CHAPTER XVI
A GLAD SURPRISE
Janet, Ted and Hal started to run.
"Where are you going?" called Mrs. Martin after them. "Wait forTrouble!"
"We're going to find him," answered Janet.
"Maybe he fell down the big hole we dug for a gold mine," added Ted.
"What do you mean?" gasped Mrs. Martin.
"What have you Curlytops been up to now?" asked Grandpa Martin.
"We dug a big hole to find the gold the tramps are looking for on thisisland," explained Hal, who walked on slowly, following Mrs. Martin, whohad run after Ted and Janet. "Maybe the little boy fell into it."
"Where did you dig the big hole?" asked grandpa, and he, too, began tobe afraid that something had happened.
"Up near what Ted calls the cave. It's got a ladder in it, our gold minehole has, and maybe Trouble could climb out on that."
"If it's a hole deep enough for a ladder, I'm afraid he couldn't," saidGrandpa Martin. "You children must have dug a pretty big hole."
"We wanted to find the gold," explained Hal.
"What gold?"
"The gold the tramps are looking for here on Star Island. Ted told meabout them, and I suppose they were after gold. We want to find itfirst."
"There isn't any gold here, and you mustn't dig holes so deep thatTrouble--or anyone else--would wander off and fall into them," said Mr.Martin. "However, I presume it will be all right. But we must hurrythere and find out what has happened."
He and Hal hastened on, following Mrs. Martin and the Curlytops, whowere now out of sight around a turn in the path that led to the bighole. Hal was rather frightened, for he knew it was his idea, more thanthe plans of Jan and Ted, that had caused the "gold mine" to be dug.
On and on, along the path and up the hill hurried grandpa and Mrs.Martin and the children. They called aloud for Trouble, but he did notanswer. At least they could not hear him if he did. He must have gonequietly away from the table when no one noticed him. He had had hissupper before the Curlytops and Hal came from their digging.
"There's the pile of dirt," called back Ted, who was running on ahead.He pointed to the mound of yellow sand that he, Hal and Jan had dug outof the hole.
"And some one is there, digging!" cried Jan. "Oh, maybe it's Trouble!"
"I only hope he hasn't fallen in and hurt himself!" murmured Mrs.Martin.
By this time Grandpa Martin and Hal had caught up to the others. Theycould all see some one making the dirt fly on top of the yellow mound ofsand at one side of the big hole.
As Ted came nearer he saw a man on top of the dirt, using a shovel. Theman was digging quickly, and at first Teddy thought it was one of thetramps. But a second look showed him he was wrong. And then came a gladsurprise, for the man called:
"I'll have him out in a minute. He isn't under very deep!"
"Why it's the lollypop man!" cried Jan.
And so it was, Mr. Sander, the jolly, fat man who sold waffles andlollypops.
"Is Trouble in the hole? Are you digging him out?" gasped Mrs. Martin,and she felt as though she were going to faint, she said afterward.
"No! Trouble isn't here--I mean he isn't in the hole!" cried Mr. Sander."It's your goat, Nicknack, who's buried under the sand. But his nose issticking out so he won't smother, and I'll soon have him all the wayout."
"But where is Trouble?" cried Baby William's mother.
"There he is, safe and sound, tied to a tree so he can't get in the wayof the dirt I'm shoveling out. I didn't want to throw sand in his eyes!"cried the lollypop man. "Trouble is all right!"
And so the little fellow was, though he had been crying, perhaps fromfright, and his face was tear-streaked and dirty. But he was safe.
With a glad cry his mother loosed the rope by which Mr. Sander hadcarefully tied Trouble to a near-by tree and gathered him up in herarms.
Meanwhile Grandpa Martin caught up one of the shovels and began to helpthe lollypop man dig in the sand. The Curlytops and Hal saw what hadhappened. A lot of the dirt they had shoveled out had slid back into thebig hole, almost filling it. And caught under this dirt was Nicknack,their goat. Only the black tip of his nose stuck out, and it is a goodthing this much of him was uncovered, or he might have smothered underthe sand.
