What does all this mean about tramps and a gold mine?" asked Mr.
Sander. "If there's gold to be had in an easier way than by selling hot
waffles from a red wagon with a white horse to pull it, I'd like to know
about it," he added with a jolly laugh.

"Oh, ho! Oh, ho!" he cried. "Hot waffles do I sell. Hot waffles I love
well!"

"Did you bring any with you?" asked Ted eagerly.

"Indeed I did, my little Curlytop. They may not be hot now, but maybe
your mother can warm them on the stove," and picking up a package he had
laid down near the tree to which he had tied Trouble, the lollypop man
gave it to Mrs. Martin with a low bow.

"Waffles for the Curlytops," he said laughing.

CHAPTER XVII

TROUBLE'S PLAYHOUSE

Safe once more in their camp, the children ate the waffles which Nora
made nice and crisp again over the fire. Trouble was comforted and made
happy by two of the sugar-covered cakes, and then everyone told his or
her share in what had just happened.

"So you think there are gold-hunting tramps here?" asked the lollypop
man, just before he got ready to go back to the mainland where he had
left his red wagon and white horse.

"Well, there are ragged men here--tramps I suppose you could call them,"
answered Grandpa Martin. "But I don't know anything about gold. That's
one of Hal's ideas."

"I couldn't think of anything else they'd be looking for," explained
Ted's friend. "Don't you think it might be gold, Mr. Martin?"

"Hardly--on this island. Anyhow we haven't seen the ragged men lately,
so they may have gone. Perhaps they were only stray fishermen. We would
like to thank one for having pulled Trouble out of the spring, only we
haven't had the chance."

"No. He ran away without stopping for thanks," said Baby William's
mother. "He must be a kind man, even if he is a tramp."

After a little more talk while they were seated about the campfire
Grandpa Martin built in front of the tents, during which time the
lollypop man told of his travels since he had helped sell the cherries
for the chewing candy, Mr. Sander rowed back to the main shore to sleep
in his red wagon, which was like a little house on wheels.

"Come again!" invited Mrs. Martin.

"I will when any more goats fall into gold mines," he promised with a
laugh.

The next day Grandpa Martin filled up the hole Ted, Jan and Hal had dug,
thus making sure that neither Trouble nor anyone else, not even Nicknack
the goat, would again fall down