CHAPTER XV

HOME AGAIN

The next morning Mrs. Horton did their packing and the trunk was sent early to the station. Sunny Boy was just as excited at the prospect of going home as he had been at the idea of the trip to New York.

"But what will you do all the time at home?" teased Jack the bell-boy, when Sunny Boy went to say good-bye to him.

"Oh, I'm going to school," announced Sunny Boy proudly. "All the children that I know go. Harriet's going to take me till I get used to it, and then Mother says p'haps I can go by myself."

"Would you like to live here?" Sunny Boy asked Mother, when they had found their comfortable seats in the train and it was almost time for it to start.

"Live in New York?" echoed Mrs. Horton thoughtfully. "No, I think not, precious. Though we have had a good time, haven't we?"

Sunny Boy nodded his head.

"I wouldn't like to live here all the time, either," he confided. "I'd rather live in our house."

The train ride was uneventful, and as they had taken an express, they were in Centronia by early afternoon. Aunt Bessie met them at the station.

"Well, well, honey-bunch," she greeted her nephew, hugging him, "I surely have missed you. What do you think of New York?"

"All right," said Sunny Boy, wriggling out of her arms. "Did the children get the post cards I sent them?"

"I think they did," admitted Aunt Bessie gravely. "Ruth Baker talks a great deal about her post-card alb.u.m, I know. What is this I hear about you going to school?"

Aunt Bessie and Sunny Boy were seated in the tonneau of Mr. Horton's car which Aunt Bessie had driven down to meet him. Mrs. Horton was sitting in the front seat with Mr. Horton who was driving.

"I'm going to school!" beamed Sunny Boy. "Did Mother tell you? And then I can write in ink."

"That will be fine," said Aunt Bessie. "Here's the house, though, and there's Harriet standing on the step."

"Harriet! Harriet! I've come home," yelled Sunny Boy. "And I brought you something! Mother has it in the trunk!"

Harriet came down as the car drew up at the curb and tried to shake hands with Mrs. Horton, carry a suitcase for Mr. Horton and hug Sunny Boy all at once.

"Did you miss me?" demanded Sunny Boy, following her upstairs.

"Miss you? Well, I should say so!" declared Harriet, kissing him again. "Haven't I been up and dusted all your toys every time I came over to see that the house was all right? You'll find them all sitting up there in the playroom waiting for you."

Sunny Boy was very glad to be at home, and after he had inspected his toys he went out into the back yard and whistled for Ruth and Nelson.

Ruth was not at home, but Nelson answered and had a hundred questions to ask about New York.

"Say, you remember the boy that took your new hat?" he suddenly reminded Sunny Boy. "Well, I know him. He lives back over in Oak Lane, near where Molly lives."

Molly was the colored woman who did Mrs. Baker's washing.

"Let's go over and get it from him," suggested Nelson. "He won't dare say a word. I'll tell Molly if he does and she'll tell his mother."

Sunny Boy thought it would be nice to have the hat back, so he said he would go with Nelson. After a short walk the boys reached the section where the colored people lived and turned down a street where Nelson said he had seen the colored boy who had taken Sunny's hat.

"There he is now!" shouted Nelson, pointing to a boy sitting on the curbstone.

The boy heard him, looked up and started to run. Sunny Boy and Nelson ran pell-mell after him. As the colored boy dodged round a truck in the street the hat fell off.

"Told you we'd get it!" boasted Nelson, picking it up and holding it triumphantly out to Sunny Boy. "That's the very one, isn't it?"

They carried it home, and Sunny Boy went to find Harriet.

"Got my hat, Harriet," he announced soberly. "Nelson helped me chase the boy that stole it. It fell off."

"Well, you don't seem very joyful over it," commented Harriet. "Where is it?"

Sunny Boy held out the hat silently.

It was spotted, and the brim was crushed, the ribbon band was slashed in several places, and the crown was hopelessly faded from the sun.

"He had it on," explained Sunny Boy. "Somehow, I don't feel much like wearing it any more."

Harriet pulled Sunny Boy down into her lap.

"For a lost hat, I'd consider that one still lost," she told him, laughing. "That boy must have been wearing it rather steady. Don't you care, Sunny, it isn't as if you needed it."

"No, 'tisn't as if I needed it," agreed Sunny Boy, picking up the dilapidated hat and going off to show it to his mother. "I have my new one. Only it's not new any more. But it looks better than this one, I think, a whole lot."

So, like the cat, his hat came back. And now if you want to read what happened to Sunny Boy next and what a busy time the next few weeks were for him, you will have to read the book about him called "SUNNY BOY IN SCHOOL AND OUT."

THE END

THE SUNNY BOY SERIES

By Ramy Allison White

[Ill.u.s.tration: SUNNY BOY ON THE OCEAN RAMY ALLISON WHITE]

Children, meet Sunny Boy, a little fellow with big eyes and an inquiring disposition, who finds the world a large and wonderful thing indeed. And somehow there is lots going on, when Sunny Boy is around.

Perhaps he helps push! In the first book of this new series he has the finest time ever, with his Grandpa out in the country. He learns a lot and he helps a lot, in his small way. Then he has a glorious visit to the seash.o.r.e, but this is in the next story. And there are still more adventures in other books. You will like Sunny Boy.

1. SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY 2. SUNNY BOY AT THE SEASh.o.r.e 3. SUNNY BOY IN THE BIG CITY 4. SUNNY BOY IN SCHOOL AND OUT 5. SUNNY BOY AND HIS PLAYMATES 6. SUNNY BOY AND HIS GAMES 7. SUNNY BOY IN THE FAR WEST 8. SUNNY BOY ON THE OCEAN 9. SUNNY BOY WITH THE CIRCUS 10. SUNNY BOY AND HIS BIG DOG