[Illustration: Indeed there were all kinds of goodies in those boxes. (See Page 207)]

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SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY

ByRAMY ALLISON WHITE

Illustrated ByCHARLES L. WRENN

BARSE & HOPKINSPublishersNew York, N. Y. --Newark, N. J. 

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Copyright, 1920ByBarse & Hopkins

Sunny Boy in the Country

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE I The Mended Drum 9 II Spreading The News 22 III Packing The Trunk 35 IV Off For Brookside 49 V On The Train 61 VI Brookside 73 VII Adventures Begin 86 VIII A Letter From Daddy 98 IX Sunny Boy Forgets 110 X Going Fishing 124 XI The Hay Slide 136 XII Apple Pies 152 XIII More Mischief 169 XIV Another Hunt 185 XV Sunny's Good Luck 201

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ILLUSTRATIONS

 PAGE

Indeed there were all kinds of goodies in those boxes. Frontispiece

And tucked the clock away down deep in one of the cornerholes Aunt Bessie had left in the trunk. 45

He lifted one of the baby rabbits and placed it inSunny's hands. 109

With a crash a frightened little boy fell into theflour barrel. 163

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SUNNY BOYIN THE COUNTRY

CHAPTER I

THE MENDED DRUM

"Rub-a-dub, dub! Bang! Rub-a-dub-dub--Bang! Bang!" Sunny Boy thumped hisdrum vigorously. 

Usually when he made such a racket some one would come out and ask himwhat in the world was he making a noise like that for, but this morningevery one seemed to be very busy. For several minutes now Sunny Boy hadbeen trying to attract Harriet's attention. She was doing something tothe front door. 

"I spect she needs me, " said Sunny Boy to himself. 

There were any number of interesting things going on around the frontdoor this morning, but he was chiefly interested in Harriet, because as arule he had to help her Saturday mornings by going with her to thegrocery store at the corner. He liked to stand in her clean, comfortablekitchen and drum for her until she was ready to start. 

This particular morning Harriet's mind seemed to be far away from music. She was rubbing briskly as Sunny Boy watched her, polishing--that was it:she was shining the brass numbers on the door--266. Sunny Boy knew them, and how careful Harriet was to keep them always bright. 

"Just think, " she would say, as they might be coming up the steps;"suppose the postman had a letter for 266 Glenn Avenue, and the numberswere so dull and streaked he couldn't read them! Think how we'd feel ifthat should happen to us!"

Sunny Boy was sure such a thing could never happen, not with Harrietrubbing away at the numbers morning after morning. 

From his post at the head of the stairs he could see a man on astep-ladder, working and whistling. He was hammering in nails over thedoor. Dimly Sunny Boy made out another pair of doors standing in thehall. 

"Goodness, Sunny Boy, I nearly fell over you!" Aunt Bessie kissed him onthe back of his neck before he could turn round. That was a trick AuntBessie had, and Sunny Boy was used to it. "Are you watching them put upthe screens and awnings?"

"Are they?" asked Sunny interestedly. "Could I hold the awning? Maybe theman would like my tool-chest--it's all there but the hammer. I lost thatin the park. Can I help, Auntie?"

Aunt Bessie was going downtown, and she was in a hurry. "If you don't getin the way, I daresay they'll be glad to have you, " she said kindly, andbrushed by him, on down the stairs. She stopped to speak to some one inthe parlor, and then Sunny Boy saw her go out and down the steps. 

Sunny Boy sat down on the top stair and took his drum in his lap. Presently he would go down and help the awning man, but it was verypleasant where he was. The softest little May breeze came wanderingthrough the open door up to him, and the canary in the dining room wassinging his cheerful loudest. Sunny Boy leaned his curly head against thebannister to listen. 

His real name, of course, was not Sunny Boy--oh, no, he was named for hisgrandpa, and when the postman brought him an invitation to a birthdayparty you might see it written out--Arthur Bradford Horton. 

But birthday parties happen only once in a while, and Daddy and Mothercalled him Sunny Boy because he was nearly always cheerful. As Motherexplained, you can't depend on a party happening to cheer you up, so toknow a little boy who is sure to smile every day--well, that is worthwhile. And often Sunny forgot that he had any other name. 

Bump--bang--bumpty, bang! Down the stairs suddenly rolled the drum, making a fearful racket on the steps as it bounded from side to side. Down the stairs it rolled, across the narrow strip of hall, past Harriet, now on her knees scrubbing the green and white tiles, under the ladder ofthe awning man, down the steps, and right out into the street! After itscrambled Sunny Boy, as fast as his tan sandals would take him. He wasjust in time to see his drum roll to the middle of the street and stop inthe center of the heavy traffic. A big furniture van, drawn by threehorses, was headed right for it. 

"It'll be smashed! Oh, oh!" Sunny Boy wailed, hopping up and down on thecurb, but remembering even in his excitement that he had promised not togo off the pavement when alone. "They'll ride right over my drum!"

"I guess not!" cried a tall man, and darted out from behind Sunny. Herushed to where the drum lay and snatched it up, almost from under thehorses' feet. 

The colored man driving the furniture van grinned. 

"Most busted dat drum for sure!" he shouted. "If this off horse, Billy, ever put his foot through it, good-by drum!"

"And there you are!" The tall man gave Sunny Boy back his drum with aflourish. "Just as good as new, except for a little hole that I'm willingto bet a cookie your mother can mend for you. Isn't she waving for you tocome in? I thought so. You run along now, and see if she doesn't mendit. "

Mother was on the front steps watching for him. Sunny thanked the tallman, who said that it was nothing, nothing at all: he'd never rescued adrum before, but he was glad to have the experience, and that thingsalways turned out well for small boys who stayed on the sidewalks anddidn't dash out into the streets to get run over. Then Sunny climbed upthe steps and held out his drum for Mother to see. 

"The man said you could mend it, " he said wistfully. "Can you, Mother?'Cause when things break, I miss 'em. "

Mrs. Horton managed to hug her son, drum and all, though there reallywasn't much space where they stood. She was under the awning man'sladder, and he was shaking and moving the large awning about. Inside thedoor stood Harriet and her brush and bucket. 

"So, 'twas the drum!" smiled Harriet. "I couldn't see what it was wentrolling by me like lightning, and Sunny Boy tearing after it. All I heardwas a noise like thunder. "

"We'll go up to my room and mend the drum, " declared Mrs. Horton. "TellMr. Bray I'll telephone him about the slip-covers, please, Harriet. Ileft him in the parlor when I ran out to see what was happening to SunnyBoy. "

"What, " demanded Sunny Boy, carrying his drum upstairs--and you may besure that he gripped it tightly this time--"What are slip-covers, Mother?"

Mrs. Horton laughed. 

"Why, slip-covers are--" She thought a minute. "They are covers for thechairs and sofas to wear in summer, " she explained. "Nice, cool, linencovers, you know, for the furniture, just as you have summer suits. "

Sunny Boy understood. He usually did when Mother answered his questions. And he was very sure that she could mend his drum. 

"Do you know, " said Mrs. Horton, when she had looked at the hole, "Ithink, Sunny Boy, we can mend this nicely with court-plaster?"

"Court-plaster?" echoed Sunny Boy. 

"I have some in the medicine closet in the bathroom, " went on Mrs. Horton, drawing the edges of the hole together as she talked. "I'll getit, dear. "

"It's like mending fingers, isn't it, Mother?" Sunny Boy was so anxiousto watch how Mother mended the drum that he nearly put his own pink nosein the hole. "When Daddy cut his finger he put court-plaster on it. Hesaid the skin would grow together, and it did--when he took it off, therewasn't any cut there. Just nothing. Will my drum be like that?"

"No, precious, " answered Mother, snipping around the edges of thecourt-plaster with the fascinating sharp shears Sunny Boy was forbiddento touch. "A drum, you know, isn't like a person's skin. It can't grow. But I think that if you remember to be careful the drum will last a longtime. There you are. My goodness! it makes as much noise as ever, doesn'tit?" and Mrs. Horton covered her ears and laughed as Sunny Boy beatmerrily on his mended drum. 

"Letters!" he cried a minute later as a shrill whistle sounded. "I'll get'em for you, Mother, " and downstairs again he tumbled. Only he left thedrum safely on Mother's bed. 

"Two--three--ever so many, " he announced proudly when he came back. "Arethere any for me, Mother?"

Like some other little folk, Sunny Boy was always expecting letters, though he almost never wrote any. But he meant to write a great many assoon as he learned to write with ink, and he was even now learning toprint nicely. 

"None for you, " answered Mrs. Horton, glancing at the envelopes. "However, here is one with something in it for you, I suspect. GrandpaHorton has written to us. "

As Mother opened this letter, a little note fell out. That was fromGrandpa Horton to Sunny Boy. He liked to put a little letter inside hislarge one, just for his grandson. Sunny waited quietly while Mother readher letter. When she had read it through, she folded it and put it backin the envelope. 

"Sunny Boy, " she said, and her voice made him think of the "laughingpiece" she sometimes played for him on the piano. He looked at her andher eyes were dancing. "Sunny Boy, " she said again, "what do you think?We're going to visit Grandpa Horton on his farm--going to make him a nicelong visit and see the real country. "

"Oh, goody!" cried Sunny Boy. "Is Daddy going?"

"He'll come to see us, " promised Mother. "Let me read you what Grandpahas written you, dear. "

Grandpa Horton's note to Sunny told him he was depending on him to helphim with the early haying. 

"Wasn't it lucky Harriet rubbed the numbers on the front door thismorning?" chuckled Sunny Boy. "S'posing we didn't get this letter?Where's Brookside, Mother?"

Brookside was the name of Grandpa's farm. Mrs. Horton explained that itwas many miles away from the city, and that it would take them nearly aday on the train to get there. 

"And if Daddy cannot go with us, you'll have to take care of me, " shesaid seriously. 

"All right, I will, " promised Sunny Boy. "I'll have to go and tellHarriet an' show her my letter. I'll tell the awning man, too. I wasgoing to help him, but I don't feel helping, somehow. I feel wiggled up, you know, Mother. "

"You're excited, " said Mrs. Horton. "Well, we don't go for two weeks, dear, so you'll have plenty of time to talk about it. I must write toGrandpa as soon as Daddy comes home. "

Dashing out of the room went Sunny Boy, crying the good news at the topof his lungs--"We're going to the country! We're going to my Grandpa'sfarm! Hurrah!"

CHAPTER II

SPREADING THE NEWS

"So you're going off to the country?" said Daddy, as he came whistlingdown to the dining room, where Mother and Sunny Boy were waiting for him. "Well, I see that I'll have to come up and teach you how to catch a brooktrout. "

"Did Mother tell you?" asked Sunny Boy, as Daddy swung him into his chairand Harriet brought in the soup to Mrs. Horton. "When did you find out, Daddy? I was watching for you so's I could tell. "

"I didn't see any little chap in the hall, so I went right upstairs andfound Mother. She said you were going to Brookside, and that the awningswere up, and the screens in, and she hoped to go downtown to-morrow andbuy your best shoes, " and Daddy looked at Mother and laughed. 

"Daddy is teasing me, " smiled Mrs. Horton. "We have to tell him our newsall in one breath because we see so little of him, don't we, Sunny Boy? Ido hope, Harry, that you'll be able to come up this summer and spend areal vacation at your father's. "

Mr. Horton was making a little well in the mashed potato on Sunny'splate, and flooding it with the rich brown gravy. That was the way _his_father had fixed his mashed potato for him when he was a little boy, andSunny Boy liked his that way, too. 

"Oh, I'll come up, " promised Mr. Horton, passing the potato to Sunny Boy. "I'll have to come and show you both where I had my garden and teachSunny how to fool the wise fish. "

Sunny Boy put down his fork. He had to wait a minute because his mouthwas full and Mother had her own opinion of a little boy who spoke withoutchewing his food properly and swallowing it. Having swallowed his potato, Sunny Boy was ready to speak. 

"Oh, Daddy!" he began eagerly, "were you ever at Brookside? Where wasyour garden? Could I drive horses?"

Then Daddy and Mother said the same thing together, both at once, just asif they were thinking the same thing, as they probably were:

"Why, Sunny Boy!" said Daddy and Mother. 

"You can't have forgotten, " urged Mrs. Horton, then. "Brookside, youknow, dear, is where Daddy lived when he was a little boy. When he wasjust as old as you are now he used to play there were Indians in thewoods. I've told you ever so many times, and now you are going to see theplace yourself where Daddy was a little lad like you. "

"Oh!" said Sunny Boy again. 

All during the rest of the dinner he was very busy, thinking. He hadforgotten that Daddy had lived at Brookside, or, to be more exact, he hadnot understood that Grandpa's farm was the same farm on which Daddy hadbeen a little boy. Sunny Boy was only five years old, and he had alreadymoved three times. One lived a long time on a farm it seemed. 

Soon after dinner came bed for Sunny Boy, and he dreamed that he hadfallen head-first into his drum and that it was very hot and dark inside. He was kicking madly to get out, when Mother came in and found him allwrapped up in the bed-clothes with his head buried in the pillows. Whenshe drew down the covers he woke up, and after she had tucked him insmoothly again and brought him a drink of cool water, he went to sleep. And the next thing that happened was the morning. 

After breakfast, Sunny Boy went out into the back yard to play. It wasn'ta very large back yard, but it was pretty. There were ferns along oneside, and gay spring flowers on the other. At one end were Sunny Boy'sswing and sand-box, and the center was in thick, green grass. Mondays thegrass belonged to Harriet, who used it to walk on when she hung out theclean clothes, but other days Sunny had the whole yard pretty much tohimself. 

There was a little gate cut in the fence on one side of the yard. DaddyHorton had made the gate for Sunny Boy and Nelson and Ruth. Nelson andRuth were a little boy and girl who lived next door, at least Ruth was alittle girl--she was only four years old--but Nelson was seven and wentto school. Their last name was Baker, and they and Sunny Boy had verygood times playing together. 

As soon as Sunny Boy came out into his yard this morning, the little gateopened, and in came Ruth, dragging Paulina, her largest doll, by onearm. 

"Don't be cross, " begged Sunny Boy. "I want to tell you something. "

"I'm not cross, " said Ruth with dignity. "What made you think I was goingto be?"

"'Cause you're dragging Paulina and you always treat her like that whenyou're cross, " answered Sunny more frankly than tactfully. "Listen, Ruth--we're going to the country to see Grandpa Horton, and I'm going todrive horses and go fishing, an' help hay, and oh, everything!"

Ruth was interested. 

"Can I go fishing?" she wanted to know. 

Sunny Boy was troubled. Evidently Ruth thought she was going to thecountry, too, and it surely wouldn't be very kind to tell her plainlythat Grandpa Horton hadn't invited her. To his relief Mrs. Baker calledRuth just then and she went into her own yard, still dragging theunfortunate Paulina by one arm. 

"Sunny Boy, " called his own mother from an upstairs window, "Harriet isgoing to the store for me--wouldn't you like to go with her?"

Sunny Boy liked to go with Harriet, and he hurried indoors to get his hatand roller skates. Now Sunny Boy was just learning to skate, and if hedidn't have Harriet to hold on to he never could be quite sure what wasgoing to happen to him. He could go much faster on his own two feet, but, as he explained to Harriet, it was most important that he should learnhow to skate because when he could skate well he would be able to go tothe store much more quickly than he could walk. And Harriet said yes, sheunderstood, and that everybody had to learn how to skate before theycould become really expert. 

"Did you ever live on a farm, Harriet?" asked Sunny Boy, as they startedfor the store. His mind was full of the coming visit. 

"No, " admitted Harriet. "I never lived on a farm. But I've often visitedpeople who did. You'll like it. There'll be brooks to wade in, and littlecalves and lambs to play with, and chickens and ducks. And you can playoutdoors all day long. "

"When it rains?" asked Sunny Boy. 

"When it rains there'll be the barn and the haymow, " answered Harriet. "And now here's Mr. Gray's. You'd better wait out here for me and not tryto clatter in with those skates. "

Sunny Boy saw a basket of apples in the window. 

"Will you bring me an apple, Harriet?" he teased. "Mother won't mind. Apples don't hurt you. "

Harriet was half way through the door, but she turned. 

"It's too early for good apples yet, " she said. "You wait till you get toBrookside, Sunny. You'll have more apples then than you can possiblyeat. "

"Millions and dozens?" called Sunny Boy after Harriet. 

"Yes, 'millions and dozens, '" she echoed, laughing, and closed thegrocery store door. 

The grocer's boy was coming down the steps, and he laughed, too. 

"Millions and dozens of what?" he demanded, stopping before Sunny Boy. 

"Apples, at my grandpa's farm. "

The grocer boy had a basket on his arm and he wore a white coat. Helooked very clean and cheerful. Sunny Boy had a sudden idea. 

"If you're going up to our house, could I hang on back of your wheel?" hesaid. "I can skate pretty well if I have some one to steer with. "

"I don't think Harriet would like it, " was the grocer boy's reply. Heknew Sunny Boy and Harriet because he often came to their house to bringgood things to eat. "I'll tell you, Sunny Boy--you wait till you comeback from this visit, and then I'll take you. Or perhaps after you'veeaten the millions and dozens of apples you won't have to hang on to anyone--you'll be big and strong and able to skate by yourself. "

Sunny Boy watched him ride merrily off on his bicycle. Still Harrietdidn't come. Sunny suspected there must be a good many people waiting inthe store. He might skate down to the corner and back before she hadbought all the things on Mother's list. 

It was all very well for the first few yards, because there was aconvenient iron railing to cling to, and Sunny Boy found himself skatingvery easily. But the iron railing ended in a stone stoop, and after thatthere seemed to be nothing but miles and miles of pavement without even afriendly tree to cling to. Sunny Boy's feet began to behave queerly. Onewent much faster than the other and in an entirely different direction, and he had an idea he'd have to wear those skates the rest of his lifebecause he didn't see how he was ever going to stop to take them off. 

Suddenly he found himself headed for an area-way and a flight of stonesteps. He clutched desperately at the cellar window, shot past, and downthe steps--bing! into a huge basket of clothes a fat colored woman wasbringing up. She was as wide as the basket and the basket took up aboutall the area-way. 

"Land sakes, chile!" she said, as Sunny Boy landed on top of her basket. "Where you goin'?"

"Skating, " said Sunny Boy concisely, glad to find that he wasn't hurt. 

The colored woman laughed, a deep, rich, happy laugh. 

"You doan seem to be jest sure, " she told him. "Stay where you is an'I'll carry you on up. "

She did, too, and started him on his uncertain way down the street. In afew minutes his feet began to act strangely again, this time sending himin the general direction of the gutter. 

