leading by a rope a little calf, one of several that were kept in the
stable and fed milk from a pail.

"What are you going to do, Teddy Martin?" asked the little girl.

"I'm going to play he's a wild steer," answered Teddy.

"Oh, The-o-dore Mar-tin!" cried Janet, much as her mother might have
done. "You're not going to lasso _him,_ are you?"

"I am--if I can," and Teddy spoke slowly. He was not quite sure he
could.

The calf came along easily enough, for Teddy had petted it and fed
it several times.

"He's awful nice," said Janet. "You won't hurt him, will you?"

"Course not!" cried Teddy. "I'll only lasso him a little. Now you
come and hold him by the rope that's on his neck, Jan. And when I
tell you to let go, why, you let go. Then he'll run and I can lasso
him. I've got to lasso something that's running, else it isn't real
wild-wester."

Jan was ready enough to play this game. She took hold of the calf's
rope, and Teddy got his lasso ready. But just as the little fellow
was about to tell his sister to let the calf loose, along came Uncle
Frank and he saw what was going on.

"Oh, my, Teddy!" cried the ranchman. "You mustn't do that, Curlytop!