“I will,” was the promise.

“When are we going to get the scenery for our play, Daddy?” asked Bunny Brown, as he and his sister Sue were getting ready for bed that night.

“I’ll take you over to-morrow after school,” was the promise.  And you can well imagine that the two children could hardly wait for the time to come.

The air was clear and cold, and it seemed as if there would be more snow when Mr. Brown brought around the automobile in which the trip to Wayville was to be made.  Bunny and Sue, Lucile and Mart were to sit in the back, while Mr. Brown and Mr. Treadwell sat in front.  They were going to the place where the theatrical scenery had been stored since the time the vaudeville troupe had got into trouble.

“I’m glad winter is coming, aren’t you?” asked Bunny of Mart, as they rode along the roads which were still covered with snow from the first storm.

“Well, yes, I like winter,” was the answer.  “It’s always the best time for the show business—­’tisn’t like a circus—­that does best in the summer time.”

“We had our circus in summer,” said Sue.  “Now we’re going to have a real theater show in the winter.”

The automobile was going down a snowy hill into Wayville, and Mr. Brown had put on the brakes, for, once or twice, the machine had slid from side to side.

“I ought to have chains on the back wheels,” said the fish merchant to Mr. Treadwell.  “But if I go slowly I guess I’ll be all right.  Do you think we need any more scenery than the three sets you spoke of—­the barnyard, the orchard and the meadow?”

“No, I think that will be enough,” said the actor.  “The children only want something simple.  You can tell when you see it.”

“Can we pick apples in the orchard?” asked Sue.

Before Mr. Treadwell could answer something happened.  Mr. Brown turned out to one side of the road to let another automobile pass, and, a moment later, his machine began sliding to one side at a place where there was a deep gully.

“Oh!” screamed Lucile.  “We’re going to upset!”

CHAPTER IX

BUNNY DOES A TRICK

Nearer and nearer to the side of the deep gully, across the road that was slippery with snow, slid Mr. Brown’s automobile.  Bunny and Sue’s father’s hands held tightly to the steering wheel, and he pressed his foot down hard on the brake pedal.

“Oh!  Oh!” cried the children.

“Sit still!  It will be all right!” exclaimed Mr. Brown.  “We won’t be hurt!”

And so well did he steer the automobile that in a few seconds more it was back in the middle of the road and going safely down the hill.  The dangerous gully was passed.  It had all happened so quickly that Bunny and Sue had had no chance to get really frightened.  But they were so sure their father could do everything all right that I hardly believe they would have worried even if the auto had started to roll over sideways.  Bunny would probably have thought it only a trick, and he and Sue were very fond of tricks.