CHAPTER XVI
ROSE BREAKS HER SKATE
Out on the porch Mrs. Bunker found her six children, for Rose hadfollowed her mother out of the house, finally running ahead of her tosee if any one had yet guessed Laddie's latest riddle.
"What have you there, Sonny?" asked Laddie's mother, as she saw himstanding in front of Russ, Rose and the others, with something under hiscoat.
"He says it's a riddle," explained Russ.
"It is, sort of!" declared Laddie. "Yet 'tisn't zactly a riddle. I justtold 'em to guess what I had under my coat."
"Where'd you get it?" asked Aunt Jo, who came out to see what the funwas about.
"I got it with the peanuts I had in my pocket," the little boy answered.
"Oh, then it's a squirrel!" guessed Rose.
"No, it isn't a squirrel," said Laddie, shaking his head.
"It's got a tail! I can see it!" cried Vi, as she stooped down andlooked under her brother's coat. "I can see it sticking out. It'sbrown."
"Yes, it's got a tail," admitted Laddie.
"Is it a kite?" asked Russ, for he had not yet finished the one he wasmaking.
"Nope! 'Tisn't a kite!" Laddie answered. "It's alive, and kites aren'tthat way!"
"They wiggle around as if they were alive, sometimes," said Rose.
"Oh, I heard it squeak!" cried Mun Bun. "Is it a little kittie?"
Again Laddie shook his head.
"Nope," he answered, "'tisn't a kittie. But it's got fur on. Now I'llgive you each one more guess for my riddle, and----"
But Laddie's "riddle" seemed to think the fun had gone on long enough,and it didn't want to be guessed about any more. All at once the littleboy began to wiggle and try to hold something still beneath hiscoat--something which seemed very much alive indeed.
"Oh! Oh! Oh, dear!" cried Laddie, but he was laughing.
"What's the matter?" asked his mother.
"It--it's _tickling_ me!" he exclaimed. "Oh--there it is!"
As he spoke a funny little wrinkled black face, followed by a littlebrown furry body and a long tail, scrambled out from under Laddie'sbuttoned coat and sat on his shoulder.
"Oh, look!" cried Rose.
"It's a black pussy with a long tail!" cried Violet.
"No, it isn't!" Russ exclaimed. "It's a monkey! That's what it is! Amonkey!"
"A monkey!" repeated Mrs. Bunker. "Why, so it is. Oh, Laddie boy! wheredid you get a monkey?"
Laddie put up his hand to stroke the funny little creature, which seemedto like it, crouching down on Laddie's shoulder and nestling close tohim. The monkey was not much larger than a cat.
"Where'd you get it?" repeated the children's mother.
"Have they got any more? Can I get one?" cried Russ. "I'll go and findsome peanuts!"
"Don't let him wind his tail on me!" begged Mun Bun, hiding behind hismother's skirts.
"Can he play a hand-organ?" asked Violet.
The children were laughing so hard, and asking so many questions as theycrowded around Laddie, that their mother exclaimed:
"Oh, my dear six little Bunkers! please be quiet a minute until I canhear what Laddie has to say. Tell us where you got such a cute littleriddle!"
"I got him with peanuts," Laddie said. "He was up in a tree and I sawhim, and I held out some peanuts in my hand and he came down and sat onmy shoulder and ate 'em and then I put him under my coat and he liked itand I brought him home."
"But where did you find him?" asked Aunt Jo. "In what tree?"
"Oh, just down by the corner at the end of this street," answered Laddiewith a wave of his hand.
"Mercy," gasped Aunt Jo, "are monkeys beginning to make their homes inthe trees of the Boston streets?" and she and Mother Bunker laughed.
"But was he up a tree?" asked Russ.
"Yes, he was," Laddie went on. "First I thought it was a cat, but when Isaw him hang by his tail I knew it wasn't a cat."
"Oh, we're finding lots of things!" cried Rose. "I found a pocketbook,and now Laddie finds a monkey."
"And I'm going to keep it and get a hand-organ and then I'm going aroundand take in pennies," said the little boy, on whose shoulder the monkeywas still perched, looking here and there at the other children, andwrinkling up his funny black face.
"I know where it came from," said Russ, after thinking a moment.
"Where?" asked Vi. "Do you mean out of a circus?"
"No," answered Russ. "But it must have got away from a hand-organ man."
"I think that's just what happened," said Aunt Jo. "Hand-organ men, withmonkeys fast to the ends of long strings, often come up this way, andplay what they call music, and they let the funny little animals goafter the pennies. One of these Italians must have been around herewith his music-machine, and his monkey must have run away from him andhidden up in a tree where you saw him, Laddie."
"But I found him, and he's mine. I want to keep him," said the littleboy. "He's awful soft and fuzzy, and he likes me."
Indeed the monkey was a nice, clean little chap, and he seemed to likeLaddie. And he seemed to like to have the other children pet him, also.He wore a funny little red jacket and a green cap, and every now andthen he would take off his cap and hold it out, as he had been taught todo, for pennies.
Mun Bun, who had been afraid the monkey would wind its long tail aroundhim, came out from behind his mother's skirts, and even dared to petLaddie's "riddle," as they called it.
"He's awful nice!" said Mun Bun.
"He'd make a lovely doll," observed Rose. "I wish I had a doll that wasalive."
"I'll let you play with him sometimes," promised Laddie. "I'm going tocall him. 'Peanuts' 'cause he likes 'em so."