"I spect I'd better go back, " said Sunny Boy to himself. But he couldn'tturn around. 

Then up the street came a familiar gray-uniformed figure. It was thepostman, the same merry, kind postman who brought letters to Sunny Boy'shouse and for whom Harriet was careful to have the number on the frontdoor bright and shining. 

"Stop me!" cried Sunny Boy, wobbling more wildly. 

"Right--O!" agreed the postman, and proceeded to stop him by lettingSunny Boy skate right into him and his mail bag. 

"And that's all right, " said the cheerful postman, blowing his whistleand slipping some letters into a mail-box in a doorway as if nothing hadhappened. "Don't you want to skate back with me?"

Sunny Boy, seated on a handy doorstep, was unbuckling the skate straps. He looked up and smiled. 

"Thank you very much, but Harriet's waiting for me, " he answeredpolitely. "An' I have to carry my skates, 'cause she won't let me holdthe eggs 'less I walk. "

CHAPTER III

PACKING THE TRUNK

Aunt Bessie sat on the floor of Mother's room, with pencil and paper inher lap. She was Mrs. Horton's sister, and though she did not live withthem, Sunny Boy and Mother saw her nearly every day. 

"I wonder if you will need that extra coat?" Aunt Bessie was saying, asSunny Boy came into the room. 

For the two weeks were nearly gone and it was time to get ready to go tosee Grandpa Horton. Early that morning Daddy had brought down the bigtrunk from the storeroom, and ever since breakfast Mother and Aunt Bessiehad been busy packing clothes into it. Aunt Bessie kept a list of thethings they put in so that Mother would be able to tell when the trunkwas full whether she had left out anything she needed. 

"I'll go and get my things, " announced Sunny Boy, and Aunt Bessie blewhim a kiss and went on with her work. 

Upstairs Sunny Boy looked a long time at his toys before he could decidewhat to do about them. He couldn't leave his kiddie-car, that wascertain. And there was the woolly black dog he took to bed with him atnight, and a Teddy Bear that he was almost too old to play with, but notquite, and the wooden blocks. Then he would be sure to need hisfire-engine and the roller skates. He must take all those with him. Hemade three trips down to Mother's door with the toys, and then, goingdown for the third time, he remembered the wind-mill out in the sand-boxand ran out after that and brought it in. 

"Bless the child, what is all this?" cried Aunt Bessie, as he came intoMother's room, bringing as many of the treasures as he could carry at onetime. 

"I'm helping, " explained Sunny Boy. "There's more out in the hall. "

He put down his load and ran out to bring in the rest. 

"But, precious, " said Mrs. Horton, looking from the kiddie-car to herlittle son, "we can't take all these things with us. Why, Mother wouldn'thave a place to put your socks and blouses, to say nothing of the cunningbathing-suit we bought yesterday. "

"You won't need them, you know, " urged Aunt Bessie. "You'll be so busyplaying with the new things you'll find up at Grandpa Horton's thatyou'll probably never remember the toys at home. Then when you come backthey will seem like new ones. "

Sunny Boy was disappointed. His kiddie-car was the hardest to give up. The woolly dog, too, was very dear to him. Mrs. Horton understood, andshe sat down in her low rocking chair and took her little boy on herlap. 

"The kiddie-car wouldn't be any fun in the country, " she said. "There areno stone pavements, you see, dear, and it wouldn't run on the grass. Asfor the woolly dog, why you will have a real dog to play with--a colliedog that will run after sticks and bring them to you and take walks withyou. That will be fun, won't it?"

Sunny Boy slid to the floor and stood up. He was excited. 

"I am simply crazy to have a real dog, " he declared. 

Mrs. Horton stared at him, but Aunt Bessie, bending over the trunk, satdown on the edge and laughed. 

"Where in the world did you hear that, Sunny Boy?" asked Mother. "Whotalks like that?"

Aunt Bessie swooped down upon her nephew. 

"I do, " she told her sister. "But I'll have to be more careful whenlittle pitchers with big ears are about. Why don't you copy the nicethings I say, Sunny?"

"Isn't that nice?" puzzled Sunny. "Shouldn't I say it? Why not, Mother?"

"It isn't wrong, dear, " Mrs. Horton assured him. "Aunt Bessie only meansthat speaking that way is rather a bad habit to get into. We call itexaggeration. Let me see, how shall I make you understand? Well, if I say'I'm starving to death, ' when I mean that I am hungrier than usual fordinner, that's exaggeration. I couldn't be starving, unless I had hadnothing to eat for several days. "

"And though some people think I'm crazy, I'm really not, " concluded AuntBessie gayly. "You think I'm rather nice, don't you, Sunny? And now Iwonder if there's a young man about who would be kind enough to take thisskirt down to Harriet and ask her to please press the hem?"

"I will, " offered Sunny Boy. "And then I'll come back and put my thingsaway. "

"While you are down in the kitchen, I wish you'd ask Harriet if the ovenis ready for me to make some biscuits for lunch, " said Mrs. Horton. "Andtell her I said you might have a glass of milk and one of the spongecakes without any pink icing. "

Harriet pressed the skirt while Sunny Boy sat at one end of the ironingboard and watched her and ate his sponge cake--which was almost as goodas the kind with pink icing which were only for dessert--and drank hismilk. Then Harriet gave him the skirt to carry back to Aunt Bessie and heremembered to ask about the oven. Harriet said to tell Mother that it wasjust right for baking biscuits. 

"That means I must go down right away, " said Mrs. Horton, when Sunny Boytold her. "We've about finished anyway, haven't we, Bessie? The man is tocome at three this afternoon for the trunk. "

"I've left a few chinks and corners, in case you want to tuck in somelittle trifles at the last minute, " replied Aunt Bessie, "but otherwiseit's ready to be strapped and locked. "

"Let me lock it, " said Sunny Boy eagerly. "I can stand on the top, too. Idid for Cousin Lola when hers wouldn't shut. "

Mrs. Horton was tying on a nice clean white apron. 

"Thank you, dearest, " she said. "Mother isn't quite ready to have thetrunk locked. If we've packed it so full it won't close, why of courseI'll call on you to stand on the top and make it shut. "

Sunny Boy hoped the trunk wouldn't close, for he wanted to dance on thetop. Then Mrs. Horton went down to Harriet's kitchen to make puffy whitebiscuits for lunch and Aunt Bessie went off to give a music lesson. 

Sunny Boy, left to put away his toys, explained matters to the woolly dogas he carried him upstairs. 

"There will be a real dog for me to play with at Grandpa's, " he said. "And little calves and lambs--Harriet said so. Maybe you might get brokenin the trunk, anyway. But I won't like the real dog one bit more than Ido you, and when we come back you can sleep with me every single night. "

The woolly dog seemed to think this was all right, and he took it socheerfully that Sunny Boy felt better immediately. 

Mr. Horton came home to lunch, which was unusual, and after lunch he andMrs. Horton had to go downtown to see about the tickets and the parlorcar seats for the trip the next day. Sunny Boy was to take his nap and bewide awake again by three o'clock, when the man was coming to take theirtrunk to the station. 

Sunny Boy did not see how they were to find the trunk again if they oncelet it go, for surely no trunk could go all alone to Brookside. Heresolved to ask Daddy. While he was wondering if there would be a pianoin the parlor car--and he rather hoped there would and that he might beallowed to play on it--Sunny Boy fell asleep. Harriet, coming upstairswith a pile of clean clothes, woke him. 

"Is it three o'clock?" he asked, afraid that he had missed the trunkman. 

"Only half-past two, " answered Harriet. "Your mother will be back anyminute now to lock the trunk. You can dress yourself, can't you? I'veanother tablecloth to iron yet. "

Sunny Boy could dress himself, of course. Wandering into Mother's room toborrow her hairbrush, he saw the little nickel alarm clock on the table. Mother must have meant to pack that, and in her hurry had forgotten. Sunny Boy remembered that Daddy had told him all country folk "rose withthe chickens, " and upon inquiry he had learned that the chickens rosevery early indeed--almost as soon as the sun. Sunny Boy thought it wouldbe dreadful if he and Mother should oversleep their first morning at thefarm and come downstairs to find the chickens up and the farmer peoplelaughing at them. Yes, the alarm clock certainly must go. 

He had not a very clear idea of how one went about it to set an alarmclock, but Daddy, he remembered, always wound the little pegs in theback. So Sunny Boy trustingly wound all the pegs he saw, as tight as theywould turn, and tucked the clock away down deep in one of the cornerholes Aunt Bessie had left in the trunk. 

[Illustration: And tucked the clock away down deep in one of the cornerholes Aunt Bessie had left in the trunk. ]

He had hardly packed it in when Mother came running breathlessly up thestairs crying that the express wagon was at the door. Hurriedly she putdown the trunk lid, locked it, and tied on the tag that Daddy had writtenfor her. 

"That tells the train folks what to do with it, " explained the trunk manto Sunny, swinging the heavy trunk to his shoulder as though it weighedno more than the kiddie-car and trotting downstairs with it. 

Sunny Boy watched him put it in the wagon and drive away. 

"Now we're almost ready, " said Mrs. Horton smilingly. "We have to packour bag and go to bed early, and then, in the morning, we really will beon our way to Grandpa Horton's. "

"But there's the canary, " Sunny Boy reminded her hesitatingly. "Can Icarry him?"

"The train would frighten him so he might never sing any more, " said Mrs. Horton. "No, Aunt Bessie is going to keep him for us till we come back. "

"Well, let's go now, " urged Sunny. "Why can't we go this minute? Let's, Mother. "

"And have Daddy come home to dinner to-night and find us gone?" saidMother reproachfully. "Why, Sunny!"

"Well--then perhaps we'd better wait, " admitted Sunny Boy. "But one wholenight's an awful long time, isn't it?"

CHAPTER IV

OFF FOR BROOKSIDE

Perhaps the most fun of going on a journey is the fun of starting. 

Sunny Boy began to get excited the moment he opened his eyes the nextmorning, and if he had had his way, they wouldn't have bothered with suchan every-day affair as breakfast. One could eat breakfast any morning, but a trip on the train to one's grandfather's farm was much moreimportant. 

However, Daddy explained that all experienced travelers ate a goodbreakfast before they set out, and as Sunny Boy wanted above all thingsto do as real travelers did, he consented to sit down and be interestedfor a few moments in his blue oatmeal bowl and its contents. 

"You look so nice, Mother, " he told Mrs. Horton suddenly. 

"So do you, " she assured him, smiling. "I think it must be because we areboth wearing our new blue serge suits. "

"Remember, you're going to take care of my girl, " warned Daddy. "Don'tlet her get too tired, and try to make her comfortable, and don't let anyone or anything bother her. "

Sunny Boy gravely promised to look after Mother. He felt very proud thatDaddy trusted him to take care of her on their first long journeytogether, and he resolved to wait on her all he could and to save herevery possible step. 

Harriet, who was not going with them, but who was going to help AuntBessie keep house until they came back, was bustling about, pulling downshades and closing and locking doors. The canary had gone, and Sunny Boyhad a funny feeling that their house was going on a journey, too. In histrotting around after Harriet, while Mother was telephoning a lastgood-by to some friend, he found a square white box on the parlor table, neatly tied with red string--one of that mysterious kind that makes yourfingers fairly itch to untie the string and look inside. Sunny Boy wentin search of Mother. 

"Could I open it?" he asked coaxingly. "I'll tie it right up again, Mother. Maybe you have forgotten what is in it. "

"'Deed I haven't!" laughed Mrs. Horton. "Give it to me, dear. It's asurprise for you--we'll open it on the train. "

Sunny Boy obediently handed her the package, and in a few minutes he hadforgotten all about it. 

At last the house was ready to leave, and Harriet kissed him and saidgood-by. Sunny Boy watched her down the street until she turned thecorner. He had a little ache in his throat, but he was too big a boy tocry. 

"Precious, " said Mother who knew perhaps how he was feeling, "I'm afraidI've left my little coin purse on my bureau. Would you mind going up andgetting it for me?"

The house upstairs was very still and hot. Sunny Boy tiptoed softly as hehurried into Mother's room. There on the bureau lay the little silverpurse and a clean handkerchief that smelled like a bunch of violets. 

"You left your hanky, Mother, " he cried, running downstairs. "And yousaid folks should never, never, begin to go anywhere without a cleanhanky, you know. "

Mr. Horton, standing on the front step, opened the screen door and put inhis head. 

"Taxi's coming!" he announced. "Ready, Olive? I have the bag right here. Come, son. "

Sunny Boy was thrilled at the thought of riding in that orange dragon ofan automobile. Mother and Daddy had friends who often took them motoringpleasant afternoons, and sometimes Sunny Boy went with them. But everyone knows that is different from having a gay colored car roll up to yourfront door and wait especially for you. 

The young man who drove the car opened the door with a flourish andhelped Mrs. Horton in. Then he turned to lift Sunny Boy, but that youngperson hung back. 

"I could ride with you--up front, " he suggested. 

"Oh, you might tumble out, going around the corner, " cried Mrs. Horton. 

Daddy, who had been locking the front door, came down to them, carryingthe black leather bag that was to go with Sunny Boy and Mother. 

"Do you know, " said Daddy slowly, "I think the bag will have to go in thefront seat, Sunny? I wouldn't like to put it down on Mother's pretty newpatent leather pumps. Sometime when we have no baggage you shall ridewith the chauffeur. "

So Sunny Boy climbed in and sat between Mother and Daddy, and thechauffeur just touched his wheel and they shot off up the street. Indeedthey started so suddenly that Sunny Boy went over backward and laughed sohard that he quite forgot to be disappointed because he could not sit onthe front seat. 

"What's in the bag, Mother?" he asked, as they rolled along through thestreets. 

"Hair-brushes and combs and towels and soap, and your tooth-brush andmine, and the tooth-paste, " answered Mrs. Horton. "And pajamas for youand a nightie for me, in case we can't get the trunk to-night. "

"But it is going on the train just like us, " urged Sunny Boy. "Daddy saidso. "

"But it will be nearly night before we reach Brookside, " explained Mrs. Horton, "and Grandpa will meet us with a horse and surrey most likely. Wewill have to leave the trunk at the station till some one can go and getit for us in the morning. I have a play suit in the bag for you, though, so trunk or no trunk, you can be real country boy. "

Presently the taxi rolled up under a stone arch, and Mr. Horton said theywere at the station. They all got out and went into a great space filledwith people. Porters were rushing about with suitcases and bags, crowdsof men and women were going in several directions at once, and a manrunning for his train nearly ran right over Sunny Boy. 

"I'll get the trunk checked and then give you the tickets, " Mr. Hortonsaid to his wife. "You sit down over there by the door where I can findyou, and I'll be back in five minutes. We have plenty of time. "

Sunny Boy and Mother sat down by the door and watched the people. Opposite them sat a short, fat woman with a baby in her arms and fivelittle children, two girls and three boys, in the seats nearest her. Theywere each sucking a lolly-pop and took turns giving the baby a taste. Although they were very sticky and not exactly tidy, they seemed to loveone another very much and to be having a very good time. 

"Where do you suppose they're going?" Sunny Boy asked. 

Mrs. Horton did not know. Perhaps, if they watched them, they might seethem take the train. 

Then Sunny Boy wanted to know where they kept the trains. He could hearthem, and nearly every minute a man with a big trumpet--which Mother saidwas a megaphone--would call out something, and from all over the stationpeople would come rushing to get on the train. But though Sunny Boywatched carefully, he could not see a single smokestack. 

"The trains are downstairs--you'll see when we go out, " said Mrs. Horton. "I wonder what can be keeping your father? He has been gone almostfifteen minutes. "

"Will there be a piano in the parlor car?" Sunny Boy wanted to knownext. 

Mrs. Horton laughed merrily. 

"A parlor car is like the rest of the cars in a train, except that theseats are more comfortable, " she explained. "Anyway, we have to go in anordinary coach, because Daddy and I couldn't get a single parlor car seatyesterday. They had all been taken. I don't see what can have happened toDaddy!"

Just then Mr. Horton came up to them. There was a baggage man with himand they both looked rather excited. 

"I guess you'll have to come over to the baggage room, Olive, " said Mr. Horton in a low voice, "and see what you can do about straightening outthis mess. They want to know what you've packed in the trunk. "

Sunny Boy clung tightly to Mother's hand while they walked over to a low, broad window on one side of the station wall. This opened into thebaggage room, and a perfect ocean of trunks was being tossed about inthere. The pink came into Mother's cheeks as she saw the crowd gatheredabout the window. 

"You see, Ma'am, " said the big, tall man at the window in a gruff voicethat was somehow kind and friendly, too, "it's like this--we figure outsomething blew up in that trunk of yours about ten o'clock last night, and naturally we want to know something about it. In fact, we can't checkthe trunk for you until we do. A dozen men heard it, and--"

"But I don't understand, " protested Mrs. Horton. "I packed nothing thatcould possibly blow up, as you say. My sister and I put everything inwith our own hands. I even have a list. I can show you that--" shefumbled in her velvet handbag with fingers that trembled. 

"Probably an infernal machine, " declared a shrill voice in the crowd thatwas now growing too large for comfort. "With the country in the unsettledstate it is now, you can look for anything. "

"What's a 'fernal 'chine?" asked Sunny Boy boldly. 

"Like a bomb--it goes off with a whang, " answered a freckle-faced boystanding near. He reminded Sunny of his friend, the grocery boy. 

The words, "Goes off with a whang, " reminded Sunny Boy of something, though. He looked up into the friendly blue eyes of the baggage-windowman. 

"Maybe--" began Sunny Boy, "Maybe, I guess it was the alarm clock Ipacked!" he finished bravely. 

"Well, I'll be hanged!" said the baggage-window man. His blue eyescrinkled. 

The crowd had heard, and a ripple of laughter ran through them. Assuddenly as they had gathered, they melted away. 

"Let me have your tickets, " said the baggage-window man. "I guess you canstill make the ten-forty-five. "

CHAPTER V

ON THE TRAIN

Well, though, as Mr. Horton expressed it, they "had to hustle, " they didmake the ten-forty-five. They went down in an elevator to board the trainand the ticket man at the gate would not let Mr. Horton through. 

Daddy hugged his little boy tight before he let him go, and Mother haddiamonds in her pretty brown eyes as she turned from saying good-by tohim. But when they looked back to wave to him, there was Daddy smilinggayly at them and waving his hat. 

"Have a fine time, " he called. "Take care of Mother, Sunny Boy. And lookfor me exactly three weeks from to-day. "

Sunny Boy and Mother found a seat after they had walked through a numberof cars that were filled, and, though it was rather dark, Sunny Boy couldmake out the people near them. 

