A city couple on a road trip gets a flat tire on a remote country road. Luckily, they spot a small, old general store nearby. The husband walks in, looking for a new tire.
“Excuse me,” he says to the old man behind the counter, “do you have a spare tire for a sedan?”
The old man, with a long, gray beard and a slow drawl, squints at him. “Well, son, might have. What kind of sedan you got?”
The husband rattles off the make and model of his fancy car. The old man just blinks slowly.
“Hmm,” he says, “don’t reckon I got one of them. But I got a tire for a wagon. Real sturdy. Might fit if you use enough rope.”
The husband sighs. “No, thanks. Do you at least have a phone I can use to call a tow truck?”
The old man points to an old rotary phone on the wall. “Sure. That one works. If you know how to dial it.”
The husband tries the phone, but it’s dead. “Great,” he mutters. “No phone, no tire. What am I going to do?”
The old man slowly walks out from behind the counter. “Tell you what,” he says, “I got a dog out back. Real smart fella. He can bark out Morse code. Tell him your troubles, he’ll bark it out to the nearest tow truck.”
The husband stares at him, bewildered. “Your dog knows Morse code?”
The old man nods. “Yep. He’s a genius. Just don’t ask him to bark ‘SOS’ too many times. He gets tired.”
The husband looks at his wife, who is waiting by the car, then back at the old man. “You know what?” he says. “I think I’ll just walk.”
The old man grins. “Smart choice. It’s only about twenty miles to the next town. You’ll be there by sundown. If you don’t mind the crickets.”