Two young siblings, Ted and Janet Martin, affectionately known as the Curlytops for their exceptionally tangled and curly hair, begin their summer school vacation at home with their baby brother William, nicknamed Trouble for his constant mischief. Shortly before the family is set to travel to Cherry Farm, the rural property of their paternal grandparents, they learn that the farm may be lost. Flooding has destroyed much of the wheat crop, and their grandfather faces serious financial difficulty tied to a mortgage he can no longer comfortably service. Despite this uncertainty, the family travels to Cherry Farm, a beloved place near the village of Elmburg and the shores of Clover Lake. Upon arrival, the children quickly settle into country life. They discover a stray goat, which they name Nicknack and eventually claim as their own after learning the previous owner has moved away and the farmer left to care for the animal has no interest in keeping him. Ted and Janet construct a rough wagon from barn scraps and old wheels of mismatched sizes, hitching Nicknack to it and using this improvised cart to explore the farm and surrounding countryside. During their wanderings in a neighboring field, the children encounter a cheerful, lame boy named Hal Chester, a resident of a nearby institution called the Crippled Children's Home. Hal has been there nearly a year undergoing treatment to correct his damaged foot. Despite his disability, he moves about with remarkable energy and spirit, rarely complaining and often lightening the mood of those around him through humor and imaginative storytelling. He speaks of a fantasy figure he calls Princess Blue Eyes and her enemy the Mosquito Dwarf, daydreaming aloud about the day he will be truly cured. He quickly becomes a close friend of the Curlytops. The children learn that the Home is attempting to raise money through a local fair to cover the costs of an expansion made to the building. In the past, their grandfather had been a generous donor, but his current financial troubles prevent him from contributing as he had before. This weighs on the children, who are fond of Hal and moved by the condition of the other disabled boys and girls in the Home. Seeking ways to help, Ted and Janet devise a plan to charge small fares for rides in their goat wagon, putting any money earned toward the Home. They drive Nicknack along country roads, offering rides to children they do not know well enough to feel obligated to serve for free, and manage to collect seventy-five cents before becoming lost in the woods. They are eventually found by a traveling vendor of hot waffles and candy who drives a cheerful red wagon and who guides them safely home. Around the time of the fair, the same jovial vendor brings important news. He represents a candy manufacturer seeking large quantities of cherries for a new product called Chewing Cherry Candy. The grandfather, who has been dismayed to find himself with an enormous cherry crop he cannot sell at a reasonable price in saturated local markets, suddenly discovers that his oversupply is precisely what is needed. The manufacturer pays well, and the cherry sale brings in enough money to stabilize the family's financial situation. With the proceeds, the grandfather is able to donate the hundred dollars the Home still needed after the fair fell short of its fundraising goal. Hal, meanwhile, undergoes the procedure intended to correct his foot and, after a period of healing, is able to walk straight for the first time. The summer ends with the children reflecting happily on all they experienced, from rescuing Trouble out of mud and hen nests and feather beds, to fishing on Clover Lake, flying kites, getting chased by sheep, riding in hay wagons, nearly being lost in the woods, and helping both their grandfather and their new friend find better days.
By Howard R. Garis · First published 1923 · Genre: Children's Literature, Family Drama, Adventure · 20 chapters