"My, but you seem to be in a peck of trouble," said the mule driver, as he looked at the automobile in the ditch. "Can I help any?"
"I was just going to ask you to, when my little boy called out about the ram," answered Daddy Bunker. "Do you think you can help us get the auto on level ground, so we can put on an extra wheel?"
"I'll do my best," offered the mule driver. "I saw something was wrong, so I ran over from the towpath. There's another man on the boat. I'll call him. I guess the four of us can manage it. But it will probably take some time."
"Yes, I think it will," said Daddy Bunker. "And it is nearly noon, too. Do you know if there is a hotel around here, or a place where I can take the children to stay while we are working on the car?"
"There isn't any hotel," said the mule driver, "but about a quarter of a mile down the road is Mr. Brown's place. He has a big farm and orchard, and he sells meals to auto travelers, and sometimes keeps them over night."
"That might be just the place for us," said Daddy Bunker. "We may have to stay all night again."
"If we do," said Rose, "I hope nobody walks in his sleep."
"What's she mean?" asked the mule driver.
"That's what happened where we stayed last night," explained Mr. Bunker. "There were some other children at the farmhouse, and one of them walked in his sleep."
"There aren't any children at Mr. Brown's," said the mule driver, "and I never heard of him or his wife walking in their sleep. They have good meals there, too—roast chicken, hot biscuits, pie, cake——"