ced William.

"Your snowball!" cried Jan.

"Yep! I put big snowball there when I comed in. Wants to get it now,"
and William tugged at the sink door.

"Ha! Maybe that's where the water came from!" cried Uncle Toby.

And it was. As the sink cupboard was opened more water was seen, and in
the midst of the puddle there floated what was left of a large ball of
snow. Trouble had brought it in, put it under the sink when no one was
looking, and there the warmth of the kitchen stove had slowly melted it,
causing the water to run out under the doors.

"What in the world made you put a snowball in there, Trouble?" asked
Ted, as Aunt Sallie mopped up the water.

"Maybe I wants make snowman in night," was Trouble's answer.

That may have been his reason--no one could tell. At any rate, no great
harm was done, as the snow water was clean and the oilcloth was soon
wiped dry.

"I guess you'd better go to bed before you get into any more mischief,"
said Janet.

And soon the Curlytops and their playmates were all sound asleep.

The next day it rained, and as the weather turned warm the snow was soon
nearly all melted or washed away.

"So much the better for making the trip to Crystal Lake," said Uncle
Toby. "I don't care what it does after we get there, but I like good
going though the woods."

"Oh, what fun we'll have at Crystal Lake!" cried the Curlytops and their
playmates.

They started three days later, in the big automobile. Uncle Toby, Aunt
Sallie, the children, and Skyrocket. Uncle Toby hired a colored man and
his wife to come and live in his house and look after the pets,
including the new kitten, Fluff, while he was at camp for the holidays.

"Hurray! Here we go!" cried Ted and the others, as Uncle Toby started
the automobile.

As they were turning out of the drive a boy came riding up the street on
a bicycle, waving a yellow envelope in his hand.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" he shouted. "Here's a telegram!"

CHAPTER XIII

THE LONELY CABIN

Uncle Toby brought the automobile to a stop and looked at the boy.

"A telegram?" repeated Uncle Toby. "For whom is it?"

"You," answered the boy, and Ted and Jan wondered if it could be about
their father and mother. Suppose one of them were ill, or suppose Daddy
Martin had lost all his money, and Ted and Jan had to go back home? It
doesn't take much to worry children, just as it doesn't take much to
make them happy.

Tom and Lola, too, knew that t