OFF TO THE COUNTRY
Skyrocket ran up to Uncle Toby, barking and sniffing around the legs of
the jolly man who had pulled the two boys from the ice-cold brook.
"So you remember me, don't you?" chuckled Uncle Toby, as he watched the
wagging tail of the dog.
"I do, too!" said Tom. "Have you got all your pets still?"
"Most of 'em!" answered Uncle Toby. "But we mustn't stand here talking,
with you boys wet through. Come on to the house. Run! That's the best
way to keep from taking a cold! Run!"
"We--we got--all wet--last night, too," Ted informed Uncle Toby, the
words being jerked out of him because of the jolting effect of the run.
"Were you in swimming last night?" Uncle Toby wanted to know.
"We were making a toboggan slide like those you told about seeing in
Canada," explained Ted.
"And we weren't in swimming now. We were sliding and the ice broke,"
explained Tom.
"Well, never mind about that now," said Uncle Toby. "Come on--run!" And
he ran so fast, half holding up the boys who trotted along on either
side of him, with Skyrocket leaping along behind, that by the time the
house was reached Ted and Tom each felt quite warm in spite of their icy
bath.
"Oh, my goodness! What'll your ma say?" cried Nora, as Uncle Toby rushed
the boys into the cozy kitchen.
"Get upstairs and bring them down some dry clothes. Let them undress and
dress here by the fire. The water won't hurt the kitchen floor," said
Uncle Toby.
In a little while Tom was again attired in his own suit, which was now
dry, and Ted had on an extra one of his own, while the wet garments were
taken down cellar to be hung near the furnace.
"I guess you boys had better stay in the house the rest of the day,"
said Mrs. Martin, when she had greeted Uncle Toby and had heard what
had happened.
"I have to go home," said Tom. "Thank you for drying my clothes, and I'm
sorry I got Ted's wet," he added.
"Well, be careful," cautioned Mrs. Martin, as Ted's playmate left,
promising to run all the way so he would not get a chill. But the day
was quite warm now, all the ice having been melted from the toboggan
slide, and even the water on it drying up.
"Well, what kindly fortune brings you here, Uncle Toby?" asked Mrs.
Martin, as soon as she could sit down for a chat.
"Oh, I came to ask a favor," went on the old gentleman, who had traveled
in many parts of the world and who had collected quite a few strange
pets, some of which he still kept at his home in Pocono. "But you look
worried, Ruth," he went on. "Has anything happened? Don't worry about
those boys. They won't take cold from a little dipping, even if the
weather is getting a bit frosty."
"I wasn't worrying about them," said Mother Martin, with a smile. "But
we have had some other troubles. Dick has had word that he is likely to
lose a lot of money, and he and I will have to take a trip to see about
some property. We'll have to go right away, or within a day or so, and
what to do about the children I don't know. We can't very well take them
with us. I was just thinking we might get some of our relations to come
and stay here while we're gone. Then you drop in. Have you come to tell
me that you are coming to pay a visit? I'd leave my Curlytops and
William with you and know they were safe."
"And I'd ask nothing better than to look after them," said Uncle Toby,
with a smile. "But I didn't come to tell you I was coming here. Instead
I came to invite you to my place in the country. I have a large cottage,
or camp, as you know, at Crystal Lake, just outside Pocono. I'm going to
have a sort of holiday party out there this winter, and I want you and
the Curlytops to come and spend some time with me. In fact I'll take
some of their playmates, if their folks will spare them. That's what I
came for--to invite you all out to my place to have jolly times through
the holidays."
"Oh, how lovely!" cried Janet, who heard what was being said.
"Could we have a toboggan slide there?" Ted wanted to know.
"Me tum?" lisped Trouble.
"Sure you'll come!" cried Uncle Toby, catching baby William up in his
arms and hugging and kissing him. "There wouldn't be any fun if we left
you behind. When can you get ready to come?" he asked Mrs. Martin.
"Why," answered the mother of the Curlytops slowly, "I don't see that
Dick and I can come at all. We must take this business trip or daddy
will lose a lot of money," she explained to the children. "But your
coming at this time is most fortunate, Uncle Toby. As long as you are
going to have a party out at your country cabin on Crystal Lake, it will
be just the thing for the children. They can go and stay with you while
Dick and I are away."
"Of course!" cried Uncle Toby. "Aunt Sallie--you remember her I guess?"
he went on--"she'll be there to cook for us and see that the children
don't get their feet wet."
"Aunt Sallie," remarked Mrs. Martin. "I don't seem to remember--"
"She's Mrs. Watson, the old lady who went away from my house the time I
started for South America, and left you my pets to look after," Uncle
Toby explained. "She's a distant relative of mine, and I call her Aunt
Sallie, though she isn't really my aunt. But she's come back to keep
house for me, and she'll go out to the camp with us. It will be just the
place for the older children, and they can go to school there. We've got
a good little country school not far from the lake. In fact they can
skate to school when the lake gets frozen over, and that will be soon if
this weather keeps up."
"Oh, what fun!" cried Ted.
"It will be just the thing for us," said Mrs. Martin. "It will take away
all our worries over what we were going to do about the children while
we were away."
"And did you say we could have some playmates out there?" asked Janet.
"Yes, bring along some boy or girl chum--one for each of you," replied
Uncle Toby.
"I'd like to have Tom!" exclaimed Ted.
"And I'll ask Lola," said Jan.
"All right," agreed Mr. Bardeen. "And they may find some other playmates
when they get out there," he added in a low voice.
