"That's right," agreed Ford. "Some of the coasters might run into it and break it, or hurt themselves. I'll get it for you."
Ford was not coasting on the little hill, being too big a boy. But he liked the Curlytops and was always helping them when he could, even before he helped get Janet out of the frozen pond when she broke through the ice.
The heavy sled, to which Nicknack could be hitched, was not easy to pull up the hill, but Ford managed to do it. Then, after Ted, his sister and their playmates had coasted all they wanted to, the goat was harnessed again, and back home he trotted over the snow, pulling the Curlytops.
Ted had fastened some sleighbells to his pet, and they now made a merry jingle as Nicknack trotted along. The goat went quite fast, for I suppose he knew a nice supper of the things he liked was waiting for him in his stable. And it was not altogether pieces of paper off tin cans, either, though some goats like to chew that paper because it has sweet paste on it.
"Well, did you have a nice time?" asked Uncle Frank, as the Curlytops came home.
"Fine!" cried Janet.
"And Nicknack had a ride downhill!" added her brother.
"No!" exclaimed Uncle Frank, in surprise. "Now you're fooling me!"
"Nope!" said Ted earnestly. "He did, honest!" and he told all about it.
Aunt Jo and the other grown-ups also had to hear the story, and there was many a good laugh as the little Curlytops and the grown folks sat in the living-room that evening and talked over the things which had happened during the day.