OR
Little Folks on Ponyback
BY
HOWARD R. GARIS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I TROUBLE'S TUMBLE
II NICKNACK AND TROUBLE
III OFF FOR THE WEST
IV THE COLLISION
V AT RING ROSY RANCH
VI COWBOY FUN
VII BAD NEWS
VIII A QUEER NOISE
IX THE SICK PONY
X A SURPRISED DOCTOR
XI TROUBLE MAKES A LASSO
XII THE BUCKING BRONCO
XIII MISSING CATTLE
XIV LOOKING FOR INDIANS
XV TROUBLE "HELPS"
XVI ON THE TRAIL
XVII THE CURLYTOPS ALONE
XVIII LOST
XIX THE HIDDEN VALLEY
XX BACK TO RING ROSY
THE CURLYTOPS
AT UNCLE FRANK'S RANCH
"Say, Jan, this isn't any fun!"
"What do you want to play then, Ted?"
Janet Martin looked at her brother, who was dressed in one of hisfather's coats and hats while across his nose was a pair ofspectacles much too large for him. Janet, wearing one of her mother'sskirts, was sitting in a chair holding a doll.
"Well, I'm tired of playing doctor, Jan, and giving your make-believesick doll bread pills. I want to do something else," and Teddybegan taking off the coat, which was so long for him that itdragged on the ground.
"Oh, I know what we can do that'll be lots of fun!" cried Janet,getting up from the chair so quickly that she forgot about her doll,which fell to the floor with a crash that might have broken her head.
"Oh, my dear!" cried Janet, as she had often heard her mothercall when Baby William tumbled and hurt himself. "Oh, are you hurt?"and Janet clasped the doll in her arms, and hugged it as though itwere a real child.
"Is she busted?" Ted demanded, but he did not ask as a real doctormight inquire. In fact, he had stopped playing doctor.
"No, she isn't hurt, I guess," Jan answered, feeling of her doll'shead. "I forgot all about her being in my lap. Oh, aren't you goingto play any more, Ted?" she asked as she saw her brother toss the bigcoat on a chair and take off the spectacles.
"No. I want to do something else. This is no fun!"
"Well, let's make-believe you're sick and I can be a Red Crossnurse, like some of those we saw in the drugstore window down thestreet, making bandages for the soldiers. You could be a soldier,Ted, and I could be the nurse, and I'd make some sugar pills for you,if you don't like the rolled-up bread ones you gave my doll."
Teddy Martin thought this over for a few seconds. He seemed to likeit. And then he shook his head.
"No," he answered his sister, "I couldn't be a soldier."
"Why not?"
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