kes came sifting down faster.

Uncle Toby started the automobile again, going to the rear of the train,
as near to it as he could get. A little later the conductor and engineer
came tramping through the drifts, each man carrying a child, the
conductor with the girl and the engineer with the boy. The children
were so wrapped up in shawls that it could scarcely be told which was
the boy and which was the girl.

"There you are, my dear!" said the conductor, as he set his passenger
down inside the automobile.

"And one more!" added the kind-faced but grimy engineer, putting the
little boy in next to his sister.

"Is this Pocono?" the boy asked freeing himself from the shawl that
wrapped him. "The lady said we weren't to get out except at Pocono."

"And we want Uncle Toby," added the girl.

"Bless your hearts, I'm Uncle Toby!" cried Mr. Bardeen. "This isn't
exactly Pocono, but you'd never get there to-night if you stayed on that
train. I'm going to take you off and drive you to my home in Pocono in
this auto. See, here are the Curlytops and some other playmates for
you," for now the two strangers could see the Curlytops and their
friends, Tom and Lola.

"Curlytops!" exclaimed Harry Benton, wonderingly.

"It's on account of our hair," explained Ted, taking off his cap.

"Oh, I see!" laughed Mary. "It's lovely hair! I wish mine curled."

"I'm glad mine doesn't," her brother exclaimed. "It's too hard to comb."

"It is hard," admitted Jan, while Trouble stared open-mouthed at the new
playmates.

"Is he a Curlytop, too?" asked Mary, looking at Baby William.

"He belongs to the family, but his hair doesn't curl," said Uncle Toby,
with a laugh. "But now that I have you children safe in here I'd better
be going," he added. "I'll tell the telegraph operator to send you help
as soon as he can," he added to the engineer and the conductor, who
started back to the stalled train.

"Please do," begged the conductor. "We'd like to get dug out of here
before night."

"Isn't it lovely in here, Harry?" asked Mary Benton, looking around
inside the comfortable automobile.

"I should say so!" he exclaimed. "I never was in a car like this
before."

The two children were poor--one need but look at their clothes to see
this. But they were clean and neat.

"And, oh, look! A dog!" cried Harry.

"That's Skyrocket! He likes you," said Ted, for the dog, after sniffing
at the two new playmates, wagged his tail in friendly fashion.