"I never knew a snake would crawl up into a baby carriage," said Teddy. "I don't see any; do you, Jan?"
"No," answered his sister, "I don't!"
"There it is! Look!" cried Mrs. Johnson, pointing with one hand, while she held Ruth close to her in her other arm. The baby had been rather rudely awakened from her sleep, and she was just getting ready to cry. Her lips were puckering up, and in another moment she would let out a yell. Janet and Teddy knew this, for they had, often enough, watched Trouble do the same thing when he was smaller.
"There's the snake!" exclaimed Mrs. Johnson, and, as she spoke and pointed, the Curlytops saw something black crawl out from among the folds of the robes in the baby carriage.
Ted had one glimpse of the head of the reptile, and then the boy cried:
"That isn't a snake! It's Slider, our pet alligator! How did he get here?"
"A pet alligator?" cried Mrs. Johnson. "In my Ruth's carriage! How did it get here?"
"I bringed it!" said Trouble, in the silence that followed.
"You what?" cried Janet.
"I bringed Slider ober to play wif Ruff!" said Trouble. "I play wif Slider in barn, and den hims hoots get tired, so I bringed him over to ride in de carriage wif Ruff."