nce they had met them.

But this banjo player evidently did not know them; or, if he did, he was
not going to let it be known. He finished his song with a twang of the
banjo strings and then hurried inside the wagon, the sides of which were
of wood, like a small moving van.

Then the man began selling his medicine again, talking a great deal
about it while he did so.

Mrs. Brown turned to her husband and said:

"I'm sure that was a white boy blacked up to look like a negro, and he
does it very well, too. Even his voice is like a colored person's. But
as he turned to go back into the wagon his sleeve slipped up and I saw
that his arm was white."

"Very likely he was made up as a colored boy then," said Mr. Brown. "His
lips were too red for a real colored boy's."

"Well, since we are sure of that let's ask the medicine man about him,"
went on Mrs. Brown.

"All right, I'm willing," said Mr. Brown good-naturedly. "We'll wait
until the show is over though."

The medicine man kept on selling bottles. It was getting later now, and
the crowd began to thin out. Seeing this the medicine man announced
there would be no more music or sales that night, but that he would stop
in this town on his next trip.

The flaring lamp was put out, and the medicine man began to close up his
wagon for the night. Mr. Brown stepped up to him. The real or pretended
colored boy was not in sight.

"I'd like to ask you a question," said Mr. Brown to the traveling
medicine seller.

"About my wonderful pain destroyer?" asked "Dr. Perry," as he called
himself.

"No. About that young banjo player you have with you."

"Oh, you mean Professor Rombodno Prosondo?"

"Yes," and Mr. Brown smiled. "I want to know if he is Fred Ward, who has
run away from his home next door to us?"

[Illustration: "NOW TAKE A GOOD LOOK," WHISPERED SUE TO BUNNY.
_Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on an Auto Tour._ _Page_ 153.]

CHAPTER XVI

IN THE DITCH

For a few seconds the medicine man looked sharply at Mr. Brown. He did
not appear to understand what the children's father had asked. Then,
finally, Dr. Perry asked:

"Is it a joke you are making?"

"No, indeed. I'm serious," said Mr. Brown. "We are looking for a lost
boy, or rather, a runaway boy, named Fred Ward. The Wards live next door
to us, and when we started on this trip, which is not yet finished, the
boy's parents said they would be glad if we would try to find him and
send him----"

"Tel