Janet, or Jan. With their mother, they were spending the long summer
vacation on Cherry Farm, the country home of Grandpa Martin outside
the town of Elmburg, near Clover Lake. Mr. Richard Martin, or Dick, as
Grandpa Martin called him, owned a store in Cresco, where he lived
with his family. Besides Ted and Jan there was Baby William, aged
about three years. He was called Trouble, for the reason I have told
you, though Mother Martin called him "Dear Trouble" to make up for the
fun Ted and Jan sometimes poked at him.

Then there was Nora Jones, the maid who helped Mrs. Martin with the
cooking and housework. And I must not forget Skyrocket, a dog, nor
Turnover, a cat. These did not help with the housework--though I
suppose you might say they did, too, in a way, for they ate the scraps
from the table and this helped to save work.

In the first book of this series, called "The Curlytops at Cherry
Farm," I had the pleasure of telling you how Jan and Ted, with their
father, mother and Nora went to grandpa's place in the country to
spend the happy vacation days. On the farm, which was named after the
number of cherry trees on it, the Curlytops found a stray goat which
they were allowed to keep, and they got a wagon which Nicknack (the
name they gave their new pet) drew with them in it.

Having the goat made up for having to leave the dog and the cat at
home, and Nicknack made lots of good times for Ted and Jan. In the
book you may read of the worry the children carried because Grandpa
Martin had lost money on account of a flood at his farm, and so could
not help when there was a fair and collection for the Crippled
Children's Home.