“Trouble hab fine ride!” he said.
He wiggled himself until he actually had the log moving up and down, with him on it. A moment later the log might have become unbalanced and have gone down the chute, taking Trouble with it to the river below. Ted saw the danger at once, and in an instant sprang and pulled his little brother from the log.
“Trouble, you shouldn’t do that!” he cried.
“I want wide!” protested the little fellow.
“Yes, you’d have one ride too many if you rolled down the chute into the river with the log,” said Ted.
“Hi there! Keep away from that chute!” shouted some of the men, coming back just then with teams that had hauled more logs to be slid down. “Keep away!”
“I am,” Ted answered. “I was just taking Trouble away!”
And, for his own good, so he would not again do anything so dangerous, the men scolded Trouble and made him cry. Then he promised not to climb up on the chute again.
It was better to have Trouble crying unhurt than to have him crying after an accident. Ted and Janet knew this.
For a time they watched the men rolling the logs into the chute and saw them go pitching to the river far below. Then, having had enough of this fun, the Curlytops and Trouble wandered back through the forest to the bungalow.