"Do you mean new pets?" asked Ted, overhearing what Uncle Toby
remarked.
"That's a secret," was the smiling answer, and he made a sign to Mrs.
Martin that he would explain to her later. As for Ted and Jan they were
so excited over the prospect of going to spend the holidays in the
country cabin of Uncle Toby that they danced up and down and around the
room, swinging Trouble with them.
"I'm going over to tell Tom!" cried Ted.
"And I'll tell Lola," added his sister.
"Wait a while, Curlytops," advised Mrs. Martin. "Let's see what daddy
says."
The children felt that they never could wait until their father came
home from the store that evening. But he did arrive at last. Ted and
Janet were sure he was late, but, as a matter of fact, he was a little
ahead of his usual time, Mother Martin having telephoned to him about
the visit of Uncle Toby. The latter had come along suddenly, not even
writing to say that he was on his way.
"I just got the notion into my head that I wanted the Curlytops and some
of their playmates out at my place on a holiday visit," he explained,
"and so I packed up and come on. Didn't pack up much either," he said.
"Just a bag. And I left that at the station and took the short cut
across lots. Good thing I did," he concluded, winking at Teddy.
"You must never again go sliding on the ice until you are sure it will
hold you," said Mr. Martin to his son. "Just because it held up
Skyrocket doesn't prove that it will hold you. If you don't promise to
be careful I can't let you go to Crystal Lake!"
"Oh, we'll be careful!" promised Ted and Janet in one breath.
"I guess this means that you've made up your mind to let them come with
me, is that so?" asked Uncle Toby.
"I think it will be the best thing that could happen," answered Daddy
Martin. "Ruth and I must go to see about that property. It will take
both of us to clear matters up and save my money. I know the children
will be in good hands when they are with you and Aunt Sallie. So we'll
let them go."
"And can we take Skyrocket?" begged Jan.
"Oh, yes, I guess so," replied Uncle Toby. "My two dogs, Tip and Top,
have been sold. I haven't as many pets as I had, though Jack, the
monkey, Mr. Nip, the parrot, and Snuff, the cat, I have kept. I want
them for company."
"Then if we take our dog it will be just about right," decided Ted.
"We'll leave Turnover, our cat, here with Nora."
"Yes, she'll need company," said Mrs. Martin. "And do you really mean it
about taking some playmates for Ted and Janet, Uncle Toby?"
"Of course I do! Let Tom and Lola come!"
"I'll go tell them!" offered Ted.
"I'll come, too," added Jan.
Trouble wanted to follow, but as it was dark now, being after supper,
his mother decided the best place for him was in bed. And there he was
taken, after he had fallen asleep in Uncle Toby's arms.
"But what is this about some other children that are going to be at your
cabin?" asked Mrs. Martin, while Ted and Janet were still over at the
Taylor home.
"I'm going to take charge of two little Fresh Air children," explained
Uncle Toby. "You know I give money to some of the big societies in the
city, and these societies send out children to the country in the
summer. It isn't usual to send them out in the winter, but this is a
special case.
"Their mother, whom I knew when she was a girl, has to go to the
hospital for an operation, and she has no one with whom she can leave
Harry and Mary. So I agreed to take charge of them this winter, as their
mother may have to stay in the hospital a long time to get well and
strong."
"Where is their father--dead?" asked Mr. Martin.
"I'm afraid he is," answered Uncle Toby. "And yet it isn't known for
sure."
"What do you mean?" asked Mother Martin.
"You see it's this way," Uncle Toby explained. "Their father, Frank
Benton, went to the big war. He was heard of for a time and then all
trace of him was lost. I suppose he was killed in some battle and never
found until after the fighting was over. Anyhow his two children, who
are about as old as Ted and Janet, were left with their mother. She took
care of them as well as she could until she became ill.
"One of the Fresh Air Society ladies heard about their sad case and she
wrote to me. I said I'd keep the children all winter. And now when your
Curlytops come out with their friends Tom and Lola they'll find other
playmates, and I hope they'll all get along well together."
"I think they will," said Mr. Martin. "It is very kind of you to do
this."
"Oh, I like it!" declared Uncle Toby. "I like children and animals. The
more the merrier. And now let's plan how soon the children can come back
with me."
Ted and Jan returned a little later with word that Tom and Lola could
make the trip, and the next few days were busily spent in getting ready.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin made arrangements to go on their trip, to try to
save the money that Daddy Martin was in danger of losing.
Except for this there would have been no sadness when the time of
parting came. But the Curlytops could not help seeing that their father
and mother looked rather worried.
"I hope Dad doesn't lose that money," said Ted.
"So do I," echoed his sister, with a sigh.
But they were not sad for long. The day came when the children were to
depart for their holiday stay at Uncle Toby's cabin on the shore of
Crystal Lake.
"All aboard!" cried the jolly old gentleman, as the automobile drew up
in front of the house to take along the Curlytops, Trouble, Tom, Lola,
Uncle Toby himself, and Skyrocket. "All aboard!"
"Good-bye! Good-bye!" cried the children, as they piled in. The dog
barked his farewells.
"Have a good time!" said Mother Martin, and there was just a tear or two
in her eyes as she waved her hands.
"We'll have you all back again after Christmas!" said Daddy Martin.
"Oh, what fun we'll have at Christmas!" shouted Ted.
"All aboard!" called Uncle Toby again, and they were off on the first
part of their trip to the country for the holidays.