"Look, Mother, " he whispered, "there's the woman with the baby and theother children we saw in the station. Isn't it funny they took ourtrain?"

Sure enough, there they were, a little further down the aisle on theother side of the car, lolly-pops and all. 

Mrs. Horton took off her hat and Sunny Boy's and put them in a largepaper bag she took from her bag. 

"That will keep them clean, " she said, "and we shall be cooler and morecomfortable without them. We may have to shut the window when we get outof the tunnel, but we need the air now. Now we're off! Hear the conductorcalling?"

"All a-bo-ard, " Sunny Boy heard some one crying. "All a-bo-ard!" and soonthe train began to move. 

Slowly they rumbled out of the dark gray of the train shed, past so manysnorting, sniffing black iron engines that Sunny Boy did not see why theydid not run into each other, past a crew of men working on the railroadtracks, past red and green lights, into a tunnel without a roof, butwalled high on either side with smooth concrete walls. Just as Sunny Boygrew tired of looking at this wall, it stopped, and the train was merrilyrushing along through open streets. Sunny Boy looked at Mother andsmiled. 

"Isn't it fun?" she said. 

For a long time Sunny Boy amused himself by watching the country throughwhich they were riding. They passed one or two little stations withoutstopping, and at the crossings Sunny Boy saw children waving to thetrain. He waved to them and hoped that they saw him. 

"Tickets!" The conductor had reached their car. 

Mrs. Horton took a ticket from her bag and gave it to her son. He held itout and the conductor punched it and passed on. 

"Do you want me to keep it?" he asked. 

"I'll put it in my purse so it can't be lost, " Mother answered. "But whenthe conductor asks for it again you may give it to him. He won't comeagain for ever so long. "

As Sunny Boy was watching an automobile racing with the train on a roadthat ran alongside the tracks, a white-aproned colored man came intotheir car. 

"First call for lunch!" he shouted. "First call for lunch!"

Sunny Boy felt suddenly hungry. Down the aisle the woman with all thechildren had opened a pasteboard box and they were having a picnic rightthere. Other people were eating sandwiches. 

"We'll go and get our lunch, " decided Mrs. Horton. "Be careful going downthe aisle, dear, and don't bump into people any more than you can help. "

They had to go through a parlor car to reach the dining car, and SunnyBoy saw for himself that there was no piano, nothing but chairs on eitherside of the aisle. A colored waiter helped him into his seat at a littletable in the dining car, and he thought it great fun to eat chicken brothwhile looking out of the window at the telegraph poles galloping by. Thepoles seemed to be moving instead of the train, but Sunny Boy knew thetrain really moved. 

"Will there be another call for lunch?" he asked, remembering what theman had shouted, as he ate his mashed potato and peas. 

"Oh yes, but we won't come, " said Mrs. Horton. "That will be for thepeople who weren't hungry when we were. "

A man at the table across from theirs picked up the menu card. 

"Now what on earth shall I order for dessert?" he frowned. "If the doctorwon't let me have meat, I suppose I have to eat something. "

"Chocolate ice-cream, " suggested Sunny Boy helpfully, feeling sorry forany one who did not know that it was the finest dessert in the world. 

The frown slid away from the man's face and he grinned cheerfully at thesmall boy. 

"Is that what you are going to have?" he demanded. "All right then, Iwill, too. "

And when it came, a neat little mountain of it, he and Sunny smiled againat each other before they buried their silver spoons in the beautifuldark iciness of it. 

Back in their seat in their car, Sunny was restless. To Mother'ssuggestion that he take a nap, he said that he didn't feel sleepy. Hewished he had something to do--he was tired of looking at trees andthings. 

"I hoped you would take a little nap, but I suppose there is too muchexcitement, " said Mrs. Horton. "Well, then, how would you like to see thesurprise now?"

"The surprise?" repeated Sunny Boy. "Oh, Mother--is that the box?"

For answer Mrs. Horton opened the leather bag and took out the box neatlywrapped in white paper that Sunny Boy had seen on the parlor table athome. She put it in his lap and then took up the magazine she wasreading. 

"Oh my!" said Sunny Boy, when he had pulled off string and paper andlifted the lid. 

Inside the box were six little packages, each wrapped in white paper andtied with pink string. It was like Christmas. Sunny Boy unwrapped themall, one after another, and underneath he found two long thin boxes, alsowrapped and tied. 

In the first package he found a box of colored crayons; in another, alittle pad of drawing paper; another held an envelope stamped andaddressed and a sheet of writing paper. In another was a lead pencil; thefifth was a cake of sweet chocolate, and the sixth package was a littlelump of modeling wax. The two long thin packages proved to be boxes ofanimal crackers. 

Sunny Boy was chiefly interested in the envelope, because he could notread the writing on it. 

"Who's it to, Mother?" he urged. "Your writing runs into letters so Ican't read it. "

Mrs. Horton explained that the envelope was addressed to Daddy, and thatshe thought she and Sunny Boy might write a little note to him and thathe would have it in the morning. 

"Is there a mail-box on the train?" asked Sunny, in surprise. 

"No, dear. But we will give it to the conductor and he will see that itis mailed at the next station where we stop. You print on one side of thesheet, and I will write a little message on the other. "

So, taking great pains and holding the pencil very tightly because themotion of the train made it wobble in his fingers, Sunny Boy printedthis:

 DEER DADDY: I LOV YOU. WE ARE HAVING A NICE TIME ON THE TRANE. I AM TAKING CARE OF MOTHER. YOUR LOVING SUN, SUNNY BOY. 

Then Mother wrote her note, and they folded it up and sealed the letterand Sunny gave it to the conductor when he next came through. 

After that he drew pictures and colored them with the crayons and nibbledat his chocolate and modeled dogs and cats and horses with the wax. Heopened the cracker boxes, too, and played Noah's ark with them. Thechildren down the aisle watched him and nudged each other. Their motherwould not let them out into the aisle, or very likely they would havecome closer to see what that boy was doing with so many nice things. 

"I'd like, Mother, " announced Sunny Boy suddenly, "to pass my crackers tothe little boy with the green tie--he looks like Nelson Baker. Would thatbe all right?"

"Why, of course, " agreed Mrs. Horton. "Ask their mother if she is willingfor them to have some, and give some to each child, dear. And don't staytoo long, because I shall miss you. "

Sunny Boy went down the aisle to the seats where the children were. Thelolly-pops had disappeared long ago, and so had the picnic sandwiches. They were all stickier than ever, were those children. The heavy baby wasasleep in his mother's lap, and she smiled when Sunny asked her if shewere willing he should pass his crackers. 

"Thank you, they'd like 'em first-rate, " she said, speaking low so as notto wake the baby. "Mamie, Ellen, Jamie, Fred, George--say thank you, anddon't grab. "

Sunny Boy stayed a little while, talking to them all, and they told himthey were going to another state far away. They would be all night on thetrain. Sunny Boy was a bit disappointed that he must get off atCloverways, the nearest station to Grandpa's farm, for he had neverstayed all night on a train in his life. He hurried back to Mother totell her of the fortunate family who were to spend the night on thetrain. 

"That poor woman!" Mother, to his astonishment, exclaimed. "She'll beworn out before she gets all those children safely somewhere. Think ofsitting up all night with that fretful baby! I'll tell you, Sunny Boy--weget off in about half an hour now; wouldn't you like to leave yoursurprise package to amuse those children who are going farther than weare? I'll help you tie them up again, and I have two more cakes ofchocolate in the bag. You are so careful with your things they are nothurt at all, and it will keep them busy for an hour or two, playing withthem. "

Sunny Boy thought this a fine plan, and he hardly had all the packagestied up and in the box again when Mrs. Horton pinned on her hat and gavehim his, saying that the next station was theirs. She went down the aislewith him and they gave the surprise box to the five youngsters who weredelighted to have something new to look at. And then the train stopped, and the brakeman lifted Sunny Boy down, and he found an old gentleman waskissing Mother. 

CHAPTER VI

BROOKSIDE

Sunny Boy found himself looking into two dark eyes so much like Daddy'sthat he almost jumped. But the rest of the old gentleman was not likeDaddy--no indeed. He was short and round instead of tall, and he had thecurliest white hair and beard Sunny Boy had ever seen. Sunny Boy knewthis must be Grandpa Horton, and when he was lifted up in a pair ofstrong arms and given a tremendous hug before being gently set down, hedecided that he loved him very much. 

"Grandma couldn't come, " explained Grandpa, leading the way to anold-fashioned carriage and pair of horses drawn up at the other end ofthe station. "There's only Araminta to help her with the supper, andGrandma's heart was set on having the biscuits just right. In you go, Olive. Wait a minute, though, what about your trunk?"

"I have the check, Father, " Mrs. Horton answered. "I thought Jimmie wouldbe coming down in the morning to the creamery. He can get it then. "

"An' Mother brought her nightie in the bag an' my pajamas, " contributedSunny Boy, waiting while Mother and the bag were stowed away on the backseat. 

"Want to ride up with me and help drive?" said Grandpa, turning to himsuddenly. 

Poor Sunny Boy was sorely tempted, but he decided quickly. 

"I have to take care of Mother, " he said. "She might be lonesome allalone in the back. "

"No, indeed, " cried Mother instantly. "You ride up there with Grandpa, precious. You were so good not to tease about the taxi. I'll lean overthe seat and talk to you both. "

So Sunny Boy and Grandpa got into the front seat, and Sunny learned thatthe horses' names were Paul and Peter, and that they were not afraid ofautomobiles, and that he could drive them whenever some older person waswith him. Paul and Peter trotted briskly along, and Grandpa said theyknew they were going home to supper. 

They drove through the town, and Sunny Boy thought it looked very cool, and clean, and pretty, after the warm and dusty train. The grass wasbright green, and, as Sunny Boy wrote Harriet, "millions and dozens" ofrobins were singing among the trees. A great red sun was going to bedback of a high dark hill, and Sunny Boy, sitting beside Grandpa andholding the reins while Paul and Peter trotted steadily, thought that thecountry was the nicest place he had ever been in. 

Then, where the road divided, Grandpa took the reins and turned the teamto the left. They entered a lane with white-washed fences on either sideand tall waving trees like soldiers, which Mrs. Horton said were elms. 

"Now, Sunny Boy, " she told him softly, "here's Brookside. "

Sunny Boy saw an old red brick house with a great white porch across thefront and a green lawn all about it. A white picket fence went all aroundthe lawn, and as Grandpa stopped the horses before the gate, three peoplecame out. There was a tall, thin young man who went to the horses' heads, a little girl with flaming red hair who looked about fourteen years old, and a tall, thin old lady with hair as white and curly as Grandpa's, whocame out to the carriage and took Mother and Sunny Boy both in her armsat once. 

"You're Grandma, " said Sunny Boy. 

It was Grandma Horton, and she remembered Sunny Boy without a bit oftrouble; though, as he had been only two weeks old the last time she hadseen him, he could not be expected to remember her. 

"And this is Araminta, " said Grandma, drawing the little red-haired girlforward. "She is my right hand in the house. You recall Jimmie, Olive?"

Jimmie was the young man holding the horses. He came and shook hands withMrs. Horton, blushing a little, and chucked Sunny under the chin. Then hetook the team away to the barn, and Mother and Sunny Boy and Grandpa andGrandma Horton and Araminta went in to supper. 

They had wonderful fresh foamy milk to drink, and hot biscuits and coldham for the grown-ups. Sunny Boy was not expected to eat those--not atnight. There were baked apples, too, and honey and cookies. Sunny, seatedbefore a bowl of bread and milk, held a cookie in his hand and wonderedwhat was the matter with the hanging lamp with the pretty red shade. Itswung up and down like a train lantern. 

"He's sleepy, " he heard some one say. It sounded like Araminta. 

He opened his eyes as wide as he could make them go, tried to takeanother bite of cookie and made one last desperate effort to smile. Thesmile ran into a yawn, and Sunny Boy gave up and tumbled, a tired littleball of weariness, into Mother's lap. 

He never knew who carried him upstairs, or when he was undressed. So, waking in the morning to find the sun shining in four windows at once, and Mother in her blue dressing gown brushing her hair, he was a bitsurprised. 

"Hello!" said Mother gayly. "How do you think you are going to like thecountry?"

"Are the chickens up?" asked Sunny Boy. 

"Hours ago. Mr. Rooster crowing under our window woke me up at fiveo'clock, " replied Mrs. Horton. "I heard Jimmie bring in the milk a fewminutes before you sat up. And if you want to ride into town with himafter the trunk--"

Sunny Boy jumped out of bed and fairly galloped with his dressing. Heinsisted on using the wash bowl and pitcher, though there was a nicewhite bathroom down the hall, because a wash bowl and pitcher were new tohim. Just as he had finished brushing his hair, Araminta rapped at thedoor to tell them breakfast was ready. 

In the dining room Sunny Boy met another member of the family. Lying on arug in the corner was a shaggy brown and white collie that rose as theycame in and, coming over to Mrs. Horton, laid a beautiful pointed nose inher lap. 

"We shut him in the barn last night, because we thought you'd be tootired to stand his barking, " said Grandma. "His name is Bruce, and he isvery gentle. Don't be afraid of him, Sunny Boy. "

The collie went back to his rug while they were at breakfast, but whenJimmie and Sunny Boy started for the door he got up to follow them. 

"Is he going, too?" asked Sunny Boy. 

"He never goes off the farm, " answered Jimmie. "He'll follow us to theend of the lane and then go back. Hop in lively, now, for we're late asit is. "

Jimmie had harnessed Peter to a wagon that had only one high seat. Inback of this were two cans of milk which Jimmie explained, in answer toSunny's questions, would be made into butter at the creamery inCloverways. 

"Is Araminta your sister?" Sunny Boy asked him as they jogged along. 

"No, she's the tenant farmer's daughter--the man who does the farming foryour Grandpa, you know. I work Spring and Summer for him and in Winter Igo to the agricultural school. That's where they teach you to be afarmer. "

After they left the milk at the creamery they drove down to the stationand got the trunk. Sunny Boy told Jimmie about the alarm clock, and helaughed. Then, after stopping at a yellow store with high white steps, where Jimmie bought some groceries for Grandma, they turned Peter's headtoward home. 

"What are you going to do first?" asked Jimmie, smiling down at his smallcompanion. 

"I don't know--what are you?"

"Oh, I have work to do--have to weed the garden this morning. But youhave the whole farm to get acquainted with. I'll tell you--if I were you, I'd go down to the brook and play. "

"I guess I will, " decided Sunny Boy. 

Mrs. Horton wanted to unpack the trunk, and when Grandma assured her thatthe brook was not deep and Sunny Boy promised not to go wading until sheshould be there, she kissed him and told him to run along and have a goodtime. 

On his way to the brook, Sunny Boy passed Grandpa and Jimmie in widestraw hats working in the garden. Grandpa pointed out the brook to him. It ran through a meadow that came right up to the garden. 

"I'll be down and play with you myself as soon as we get this lettucetransplanted, " said Grandpa. 

Sunny had never had a brook to play in before, and he thought it fine. Itwas not a very wide brook, but it was very clear, and Sunny Boy could seethe pebbles on the bottom. Little darting fish went in and out, hidingunder the long grasses that leaned over the edge. Bruce came panting downas Sunny Boy looked at the water, and took a long drink. Then he lay downin the grass, his brown doggie eyes fixed watchfully on his new friend. 

"Wonder what that is?" said Sunny Boy to himself. 

"That" was a wooden wheel that turned in the water with slow, even jerks, sending out a little spray of rainbow drops that fell back into thewater. Sunny Boy got down on his knees to watch it. Quite suddenly, without warning, the wheel stopped turning. 

Sunny Boy waited, but it did not turn again. He blew on it gently, andstill it did not move. Then he ran over to the big tree nearest him andpicked up a stick. 

"I'll fix it, " he said aloud. "Grandpa'll be surprised if I get it mended'fore he comes. "

Well, as it turned out, Grandpa was surprised, but not as much as SunnyBoy. He leaned over, and jabbed the obstinate wheel with his stick; thedry end of the stake snapped, and Sunny Boy, stick and all, tumbledhead-first into the water. In after him leaped a flash of brown andwhite--good old Bruce!

The water was very cold, and when Sunny had swallowed some of it andshaken some from his eyes, he scrambled to his feet crying bitterly. Hethought he was freezing to death. Bruce pulled at his coat and tried todrag him back, and it was his frantic barking that attracted Jimmie'snotice. He came tearing across the meadow, followed by Grandpa. 

"There--there--you're all right, " said Jimmie, as he pulled the littleboy out in a jiffy. "Don't cry so, Brother, you're only frightened. How'dit happen?"

"The wheel stopped!" sobbed Sunny Boy. "An' I tried to fix it. I wasgoing to s'prise Grandpa. "

"So you did, " admitted Jimmie, while Bruce circled around them, barkingmadly. "Now we'll have to look out that you don't surprise us more bycatching cold from this ducking. "

CHAPTER VII

ADVENTURES BEGIN

Grandpa hurried up to them, his kind face filled with anxiety. 

"I brought my coat, " he gasped, for he was out of breath from running. "Wrap him in that, Jimmie. Then hustle for the house. "

Jimmie carrying Sunny Boy and Grandpa and Bruce following made quite alittle procession. Mrs. Horton, who was down at the gate with Grandmainspecting the garden, was startled. 

"Sunny Boy!" she cried, and came running toward them. "What happened? Areyou hurt?"

"He's all right, " Grandpa assured her cheerfully. "Just fell into thebrook and got a little damp, that's all. Mercy, Olive, don't look likethat--brooks were made for boys to fall into. Why I'd dragged Harry out adozen times before he was Arthur's age. "

Of course Mother and Grandma were relieved and thankful to find it wasnothing more serious than a ducking. But they decided that it was saferto rub Sunny Boy briskly with towels and put him to bed to rest. 

"You might take cold and be sick a long time, precious, " explained Mrs. Horton, as she popped him between the sheets. "You would miss all theSummer fun then. Now close your eyes and Mother will read to you. "

And while listening to the adventures of a little Italian boy, Sunny'sblue eyes grew heavier and heavier, till he went to sleep. 

When he awoke, Mrs. Horton had gone, and the room was empty and quiet. Sunny Boy lay for a time, studying the walls and furniture, for he hadbeen asleep when put to bed the night before and had dressed forbreakfast in such a hurry that he had not noticed much of anything. Itwas a very different room from his blue and white bedroom at home, but avery pleasant, pretty room, too. The wall-paper had gay little pink rosesscattered thickly over it, and the furniture was all very large and darkand brightly polished. Sunny Boy did not know it, but the four-posted bedin which he was lying had belonged to his great-grandmother, and would behis own some day. 

