If he belonged to some
other ranch it must have been far away.
"So you may feel that it is all right for you to keep your pony,
Curlytop," said Uncle Frank to Teddy. "If anyone should, later, say
it belongs to him, and can prove it, we'll give it up, of course."
"But I don't want to give Clipclap up!" Teddy cried.
"Well, maybe you won't have to," said his father. "But you must not
keep what is not yours. Anyhow, if you should have to give up
Clipclap Uncle Frank will give you another pony."
"There couldn't be any as nice as Clipclap--not even Janet's Star
Face," declared Teddy.
He felt bad at the thought of having to give up his pet, but there
was no need to, for as the weeks went on no one came to claim
Clipclap, and Teddy counted him as his own.
By this time Teddy and Janet had learned to ride quite well for such
little children. They knew how to sit in a saddle, up straight like
an arrow, and not slouched down or all humped up "like a bag of
meal," as Uncle Frank was wont to say. They knew how to guide their
ponies by pulling on the reins to left or to right, according to
which way they wanted to go.
Of course they could not ride very fast yet, and Mother Martin was
just as glad they could not, for she was afraid, if they did, they
might fall off and get hurt. But Teddy and Janet were careful, and
they knew how to sit in the saddle with their feet in the stirrups.
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