sure wouldn’t fit me.”
Benny made a funny face back at Henry. “It’s not for you, Henry. It’s to put over the cage to keep Rainbow warm.”
“Good idea,” Henry said on his way out the door. “See you later.”
“We’ll stay here and clean up,” Jessie told her brother.
The four children knew where to find the brooms, dustpan, and a wastebasket. There was an awfully big mess to clean up.
Soo Lee bent down with a dustpan and waited for Violet to sweep the spilled fish food into it. “Look at these teeny footprints, Violet,” she exclaimed. “They go all over the fish food.”
The other children came over to see what Soo Lee was talking about. Sure enough, footprints, sometimes two, sometimes four, trailed through the powdery fish food.
Now Jessie looked alarmed.
“What’s the matter?” Violet asked her sister.
“I think these footprints belong to George,” Jessie answered. “But George isn’t here. And now that we know Rainbow wasn’t with Mr. Fowler, that must mean George escaped, too.”
Jessie was on the phone right away. “I’m sorry to bother you about another animal,” she said when she got through to the firehouse. “Could you watch out for a lost monkey? His name is George. He belongs to the Pretty Bird Pet Shop, too.” Jessie paused. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll be here.”
“Rainbow!” Violet called out when Henry returned.
Henry removed Benny’s jacket covering the large cage. “Here she is. I’m afraid she’s a little nervous with all the excitement. She dropped some feathers.”
Violet opened the cage door to offer a sunflower seed to Rainbow, but the bird refused it. “She’s not hungry,” Violet said quietly. She gathered up several pretty feathers and gave one to Soo Lee and one to Benny. “Keep these so we’ll always remember Rainbow. I hope she goes to the zoo soon. She looks so sad.”
Henry carried the cage to the bird room. “She’ll get nice and warm in here.” He helped everyone straighten out the store. “We’ll have everything shipshape for tomorrow when Mr. Fowler comes in. I want to ask him about Rainbow and George and why the store door was open this afternoon.”
“What about Buster and Beau?” Jessie demanded. “Tomorrow we have a lot of things to talk about with Mr. Fowler.”
“Fowler. Fowler,” Grayfellow said. “Fowler, Mr. Fowler.”
CHAPTER 10
Monkey in the Middle
George was still missing the next day. The Aldens were under orders from Mr. Fowler. They were not to return to the Pretty Bird Pet Shop until the monkey was found.
The Aldens asked every one of their newspaper customers about George. No one had seen him. They checked every yard they passed. But still, no George.
Jessie began to roll up a newspaper to deliver. Something caught her attention on the front page. “Look at this!” She read an article out loud:
Monkey Missing
A Woolly South American monkey named George escaped from the Pretty Bird Pet Shop over the weekend. Mr. Walter Fowler, manager of the Pretty Bird Pet Shop, believes the monkey and a South American macaw both escaped when young employees of the shop left the store unlocked Sunday morning. The macaw was later recovered by the fire department. The monkey is still missing. Anyone with information about the lost monkey should call the Pretty Bird Pet Shop.
“Oh, no,” Jessie said. “We didn’t leave the shop unlocked. Mr. Fowler did. Why won’t he give us a chance to explain how we found the keys and everything?”
Henry put his arm around Jessie’s shoulder. “He’s probably afraid Mrs. Tweedy will fire him if he admits his mistake.”
“If only he’d listen,” Jessie said. She kicked some leaves along the sidewalk on the way to Main Street.
When the Aldens reached the corner, Mrs. Doolittle spotted the children before they saw her. She marched over. Her shopping bag swung from one arm and her black umbrella from the other. “I understand you lost Mrs. Tweedy’s new animals!”
Benny made a funny face back at Henry. “It’s not for you, Henry. It’s to put over the cage to keep Rainbow warm.”
“Good idea,” Henry said on his way out the door. “See you later.”
“We’ll stay here and clean up,” Jessie told her brother.
The four children knew where to find the brooms, dustpan, and a wastebasket. There was an awfully big mess to clean up.
Soo Lee bent down with a dustpan and waited for Violet to sweep the spilled fish food into it. “Look at these teeny footprints, Violet,” she exclaimed. “They go all over the fish food.”
The other children came over to see what Soo Lee was talking about. Sure enough, footprints, sometimes two, sometimes four, trailed through the powdery fish food.
Now Jessie looked alarmed.
“What’s the matter?” Violet asked her sister.
“I think these footprints belong to George,” Jessie answered. “But George isn’t here. And now that we know Rainbow wasn’t with Mr. Fowler, that must mean George escaped, too.”
Jessie was on the phone right away. “I’m sorry to bother you about another animal,” she said when she got through to the firehouse. “Could you watch out for a lost monkey? His name is George. He belongs to the Pretty Bird Pet Shop, too.” Jessie paused. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll be here.”
“Rainbow!” Violet called out when Henry returned.
Henry removed Benny’s jacket covering the large cage. “Here she is. I’m afraid she’s a little nervous with all the excitement. She dropped some feathers.”
Violet opened the cage door to offer a sunflower seed to Rainbow, but the bird refused it. “She’s not hungry,” Violet said quietly. She gathered up several pretty feathers and gave one to Soo Lee and one to Benny. “Keep these so we’ll always remember Rainbow. I hope she goes to the zoo soon. She looks so sad.”
Henry carried the cage to the bird room. “She’ll get nice and warm in here.” He helped everyone straighten out the store. “We’ll have everything shipshape for tomorrow when Mr. Fowler comes in. I want to ask him about Rainbow and George and why the store door was open this afternoon.”
“What about Buster and Beau?” Jessie demanded. “Tomorrow we have a lot of things to talk about with Mr. Fowler.”
“Fowler. Fowler,” Grayfellow said. “Fowler, Mr. Fowler.”
CHAPTER 10
Monkey in the Middle
George was still missing the next day. The Aldens were under orders from Mr. Fowler. They were not to return to the Pretty Bird Pet Shop until the monkey was found.
The Aldens asked every one of their newspaper customers about George. No one had seen him. They checked every yard they passed. But still, no George.
Jessie began to roll up a newspaper to deliver. Something caught her attention on the front page. “Look at this!” She read an article out loud:
Monkey Missing
A Woolly South American monkey named George escaped from the Pretty Bird Pet Shop over the weekend. Mr. Walter Fowler, manager of the Pretty Bird Pet Shop, believes the monkey and a South American macaw both escaped when young employees of the shop left the store unlocked Sunday morning. The macaw was later recovered by the fire department. The monkey is still missing. Anyone with information about the lost monkey should call the Pretty Bird Pet Shop.
“Oh, no,” Jessie said. “We didn’t leave the shop unlocked. Mr. Fowler did. Why won’t he give us a chance to explain how we found the keys and everything?”
Henry put his arm around Jessie’s shoulder. “He’s probably afraid Mrs. Tweedy will fire him if he admits his mistake.”
“If only he’d listen,” Jessie said. She kicked some leaves along the sidewalk on the way to Main Street.
When the Aldens reached the corner, Mrs. Doolittle spotted the children before they saw her. She marched over. Her shopping bag swung from one arm and her black umbrella from the other. “I understand you lost Mrs. Tweedy’s new animals!”
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