“Well, it isn’t anything to worry about,” said the man, as he untangled himself, for his legs and arms were rather mixed up. “I’ll be all right in another minute.”
He scrambled out of the hole, gave himself a shake to make sure no bones were broken, and then went down to the edge of the little river, where he bathed his head, especially the place that had hit a stone, and drank some water.
“Now I feel better,” he announced. “But I guess I won’t do any more flip-flops right away.”
“What do you think made that hole?” asked Ted, as they stood around the edge, looking down in it, after Mr. Tizzy said he thought they had better start back to the farm.
“Some boys may have dug it for a cave to play in, or some one may have dug a big stone out of there,” said the acrobat. “But if they took a stone out, where it is I can’t see,” and he looked around in vain for a sight of the bowlder. “More likely it was boys at play,” he said. “But it was dug some time ago, for the grass has grown all around the edge and the dirt they took out has disappeared.”
Glad that nothing more serious had happened, the Curlytops started back toward the group of farm buildings. Ted carried the fish he had caught, and Trouble insisted on bringing home his small sunny and the perch, neither of which were of much account for the kitchen.
“Oh, what a fine fisherman you are, William!” his mother exclaimed, when she saw what he held up for her to admire. “Why, you’ll soon be able to catch enough for a whole meal.”
“I caught a fish before Ted did,” announced the little lad. “He got a rubber boot!”
Mr. and Mrs. Martin laughed at the story of the funny trick played on Ted by the flip-flop man, and a little later that day they met the actor and talked to him, liking him very much.
While Mr. Martin was waiting for an answer to the letter he had sent to New York, asking Mr. Portnay to return the photograph albums taken by mistake, there was nothing to do save to amuse himself as well as he could at the farm and make the best of matters.