Presently Sunny Boy tired of lying still and began to be conscious of afunny sensation somewhere down in his ribs. At least he thought it mustbe his ribs. He remembered that he had had no lunch. Did his grandmaexpect him to starve at her house?

Sunny Boy got up and found his slippers. The ''fernal 'chine' of an alarmclock was ticking steadily away on the bureau where Mrs. Horton hadplaced it after unpacking, and with a great deal of trouble and muchtracing with a wet forefinger, he made out that it was three o'clock--orwas it five o'clock? Three o'clock in the afternoon and no lunch! SunnyBoy felt so sorry for himself that he sat down on the floor and wept alittle. He was not quite awake yet, you see, and our troubles often lookrather large when we first wake up. In just a minute Sunny Boy stoppedcrying--he had thought what to do. 

Naturally his grandmother would not wish him to go without eating allday, so why not go down and try to find a little chocolate cake, or someof those cookies left from last night's supper? Sunny Boy had not theslightest idea where the pantry was, but he was sure there must beone--every house had a pantry with a cake box in it. So, in his slippersand pink pajamas, he crept out into the hall intent on locating thepantry in Grandma Horton's house. 

He met no one on his way downstairs, and the first floor of the houseseemed deserted, too. He couldn't know that his mother and Grandma hadpeeped in at him several times and found him fast asleep, or that nowthey were on the side porch entertaining a caller. Jimmie and Grandpawere working in the garden again, and Araminta had gone home until itshould be time to start supper. This was why Sunny Boy found no one onhis path to the pantry. He found it without great trouble, because hekept going until he came to the kitchen, and a kitchen and the pantry arenever very far apart. 

Grandma's pantry was a beautiful place, shelves and walls and floor asnowy white, and boxes and jars in apple-pie order. There was a largewindow with a table under it, and there Grandma rolled her cookies andmade her pies, but Sunny Boy did not know that yet. He spied a round boxthat, to his experienced eyes, looked as though it might hold cake. 

"I'll get a chair, " he said aloud, talking to himself, as he often did. "An' I won't take only a little piece. I wish I was bigger. "

He meant taller. 

He carried in a kitchen chair and scrambled up on it. His eyes were on alevel with the shelf, and there sat two beautiful brown pies beside thecake box. Sunny poked a small, fat finger into the nearest one to tasteit. It was very good, though he did not "remember" the taste. My, howsoury it was! Grandma had baked two rhubarb pies. But no pie could holdSunny's attention very long--his heart was set on cake. Standing on histiptoes, he managed to lift the tin lid of the box when a voice at thedoor startled him. 

"My land of Goshen!" ejaculated Araminta. 

Sunny Boy's hand slipped, the lid came down sharply on his fingers, andhis other hand swept across the shelf to knock over a brown bowl fromwhich some sticky yellow stuff began to stream. 

"Now you've done it!" Araminta told him. "That's the custard pudding forto-morrow's dinner. What in the world are you trying to do, anyway?"

Araminta was not accustomed to finding small boys in pale pink pajamasstanding on chairs in her pantry, so no wonder she was surprised. But shewas kind, was Araminta, and she helped Sunny Boy down, and did not scold. She got a basin of clean water and a clean cloth and wiped up the puddingand washed Sunny's hands for him. 

"I came back an hour earlier than I had to, " she told him, "'cause Ithought maybe you'd be up and might like to see the chicken yard. Nowonder you're hungry if you didn't have any lunch. Your Grandma has somesaved for you on a big plate. I guess they don't know you're up. You goand get dressed, and I'll warm it up for you. And don't say anythingabout knocking over the custard--let 'em think it was the cat. "

Sunny Boy was washed and dressed by the time Mother came up again to seeif he was awake. She helped him a bit with his hair and straightened hiscollar and kissed him three or four times and then went down with him tosee him eat. Grandma did not call it lunch--they had dinner and supper onthe farm. 

Sunny Boy had a queer little feeling all the while he was eating and hewas so quiet that his mother thought perhaps he was still tired from histumble into the brook. He went out with Araminta afterward to see thechicken yard, and he almost, but not quite, forgot the queer feeling inwatching the hundreds of white chickens and white ducks busily scratchingin the yard and drinking water "upside down, " as he told Grandpa thatnight. A chicken, you know, doesn't drink water as you do, butdifferently. Araminta gave Sunny Boy a handful of cracked corn to throwto the biddies, and they came flocking about his feet, pushing andscrambling so that he was glad when Araminta shooed them away from him. She showed him the nests, too, and in many of them were pretty whiteeggs. He could gather them some morning, all himself, Araminta told him. 

Coming out of the chicken yard they met Jimmie, whistling merrily. He wasglad to find Sunny Boy all right after his wetting, and asked him if hedid not want to come out to the stable to see Peter and Paul and "theprettiest little fellows you ever saw. " Sunny Boy went gladly, but thequeer little feeling went, too. 

Peter and Paul, it seemed, lived in a house that was called a barn, andwere very comfortable. They had each a little room, "box stalls" Jimmiecalled them, and all the hay they could eat. For breakfast and dinner andsupper they usually had corn and now and then some oats. The barn was adelightful place, and Jimmie pointed out the hay mow when Sunny Boymentioned that Harriet had said that was the place to play on rainydays. 

"Not much hay in it now, " announced Jimmie, leading the way into anotherlittle room. "We start cutting this year's crop next week. Ever seen anyone hay?"

Sunny Boy had not, but he forgot to say so, because he found himselflooking down on a gentle-eyed collie dog mother with three of the dearestlittle blind baby puppies you could wish to see. Jimmie explained thatLassie was Mrs. Bruce, and that the puppies would have their eyes open ina day or two. 

"And one of them's to be yours--your Grandpa said so, " Jimmie went on. 

And in spite of that--and what child would not be pleased to have a puppyfor his very own?--the queer little feeling still stayed with Sunny Boy. It was like a small lump of lead right down at the end of his throat. 

"I'm going up to the house now for the milk pails, " announced Jimmie, when they had finished looking at the puppies. "You can come out andwatch me milk if you want to. "

In the kitchen they found Mother and Grandma. 

"Don't let Topaz in, " said Grandma, as Jimmie opened the door. "Thatwretched cat has eaten half my egg custard, and I won't have him in thehouse again to-night. "

Araminta was setting the table in the dining room and did not hear. SunnyBoy gulped a little, but spoke up bravely. 

"'Twasn't Topaz, Grandma. I knocked the custard over, looking for cake. Ididn't mean to, but my hand slipped. "

Then how he did cry!

But when the whole story had come out, and Grandma had hugged him, andhad said not to mind, that she could make another pudding in a minute;after Mother had whispered to him that while it was naughty to helponeself to cake without asking, it was much worse to let the kitty-cat beblamed, and had kissed him and assured him she was sure he would not doit again; after Araminta had given him a pink peppermint--after all this, and Sunny Boy was on his way to the barn with Jimmie to watch themilking, do you know, that queer little feeling had entirelydisappeared!

CHAPTER VIII

A LETTER FROM DADDY

"My land of Goshen!"

Sunny Boy sat on the fence post waiting for the postman. He was greatfriends now with the postman who came to the farm, almost as greatfriends as with the cheerful, gray-uniformed letter-carrier in the city, the one who brought letters to the house with the shining numbers thatHarriet faithfully polished. 

This postman in the country did not wear a uniform, and he came in alittle red automobile that one could hear chug-chugging half a mile away. He did not whistle either, as the city postman did, but he put theletters and parcels into a tin box nailed to a post; then he turned up alittle tin flag to say that he had been there, and the farm folk camedown to the end of the lane and got the mail. The country postman cameonly once a day, instead of the three times Sunny Boy was used to seeingthe city postman, but that really made it more exciting. 

"My land of Goshen!" said Sunny Boy again. He was rather proud of thatexpression, and used it as often as he could. 

"I don't think you ought to say that, " Araminta had reproved him thefirst time she heard him. 

"But you say it, " argued Sunny Boy. 

"Well, that's no reason why you should, " retorted Araminta, who, likemany grown-ups, did not always practice what she preached. "Anyway, I'mgoing to stop saying it when I'm fifteen. "

"Maybe I will, too, " promised Sunny Boy blithely. And that was the bestAraminta could hope from him. 

"My land--" began Sunny for the third time, but the red automobile of thepostman came to a sliding stop beside the box, and fortunatelyinterrupted him. 

"Hello Blue Jeans!" called the postman, who found a new name for SunnyBoy every day. "How do you like farming now? Am I to give the mail toyou, or put it in the box?"

This was an every day question. The postman pretended to be very muchsurprised when Sunny Boy said he would take the mail, and he alwayshanded it out a piece at a time, so that Sunny never knew how much wascoming. 

"There's two for your grandfather, " counted the postman, handing them tohis small friend standing on the running board. "And that's for yourgrandmother. Here's the Cloverways' weekly paper for the whole family. My, my, one--two--three--five seven letters, all for your mother. And abox, too. Is that all? Yep, guess that's all to-day. "

Sunny Boy got down from the running board and the postman started his carslowly. 

"Oh, Mr. Corntassel!" the postman called suddenly. "Here's another. Ideclare, I must be getting old, or need glasses, or something. If thereisn't a letter addressed to you and I came within one of taking it backto the post-office with me!"

He gave Sunny Boy another letter, and this time drove off withoutstopping. 

"My land of Goshen!" said Sunny Boy, who was using Araminta's petexpression far more often than she did. "Such a heap of letters. Maybemine's from Daddy. "

He found Mrs. Horton in the porch swing, sewing. She had to kiss theseven new freckles on his nose before she could read her mail, and thenSunny Boy had to trudge about and find Grandpa and Grandma and delivertheir letters to them. He felt quite like a postman himself, though it isdoubtful if real postmen have sugar cookies and peppermints paid to themfor each letter they bring. So by the time Sunny Boy got around to havinghis own letter read to him, Mother had finished hers and had opened herbox. 

"See what Daddy sent us, " she said, holding up the package for him tosee. In the box were two balls of pink wool and four of dark blue. 

"Now I can make you a sweater, " explained Mrs. Horton. "The pink is for ascarf I am finishing for Aunt Bessie. By the way, I had a letter fromher, dear, and she sends her love, and so does Harriet. "

"All right, " agreed Sunny Boy briefly. "Could you read this now, Mother?"

"Why, it's from Daddy!" cried Mother, taking the crumpled envelope SunnyBoy drew from his pocket. "Did you wait till you gave every one else hismail, precious? Well, listen--"

 "Dear Sunny Boy, " said Daddy's letter. "So you fell into the brook! Don't tell Jimmie, but I did the same when I was just about as tall as you are. Grandma fished me out--only she wasn't Grandma then. 

 "Don't go fishing till I come up, for you might catch them all and leave none for me. One week from the day you're reading this I'll be at Brookside. Hope you and Jimmie and Peter and Paul will come to meet me. Mother, too, if she likes, and Grandpa and Grandma and Araminta and Bruce, if they're going to be real glad to see me. You seem to have a lot of friends. Brookside always was a mighty fine place for small boys--like you and me. 

 "Can't write more now because a man wants to talk to me--at least he is ringing my telephone bell and won't stop. Love to you and Mother from--DADDY. "

Whenever Sunny Boy was pleased he made a little song to sing. He did sonow, skipping out to the garden where Grandpa was generally to be found. 

"Daddy's coming! Daddy's coming! Next week! Pretty soon, " sang Sunny Boyto a tune of his own. "Jimmie, where's Grandpa? Daddy's coming next week, pretty soon!"

"Well don't walk all over the cabbage plants if he is, " said Jimmie, whowas busy and did not like to be interrupted. "I think your grandfather isdown with Mr. Sites looking at the mowing machine. They're down in thesouth meadow. "

Sunny Boy knew his way about the farm as well as Jimmie by this time. Heknew the pretty brown cow, Mrs. Butterball and her long legged calf, Butterette; and he was fast friends with Peter and Paul and the dogs. Sunny had named his puppy Brownie. He knew most of the chickens and ducksby names of his own, and he had held a little squirmy lamb in his armsfor a minute, with Jimmie helping. He was going fishing, when Daddy came;and he was going up into the woods the first time some one had a momentto take him. Then he would have been all over the farm. 

Still singing to himself, he trotted down to the south meadow and foundGrandpa and a strange man talking earnestly together. 

"Look out! Stay where you are!" called the strange man suddenly. "Back, Bruce, back!"

Sunny Boy stopped instantly. So did Bruce, who had followed him. Neitherthe little boy nor the dog could see why they should be shouted at, butthey obeyed without question. And in a minute they saw a very good reasonwhy. The stranger talking to Grandpa bent down and lifted a handle on aqueer looking machine, and right out of the grass--where no one couldhave seen it--rose a long ugly thing that looked like a big saw. 

"All right, Sunny Boy!" called Grandpa. 

"What is it?" asked Sunny, eyeing the long saw curiously. 

"It's the mowing machine. We're going to cut hay with it presently, "answered Grandpa. "Sites, this is Harry's son. "

Mr. Sites shook hands with Sunny Boy, smiling down at him cheerfully. 

"You don't say!" he drawled. "Well, youngster, your father and I went toschool together. When's he coming up? I'd like to see him again. "

"Daddy's coming next week, pretty soon, " sang Sunny Boy, capering aboutthe mowing machine joyously. "He wrote me a letter. May I sit on it, Grandpa?"

Sunny meant the seat of the mowing machine, and Grandpa lifted him in andheld him while Mr. Sites harnessed up a pair of fat white horses and Mr. Hatch appeared from somewhere. Sunny Boy was acquainted with Mr. Hatch. He was Araminta's father and did most of the farming for Grandpa. TheHatches lived in a yellow house down the road, and Araminta had sixlittle brothers and sisters with whom Sunny sometimes played. So you seehe was not lonely. 

"Now we'll go over to the fence, " said Grandpa, lifting him down, "andwatch how the grass is cut. That saw-thing is the knife, and you mustnever go near a mowing machine unless you can see the knife sticking up. Little boys and dogs, and even men, can be very easily hurt if they arecareless and don't watch the knife. "

So Grandpa and Mr. Sites and Sunny Boy sat on the fence and Bruce laydown at their feet, while Mr. Hatch rode on the mowing machine round andround the field. The fat white horses did not hurry in the least, but awide light green path marked where the grass was being cut. Grandpaexplained that when the sun had dried this grass it was called hay, andthat Peter and Paul liked it to eat and to make their beds of in thewinter. He promised Sunny Boy that he should help rake the hay the nextafternoon. 

Whr-rr! purred the mowing machine as Mr. Hatch turned and the fat whitehorses came toward them. 

"Whoa!" the horses stopped suddenly. 

Up came the long saw-knife, and Mr. Hatch jumped down from his seat andbent over, looking at something on the ground. 

"He's found something, " said Mr. Sites to Grandpa. "Wonder if it is--"

"Hey, Sunny! Sunny Boy! Oh, Sunny Boy!" Mr. Hatch waved his big straw hatwildly. "Come and see what I've got. Make Bruce stay there. "

"I'll hold Bruce, " said Mr. Sites. "You two go on over. I'll bet a cookieI know what he's found. "

Sunny Boy raced over the meadow, dragging Grandpa by the hand. Mr. Hatchhad looked very near, but it was a very wide meadow if you tried to runacross it. 

"Hurry, " sputtered Sunny Boy, red in the face with the excitement andheat. 

"Am hurrying, " grunted Grandpa. "You seem to forget about the bone in myleg!"

But Sunny Boy was too eager to see what Mr. Hatch had found to be sorryeven for a grandfather with a bone in his leg. 

CHAPTER IX

SUNNY BOY FORGETS

When they reached the horses and the machine, the Something was around onthe other side. 

"Here, Sunny Boy, here's a sight for you, " said Mr. Hatch mysteriously. "What do you think of this?"

Sunny Boy bent down to look. There, in a hole in the ground, half-hiddenby the tall grass all about it, were four little furry baby rabbits!

"Bunnies!" and Sunny plunged his two hands down into the middle of thatfurry bunch. 

They snuggled closer, and their soft eyes looked frightened, but they didnot try to run away. 

[Illustration: He lifted one of the baby rabbits and placed it inSunny's hands. ]

"Where's their mamma?" demanded Sunny Boy. 

"The mower scared her off, " said Mr. Hatch. "Pick one up--you won't hurtit--see, like this. "

He lifted one of the baby rabbits and placed it in Sunny's hands. Itwriggled uneasily, and he let it fall back into the nest. Mr. Hatch andGrandpa laughed. 

"We'll leave them right here, " declared Mr. Hatch kindly. "I'll mowaround the nest, but not very near, and I guess the mother rabbit willcome back to-night. Funny creatures, aren't they? Every year they have anest in a grass field, and every year I come within an ace of cutting offtheir noses. "

Sunny Boy and Bruce wandered back to the house alone. Grandpa was busyoverhauling more machinery with Mr. Sites, and Jimmie was still busy withcabbages. Sunny was used to so much attention that he felt rather put outwhen Araminta, sweeping the front porch, told him that Mother and Grandmahad taken Peter and the buggy and had driven to Cloverways. 

"They said I could go next time, " grumbled Sunny Boy, not a bit sunnily. "Mother said so. 'Tain't fair. "

"Don't say 'tain't, " corrected Araminta, who was very careful of Sunny'sgrammar. "Say it isn't fair. Only it is--how could you go when you weredown in the field with your grandpa?"

Sunny Boy felt that if Araminta had deserted him, there was no friendleft. He went on into the house and wept a little, curled up in the bigleather chair in the sitting room. He felt very sorry for himself. 

But even a little boy whose mother and grandmother have gone away andleft him can not feel sorry very long when a June breeze is ruffling thewhite curtains at the window and there is a whole farm ready and waitingfor him to come out and play. After a few big raindrop tears and a sniffor two, Sunny Boy wiped his eyes on his "hanky, " and decided that hewould be brave and cheerful and then perhaps his family would be sorry tothink how they had treated him. 

He decided to make a kite and go out and fly it, the wind at the windowmaking him think of kite-flying and the sight of a mass of papers onGrandpa's desk in one corner of the room suggesting what to make the kiteof. He went over to the desk and climbed upon the chair standing beforeit. 

Ordinarily Sunny Boy had a good memory. He could remember things forMother and he seldom forgot where he had left his toys, but this morninga strange thing happened--his memory did not work at all. He forgotcompletely that Mother had told him not to touch other people's thingswithout permission and that books and papers were not to be opened oreven unfolded unless one first asked. 

