ODE JANET AND TED.
_The Curlytops at Uncle Frank's Ranch_ _Page 171_]

"Yes, I'll do that," agreed Janet, and soon, having had one of the
cowboys who had been left behind at Ring Rosy Ranch saddle Clipclap and
Star Face, the Curlytops started for their ride.

"Don't go too far!" called Mrs. Martin after the children.

"No, we won't," they promised.

"I wants to go wide too!" begged Trouble. "I 'ikes a wide on a
ponyback."

"Not now, my dear," his mother said. "We'll go in the shade and pick
flowers," and she carried him away where he would not see Teddy and
Janet go off, for that made Trouble fretful. He wanted to be with them.

Over the prairie rode Janet and Ted. Their ponies went slowly, for the
children had been told not to ride fast when they were alone. But, after
a while, Ted got tired of this slow motion.

"Let's have a race, Jan!" he called. "I can beat you from here to that
hill," and he pointed to one not far away.

"Mother said we couldn't ride fast," objected the little girl.

"Well, we won't ride _very_ fast," agreed Ted. "Come on, just a little
run."

Janet, too, wanted to go a bit faster, and so, when her pony was in a
line with Ted's, she called sharply:

"Gid-dap, Star Face!"

"Gid-dap, Clipclap!" cried Teddy.

The two ponies started to run.

"Oh, I'm going to beat! I'm going to beat!" Janet cried, for she saw
that Star Face was getting ahead of Clipclap.

"No you're not!" shouted Teddy, and he touched his heel to the pony's
flank. Clipclap gave a jump forward, and then something happened.

Teddy took a flying leap, and right over Clipclap's head he sailed,
coming down on his hands and knees some distance off. Clipclap fell down
and rolled over in the grass while Janet kept on toward the hill that
marked the end of the race.

The little girl reached this place first, not being able to stop her
pony when she saw what had happened to Teddy. But as soon as she could
turn around she rode back to him and asked anxiously:

"Are you hurt, Ted?"

"No--no. I--I guess not," he answered slowly.

"Is Clipclap?" asked Janet.

The pony answered for himself by getting up, giving himself a shake and
then beginning to eat some grass.

"What happened?" Janet questioned further. "Why didn't you come on and
race with me? I won!"

"Yes, I guess you did," admitted Teddy, getting up and brushing the dust
off his clothes. "But I'd 'a' beaten you, only my pony stumbled and he
threw me ov