"Well, that would be a nice name for a monkey," said Mrs. Bunker. "Butdon't get your heart set on keeping this one, Laddie."
"Why not, Mother? Can't I have him?"
"I'm afraid not. In the first place Aunt Jo has no place in her Bostonhome for a monkey, and, in the second place, Alexis, the big dog, mightbark at Peanuts and scare him."
Alexis was not there just then, or he would have seen the monkey, andsurely would have barked, as he always did when he saw anything new orstrange.
"Another reason why you can't keep him," said Mother Bunker, "is thatthe Italian hand-organ grinder will want his monkey himself. That is howhe makes his living--by having the monkey collect pennies for him."
"But can I keep him until the organ man comes?" asked Laddie, as hecuddled his "riddle" in his arms.
"Oh, yes, I guess you can keep him until then," said Mrs. Bunker. "Wecouldn't turn the poor little monkey loose, anyhow, or dogs would chasehim. We'll see what your father says when he comes home."
"And we can have some fun now, with Peanuts," added Russ. "We can tie astring to his collar and make-believe we have a circus."
"Maybe he'll bite," said Margy.
"He didn't bite me," Laddie explained, "and I carried him under my coatfrom down the street. He tickled me though, when he wanted to get out."
Mrs. Bunker and Aunt Jo said the children could play with the monkeyawhile on the side porch, fastening it by a string attached to thecollar around its neck, so it could not get away.
"The Italian may be along pretty soon looking for it," said William, thechauffeur, who had been called from the garage to see Laddie's new pet.
"Peanuts," as the six little Bunkers called the monkey, seemed to enjoybeing with them. He climbed about the porch, and came down when theyheld out in their hands bread, bits of crackers or cake, which themonkey liked to eat.
The children were having lots of fun with their funny little pet, andthey were talking over and over again their wish that they might keephim, when, from out in front, came the sound of a hand-organ. It playedrather a sad and doleful tune, and, at the sound of it, the monkeyseemed to prick up his ears, much as a dog might do.
"Oh, dear!" sighed Rose. "Maybe that's the hand-organ man that owns thismonkey."
"If it is I'd better see about it," said Aunt Jo.
"I want you childrento have all the fun you can, but we don't want to keep a poor man'smonkey, any more than we do the poor woman's purse, though she hasn'tcome for that yet."
William, the chauffeur, who also heard the hand-organ tune, went out infront, and came back to tell Aunt Jo that the Italian had indeed losthis monkey, and was looking everywhere for it.
"Tell him to come in," said Miss Bunker.
And a little later, walking along and grinding out the doleful tune, theItalian came into the yard.
"Is this your monkey?" asked Aunt Jo, pointing to the one that Laddiehad coaxed down out of the tree with peanuts.
"Oh, Petro! Petro!" cried the Italian, leaning his hand-organ up againsta tree and rushing to the porch. "Ah, Petro! I have found you again, mybaby!" and he held out his arms. The monkey made a jump for them, andsat up on the man's shoulder, chattering and taking off and putting onhis green cap so often that, as Russ said, he looked like a movingpicture.
"Ah, Petro! Petro!" cried the hand-organ man, and then he began to talkto the monkey in Italian, which the little creature seemed tounderstand, for he chattered back, though of course he spoke monkeytalk, or, maybe, jungle talk.
"Is that your animal?" asked William.
"Sure, he mine!" exclaimed the Italian. "His name Petro! I make-a demusic down de street, an' a big dog chase after Petro! He break-a destring an' jump oop de tree. I no can find! Now I have him back! Ah, myPetro!"
"Well, the children will be sorry to lose their pet," said Aunt Jo, "butI'm glad you have him back."
"I glad. Vera mooch-a glad, too!" said the Italian, taking off his hat,and bowing to Aunt Jo and Mrs. Bunker. "Petro bring me in pennies. Iplay for you, but I no want-a pennies. No take pennies--you find myPetro."
"This little boy found him," said William, pointing to Laddie.
"I gave him peanuts," said Laddie. "He was up a tree."
"Mooch 'bliged," said the Italian. "I make-a de music for you. Petro dotricks."
Then he fastened the long cord he had in his pocket to Petro's collar,and began to grind out what he called "music." He also made the monkeydo several tricks, such as turning somersaults or climbing trees andjumping from one branch to another.
Then, with more thanks, and promising to come and play again for them,and not to let Petro take any pennies, the Italian went on his way withthe monkey and the hand-organ.
Laddie and the others were sorry to lose their pet, but, as Daddy Bunkersaid afterward, the monkey and Alexis might not have been good friends.
"Well, I found a monkey, and somebody came for it," said Laddie thatnight. "But nobody has come for the pocketbook yet."
"And, if they don't, I'm going to have the money," said Rose. "Anyhow, Ican have some of it, daddy says. And I'm going to buy a pair of newroller skates, 'cause my old ones are 'most worn out."
However, Rose could still skate on them, and speaking of them as shedid, made her think of them the next day. So, when she had put her dollsto "sleep," the little girl went out roller-skating on the sidewalk infront of Aunt Jo's house.
Rose had not been skating long before her mother heard her crying.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" Rose was saying.
"What's the matter?" asked her mother, hurrying out to the porch. "Didyou fall and hurt yourself, Rose, my dear?"
"No. But I struck my foot against the curbstone, and now one of myroller skates is broken, and I can't have any fun!"
Rose held up one foot. The skate that had been on it was now in twopieces, and Mrs. Bunker saw that it could not easily be fixed again. Itwas too bad!