"How did it happen?" asked Ted.
"There must have been a cave-in at our gold mine," said Hal.
"But how did Nicknack get here?" Ted went on.
"I guess Trouble must have untied him and brought him here," suggestedJanet.
Then they all watched while Grandpa Martin and the lollypop man dug outthe goat.
"Baa-a-a-a-a!" bleated Nicknack as he scrambled out after most of thesand had been shoveled off his back. "Baa-a-a-a!"
"My! I guess he's glad to get out!" cried Ted.
"I guess so!" agreed the lollypop man. "I got here just as the dirtcaved in on him, and I began to dig as soon as I tied Trouble out of theway so he'd be safe."
"But how did you come to be here?" asked Grandpa Martin.
"And how did our goat get here?" asked Janet.
"I saw Trouble leading him along by the strap on his horns," explainedMr. Sander. "I guess he must have taken him out of his stable when youfolks weren't looking. Trouble led the goat up on top of the pile ofsand near the hole. I called to him to be careful.
"Just as I did so the sand slid down and I saw the goat go down into thehole. Baby William fell down, but he didn't slide in with the dirt. ThenI ran and picked him up, and I tied him to the tree with a piece of ropeI found fast to a pail. I thought that was the best way to keep him outof danger while I dug out the goat."
"I guess it was," said Grandpa Martin.
"Poor Trouble cried when I tied him fast, but I knew crying wouldn'thurt him, and falling under a lot of sand might. I dug as fast as Icould, for I knew how you Curlytops loved your goat. He's all right, Iguess."
And Nicknack was none the worse for having been buried under the slidingsand. As they learned afterward Trouble had slipped off to have some funby himself with the pet animal. Baby William had, somehow, found his wayto the "gold mine," and pretending the pile of sand was a mountain hadled Nicknack up it. Then had come the slide down into the big hole whichHal and the Curlytops had dug. If it had not been for Mr. Sanderappearing when he did, poor Nicknack might have died.
"But, Trouble. You must never, never, never go away again alone withNicknack!" warned Mother Martin. "Never! Do you hear?"
"Me won't!" promised the little fellow.
"And you children mustn't dig any more deep holes," said Grandpa Martin."There isn't any gold on this island, so don't look for it."
"But what are the tramps looking for?" Ted asked.
"I can't tell you. But, no matter about that, don't dig any more deepholes. They're dangerous!"
"We won't!" promised the Curlytops and Hal.
"How did you come to pay a visit to Star Island, Mr. Sander?" asked thechildren's mother.
"Well, I'm stopping for the night on the main shore just across fromhere," was the answer, "so, having had my supper and having made my bedin my red wagon, I thought I'd come over and pay you a visit. I heardyou were camping here, so I borrowed a boat and rowed over. I walkedalong this path, and I happened to see Trouble and the goat. Then I knewI had found the right place, but I did not imagine I'd have to come tothe rescue of my friend Nicknack," and with a laugh he patted the shaggycoat of the animal, that rubbed up against the kind lollypop man.
"Well, come back to the tent and visit a while," was Grandpa Martin'sinvitation. "We're ever so much obliged to you."
"What does all this mean about tramps and a gold mine?" asked Mr.Sander. "If there's gold to be had in an easier way than by selling hotwaffles from a red wagon with a white horse to pull it, I'd like to knowabout it," he added with a jolly laugh.
"Oh, ho! Oh, ho!" he cried. "Hot waffles do I sell. Hot waffles I lovewell!"
"Did you bring any with you?" asked Ted eagerly.
"I
ndeed I did, my little Curlytop. They may not be hot now, but maybeyour mother can warm them on the stove," and picking up a package he hadlaid down near the tree to which he had tied Trouble, the lollypop mangave it to Mrs. Martin with a low bow.
"Waffles for the Curlytops," he said laughing.