Baby William came flopping
head over heels, and partly sidewise, down the padded steps, landing
right at his mother's feet, sitting up as straight as though in his
high-chair.

"Oh, darling!" cried Mrs. Martin, catching the little fellow up in her
arms, "are you hurt?"

Trouble was too much frightened to scream or cry. He had his mouth open
but no sound came from it. He was just like the picture of a sobbing
baby.

"Oh, Nora!" cried Mrs. Martin, as she hurried into the dining-room with
her little boy in her arms. "Trouble fell downstairs! Get ready to
telephone for his father and the doctor in case he's badly hurt," and
then she and the maid began looking over Baby William to find out just
what was the matter with him, while Ted and Janet, much frightened and
very quiet, stood around waiting.

And while Mrs. Martin is looking over Trouble it will be a good chance
for me to tell those of you who meet the Curlytops for the first time in
this book something about them, and what has happened to them in the
other volumes of this series.

The first book is named "The Curlytops at Cherry Farm," and in that I
had the pleasure of telling you about Ted and Janet and Trouble Martin
and their father and mother, when they went to Grandpa Martin's place,
called Cherry Farm, which was near the village of Elmburg, not far from
Clover Lake.

There the children found a goat, which they named Nicknack, and they
kept him as a pet. When hitched to a wagon he gave them many nice rides.
There were many cherry trees on Grandpa Martin's farm, and when some of
the other crops failed the cherries were a great help, especially when
the Lollypop Man turned them into "Chewing Cherry Candy."

After a good time on the farm the children had more fun when, as told in
the second book, named "The Curlytops on Star Island," they went camping
with grandpa. On Star Island in Clover Lake they saw a strange blue
light which greatly puzzled them, and it was some time before they knew
what caused it.

The summer and fall passed and Ted and Janet went home to Cresco, where
they lived, to spend the winter. What happened then is told in the third
volume, called "The Curlytops Snowed In." The big storm was so severe
that no one could get out and even Nicknack was lost wandering about in
the big drifts.

The Curlytops had a good time, even if they were snowed in. Now spring
had come again, and the children were ready for something else. But I
must tell