to do
more "dry" coasting after their meal.

Daddy Martin had come home to lunch from his store, and as the Curlytops
entered the dining room they saw their father and mother with serious
looks on their faces. Mr. Martin had just been reading a letter, the
same letter the postman had left after rescuing Trouble.

"Well," Mr. Martin was saying, "I think we'll both have to take that
trip, Mother, and see about this. Yes, we'll both have to go."

"Oh, are you going somewhere?" cried Ted.

"Take us!" begged Janet.

Mrs. Martin shook her head slowly. There was a worried look on her face.

"This isn't to be a pleasure trip," she said. "You children couldn't
possibly go. It's about business. Just daddy and I will go, if we have
to. But I don't want to go away with winter coming on."

"Why do you have to go?" Janet wanted to know.

"Because, unless we do, daddy may lose a lot of money," said Mrs. Martin
gravely. "We wouldn't want that to happen. If we go away we shall have
to leave you children behind, and I don't like to do that, however--"

Suddenly the bark of a dog sounded outside, and there came a ring at the
front door.

"Somebody's coming!" cried Ted, making a dash for the hall.

CHAPTER III

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

"Here, Teddy! Wait a minute!" called Mr. Martin, but Ted did not wait.
He was already at the front door. Trouble had started after his brother,
but Janet remained with her mother.

"I wonder who it can be, just at lunch time," said Mrs. Martin. She
glanced at the table to see if it were properly set, and began to think
rapidly whether there would be enough pie for dessert.

"Will you and daddy really have to go away, Mother?" asked Janet, as the
murmur of voices came from the front hall, whither Mr. Martin and
Trouble had followed Ted.

"I'm afraid so," was the answer. "Your father had a letter this morning
telling of some trouble about business, and unless he wishes to lose a
lot of money he and I will have to go and see about some property he
owns in a distant state."

"But I don't see why we couldn't go!" said Janet.

"Take you out of school, with the fall term just well started!"
exclaimed Mrs. Martin. "No, indeed! You must stay and study; that is,
all but William."

"But we don't want to stay here if you and daddy go away!" cried Janet,
almost on the verge of tears. "It won't be any fun here alone!"

"No, I suppose not," agreed Mrs. Martin. "And yet your father and I must
go