lustration]

"When we were again on the road and going along nicely, Mr. Noland
said, 'Stubby, this seems to be a disastrous drive for us this
morning, doesn't it?' He had scarcely gotten the words out of his
mouth when bang! went a tire. Well, I would not like to repeat what he
said. Now if there is anything he dislikes to do it is to put on a
tire or fuss with the car in any way. He always manages to have either
his son or the hired man do it. But here he was thirty-five miles from
home on a road where few people passed.

"'I bet I haven't any inner tube to put in!' he muttered to himself,
'and even if I have, it is a mean job to fix it. I would run on the
rim but if I do my whole wheel will be ruined. If I wait for some one
to come and help me, I may wait until doomsday as this is a side road
and little traveled.'

"He took off his hat, scratched his head and thought a minute. Then he
climbed the fence at the side of the road and waved to a farmer he saw
plowing in a field half a mile away. After many attempts he succeeded
in attracting the farmer's attention, and he left his horses and came
toward us. When he was within speaking distance, Mr. Noland called
out, 'Mornin', Hiram! I am sorry to bother you, but I am in trouble. I
have a busted inner tube and I can't fix it myself. Could you come and
help me? The two of us can do it in a short time but it is an
everlasting job for one to tackle. If you will help me, I'll give you
a peck of that Golden Bantam seed corn you like so much the next time
you are in town.'

"This corn was something Hiram had long coveted, as Mr. Noland's
Golden Bantam corn is the envy of all the farmers as it is extra fine
for table use. So Hiram jumped over the fence in a jiffy and the two
set to work with a will. In twenty minutes the wheel was fixed and we
were on our way.

"'That delay will make us reach our destination about dinner time, so
we will have to ask them to keep us. I am right glad as Farmer
Greenbush's wife is noted for her guinea pot pies, and perhaps if I
hint around and flatter her, she _might_ make one for our dinner. I'll
just speed up a little until we get to the big Molkie Hill after which
we can't make much time as the road is bad,' said Mr. Noland.

"For the next fifteen minutes we drove as fast as the little Ford
would take us. Soon we were at the foot of the celebrated Molkie Hill.
It is known far and wide as being the steepest and the most difficult
hill for