ma goes to the gate
with him, with a lump of sugar for Betty, and always says, 'Now, Betty,
be a good little horse to-day and bring your master safely home to his
wife and children this evening. Do you understand?' and she does really
seem to understand and neighs gently as much as to say 'I will.'"

"Can you go out alone, do you think, or do you wish me to go with you?"
asked Mrs. Steiner when breakfast was finished.

"I am sure we could go alone," replied Fritz. "If we get lost we will
ask the way to 37 Bornheimer street."

They put on their straw hats for the march, and Pixy, who evidently
thought that they were going home, sprang up in delight, and was so full
of frolic that Fritz could scarcely fasten the cord to his collar.

"Now, are you going out without one of you thinking of something you
have left undone?" asked Mrs. Steiner gently. "Will you not write one
line to your parents to tell them of your safe arrival?"

"Yes, truly we forgot it," and the three looked at each other, then laid
aside their hats. Fritz ran to his satchel for paper and envelopes, but
his aunt told him that post-cards would be sufficient and supplied them
with three, saying that they could write letters later.

"Would it not be better to wait and get scenery cards?" asked the
thoughtful Paul; "scenes of something we will see while we are out
to-day?"

"No, write now, and just a few words that your parents may get them this
evening. It may perhaps save them sleepless nights."

The triplets sat down immediately to the business of writing home. Franz
wrote so large that he could only get upon it the few words: "My dear
father and mother and sister: We got safely to Frankfort last evening."

Fritz, with his usual frugality, used but a third part of his postal,
and Paul took the middle course, and neatly filled his card.

CHAPTER V

FRITZ IN TROUBLE

When the boys had finished writing their postals, they bade Mrs. Steiner
good morning and set out to see what they could of Frankfort without a
helper, and their first aim was to find a letter box. They had nearly
reached one when Franz noticed that he had not written the address upon
his postal. He saw no remedy but to go back and mount the long flight of
steps to correct his mistake. But a gentleman who was also about to post
a letter comforted him by the assurance that his parents would receive
it if the address were written with a pencil, and loaned him one, to the
great