Sunny Boy thrust a hand down among the papers on Grandpa's desk andpulled out two nice smooth brown pieces of paper that seemed strong andjust exactly right for a kite. For good measure he took a letter or two, and then scurried out to the kitchen for string. 

He had never made a kite, but he had often watched the boys in the parkat home flying them, and he had a very good idea of how they were made. He had his own bottle of paste Mother had brought for him and he foundthe kind of sticks he wanted out in the yard. In half an hour he had thepapers pasted smoothly over the sticks, a wiggly tail of crumpled papersfrom the waste-basket tied on, and yards and yards of string wound on apiece of wood. Sunny Boy was ready to sail his kite. 

Araminta gave him a cookie and advised him to go down by the brook. 

"There's more breeze there, " she said. "But for mercy's sake don't fallin again. And come in when you hear me ring the bell. "

Sunny Boy trudged down to the brook and started running with his kite ashe had seen the boys do, to give it a good start. Up, up, it went, sailing high over his head, the crumpled paper tail wiggling in thewind. 

"Jus' as good, " said Sunny Boy to himself, "jus' as good. "

He meant to say "Just as good as Archie Johnson's, " Archie being one ofthe older boys who played in the park and who sailed elaborate kites. ButSunny had not tied the knots in his string tightly enough, and a strongpuff of wind coming by, the cord parted and away sailed the kite, overthe brook and into the woods!

"Ding-ling! Ding-ling! Ding-a-ling!" rang Araminta's bell. 

It is often a good thing to be too busy to cry. Sunny Boy might have feltbad over the loss of his kite--indeed he watched it out of sight--but ifhe meant to cry the sound of the bell changed his mind. Instead, he ranup to the house as fast as he could go, and found Mother and Grandmawaiting for him. 

"Did you miss us?" asked his mother. "We knew you were having a goodtime, dear. Grandma has brought you a lolly-pop. What have you been doingto get so sun-burned?"

"Flying kites, " stated Sunny Boy. "Thank you, Grandma. We found bunniesdown in the field. "

Grandpa came on the porch then, his glasses pushed up on his forehead. 

"Mary, Olive, have either of you seen anything of those two five hundreddollar bonds I had on my desk?" he said anxiously. "They were there thismorning, and when I came in from the mowing I couldn't find them. Haveeither of you used my desk?"

"No, Father, " said Mrs. Horton. 

"No, Arthur, " said Grandma. "I'm sure Araminta hasn't been near the desk, either. Sunny, you weren't in the sitting room this morning, were you?"

"Yes, I was, " chirped Sunny Boy. 

"But you didn't see anything of Grandpa's bonds--his nice beautiful, Liberty Bonds, did you, dear?" asked Mrs. Horton. 

"No, Mother. "

"Well, " Grandpa sighed, and turned to go in, "I'll look more thoroughly, of course. But they're gone--I'm sure of it. I had no business to be socareless. They should have been in the bank a week ago. They might haveblown out of the window--I'll see that a screen goes in that windowto-night. "

Sunny Boy put down his lolly-pop and followed Grandpa into the house. Hefound him seated at the desk, the papers in great confusion all abouthim. 

"Well, Sunny, did you come to help me hunt?" asked Grandpa. "Don't botheryour yellow head about it. When you grow up, try to be more careful thanyour grandfather. "

Sunny Boy slipped a warm little hand into Grandpa's. 

"I made a kite--with papers, " he confessed bravely. "Not Lib'ty Bonds, Grandpa, just papers on top of your desk. I was 'musing myself, and I hadto have a kite. "

"I see, " said Grandpa slowly, and not a bit crossly. "What color paper, dear? White?"

"No, brown, " replied Sunny Boy eagerly, sure now that he had not takenthe missing bonds. "Just brown, Grandpa, and two old letters. "

"Yes, I've copies of those--they don't matter, " said Grandpa. "But we'dbetter get that kite, Namesake, because you've pasted my bonds on it, anda thousand dollars is a bit too expensive a kite even for my one and onlygrandson. "

"But it flew off!" Sunny Boy began to cry. "The string broke, an' it wentover the brook into the woods. "

Mrs. Horton, coming into the sitting room to remind Sunny Boy to wash hisface and hands before dinner, found her little boy crying as though hisheart would break in Grandpa's arms. 

"What in the world--" she began. 

"There--there--it's all right, " soothed Grandpa. "We're in a peck oftrouble, Olive, because we took some papers from Grandpa's desk to make akite with and now they turn out to be two Liberty Bonds. And thekite--like the pesky contrivance it is--got away and is hiding somewherein the woods. But we're going out right after dinner and hunt for it, aren't we, Sunny Boy?"

Sunny Boy felt Mother's kind hand smoothing his hair. 

"Oh, my dear little boy!" said Mother's voice. "My dear little son! Howcould you? Didn't you know how wrong it was to touch a single thing onGrandpa's desk?"

"I forgot, " said Sunny Boy in a very little voice. 

"Why I wouldn't have believed that my Sunny Boy could forget, " grievedMother. "And now Grandpa's money is lost! And Daddy coming next week!What will he say?"

"We're going to find it long before Daddy comes, " said Grandpa stoutly. "Right after dinner we're going over to the woods. Sunny can rememberabout where he thinks the kite fell. Cheer up, Olive--we're sorry wedidn't remember about 'hands off' when other people's property is about, but every one forgets once in a while. And I was careless--I'm as great asinner as Sunny. And now forgive us both before we're quite drowned inour tears. "

Mother and Sunny Boy had another little cry all to themselves upstairsand he told her that never, _never_ would he touch anything that did notbelong to him again without first asking. Then they both bathed theirfaces in clear cold water and felt better. No one mentioned bonds atdinner, and there was strawberry short-cake which Sunny Boy declared wasas good as his favorite chocolate ice cream. And right after dinner heand Grandpa went out to hunt for the lost kite. 

CHAPTER X

GOING FISHING

But though Grandpa and Sunny Boy hunted and hunted and hunted, till itseemed as though they must have covered every inch of the big woods;though they searched the tangled thickets where the briery blackberrybushes grew along the edge of the brook; though they looked up at thetrees till their necks ached, hoping perhaps to find the kite caught inthe branches; still they had to come home without the precious LibertyBonds. 

"Never mind, " said Grandpa, as they made their way toward home over alittle pathway of stones tumbled together in the brook to make a bridge, "Never mind, Sunny. If we can't find them, we can't, and there is no usein feeling bad about it any longer. You didn't mean to lose the bonds, weall know that, so we'll just stop crying over spilled milk and cheer upand be happy again. "

But it was a very unhappy little boy who went to bed early thatnight--for the long tramp had tired him--and for several days after theloss of the kite Sunny Boy kept rather closely to the house. 

He liked to be in the kitchen with Araminta or on the side porch withGrandma and Mother. Jimmie and Bruce tried to coax him to go with them, but he said politely that he didn't feel like it. 

However, as the time drew near for his father's visit Sunny Boy cheeredup, and by the morning that Daddy was expected he felt quite like hisusually sunny self. 

"Are you going to meet Daddy?" he asked Mother that morning, as hebrushed his hair after she had parted it for him. 

"I don't believe I'll go down, " answered Mrs. Horton. "If you and Grandpago, that will be enough and I'll be at the gate waiting for you. "

"Daddy's coming!" Sunny Boy pounded his spoon against his bread and milkbowl. 

"Sunny!" said Mother warningly. 

"He's most here now!" and Sunny's feet hammered against the table so thatthe coffee pot danced a jig. 

"Sunny Boy!" implored Grandma. 

"I'm going to meet him!" This time Sunny Boy upset his glass of waterwith a wild sweep of his arm. 

Grandpa pushed back his chair. 

"I think we'd better start, " he observed, "before a certain young mangoes out of the window. If you're as glad as all this to think thatDaddy's coming, what are you going to do when you really see him?"

But Sunny Boy was already out of the room and down at the gate whereJimmie stood holding Peter and Paul already harnessed to the carryall. 

"Let me feed 'em sugar, " teased Sunny Boy. "Hold me up, Jimmie, I'm not'fraid of their teeth now. "

"You pile in, " said Jimmie good-naturedly. "If you're going to meet thattrain, you want to start in a few minutes. Say, Sunny, what ails you thismorning?" for Sunny Boy had gone around to the back of the carriage, scrambled up over the top of the second seat, and was now tumbling headfirst into the cushions of the front seat. 

Grandpa came out in a more leisurely fashion and took the reins. 

"All right, Jimmie, we're off. In case anything happens to the team, Sunny has enough push in him this morning to pull the carriage there andback. "

Peter and Paul trotted briskly, and Sunny's tongue kept pace with theirheels. His shrill little voice was the first thing Mr. Horton heard, forthe train had beaten them to the station after all, and as the carriageturned the corner of the street a familiar figure stood on the platformwaving to them. Grandpa had to keep one hand on his grandson to preventhim from falling out over the wheels. 

"Well, well, Son, isn't this fine!" Daddy had him in his arms almostbefore the horses stopped. "How brown you are! and yes, you've grown, too. I'll put the suitcase in--don't try to lift it. "

Daddy put Sunny Boy down and turned and kissed Grandpa. 

"You're his little boy!" Sunny thought out loud. It was the first time hehad thought about it at all. 

"I'm his daddy, " said Grandpa proudly. "Pretty fine boy, all thingsconsidered, isn't he?"

Sunny Boy laughed because this was probably a joke. Anyway, Grandpalaughed and so did Daddy. Then they all got into the carriage and Daddydrove Peter and Paul. How Mrs. Horton laughed when she saw them drive upto the gate, all three of them crowded together on the front seat. 

"You three big boys!" she teased them. "I suppose you had so much to talkabout that you had to be together. "

Daddy put one arm around Mother and the other about Grandma. 

"Make the most of me, " he said gayly. "I can stay only three days. "

Then there was a great to-do. Mother and Grandma had counted on havinghim for three weeks. Three days, as Mother said, was "no vacation atall. "

"But better than nothing, " Mr. Horton pointed out. "We can do a greatdeal in three days. And if I can't get up again, at least I'll come up toget you and Sunny when you're ready to go home. "

Well, being sensible people and not given to "crying over spilled milk"(which was Grandpa's favorite proverb) they soon decided to enjoy everyminute of Daddy's stay and to begin right away. 

"Sunny and I are going fishing, " announced Daddy firmly. "We'll goto-day--if Araminta can give us a lunch--and Mother is coming with us, ifshe wants to. Then to-morrow she and I are going for a long drive, andthe last day I'm going to be a farmer and help Father with the work. Comeon, Sunny, upstairs with you and get on high shoes. We don't go fishingin sandals and socks. "

Araminta made them sandwiches and packed a box of lunch, putting in awhole apple pie. Daddy had brought his fishing rod with him, and hepromised to make Sunny one as soon as they found a place to fish. Motherthought she would not go, for she was already tired from a long walk theday before. So Sunny Boy and Daddy set off alone for the brook in thewoods where the speckled trout lived. 

"Shall I catch one?" asked Sunny Boy, scuffling along. He did like toscuffle his feet and Daddy did not seem to care how much noise he made. "Shall I fish?"

"Sure you'll fish, " Daddy assured him. "Likely, you'll catch one, thoughyou never can tell. A good sportsman doesn't growl even if he spends awhole day and doesn't catch one fish. We'll be good sports, shan't we?"

"Yes, " agreed Sunny Boy. "But I would rather catch a fish. "

Daddy laughed and began to whistle. 

"Do you know Jimmie?" said Sunny Boy, running to keep up with him. "Doyou know Jimmie and Mr. Sites and Araminta and David and Raymond andJuddy and Fred and Sarah and Dorabelle? Do you, Daddy?"

"I went to school with a boy named Jaspar Sites, " Daddy stopped whistlingto answer. "Guess he's the same. Araminta helps Grandma--I know her, andJimmie I've met before. But I must say the others haven't the pleasure ofmy acquaintance--who is Dorabelle, may I ask?"

"They're Araminta's brothers and sisters, " explained Sunny Boy. "Theylive down the road. Let's fish now, Daddy. "

"We will, " agreed Mr. Horton. "You've picked out a good place. Now firstI'll start you in, and then I'll try my luck. "

He found a nice long branch for Sunny, and tied a fish-line to it. At theend of the line he fastened a bent pin with a bit of cracker on thepoint. 

"There you are, " he told him. "Now you sit out here on the dead roots ofthis tree that hangs over the bank, and you dangle the cracker in thewater and keep very, very still. And perhaps a little fish on his way tothe grocery store for his mother will see the cracker and want a bite oflunch. Then you'll catch him. "

Sunny Boy sat very still while Daddy baited a sharp thin hook with realbait and threw his line into the water, too. He sat down beside Sunny andtogether they waited. 

"Daddy!" said Sunny Boy after a long while. 

Mr. Horton raised a warning finger. 

"But Daddy?" this after Sunny Boy had waited a longer time. 

"You'll scare the fish, " Mr. Horton whispered. "What is it?"

"My foot prickles!"

Mr. Horton took his line and whispered to him to get up and run about. 

Sunny Boy's foot felt too funny for words, and at first he was sure ithad dropped off while he had been sitting on it. He could not feel it atall. After stamping up and down a few minutes the funny feeling wentaway, and he came back to his father and took his line. 

"Your foot was asleep, " said Mr. Horton in a low tone. "Don't sit on itagain. Feel a nibble?"

Sunny Boy drew his line up and looked at it. There was nothing at all onthe pin. 

"Percy Perch must have taken that cracker when you weren't looking, " saidMr. Horton, putting another cracker on. "Now watch out that Tommy Troutdoesn't run off with this. "

Sunny Boy waited and waited. A yellow butterfly came and sat down on ablade of grass near him. Sunny looked at it more closely--it was a funnybutterfly--a funny butter--

Splash went his rod and line, but he never heard it. Sunny Boy was fastasleep, and Tommy Trout must have run away with the pin and the crackerbecause they were never heard of again. When Sunny Boy opened his eyesagain, his father was folding up his fishing tackle. 

"Hello! You're a great fisherman!" Daddy greeted him. "See what we'regoing to take home to Mother to surprise her. "

Sunny Boy rubbed his sleepy eyes. There on the grass lay four prettylittle fish. 

"Did you catch them?" he asked Daddy, who nodded. 

"My land of Goshen!" said Sunny Boy. 

"Where'd you pick that up?" demanded Daddy. "Do you think apple pie mighthelp you to feel spryer?"

Sunny Boy was interested in pie, and he helped Daddy to spread the littlewhite cloth on the ground. He had not known a picnic was part of the funof fishing!

CHAPTER XI

THE HAY SLIDE

"Daddy, " said Sunny Boy, as he munched a sandwich, lying on his stomachand looking down into the brook from the safe height of the bank, "howmuch is five hundred dollars?"

"A large sum of money, " answered Mr. Horton, surprised. "Why, Son? Whatdo you know about such things? Little boys shouldn't be bothering aboutmoney for years and years to come. "

So Sunny told him about Grandpa's bonds and how he had lost them bypasting them on his kite. Mr. Horton was very sorry, but he said little. 

"Only remember this, Sunny Boy, " he insisted gravely. "I would rather youtold me yourself than to have heard it from any one else--even fromMother. When you've done anything good or bad that you think I shouldknow, you tell me yourself, always. And now how about going wading?"

That was great fun. Sunny Boy rolled his trousers up as far as they wouldgo and took off his shoes and stockings. The water was not deep, but, my!wasn't it cold? Little baby fish darted in and out, and ever so manytimes Sunny thought he had a handful of them. But when he unclosed hishands there was never anything in them but water, and not much of that. 

"If I did catch a fish, could I keep him, Daddy?" Sunny asked. "I couldcarry home some brook for him to live in. "

Sunny meant some of the brook water. Daddy explained that the baby fish, minnows they are called, would not be happy living in a bowl as thegoldfish Sunny once had were. 

"And you wouldn't want a fish to be unhappy, would you?" questionedDaddy. "Of course you wouldn't. But I'll tell you something better to dothan trying to catch fish that only want to be left alone. "

"Something to do with my shoes and stockings off?" stipulated Sunnyanxiously. "I haven't been wading hardly a minute yet, Daddy. "

Daddy laughed a little. He was lying flat on his stomach as Sunny haddone, peering over the bank down at the water. He seemed to be having avery good time, did Daddy. 

"This is something you can do without your shoes and stockings, " heassured the small figure standing in the middle of the brook. "Indeed, Ithought of it because you are all fixed for doing it. You know Mother wastalking about her Christmas presents last night?"

Sunny nodded. 

"She's sewing a bag for Aunt Bessie, " he confided, "and Grandma isgetting ready, too. But I think Christmas is about a year off, Daddy. "

"Not a year--about five months, " corrected Daddy. "That seems like a longtime to you. But Mother likes to start early and make many of herpresents. And a very good way it is, too. Well, Sunny Boy, I once heardMother say that she would like to try making an indoor garden for some ofher friends who live in apartments and have no gardens of their own. Only, Mother said, she must experiment first and find out what would growbest. "

"What's an indoor garden?"

"Oh, there are different kinds, " answered Daddy. "But I think the kindMother is anxious to try is very simple. Just damp moss and a vine or twoput into a glass bowl. They will grow and keep green all Winter and bepretty to look at. "

"I could get her some moss, " said Sunny quickly. "See, those stones areall covered, Daddy. "

"That's just what I want you to do, " agreed Daddy. "We'll take plentyhome to Mother and she can experiment with indoor gardens to her heart'scontent. See, Son, here's my knife. You must cut the moss very carefullyin square pieces, and try not to break it. I'll be digging up some ofthese healthy little ground vines. "

Sunny Boy was proud to be allowed to handle Daddy's big jack knife, andhe was glad Daddy hadn't told him not to cut himself. Daddy, somehow, always trusted Sunny not to be heedless. 

"Mother'll like it, won't she?" he called to Daddy, who was digging up apretty, creeping green vine that grew in the grass near him. "Won't shebe s'prised, Daddy?"

They worked busily, and soon Sunny had a neat little pile of green mossready to take home to Mother. After that he waded about in the brook, splashing the water with his bare feet. 

"There--you've been in long enough, " called Mr. Horton presently. "Thewater is too cold to play in it long. Come, Son, and put on your shoesand stockings. "

Sunny Boy dabbled his feet in a little hole made by a stone he had pushedaway. 

"Sunny Boy!" called Mr. Horton once again. 

Still Sunny Boy continued to play in the water. To tell the truth everyone had been so anxious to make him happy at Brookside that he was theleast little bit in the world spoiled. The more you have your own way, you know, the harder it is to do other people's way, and if you can do asyou please day after day, by and by you want to do as you please all thetime. Sunny Boy felt like that now. 

