Bunny’s father had told him the first thing to do, in pitching a tent, was to see that it would be dry in case of rain.

“Oh, I think you children will come into the ‘Ark’ when it begins to shower,” said Mrs. Brown.

“Oh, no!  Why, it’s lots of fun in a tent in the rain!” cried Bunny.  “Let’s get it up right away.”

“Better wait until daddy or Uncle Tad can help you,” said Mother Brown.  “Now we’ll sit down and rest in the woods.”

“Well, as long as the ‘Ark’ had to break down, this was the best place for it to happen, I guess,” said Mr. Brown, as, with Uncle Tad, he came over to the wood where Mrs. Brown and the children were seated on a fallen tree.

“Is the break a bad one?” asked his wife.

“Yes, I think we’ll need an entirely new spring, and it will take nearly a week to get that.  However, as the children will have as much fun camping out here, as they would traveling in the car, it will be all right.  We are not far from a town, and we can get what we want to eat from there.”

“I think our cupboard is pretty well filled now,” said Mrs. Brown.

“You might look to see if there is anything you need,” suggested her husband.  “I am going into town to find a garage man and have him arrange to get a new spring for me.  Uncle Tad can be putting up the tent while I’m away.”

“I’m going to help,” said Sue.

“And so am I!” cried Bunny.

As has been said, there was a tent carried on top of the Ark, and this was now taken down by the old soldier and carried to the wood, there to be set up for Bunny and Sue.  The tent was large enough for the children to sleep in if they wanted to.  In fact, they had done so once or twice.  But their mother was not sure they would do so on this trip.

However, the tent was put up and the little folding cots made ready, while Bunny brought his popgun and cannon with which to play soldier, and Sue, her Teddy bear and set of dishes with which to play keeping-house.

By the time this was done Mr. Brown had come back from the village, bringing some chocolate candy for the children.  He said he had seen an automobile dealer and it would take fully a week to get a new spring for the “Ark.”

They had their dinner out-of-doors, and after that Bunny and Sue played games in the tent.  They said they were surely going to sleep in it at night, so they made up the cots and took their little pajamas with them into the canvas house.

“I’ll have my flashlight, too,” said Bunny; “and in case we want to get up in the night to get a drink, Sue, we can do it easy.”

“That’ll be nice,” said his sister.

In the evening, while the Browns were at supper, an old man, who seemed to be a farmer, came strolling down the road, stopping at the big automobile, and looking from it over to the children’s tent in the woods.

“You folks camping here?” he asked.