Mr. Treat, without telling any of the family, at once drove to the nearest telegraph office and wired the manager that the lost animals were all safe at Cloverleaf Farm.
The following morning the Circusman with Mike and Jim appeared on the scene.
It was soon arranged that Billy’s engagement was considered closed. Owing to the lateness of the season and the serious wreck, the show would at once go into winter quarters. The only difficulty was to induce the monkeys to go, leaving Billy behind. It was finally decided to build on the big lumber wagon a strong removable cage. When finished, Billy, to whom the scheme had been explained, jumped in at once and the monkeys followed. At the other end of the cage two of the bars had been fixed so that one of them could be dropped down and the other raised up thus making a hole big enough for Billy to get through.
When all the monkeys were in, Mike and Jim made the opening for Billy and out he popped before the rest knew what was up. They then made an awful outcry and tore around like all possessed, but it did no good.
Billy got out of sight and sound as soon as he could, for though he did not love the monkeys and they were more mad than sad at parting with him, still, on the whole, they had had good times together and been a great help to each other.
“I feel about parting with the monkeys a good deal as I do about old Mr. Coon. Though I know he richly deserved his fate, it makes me blue to think about it. It was a disgrace to be an acquaintance of his, but I can’t help admitting that he was often entertaining company. It’s the same way with the monkeys.”
With the reward money received for the return of the monkeys to their owners, Mr. Treat bought one of the automobiles that were then just beginning to be introduced for use in the country. This pleased the boys greatly. Beside that he put a thousand dollars away to be used for Tom, Dick, and Harry’s education when they were older.
And so, for the present, we will leave Billy Whiskers at home again, more admired and famous than ever before, enjoying as he had never done in the old days the peace and plenty of Cloverleaf Farm, surrounded by a host of good friends and many interests.
THE END.