"Sunny!" said Daddy a third time, very quietly. 

Sunny Boy looked at him--and came marching out of the water. He was notvery pleasant while Daddy helped him dry his feet and get into thedespised shoes and stockings, but, when they were ready to start for homeand Daddy tilted up his chin to look at him squarely, Sunny Boy's ownsmile came out. 

"All right!" announced Daddy cheerfully. "Let's go home a different wayand perhaps we'll find wild strawberries. "

They did, too, a patch of them down at one end of the apple orchard, andMr. Horton showed Sunny Boy how he used to string them on grass stems totake home to his mother when he was a little boy. 

He certainly was a dear Daddy, and when he went back to the city Motherand Sunny had to be nicer to each other than ever because they missed himso very much. 

"It's raining!" Sunny Boy stood at the window after breakfast, themorning after Mr. Horton had gone back to the city. "Does it rain in thesummer?"

Grandma laughed, and told him that indeed it did rain in the summer. 

"We haven't had a drop of rain since you've been here, and you must havebrought fair weather with you, " she said. "Now that the hay is all in thebarn, we're glad to see it rain, for the garden needs it badly. Think howthirsty the flowers and vegetables must be. "

"Harriet said to play in the barn on rainy days, " said Sunny Boy sadly, "but I think I'm lonesome. "

"Well, you go out to the barn and you won't be lonesome, " Araminta, whowas clearing the breakfast table, laughed at his long face. "I'll bet allthe children are there, even the baby. He can go, can't he, Mrs. Horton?"

Grandma said yes, of course he could, and Mother brought his rubbers andraincoat downstairs when she came, for he met her on the stairs and thereshe had them all ready. 

"Run along and have a good time, " she told him, kissing him. "I was goingto suggest that you play in the barn this morning. Help Jimmie if he'sworking, won't you, and don't hinder him?"

Paddling out to the barn in the pouring rain was fun. But the barn wasthe most fun of all. Grandpa and Jimmie were on the first floor mendingharness, and the doors were open so that they could see right out intothe orchard and yet not get a bit wet. Just as Araminta had said, all theHatch children were there, even the baby, who lay asleep on the hay in anice, quiet corner. 

"Hurrah!" cried Juddy Hatch. "We're going to play robbers, and you can bein my cave. "

"Be in my cave, " urged David, his brother. "Our side has the bestslide. "

"I'll come up there and settle you youngsters if you're going toquarrel, " threatened Jimmie, switching a buggy whip and looking veryfierce. "You'd better start playing and stop arguing. "

The children knew Jimmie had small patience with little bickerings, though he had never been known to do anything more severe than scold. Sothey took him at his word and began to play. 

"You be on Juddy's side, then, " agreed David. "See, we each have a cavehere in the hay--that's mine in this corner. The way we do is to all gointo our caves and take turns creeping up. When you hear us on the roofof your cave, you have to get out and run over to ours, climb up to thetop and slide down the other side. If you're caught you have to b'long toour robber tribe. "

The hay was very smooth and slippery, and the children had many a tumbleas the two robber tribes chased each other across the haymow. Suchshrieks of laughter, such howls as the robbers in their excitementsometimes forgot and pulled a braid of Sarah's or Dorabelle's! The babycontinued to sleep placidly through all the noise, and Jimmie toldGrandpa that he thought perhaps "the poor little kid was deaf!" Jimmiewas only fooling, of course, for the Hatch baby was not deaf at all. 

It was Sunny Boy's turn to be chased, and as he heard David's robbertribe beginning to climb up on the roof of his cave he dashed out and ranfor the other cave at the end of the haymow. Up the side he went, anddown. Dorabelle was captured in that raid and had to go over to David'sside. 

"Now I've got four in my tribe, " crowed the robber chief. "Get your mentogether, Jud, and we'll do it again. "

"Where's Sunny Boy?" demanded Juddy, counting his tribe. "He was here--Isaw him climb up the top of the cave. Sunny Boy! Sun-ny!"

No Sunny Boy answered. 

"Jimmie, is Sunny Boy down there with you?" Juddy peered over the edge ofthe haymow where Jimmie sat mending the harness. Grandpa had gone to thehouse, declaring that there was a little too much noise in the barn forhis rheumatism. 

"Haven't seen him, " answered Jimmie. "Isn't he up there with you?"

Juddy's lip began to quiver. He was only eight years old. 

"Then he's lost, " he said. "He isn't here at all, Jimmie. "

Jimmie dropped his harness and ran up the little ladder that led to thehaymow. 

"Nonsense!" he declared sharply. "A boy can't get lost with a roof overhim. Likely enough he's hiding for fun. Sunny! Sunny Boy, where areyou?"

But no Sunny Boy answered. And though Jimmie and the Hatch childrenturned over the hay and looked in every corner of the haymow, they couldnot find him. 

"Shall I go and tell Mr. Horton?" suggested David, who was the oldest ofthe Hatch boys. 

"Not till we have something to tell, " was Jimmie's answer. "Where was hewhen you saw him last?"

"Right over in that corner, " said Juddy, pointing. "I saw him going overthe top of the cave, an' then I ducked under, and when David gotDorabelle he just wasn't here. "

"He must be here--somewhere, " retorted Jimmie impatiently. "I'm going tolook once more--and if he's just hiding, won't I shake him!"

Jimmie climbed over the top of the "robber's cave, " as Sunny Boy haddone, and down on the other side. The children heard him scuffling about, kicking the hay with his feet, and then suddenly he gave a shout. 

"You stay where you are till I come back, " he called. "You David, andJuddy, keep the others where they are. I'll bet I've found him. "

The Hatch children were fairly dancing to follow Jimmie, but they knew hemeant what he said. They sat down in the hay to wait. 

One--two--three--four--five minutes passed. Then Jimmie stepped out onthe barn floor and grinned cheerfully up at the anxious group perched onthe edge of the haymow. 

"It's all right, " he said. "I've found him. He's out in the old dairy. Now don't all come down at once--Jud, let the girls come first. Easythere!"

The Hatch children came tumbling down, eager to see Sunny Boy. Sarahstopped to pick up the baby, who had slept through all the excitement andnow merely opened two dark eyes, smiled, and went to sleep again. TheHatch baby was used to being taken about and had the steady habits of anold traveler. 

They found Sunny absorbed in watching a mother duck and her ten littleducklings who were swimming daintily about in a trough in the dairy. 

"Well, where were you?" Juddy pounced on Sunny Boy. "You gave us an awfulscare. "

"I've been right here all the time. " Sunny was a bit aggrieved to findsuch a fuss made over him. First Jimmie and now Juddy. "I haven't beenanywhere, " he insisted. 

"We thought you were lost!" David frowned at him severely. 

"Well, I wasn't, " retorted Sunny Boy briefly. "I was watching ducks. Jimmie, do they sleep in water?"

"What, ducks?" said Jimmie. "Oh, no, they sleep under their mother justlike chickens at night, some place where it is warm and dry. Yourgrandmother will be glad you found this duck--she's missed her for twodays. Guess she never thought of looking in the dairy. "

This part of the barn had been used for the cows, you see, years before, when Sunny's father was a little boy and a big herd of fine cows werekept at Brookside. Now Mrs. Butterball and Butterette were the only cows, and they lived in a box stall near Peter and Paul. 

CHAPTER XII

APPLE PIES

Sunny Boy continued to look at the ducks till David could stand it nolonger. 

"What happened to you?" he asked, jogging Sunny's elbow to make him lookat him. "How'd you get down here?"

"Fell down, " said Sunny calmly. "Could I have a duck to play with, Jimmie?"

"How'd you fall down?" persisted David, who usually got what he startedafter. 

Sunny Boy was exceedingly bored by these numerous questions, and hewanted to be allowed to watch the ducks in peace. So he decided theeasiest way to get rid of David and the others would be to tell them whatthey wanted to know. 

"I'll show you, " he said. "Come on. "

He led them out of the dairy into a little cobwebby room, and pointed upto a square opening. 

"I slid through that--see?" he demanded. 

"Did it hurt?"

"Course not--I fell on the hay. "

The floor was thickly covered with old, dusty hay. 

"It's the room where we used to throw down hay to feed the cows, "explained Jimmie. "They covered it over with loose boards when they putin the hay three or four years ago. But I suppose you youngsters whenromping around kicked the boards to one side and the hay with it. Sunny, coasting down the side of the cave, just coasted right on through thehole and landed down here. Lucky there was hay enough on the floor tosave him a bump. "

"But why didn't you come and tell us?" asked David. "Here we've beenlooking all over for you. Why didn't you sing out?"

"I was going to, " admitted Sunny Boy apologetically. "But when I washunting for the way into the barn, I found the ducks. Let's go and tellGrandma we saw 'em. "

It was noon by this time, so the Hatch children went home and Sunny Boyand Jimmie walked together to the house. It had stopped raining, and thesun felt warm and delightful. 

"Of course you may have a duck, " said Grandma, when Sunny Boy told her ofhis find. "That foolish old mother duck marched off with her children onemorning and I couldn't for the life of me discover where she had gone. And Grandpa must board over that hole if you are going to play in thehaymow. Another time you might hurt yourself, falling like that. "

"Where's Mother?" asked Sunny Boy, eager to tell her about the morning'sfun. 

"I believe she is up in the attic, " returned Grandma. "She's been upthere for an hour or so. I wish, lambie, you'd run and find her and saydinner will be on the table in half an hour. "

Sunny climbed the crooked, steep stairs that led to Grandma's attic, andfound Mother bending over an old trunk dragged out to the middle of thefloor. 

"Mother, " he began as soon as he saw her, "we've been sliding on the hay, and I found a duck mother, an' Grandma gave me a duck for my own. Whatare you doing, Mother?"

Mrs. Horton was sitting on the floor, her lap filled with a bundle of oldletters. 

"I've been having a delightful morning, too, " she said. "Grandma startedto go over these old trunks with me, and then some one called her on thetelephone and she had to go down. See, precious, here is a picture ofDaddy when he was a little boy. "

Sunny looked over her shoulder and saw a photograph of a stiff little boyin stiff velvet skirt and jacket, standing by a table, one small handresting solemnly on a book. 

"He doesn't look comfy, " objected Sunny. "Is it really Daddy? And didlittle boys wear petticoats then, Mother?"

"That isn't a petticoat, it is a kilt, " explained Mother. "You know whatkilts are, dear--you've seen the Scotch soldiers wear them. Well, whenDaddy was a little boy they wore kilts, and trousers underneath. AndGrandma was telling me this morning that as soon as Daddy was out of hersight he would take off his kilt and go about in his blouse and trousers. So probably he considered the kilt a petticoat just as you do. "

Sunny wandered over to another trunk that stood open and poked aninquiring hand down into its depths. 

"What's this, Mother?" he asked, holding up a queer, square little cap. 

"Be careful, precious, that is Grandpa's Civil War trunk, " warned Mother, coming over to him. "Grandmother meant to put the things out to airto-day and then it rained. See, dear, this is the cap he wore, and theold blue coat, and this is his knapsack. Some day you must ask Grandpa tocome up here with you and tell you war stories. "

"Where's his sword?" asked Sunny, fingering the cap with interest. "Wherewas Daddy then? Was Grandpa shot?"

"Grandpa didn't have a sword, because he wasn't an officer, " explainedMother. "He was only a boy when he enlisted, and it was long before therewas any Daddy, dear. And Grandpa was wounded--I'm sure I've told you thatbefore--don't you remember? That's how he met Grandma. She was a littlegirl and met him in the hospital where her father, who was a physician, was attending Grandpa. "

"Olive! Sunny! Dinner's ready!" It was Grandma standing at the foot ofthe stairs and calling them. 

"I forgot to tell you, " said Sunny hastily. "Dinner will be on the tablein half an hour, Grandma said. "

Mrs. Horton smiled. 

"I think the half hour has gone by, " she declared, closing the lid ofGrandpa's trunk. "Come, dear, we must go right down and not keep themwaiting. "

"Are you going to eat your duck?" asked Grandpa, when they were seated atthe dinner table. 

"My, no!" answered Sunny Boy, shocked. 

He never believed that the chickens and ducks they had for Sunday dinnerswere the same pretty feathered creatures he saw walking about the farm. Chickens and ducks one ate, thought Sunny Boy, were always the kind heremembered hanging up in the markets at home--without any feathers orheads. He was sure they grew that way, somewhere. 

"He doesn't have to eat his duck, " comforted Grandma. "I'm going to makesomething he likes this afternoon. If you and Olive are going to driveover to town, Sunny and I will be busy in the kitchen. "

"Saucer pies!" cried Sunny Boy. "I can help, can't I, Grandma?"

If there was one thing Sunny Boy loved to do, it was to be allowed towatch his grandma bake pies. He could ask a hundred questions and alwaysbe sure of an answer, he could taste the contents of every one of the rowof little brown spice boxes, and, best of all, there was a special littlepie baked for him in a saucer that he could eat the minute it was bakedand cool. No wonder Sunny Boy kissed Mother contentedly and watched herdrive away with Grandpa for a little shopping in town. He, Sunny Boy, wasgoing to help Grandma bake apple pies. 

"Here's your chair, and here's a pound Sweeting for you, " Aramintagreeted him as he trotted into the kitchen. 

Sunny Boy scrambled into his place opposite Grandma at the white table. 

"Now this won't be a very good pie, " said Grandma, as she began to mixthe pie crust. 

Dear Grandma always said that about her pies, even the one that won theprize at the big fair. 

"These apples are too sweet. But your grandfather can never wait. He hasto have an apple pie the minute the first apple ripens. "

"So do I, " announced Sunny Boy. "What's in this little can, Grandma?"

"Cinnamon, lambie, " answered Grandma. "Don't sniff it like that--you'llsneeze. "

Sunny Boy munched his apple and watched her as she rolled out the crust. 

"How many, Grandma?" he asked. 

Araminta, peeling apples over by the window, laughed. 

"He's just like his grandfather, " she said. "Mr. Horton always says, 'Howmany pies are you going to make, Mother?' doesn't he?"

"Why does Grandpa call you Mother?" inquired Sunny Boy of Grandma. "You're not his mamma. "

"No. But you see I suppose when your daddy was a little chap around thehouse, and calling me and calling me 'Mother' sixty times a day, as youdo your mamma, Grandpa got in the habit of saying 'Mother, ' too. Andhabits, you know, Sunny Boy, are the funny little things that stay withus. "

"Yes, I know--we had 'em in Sunday school, " agreed Sunny absently. "Isthat my pie?"

"That's your pie, lambie, " declared Grandma, smiling. "One, two, threelarge ones, and a saucer pie for my own laddie. How much sugar shall Iput in for you, Sunny Boy?"

"A bushel, " replied Sunny Boy confidently. "Let me shake the brownpowder, Grandma. "

So Sunny Boy sprinkled in the cinnamon, and Grandma added dots of butterand put on the crust. Then she cut little slits in it "so the apples canbreathe" and then that pie was ready for the oven. 

"Now I'm going up to change my dress while they're baking, " said Grandma, taking off her apron. "If you want to stay here with Araminta, all right, Sunny. I'll be back in time to take the pies out. "

Araminta bustled about, washing the table top and putting away the saltand sugar and spice box and all the things Grandma had used for herbaking. Sunny Boy ate his apple quietly and waited for Grandma to comeback. 

"My land of Goshen!" Araminta stopped to peer out of the window over thesink. "Here's company driving in. If it isn't Mrs. Lawyer Allen, and shealways stays till supper time! And your Grandma's pies not out of theoven!"

Grandma, too, had seen the gray horse and buggy, and she hurried down inher pretty black and white dress. 

"Hook my collar, please, Araminta, " she whispered. "And I am sure thepies are done. You can take them out very carefully and set them wherethey'll cool. You'll be good, won't you, lambie? There goes thedoor-bell. "

Grandma rustled away to meet her company, and Araminta opened the ovendoor importantly. She was seldom trusted to take the pies from the ovenalone, and she felt very grown-up indeed to have Sunny Boy see her do it. She got the three pies out nicely, and the little saucer pie, too, andcarried them into the pantry to cool. She set them on a shelf over theflour barrel. 

"Grandma puts them on the table, " suggested Sunny Boy. 

"Well, I put them on the shelf, " said Araminta shortly. "I don't believein leaving pies around where any one can get 'em. "

Now Araminta was in a hurry to go home, for it was three o'clock, andevery afternoon from three to five she was allowed to spend as shepleased. So, though she made the kitchen nice and neat before she left, in her hurry she forgot to put the lid on the flour barrel, somethingGrandma always did. 

"I'm going, " said Araminta, putting on her hat with a jerk. "Mind youdon't get into any mischief, and don't go bothering your grandma. Mrs. Lawyer Allen is nervous, and she doesn't like children. "

Araminta, you see, had so many brothers and sisters younger than herselfthat she gave advice to every child she met. 

Sunny Boy was perfectly willing to be good, but he was equally determinedto have his saucer pie. It was his own pie, made and intended for him, and Araminta had no business to put it on a shelf out of his reach. Assoon as the kitchen door closed he got a chair and dragged it into thepantry. 

"It's mine, " he told himself, as he stood on the chair. 

He pushed a white bowl out of the way, for he remembered the yellowcustard he had knocked over on his first adventure in Grandma's pantry. He put his hand on his pie and had it safe when Bruce began to barksuddenly outside the window. Sunny Boy leaned over to see out the window, the chair tipped, and with a crash a frightened little boy fell into theflour barrel which the careless Araminta had left uncovered directlyunder the shelf. 

The noise of the falling chair brought Grandma and her visitor to thepantry. 

"What in the world!" cried Mrs. Allen, as a small white-faced figurestared at her over the edge of the barrel. "What is it?"

"It's me, " said Sunny Boy forlornly. "There's flour all in me, Grandma!"

Grandma had to laugh. 

"All over you, " she corrected. "My dear child, are you hurt? And whatwere you doing to get in the barrel?"

Grandma lifted Sunny Boy out and carried him to the back porch and toldhim to shake himself as Bruce did after swimming in the brook. Only, instead of water, clouds of flour came out of Sunny Boy's clothes as hetried to shake like a dog. 

"I was getting my saucer pie, Grandma, " he explained when she came backwith a whisk-broom and began to brush him vigorously. "If I had somecinnamon I'd be a pie, wouldn't I?"

[Illustration: With a crash a frightened little boy fell into theflour barrel. ]

CHAPTER XIII

MORE MISCHIEF

When Grandma finally had Sunny Boy all dusted free from flour, she askedhim if he thought he could keep out of mischief till supper time. 

He was sure he could, and ran off to find Jimmie while Grandma and Mrs. Allen went back to finish their interrupted visit. 

