Sunny Boy in the Country | Page 4

smoothly 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't a very large back yard, but it was pretty. There were ferns along one side, and gay spring flowers on the other. At one end were Sunny Boy's swing and sand-box, and the center was in thick, green grass. Mondays the grass belonged to Harriet, who used it to walk on when she hung out the clean clothes, but other days Sunny had the whole yard pretty much to himself.
There was a little gate cut in the fence on one side of the yard. Daddy Horton had made the gate for Sunny Boy and Nelson and Ruth. Nelson and Ruth were a little boy and girl who lived next door, at least Ruth was a little girl-she was only four years old-'but Nelson was seven and went to school. Their last name was Baker, and they and Sunny Boy had very good times playing together. As soon as Sunny Boy came out into his yard this morning, the little gate opened, and in came Ruth, dragging Paulina, her largest doll, by one arm.
"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 going to be?"
" 'Cause you're dragging Paulina and you always treat her like that when you're cross," answered Sunny more frankly than tact- fully. "Listen, Ruth-we're going to the country to see Grandpa Horton, and I'm going to drive 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 the country, too, and it surely wouldn't be very kind to tell her plainly that Grandpa Horton hadn't invited her. To his relief Mrs. Baker called Ruth just then and she went into her own yard, still dragging the unfortunate Paulina by one arm.
"Sunny Boy," called his own mother from an upstairs window, "Harriet is going 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 hat and roller skates. Now Sunny Boy was just learning to skate, and if he didn't have Harriet to hold on to he never could be quite sure what was going 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 learn how to skate because when he could skate well he would be able to go to the store much more quickly than he could walk. And Harriet said yes, she understood, and that everybody had to learn how to skate before they could become really expert.
"Did you ever live on a farm, Harriet?" asked Sunny Boy, as they started for the store. His mind was full of the coming visit.
"No," admitted Harriet. "I never lived on a farm. But I've often visited people who did. You'll like it. There'll be brooks to wade in, and little calves and lambs to play with, and chickens and ducks. And you can play outdoors 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 try to 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 to Brookside, Sunny. You'll have more apples then than you can possibly eat."
"Millions and dozens?" called Sunny Boy after Harriet.
"Yes, 'millions and dozens,' " she echoed, laughing, and closed the grocery 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. He looked 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?" he said. "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. He knew Sunny Boy and Harriet because he often came to their house to bring good things to eat. "I'll tell you, Sunny Boy-you wait till you come back from this visit, and then I'll take you.