, they fell asleep. And here they were found by the night watchmanwho carried them off and shut them in a pen with some Angora goatsfrom across the sea.