and the lap robe--a man from the garage where the automobile had
been left to have the tire changed came across the field.
"It's a good thing you stopped when you did, Mr. Bobbsey," said the
garage man.
"Why so?"
"Because if you had gone on a little farther one of the wheels of your
car would have come off, and if you had been going fast, or down-hill,
you might have had a bad accident. I found the break when I was putting
on the tire, and I came over to ask if you wanted me to fix it."
"Yes, I suppose so. I'll come and have a look. We don't want to go on if
there is any danger."
"There is danger. And it will take half a day to mend the break."
"Half a day!" said Mr. Bobbsey, as he followed the man, forgetting for
the time all about Bob and Mr. Blipper. "That means we'll not get to
Meadow Brook to-night. Is there a good hotel in town?"
"Yes, a very good one not far from my garage."
"Well then, in case we have to remain, we can stay at the hotel. But
wait until I take a look at the broken wheel."
Mr. Bobbsey found that the garage man was right. The automobile was in
need of repairs, and had the party gone on, without noticing the break,
a bad accident might have happened.
"Oh, dear!" sighed Mrs. Bobbsey, when told of the news, "must we stay
here all night?"
"Unless I hire another auto, or you and the children go on by train,"
said her husband. "I shall have to stay here to bring our car on."
"Oh, I don't want that! No, we'll stay at the hotel. But what about
him?" she asked in a low voice, pointing to Bob Guess, who was talking
to the twins.
"That's so. We can't turn him adrift," Mr. Bobbsey agreed. "Well, I'll
get a room for him at the hotel. In the morning I can decide what to do.
I don't like to send him back to Blipper. But if the man has adopted him
he has a claim on the boy. We'll see what happens by morning."
Mrs. Bobbsey may have disliked to break the journey and stay at a
strange hotel, but the Bobbsey twins thought it great fun. The hotel was
a small country one, clean and neat, and the Bobbseys and Bob Guess were
about the only guests there.
"I'm not fit to stop at a hotel," said the ragged boy.
"Oh, you're all right," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Perhaps I can get you some
clothes here. If there isn't a store that sells them I may be able to
get you a second-hand suit from the hotel keeper."
As it happened, there was no clothing store in the village of Montville,
where the stop was
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