Tom Milton had been invited by Bunny Brown to come to the meeting in the room over the garage and talk about the play which Bunny and his sister wanted to give. But, for some reason or other, Tom had not come with the other children. Many, including Bunny, had wondered what kept Tom away, but now, when Tom rushed in with the news that Mr. Jed Winkler's monkey was loose, none of the children thought of anything but the long-tailed animal with his funny, wrinkled face.
"How'd he get loose?" asked Bunny Brown, as he jumped down off a box on which he had been standing.
"Did he hurt any one?" asked Sue.
"Is he smashing everything in Mr. Raymond's store?" Charlie Star wanted to know.
"I should say so! You ought to see!" cried Tom. "I was coming past on my way here when I heard a lot of yells and saw a big crowd in front of the store. I looked in, and the monkey was banging a frying pan on a coffee grinder and making a big racket. Mr. Raymond was trying to get him down off a high shelf, but Wango wouldn't come. Then I ran on here to tell you about it."
"I'm glad you did," said Bunny Brown.
"We'll have this meeting again after we see the monkey," he said. "The meeting is—it's—er—well, I don't know what it is my mother says when her meetings are stopped, but this meeting about the show we're going to give, is stopped while we go to see Mr. Jed Winkler's monkey."
"Oh, won't it be fun to see him drum with a frying pan!" exclaimed Sue.
"Maybe he won't be doing that when we get there," said Tom Milton. "But I guess he'll be doing something just as good."
"That monkey is always doing something," declared Charlie Star. "How'd he get loose, Tom?"