The Curlytops at Uncle Frank's Ranch; Or, Little Folks on Ponyback

n, Jan, when we g

But I don't like it

tame ones-like the kind in the circus and

em. They've got such

s, Jan. Anyhow I'

idly by the engine out toward the big West, where Uncle Frank's ranch was. In the seat behind

he trains were late. But they did not mind, for they had comfortable coaches in which to travel. When they were hungry there was the dining-car where they

r before, and had seen the porter pull out the seats, let down the shelf overhead and

o see when they looked out of the windows of the cars. At times the train would pass through cities, stopping at the stations to let passengers g

ren did not see any such animals in the woods, except perhaps where t

along through big fields, and then sudde

ll see one

so!" he wou

d flatten their noses again

ed Mother Martin, the first tim

around, for the train was still in the wo

, what in the world put into your hea

t West, even if they weren't wild ones," answ

aid aside the paper he was reading. "It is true there are some out West, but we are n

'cause they've always got a gun or a knife-I mean in pictures," she haste

pped pressing their noses flat against the car windows, for the train had come out of the

Jan to her brother, "and ma

l! We'll both wa

oks and magazines. He would pass along between the seats, dropping into them, or into the laps of the passengers, packages of candy,

kept for themselves. Ted and Jan were very desirous, each time, that the boy should sell something, and once, when

ase buy someth

?" asked

newsboy," repeated the little

said Mr. Martin. "I guess I can buy something. What w

Teddy. "Then we can show 'em to Trou

d Mr. Martin. "Here, boy!" he called. "Have you

to the baggage car, where he kept his papers, candy and other things, and soon came bac

Trouble, and indeed the book

with Trouble in the seat between them. He insisted on seeing each picture tw

went back to their first game of looking out of the wind

d good fun playing with the window catch, and Mrs. Martin let him do this, having made sure, at first, that he could

saw, they were talking about the good times they had had with Nicknack, and wondering if Unc

brother, noticing that Baby William was

id, meaning ca

you get it?"

answered. "Here," and he held the p

med Jan. "It's nice chocolate candy,

good time, when they saw their father looking at them. There was a f

x of candy the boy left in

," answered Jan. "He said

it in his seat and I thought he'd ask his father if he c

n. "He thought the boy meant to give the candy to him,

ift after all, but Trouble did not know that

of the second day, the Curlytops were talking together abo

ed Ted, when he and Jan had gotten off the

er. "But they'll call us

the colored waiter to come through the

o' supper in

ast call," just as it happened. Now it was time for the fi

supper again?" cried Daddy

d and yawned in

ngry!"

ied Ted and

e Frank's ranch?" asked Teddy, as they ma

r laughed. "Why are yo

so many good things at Cherry Farm and when we were c

"But if you get too hungry, Teddy, you can go out and lasso a

" asked Janet in a good deal of

said with a smile, "but they won't hurt you if you don't hur

through one of the coaches on their way Teddy

on't you wish you could have some

ed along the Curlytops could look through the windows o

so fast? Imagine, children, how, years ago, the cowboys and hunters had to go on horses all the distance out West, and carry their food

ny," said Teddy. "I would

a plate so the waiter could set glasses of milk in front of the children. "You

declared Teddy.

as traveling very fast, the milk which Teddy was rais

!" cried h

iped up as much of the milk as he could on a

ed if you had been traveling on pony-back, and had stopped to camp out for

oy. "I wish we could ca

notions in your head. Anyway there aren't any Indians to hunt

their own ranch, or government reservation, not far from where Uncle Fra

o see 'em?"

o," said M

murmured Trouble, who had also

kind that pull this train!" laughed Ted.

Martin. "But finish your suppers, children. Others are wa

m in the dining-car for all of them to sit down at once they had to take turns. That is why the wait

n all day. They would soon go into the beds, or berths, as they are called, to sleep a

on, and then, for a while, Jan,

camping with grandpa and how they were snowed in, when they wondered what ha

Teddy, as the porter came to tell them he would soon m

f lameness at a Home for Crippled

to him. "You've talked about them all day. But get read

uld get out and run about, but they could not except when the train stopped longer than usual i

but this was not much fun, as the coach swayed so they

anch," said Janet as she crawled into the be

funny little ladder to go to bed in the be

ain, the whistle sounding mournfully in the da

ressed like an Indian papoose, or baby, while Ted dreamed he was on a wil

whistled shrilly and then came a jar that shook up everyone. Teddy found himself

e cried, "what

h, while women in the coach were screa

Dick?" crie

a collision," ans

bunk into anoth

so," replied