rds.

"Out to Uncle Frank's ranch," said Mr. Martin.

"How would you like that?" added his mother.

"Could we have ponies to ride?" asked Ted.

"Yes, I think so."

"Oh, what fun!" cried Janet. "I love a pony!"

"You'd be afraid of them!" exclaimed Ted.

"I would not! If they didn't jump up and down the way you did with
Trouble on your back, I wouldn't be afraid."

"Pooh! that's the way bucking broncos always do, don't they, Daddy? I'm
going to have a bronco!"

"Well, we'll see when we get there," said Daddy Martin. "But since you
all seem to like it, we'll go out West."

"Can we take Nicknack?" asked Teddy.

"You won't need him if you have a pony," his father suggested.

"No, that's so. Hurray! What fun we'll have!"

"Are there any Indians out there?" asked Janet.

"Well, a few, I guess," her father answered. "But they're docile
Indians--not wild. They won't hurt you. Now let's go in and talk about
it."

The Curlytops asked all sorts of questions of their father about Uncle
Frank's ranch, but though he could tell them, in a general way, what it
looked like, Mr. Martin did not really know much about the place, as he
had never been there.

"But you'll find lots of horses, ponies and cattle there," he said.

"And can we take Nicknack with us, to ride around the ranch?" asked Jan,
in her turn.

"Oh, you won't want to do that," her father said. "You'll have ponies to
ride, I think."

"What'll we do with Nicknack then?" asked Ted.

"We'll have to leave him with some neighbor until we come back,"
answered his father. "I was thinking of asking Mr. Newton to take care
of him. Bob Newton is a kind boy and he wouldn't harm your goat."

"Yes, Bob is a good boy," agreed Teddy. "I'd like him to have Nicknack."

"Then, if it is all right with Mr. Newton, we'll take the goat over a
few days before we leave for the West," said Mr. Martin. "Bob will have
a chance to get used to Nicknack, and Nicknack to him, before we go
away."

"Nicknack not come wif us?" asked Trouble, not quite understanding what
the talk was about.

"No, we'll leave Nicknack here," said his father, as he cuddled the
little fellow up in his lap. Trouble said nothing more just then but,
afterward, Ted remembered that Baby William seemed to be thinking pretty
hard about something.

A few days later, when some of the trunks had been partly packed, ready
for the trip West, Mr. Martin came home early from the store and said to
Jan and Ted: