In the midst of all the excited greeting Mom said, “Let’s go down to the porch. Janie, you make a pot of tea for your grandmother. Boys, you help with the boxes and bags.”
There never was anything like Grandma and Aunt Claire moving out to the lake for the season. In addition to the normal load the car held a portable sewing machine, a portable phonograph, Aunt Claire’s oil paints and her water colors. There were boxes of yarn for knitting, sewing materials, and stacks of magazines containing serial stories that Grandma hadn’t quite finished reading in town. There was Aunt Claire’s fishing tackle, her camera, and Grandma’s canary bird. There were always presents for everyone, and this time was no exception.
After Grandma had finished her tea and everyone had inspected and admired “old rubber-back”, the family was assembled once more and the presents were handed out. Mom was first. She received a wide brimmed garden hat. Janie got a new swimming suit. Billy and James each got an elaborate cowboy holster with toy guns, and David found a catching mitt in his package.
Butch had a present too, but where was he? They looked all over the cottage and couldn’t find him. Davey was getting frightened.
“Oh, I hope he didn’t run out on the road,” he said. “He’ll get run over for sure.”
“Come on folks,” called Dad. “Everybody out for the big monkey hunt.”
The family spread out in the front yard calling, “Butch!” “Oh Butch!”
Davey was the first to hear the answering monkey chatter and he called the rest. There was the missing rascal, sitting on the big turtle and riding round and round in the old wash tub!
It was wonderful to have the whole family together again. In the excitement of catching the turtle and losing Butch, the purse on the cottage roof was almost forgotten, but not quite. James remembered, and his eyes grew large.
“Daddy” he cried. “Daddy! Butchie found a purse, and he hid it up on the roof of the little cottage.”