"Hello, Sunny, " Jimmie greeted him. Jimmie was mending a piece of theorchard fence. "What are you eating--pie?"

For Grandma had seen to it that Sunny had his saucer pie--grandmas arelike that, you know. 

"Want a bite?" asked Sunny. 

But Jimmie, it seemed, had been eating apples all the afternoon and hedid not care for apple pie. 

"Let me help, " urged Sunny. "I can hold the fence up, Jimmie. "

"You can stay around and talk, if you want to, " conceded Jimmie. "It'skind of lonesome working all alone. But, Sunny, honestly I can't mendthis fence if you are going to sit on it and wiggle. "

Sunny slid down hastily. 

"I didn't know I was wiggling, " he apologized. "Do you learn to mendfence at agri--agri--"

"Agricultural college?" supplied Jimmie. "No, I guess that comes natural. Will you hand me one of those long nails, please?"

Sunny handed the nail absently. He was thinking of other things. 

"Are you a farmer like Grandpa, Jimmie?" he asked. 

Jimmie finished pounding in his nail before he answered. 

"Seems like I tinker up this section of fence every other week, " heconfided. "Am I a farmer like your grandpa? Well, no, not yet, but I aimto be. You thinking of farming, too?"

Sunny considered this gravely. 

"I might be a farmer, " he admitted. "Only I think I would rather be apostman. Could I, Jimmie?"

"Of course, " encouraged Jimmie. "Nothing to stop you. And if, when yougrow up, you find you would rather be something else, why, there's noharm done. I've heard that your father wanted to drive a hansom cab for alife job when he was your age. And now, instead, he drives his ownautomobile. "

"I think, " announced Sunny thoughtfully, "it's a good plan to think aboutwhat you want to be when you grow up and then you won't be s'prised whenyou find out what you are. "

Jimmie's mouth was too full of nails for him to answer, but he nodded. 

"You'll swallow a nail, " worried Sunny. "Our dressmaker did, once. Onlyit was a pin. What is this for, Jimmie?"

"Wire clippers, " explained Jimmie briefly. "Cut wires with 'em, you know. Leave them right there, Sunny. "

Jimmie was wrestling with a bit of wire that was hard to stretch intoplace. Sunny picked up the wire clippers and studied them carefully. 

"I wonder how they work?" he said to himself. "Like Mother's scissors? IfI only had a piece of wire I could see. "

Now the only wires, as Sunny very well knew, were those stretched betweenthe posts. He did so wonder if the wire clippers really could cut thatthick wire! Jimmie's back was toward him. Sunny rested the clippers onthe top wire. He wouldn't really press them, just pretend to. 

Snip! the heavy strand of wire parted as though it had been a string. 

"Give me those clippers!" Jimmie bore down upon him crossly. "I told youto leave 'em alone. Now see what you've done! Look here, Sunny, can't youkeep out of trouble long enough for me to finish this fence?"

Sunny yielded the clippers reluctantly. He had not known they were sosharp. Jimmie need not have been so cross, he thought. 

"I want to do something different, " Sunny complained. 

Jimmie wisely decided to give him something to do. 

"Couldn't you drive that mother duck and her ducklings up to the chickenyard?" he asked, pointing to the same ducks Sunny had discovered in thedairy. "I know your grandmother wants to shut them up to-night and thatmother duck is just working her way down to the brook. I want to finishthis fence before I call it a day, so if you want to be useful, here'syour chance. "

Of course Sunny Boy wanted to be useful, and he started after Mother Duckand her family. If you have ever tried to argue with a duck you will knowthat it does no good to tell her where she should go--ducks are like somepeople, they like to have their own way. This mother duck had made up hermind that she was going to take her family down to the brook, and SunnyBoy had to race up and down the orchard and "shoo" her from behind treesand be patient a long time before he could get her started in thedirection of the chicken yard. Then, once out of the orchard, she caughta glimpse of Araminta, who had come back--for it was five o'clock--andwas scattering cracked corn for the chickens. The duck mother was hungry, and she started to run toward the chicken yard. Sunny Boy could scarcelykeep up with her, and the poor little baby ducks were left away behind. 

"Let 'em be--they'll follow her!" cried Araminta, and she scattered alittle corn in an empty coop. 

The duck mother waddled right inside, and Araminta put up a bar thatfastened her in. 

"I think she has too many duck babies, " said Sunny Boy, watching as theducklings came up to the coop and began to hunt for corn. 

"Yes, she has, " agreed Araminta. "But she can keep them all warm, Iguess. "

"I know what I can do, " suggested Sunny Boy, but Araminta was hurrying tothe house after bread and milk to feed the duck babies and she did notask him what he could do. 

Mrs. Allen stayed to supper, and very soon after Mrs. Horton said thatSunny Boy looked sleepy and must go to bed. He seldom took a nap anymore, and as he woke up early in the mornings, his mother said it wascertain that he must go to bed earlier to make up for it. 

All the time Mother was helping him undress, Sunny Boy was very quiet, and after she had kissed him and tucked him in bed he did not ask her fora story as he usually did. 

"You've been playing too hard, I think, " said Mrs. Horton. "Good nightand pleasant dreams, dearest. "

Sunny Boy waited till she had closed the door. Then he hopped out of bedand pattered over to another door that led into Grandma's room. When hecame back he had two baby ducks in his hands. 

"There now, you can sleep in my bed, " he told them, putting them downunder the sheet. 

But the baby ducks did not like the soft, clean bed. They made funnylittle peeping noises, and as soon as Sunny Boy climbed into bed, one ofthem fell out and ran across the floor. Sunny Boy chased it under thebureau, and then he heard Mother calling. 

"Sunny!"

He opened the door a crack. 

"Yes, Mother?"

"I hear you running around up there. You don't want Mother to have tocome up and punish you, do you? Go back to bed and go to sleep like agood boy. "

"Yes'm, " said Sunny. 

He might have explained that he was good, but the ducks were certainly asbad as they could be. It was still light enough in the room for him tosee the furniture, but try as he might he could not get that foolish, obstinate frightened little duck to come out from behind the bureau. Finally he gave it up and went to bed to take care of the other one, andthat fell or jumped out on the other side of the bed and poor Sunny hadto get up again and try to find it. The foolish thing let him chase itunder the bed, and he was half way under and half way out when Grandpaopened the bedroom door. 

"Look here, Sunny, what are you up to now?" began Grandpa. "Your motheris tired and she sent me up to settle you. My soul, boy! what are youdoing under the bed?"

Sunny Boy wriggled out and turned a flushed face to Grandpa. 

"Nothing, " he said, beginning to climb into bed. 

Grandpa was helping him smooth the tangled covers when one of the ducksbegan to peep. 

"What's that?" said he sharply. "Sunny, what have you got in here? What'sthat noise?"

"It's a duck, " confessed Sunny Boy reluctantly. 

Grandpa sat down on the bed. 

"A duck? Up here?" he gasped. "Why, how on earth did a duck get in thehouse?"

"I did it, " admitted Sunny. "The duck mother had too many children, and Iwas going to take care of some of 'em for her. But they wouldn't stay inbed. I could sail 'em in the bath-tub in the mornings. "

Grandpa began to laugh, and then he could not stop. He laughed till thetears came, and Mrs. Horton heard him and came up to scold them both. Grandma followed, and there they all sat on the bed, Grandpa and Motherand Grandma, all laughing as hard as they could. 

Sunny Boy did not think it was funny a bit, and when he found thatGrandpa was going to take his ducks back to their own mother that nighthe began to cry. 

"By and by they would like it here, " he sobbed. "I haven't my woolly dog, and I need a duck. Can't I have one, Grandpa?"

Sunny Boy was far from being a cry-baby, but he was sleepy and that madehim feel unhappy, though he thought it was the ducks. That's a trick ofthe sandman's--making you cry easily when you're sleepy. However thistime Grandpa was firm, and he managed to get the duck under the bed andthe one back of the bureau and carry them down to their mother. And veryglad they were to get there, we may believe. Sunny Boy went to sleep infive minutes, and long before morning had forgotten he ever wanted babyducks to spend the night with him. 

One morning, a week or more later, he was playing on the shady side porchwhen he heard Grandpa saying something to Mother about bonds. Ever sinceSunny Boy had lost his kite and Grandpa's bonds with it, he alwaysnoticed when any one used that word. No one ever spoke to him about thelost money, and he often forgot about it, with so many wonderful thingsto do every day. And then, a word or two would make him remember again. 

"I lie awake at night worrying over those bonds, Father, " Mrs. Horton wassaying. "Harry may be able to make it up to you some day, but he's havinga hard time this summer. I've been out and looked and looked--some onemust have picked them up. "

"Yes, I suppose they have, " said Grandpa. "I advertised, and the Bondswere numbered. Still, as you say, some one must have found them. Don'tlet it spoil your Summer, Olive, I've only myself to blame. At my agecarelessness is nothing short of a crime. "

"But at your age a thousand dollars is a great deal to lose, " protestedMrs. Horton. "And I know you meant to take a trip South this Winter, andHarry tells me you've given that up. "

Sunny Boy could hear tears in Mother's soft voice, and he was sure shehad tears in her lovely brown eyes. He made up his mind what to do. 

He trotted through the wide hall, into the sitting-room. There satGrandpa figuring at his desk and close beside him was Mother with herknitting. There were bright drops on the dark blue wool. She had beencrying, though she smiled at Sunny as he stood in the doorway. 

"Grandpa, listen!" Sunny Boy cried. "You can have all the money in mybank at home. I've been saving it for, oh, ever so long. There's athousand dollars, I guess. An' you can have it all--every bit. Daddy willsend it to you if I ask him. An' then you won't care 'bout the Lib'tyBonds!"

Sunny Boy was surprised at the way his offer was received. He had thoughtGrandpa would be pleased and his mother, too. And here sat Grandpablowing his nose, and as for his mother--Sunny Boy looked at her and hereyes were quite brimming over. 

"Don't you like me to?" he cried. "I was going to buy another drum, butGrandpa can have the money. It's a pink pig, Grandpa, and you shake itan' the pennies drop out. Harriet gave it to me. " Sunny Boy's lip beganto quiver. 

"My dear little son!" Mother held out her arms and Sunny Boy ran to her. "My generous little man!" she whispered. "Your pennies wouldn't beenough, precious. But I'm proud to have you offer them to Grandpa to tryto make up his loss. That's like your father. "

Sunny Boy sat up and stopped crying. To be like his father was thehighest praise his mother could give him. 

"Thank you very much, Sunny, " said Grandpa gravely. "I couldn't take yourbank. For one reason, we're not sure yet the bonds are really lost. But Itell you what I will do--if I ever get out of cash, entirely out, mindyou, and have to borrow from my friends, I'll come to you. There are veryfew I'd bring myself to borrow from, but perhaps it's different with agrandson. You save your pennies, and maybe some day I'll ask you to lendme some. Shall we shake hands on it?"

And Sunny Boy and Grandpa shook hands solemnly, like two business men. 

CHAPTER XIV

ANOTHER HUNT

"And now, " declared Grandpa, putting on his wide-brimmed hat and reachingfor his cane, "it's high time I was out looking after Mr. Hatch. Whereare you going, Sunny Boy?"

Sunny Boy was darting off as though a new idea had seized him. 

"Out, " he answered vaguely. His mind was intent on his plan. 

"Well, Grandma and I have the picnic to plan, " cried Mrs. Horton gayly. "If we are going to have that long-promised picnic before we go home, Ifor one think it is high time we set a day. "

Sunny Boy, lingering in the doorway, heard Grandpa grumble a little as healways did if anything was said about their going home. 

"No reason why you shouldn't stay here all Summer, " he scolded. "Or ifyou want to be nearer Harry, Olive, leave the boy with us. You know we'dtake good care of him. "

"I know you would; but I couldn't leave my baby, " Mrs. Horton saidquickly. "Bessie, my sister, you know, has a plan--"

But Araminta called Sunny just then and he ran off without hearing aboutAunt Bessie's plan. 

Sunny Boy had a plan of his own, and he was determined to carry itthrough. This was nothing less than to go and hunt for Grandpa's lostLiberty Bonds. 

"For I know that kite fell down right by the old walnut tree, " said SunnyBoy to himself for the twentieth time. "I saw it go down--swish! I'll betGrandpa didn't look under the right tree. "

Without much trouble he coaxed a big piece of gingerbread fromAraminta--who was very curious to learn where he was going--which hecrowded into his pocket. Expecting to be gone a long time, he took anapple from the basket on the dining-room table and two bananas. Bruce, lying on the back door mat, decided to go with him, but Bruce wasbeginning to get the least little bit fat and old, and when he hadfollowed Sunny as far as the brook pasture and saw that he had nointention of stopping to rest under the trees, that wise collie dogturned and went back to the house. 

"Hey, there! Where are you going this hot day?" Jimmie, setting outtomato plants in a side field, shouted to him. 

Sunny Boy waved his hand and plodded on. He was a silent child when hehad his mind fixed on a certain thing, and he was intent on finding thosebonds this morning. 

The sun was hot, and when he reached the pretty brook the water looked soclear and cool that Sunny was tempted to go wading. Only he had promisedhis mother not to go in the water unless some one was with him, and then, too, wading would delay the hunt for the bonds. He walked along the bankuntil he came to the uneven line of stones piled together to make acrossing. 

"I spect it wabbles, " said Sunny Boy aloud, putting one foot on a stone, which certainly did "teeter. "

He started to cross slowly, and in the middle of the stream his rightfoot slipped--splash!--into the icy cold water. 

"My land sakes!" gasped poor Sunny Boy, who was certainly acquiring anumber of new words, much to his mother's worry. "I guess that water's ascold as--as our icebox at home. "

With one wet foot and one dry foot he finished his journey and landedsafely on the other side of the brook. He was hungry by then, and so satdown to eat the gingerbread under a large tree whose roots had grown farout over the water. 

"Tick-tack! Tick-tack! Tick--t-a-c-k!" scolded some one directly over hishead. 

"Don't be cross, Mr. Squirrel!" said Sunny Boy politely. "Grandpa sayswhen you make a noise like that you're either frightened or want folks togo away and not bother you. I'm going in a minute. "

Throwing the crumbs of the gingerbread into the brook for the little fishto enjoy, Sunny Boy marched straight for the woods. He had never beenthere alone, and somehow they seemed darker and deeper than he rememberedthem when Grandpa or Daddy had been with him. 

"I'll begin to look now, " said Sunny, talking to himself for company. Andhow small his voice sounded, and thin, under those tall, silent trees!

"Maybe I'll see a Brownie, " Sunny continued. "I think Bruce might havecome all the way. What was that?"

A twig snapped under his foot with a sharp noise. Noises are alwayscreepy when one is alone in a strange place. Sunny sat down to rest aminute, on a half-buried tree-stump. 

A black beetle came out, ran along a weed-stalk, climbed up to the topand sat there, regarding Sunny steadily. 

"Do you like living here?" asked Sunny politely. "I wish you could talk, Mr. Beetle. Maybe you've seen the Lib'ty Bonds somewhere an' you'd tellme just where to look. "

The beetle winked his beady eyes rapidly, but of course he didn't say aword. 

Presently a striped chipmunk appeared on a stump opposite the one whereSunny sat, and he, too, stared at Sunny intently. 

"I'm going! I'm going right away!" Sunny assured the chipmunk hastily. "Daddy says you wood folks like to be alone. I wouldn't hurt you, but Is'pose you don't know that. "

He trotted along, eating the bananas as he went. There were so manythings to look at and think about that sometimes he almost forgot theLiberty Bonds. Almost, but not quite. 

"'Cause I just have to find 'em, " he told a blue jay that sat up in atree and listened sympathetically. "I'm mose sure Grandpa didn't look inthe right place. An' won't he like it when I come home with them in mypocket!"

Sunny was so pleased with this idea that he gave a little shout and threwhis cap up into the air, which so alarmed the blue jay that it quicklyflew away. 

Sunny Boy was marching steadily, hands in his pockets, when he sawsomething near a stone that made him stop to look. It was a turtle. 

"Why didn't you run?" Sunny demanded, picking up the turtle carefully, ashe had seen Jimmie do. "Maybe you're the one Grandpa carved his initialsand the date on when he came here to live. Are you?"

The turtle kept his head obstinately in. Very likely he objected to beingpicked up and looked at so closely. Sunny brushed him off neatly with hisclean handkerchief, and, sure enough, on the shell he found a datecarved. 

"I can't read it, " mourned Sunny aloud. "But I guess you're not Grandpa'sturtle, 'cause you haven't any initials on you. I wish you'd put yourhead out, just once. "

But, though he put the turtle gently on the ground again and kept verystill for at least five minutes, the queer, narrow little head stayedsafely in its shell house. The turtle did not run away. 

"Guess he thinks I'll catch him if he runs, " thought Sunny. "I'd like tokeep him if he was little. Jimmie says little turtles are nice to keep inthe garden. Maybe I can find one on the way back, and build him a littlehouse under Grandma's rose bushes. "

Sunny went on, and soon he was sure that he was coming to the place wherehe had seen his kite fall. To be sure, the inside of the woods lookedvery different from the outside, and Sunny began to understand why he andGrandfather had not found the bonds as easily as they had hoped to. Still, he felt he was "getting warm" as they say in the games of seeking, and he began to look about him closely. 

"It was right here--" His apple fell out of his blouse and he stooped topick it up. He sprang up with a shriek and ran screaming toward anopening in the woods. 

"It was a snake--a great, big, nasty, bitey snake!" he sobbed. "I put myhand right on it--all slippy and cold!"

He looked back--was it a snake after all? What was that curved blackthing that lay there so quietly at the foot of a tree?

Then Sunny Boy did a very brave thing indeed. He was all alone, remember, and there was no one to laugh at him had he gone on home believing thathe had touched a snake. But he liked to be very sure in his own mind, andhe went back, cautiously and ready to run if a twig snapped, but back, nevertheless, to the place where he thought he had seen the snake. Anyone, you know, may be frightened, but to face the fear and see if it isan afraid thought, or something really scary--that takes a truly braveperson. And always afterward Sunny Boy was to be glad that he had had thecourage to go back and see. 

For his snake was only an old twisted tree root, after all!

"But I guess it's dinner time, an' I can come again an' look for thebonds, " he told a chipmunk. "Maybe Jimmie will come to-morrow and helphunt. "

This time Sunny Boy crossed the stone crossing without getting eitherfoot wet and he was half way up to the house when he saw Peter and Paulstanding hitched to the fence. They had been hauling the tomato plantsfor Jimmie and Grandpa, who was always kind to the farm animals, hadordered them to be unharnessed and tied in the shade while the plantswere being set out. 

