PTER II

AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE

Mrs. Martin dropped the letter from Uncle Toby. It fluttered to the
ground as she hastened down the bank of the brook in which Trouble was
sailing away, aboard the small box he had brought to play with as his
"s'ip."

"William! William Anthony Martin! Come right back here!" called Mrs.
Martin. "Come back!"

Poor William would have been glad enough to do this, but he could
not. He had stepped into the box, shoved it out from shore with a
pole as he had seen Janet poling her tiny ship along, and then
the current of the stream had carried poor Trouble away. He was
floating down the brook, which was quite deep in some places.

"Oh, Trouble! Trouble! What shall I do?" cried his mother.

"I'll run up to the house and get the rake, and we can hook it on the
edge of his box and pull him out!" shouted Janet.

"I'll get him myself!" called Ted, and, not thinking that he had on his
shoes and stockings, into the water he dashed, following after the
floating box in which Trouble was riding. As for the little fellow
himself, he had been overjoyed, at first, when he found that he was
afloat. But as the water came leaking through the cracks in the box
Trouble became frightened.

"Oh, Momsie! Come an' det me! Come an' det me!" he wailed.

"Mother's coming!" called Mrs. Martin, as she caught up a long stick and,
running along the edge of the brook, tried to reach out and hook it over
the side of the box-ship in which William was sailing away.

And while the mother, brother and sister of the little chap are going to
his rescue, I will take just a moment or two and tell you something about
the Martin children, and why they are called the "Curlytops."

The reason for the odd, pretty name is not hard to find. It was in their
hair--they had the cutest, curliest curly hair that ever grew on the
heads of any children anywhere in the world. So it is no wonder they
were called "Curlytops."

Some of you were introduced to them in the first book of this series,
"The Curlytops at Cherry Farm," which told of their adventures in the
country.

After that they had more adventures on "Star Island," where they went
camping with Grandpa. The fun on the island was wonderful, even more
wonderful were their adventures when they were "Snowed In" and when the
Curlytops went to Uncle Frank's ranch, and rode on ponyback. Ted, Janet
and Trouble thought they had never seen such good times in all their
lives. They help