"No horse likes to be anchored to a wagon when 'tisn't necessary, " saidkind Grandpa. 

"Jimmie's always saying he will let me ride Peter, " grumbled Sunny Boy, looking very little as he stood by the fence, fumbling with the strapthat tied Peter fast. "Pretty soon we'll be going home, Mother says, andI won't ever learn to ride. "

Sunny's busy, mischievous fingers had untied the strap as he talked, andnow Peter could have walked away to the barn and his dinner, had he onlyknown it. He didn't though, and so he was very much surprised to feellittle feet digging into him as Sunny Boy scrambled desperately to get onhis back. Peter and Paul were fat and slow or they never would have stoodthe antics of Sunny as that small person, clinging to Peter's mane, andusing Paul as a kind of step-ladder, pushed and pulled and climbed tillhe found himself where he wished to be--on Peter's broad back. 

"Gee, you're a tall horse!" he observed, gathering the halter strap inone hand as he had seen Jimmie take the reins. "Oh, there's what youought to have on--I didn't see it. "

The bridles and reins lay on the ground where Jimmie had dropped themwhen he had unharnessed the horses from the wagon. But Sunny Boy was notminded to get down after such a trifle--he had had too much trouble tosecure his present seat. 

"Gid-ap!" he said loudly, and jerked the halter strap. 

Over in the field, Jimmie straightened an aching young back and gazed inamazement. 

"Say--hey, Sunny--Sunny Horton! Get off that horse--do you hear me?" heshouted. 

Sunny Boy heard. He turned and grinned impishly. He delighted to plagueJimmie, and he was having fun guiding Peter. 

Then Jimmie rather lost his head. Had he kept still, Peter would probablyhave ambled gently about the meadow, perhaps turned into the road thatled to the house and barn, and Sunny's adventure might have been a verymild one. But Jimmie was frightened, and in his fear he did the one thingthat could have brought about what he feared. He leaped the fence andcame running toward the horse. 

"Gid-ap, Peter! Go 'long! Hurry!" Sunny slapped the strap smartly acrossold Peter's neck. 

That easy-going horse was not used to such treatment, and he broke into atrot. Jimmie began to shout and wave his arms. Then Peter broke into agallop, taking great, long easy strides that seemed to cover miles ofground to Sunny's excited eyes. 

"You kind of bump!" he gasped, as the horse galloped on. "Iwonder--will--I--fall off!"

Peter snorted. He had forgotten how it felt to be running free, andperhaps he was pretending he was a young colt again. He paid no moreattention to the small boy on his back than if Sunny Boy had been a fly. 

Around and around the field they tore. Jimmie's shouts had broughtGrandpa, and together the two watched in terrible anxiety. 

"I'd get on Paul and chase 'em, but Peter can outrun him any day!" Jimmiealmost sobbed. "Say! I know what will do it. You wait, sir. "

He ran up to the barn and came back with a peck measure of corn. Paul sawthe long yellow ears and whinnied with pleasure. 

"You don't get any, " Jimmie informed him. "Lucky they hadn't had theirdinner, " he said to Grandpa. He stood out from the fence and rattled themeasure invitingly, and whistled. 

Now Peter was not a colt, however much he might enjoy pretending, and hewas getting tired of his gallop. Also he was hungry, and he had heardPaul whinny. So when Jimmie whistled, the old, familiar whistle he alwaysgave when he came in the barn at feeding time, Peter turned and stared. Yes, there he stood, down at the other end of the field, and yes, he hadcorn with him. 

Peter slowed down to a gentle run, then to a half trot, and finally camewalking at his usual gentle gait straight up to Jimmie and Grandpa. 

"Sunny, Sunny, what will you do next?" groaned Grandpa, lifting him down. "I hope your mother didn't see this--she would be frightened to death. "

"It didn't hurt me, " urged Sunny Boy, beginning to wonder if he had donewrong. "I is bumped a little, but I wasn't afraid, Grandpa. Was Jimmie?"

"You young imp!" Jimmie swooped down upon him and hugged him so hardSunny squirmed uneasily. "You bet I was scared! I thought every minuteyou'd tumble off. And now do you want to ride up to the barn with me, orhave you had enough?"

"I'll ride with you, " said Sunny firmly. 

CHAPTER XV

SUNNY'S GOOD LUCK

"There!" Grandma, a pretty picture in her white dress that matched herwhite hair, closed the side door. "Now we're really started. "

She and Grandpa and Mother and Sunny Boy were going for theirlong-talked-of picnic in the woods. Araminta had the day for a holidayand had gone merrily off to town to buy herself a new frock. Sunny hadwanted Jimmie to come to the picnic, but Jimmie, too, was away. He hadgone down to the city to sell hay for Grandpa. So it happened that justthe four were to spend the day in the woods. 

"What we'll do without you, Sunny, " said Grandpa, as they walked ahead, "I'm sure I don't know. "

"But I'll send you some of the sand, " urged Sunny cheerfully. "And aseashell, Grandpa. "

For this was Aunt Bessie's plan. She had written Mrs. Horton that she anda friend, a teacher, had taken a cottage at the seashore for the month ofAugust, and they wanted Sunny Boy and his mother to come and spend thatmonth with them. The cottage was near enough to the city for Mr. Hortonto go down every night and stay with them. 

"And two weeks from to-day, " Mrs. Horton had told Sunny Boy as he brushedhis hair that morning, "you will be going down to the beach with a tinpail and shovel, I expect, to play in the sand. "

Grandpa, carrying two boxes of lunch and a little camp chair that foldedup--because Grandma had aches in her joints if she tried to sit on theground--smiled down at his grandson. 

"Oh, well, we shall just have to have as much fun as we can while you'rehere, " he said firmly. "Let's have a perfectly fine picnic with all thesandwiches we can eat to-day. "

"Yes, " agreed Sunny enthusiastically. "Let's. "

"Sunny, what have you found there?" asked Grandpa after a while. 

"It's a bird, " said Sunny pitifully. "A poor, little dead bird, Grandpa. See?"

He brought back the little feathered body he had found at the foot of atall oak tree, and showed them. 

"It's a baby robin, " said Grandma, touching the little thing gently. "Itmust have fallen out of the nest. Don't grieve, lambie, nothing can hurtthe little bird now. "

"I want to bury it, " insisted Sunny, tears running down his face. "Idon't want to leave it on the ground, Grandma. "

"All right, you shall bury it, " said Grandpa soothingly. "I'll help you. Mother, you and Olive walk along slowly and we'll catch up to you. "

So Grandma and Sunny's mother walked ahead, and Grandpa began to helpSunny bury the baby robin. 

First, they found a wide, smooth green leaf that grew in the woods andwrapped this about the dead bird and fastened it with the sharp littlethorns that grew on another plant and which were every bit as good aspins. 

"Now you gather the prettiest fern leaves you can find, " directedGrandpa. "And I'll dig him a little grave. "

When Sunny Boy came back with his hands full of soft fern leaves, Grandpahad a little square hollowed out in the earth, under a Jack in the Pulpitplant. 

"We'll line it with ferns, so, " he said, arranging the leaves Sunny Boybrought him, "and then we'll put the bird in so, and cover him upcarefully. There! Now we'll leave him in his nice, green bed, dear, andnot be sorry for him any more. 

"I see Bruce just ahead. Grandma and Mother must be near. "

They came up to them in a minute, and Sunny Boy suddenly discovered thathe was hungry. 

"But it isn't time for lunch yet, precious. Take this apple and try towait a little longer, do, " said his mother. 

"Feels like a thunderstorm, " declared Grandma, sitting down on hercamp-stool to get her breath after the walk. "Well, Bruce will tell us intime, won't you, old fellow?"

"How?" asked Sunny curiously. 

"He's afraid of thunder, " explained Grandma. "Years ago when he was ayoung dog he was out hunting rabbits or squirrels one summer night and abig thunderstorm came up. We always think he must have seen a treestruck, or been stunned by a flash, for he came home dripping andshivering. And ever since--though that was a long time ago--he begins toshake and wants to hide whenever he hears thunder. "

The woods did not seem dark and still, now that Sunny had company withhim, and he took Grandpa over to the place where he and Daddy had gonefishing. They decided not to try to catch any fish that day, but Sunnytook off his shoes and stockings and went wading. 

When he came out, and had his shoes and stockings on again, Mrs. Hortonspread a white cloth on a flat rock and she and Grandma began to get thelunch ready. 

"Sunny, which would you rather have, " Grandpa asked him, "white cake orblack cake?"

"White, I guess, " said Sunny. "Or no--chocolate, I think. "

"Well, well, if that isn't lucky!" cried Grandpa, pretending to be muchrelieved. "Grandma has put in both kinds!"

Indeed there were all kinds of goodies in those boxes--chicken and hamsandwiches, eggs, potato salad, white cake and black, a vacuum bottle ofcold milk for Sunny and one of hot coffee for the others. 

"There's a spider!" shouted Sunny Boy as they sat down to eat. "Look, Grandpa, he going right into the cake. "

"Oh, spiders and ants and little creatures like that like to come to apicnic, " answered Grandpa, scooping up the spider on a bit of cardboardand putting him down carefully on a bush near by. "Mr. Spider'll go hometo-night and tell the folks all about the little boy he saw in the woodsto-day with his mother and his grandmother and his grandfather having apicnic. And little Sallie Spider will say, 'What were they eating, Daddy?Did you bring me any?'"

"I'll sprinkle crumbs for him to get afterward, " planned Sunny. "Thefishes had them last time, and now it is Mr. Spider's turn. "

Presently, when no one could eat another bite, Mother and Grandmotherfolded up the cloth and put the sandwiches left over in one box. All theodds and ends were put down on a paper plate for Bruce to eat, and thenGrandpa dug a hole in the ground and he and Sunny Boy buried the papersout of sight. 

"For I won't let any one build a fire in my woods in July when we'reneeding rain so badly and every stick is like tinder, " said Grandpasturdily. "And we won't leave a messy picnic ground, even if it is ourown, shall we?"

Mrs. Horton had her knitting, and she and Grandma sat and worked andtalked quietly while Grandpa and Sunny Boy went off together to try tofind a sassafras bush. Just as they had found one and Grandpa had takenout his knife to cut a twig for Sunny to taste, Bruce ran into him andnearly knocked him down. 

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Something's the matter with Bruce! Is he sick?" SunnyBoy was a little frightened at the strange way the dog acted. "Look athim! He's trying to walk on me. "

"He hears thunder, " said Grandpa quietly. "He's trying to get you to hidehim. Funny, I haven't heard a rumble. But you can trust Bruce. He neverfails to tell us. We must hurry and get Mother and Grandma back to thehouse before it rains. "

They walked back as fast as they could to where they had left the others, and found Mrs. Horton folding up her knitting. 

"We thought we heard thunder, " she said, as they came up to her. "I thinkit is clouding up, too. Why how funny Bruce acts! Is he sick?"

"He's trying to tell us a storm is coming, " replied Grandpa. "There, there, Bruce, don't be so silly. We're going home, and you can hide underthe barn floor and never even see the lightning. "

The sun, which had been shining down through the trees, had gone under acloud, and the branches about them began to rustle as the wind swayedthem. 

"I'm afraid we'll have a heavy storm, " said Grandma anxiously. "We havehad such a long dry spell and it's been so hot. I'd hate to be caughtamong these trees in a heavy wind. "

"Don't worry, Mother, " replied Grandpa. "We'll be home before the firstdrops come. Shall I carry you, Sunny?"

Sunny, who was running to keep up with them, shook his head. He did notwant to be carried like a baby. Soon it grew darker and darker and thewind began to blow in earnest. He pressed closer to Grandpa. 

"Don't be afraid, " said Grandpa kindly. "We'll be out of the woods inanother minute and then we'll scoot across the brook and be home. "

He put out a hand to help Grandmother, when with a tremendous blast agust of wind made them all stop to catch their breath. They saw it bend atree at the edge of the clearing and heard the tree snap loudly as itbroke and fell across the path. Bruce howled--he was nervous, pooranimal. 

"Mercy!" gasped Grandma. "I said we'd have a bad storm. There! I felt araindrop. My father always said the worst was over when the rain began. "

They hurried on, anxious not to get wet, and Sunny Boy was the first toreach the fallen tree. 

"We have to go over it, " he shouted back, and began to scramble up, holding on to the branches. 

"Grandpa, " they heard him scream a moment later. "Hurry! Come quick!Here's my kite! The Lib'ty Bonds kite!"

Sure enough, there it was, just as it had caught in the tree--the missingkite. And still pasted to the strips of wood were Grandpa's twofive-hundred-dollar Liberty Bonds!

"No wonder we couldn't find 'em!" cried Sunny Boy, dancing withexcitement. "I knew I saw it fall in a tree! Won't Daddy be glad!"

"We're all glad, " declared Mother, kissing him warmly. "Isn't it justwonderful to think that the same little boy who lost the bonds shouldalso find them?"

"It's been a lucky picnic, surely, " said Grandpa. "After a hard rainthose bonds wouldn't have been worth much to any one. "

"Well, they won't be worth much now if we all stand here and get soaked, "announced Grandma practically. 

At that they all took hold of hands and ran across the meadow, over thebridge of stones, and up to the porch. And the moment they were safelyunder shelter, how the rain did pour down! Just as if, Sunny said, it hadbeen waiting for them to get home before it showed what it really coulddo. 

"Mother, " asked Sunny Boy that night, as he sat on the foot-board of thebed in his blue pajamas and watched her brush her hair. They were alltired after the excitement of the picnic and the finding of the bonds, and every one was going to bed at Sunny's bed time, even Grandpa. "Mother, will I take my sand-box to the seashore?"

"Oh, no, precious, " she assured him. "Why, you'll have a whole beach ofsand to play in. And the bathing suit I bought for you to wear here andwhich you haven't had on because the brook water is so cold! PerhapsDaddy will teach you to swim. "

"Yes, " agreed Sunny Boy absently. And he tumbled back on the pillows, thinking about the seashore and the ocean which he had never seen. 

It was not very long after the picnic that Mother and Sunny Boy leftBrookside and went to visit Aunt Bessie in her white cottage that facedthe ocean. And if you want to hear about the good times Sunny Boy hadthere and what he thought the waves were saying to him when he got up inthe night to listen, you'll have to read "Sunny Boy at the Seashore. "

THE END

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THE SUNNY BOY SERIESBy Ramy Allison White

Children, meet Sunny Boy, a little fellow with big eyes and an inquiringdisposition, who finds the world a large and wonderful thing indeed. Andsomehow there is lots going on, when Sunny Boy is around. Perhaps hehelps push! In the first book of this new series he has the finest timeever, with his Grandpa out in the country. He learns a lot and he helps alot, in his small way. Then he has a glorious visit to the seashore, butthis is in the next story. And there are still more adventures in theother books. You will like Sunny Boy. 

1. SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY2. SUNNY BOY AT THE SEASHORE3. SUNNY BOY IN THE BIG CITY4. SUNNY BOY IN SCHOOL AND OUT5. SUNNY BOY AND HIS PLAYMATES6. SUNNY BOY AND HIS GAMES7. SUNNY BOY IN THE FAR WEST8. SUNNY BOY ON THE OCEAN9. SUNNY BOY WITH THE CIRCUS10. SUNNY BOY AND HIS BIG DOG

BARSE & HOPKINSPublishersNew York, N. Y. --Newark, N. J. 

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THE BOY SCOUT LIFE SERIESPublished with the approval ofThe Boy Scouts of America

In the boys' world of story books, none better than those about boyscouts arrest and grip attention. In a most alluring way, the stories inthe BOY SCOUT LIFE SERIES tell of the glorious good times and wonderfuladventures of boy scouts. 

All the books were written by authors possessed of an intimate knowledgeof this greatest of all movements organized for the welfare of boys, andare published with the approval of the National Headquarters of the BoyScouts of America. 

The Chief Scout Librarian, Mr. F. K. Mathiews, writes concerning them:"It is a bully bunch of books. I hope you will sell 100, 000 copies ofeach one, for these stories are the sort that will help instead of hurtour movement. "

THE BOY SCOUT FIRE FIGHTERS--CRUMPTHE BOY SCOUTS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE TROOP--McCLANETHE BOY SCOUT TRAIL BLAZERS--CHELEYTHE BOY SCOUT TREASURE HUNTERS--LERRIGOBOY SCOUTS AFLOAT--WALDENBOY SCOUTS COURAGEOUS--MATHIEWSBOY SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE--LERRIGOBOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL--GARTHTHE BOY SCOUTS IN AFRICA--CORCORAN

BARSE & HOPKINSPublishersNew York, N. Y. --Newark, N. J. 

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THE CAMP FIRE BOYS SERIESBy OLIVER LEE CLIFTONFor Boys from 8 to 14

A group of resourceful boys living in a small town form a camping andhiking club, which brings them all sorts of outdoor adventures. In thefirst story, "At Log Cabin Bend, " they solve a series of mysteries butnot until after some lively thrills which will cause other boys to sit onthe edge of their chairs. The next story telling of their search for alost army aviator in "Muskrat Swamp" is just as lively. The boys are alllikable and manly--just the sort of fellows that every other wide-awakeboy would be glad to go hiking with. 

THE CAMP FIRE BOYS AT LOG CABIN BENDTHE CAMP FIRE BOYS IN MUSKRAT SWAMPTHE CAMP FIRE BOYS AT SILVER FOX FARMTHE CAMP FIRE BOYS' CANOE CRUISETHE CAMP FIRE BOYS' TRACKING SQUAD

BARSE & HOPKINSPublishersNew York, N. Y. --Newark, N. J. 

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THE TWO LITTLE FELLOWS SERIESBy JOSEPHINE LAWRENCEFor Boys and Girls from 5 to 9Cloth Large 12 Mo. Illustrated

The neighbors say "the two little Fellows" when they speak of Martin andJean. That is because this small brother and sister are always together. You just have to think of them as a pair. 

The Fellows family live in Garnet, a busy city, but the two littleFellows have a yard all their own in which to play, and a wonderful dog, who is very wise indeed, for a playmate. Pleasantly exciting thingshappen to Martin and Jean: sometimes little troubles ruffle them, but inthe main, this growing up day by day is very interesting and busy work. The two little Fellows think so and as you read about them in thesebooks, you'll find you have made two new friends. 

1. THE TWO LITTLE FELLOWS. 2. THE TWO LITTLE FELLOWS START SCHOOL. 3. THE TWO LITTLE FELLOWS GO VISITING. 

BARSE & HOPKINSPublishersNew York, N. Y. --Newark, N. J.