Sunny Boy in the Country   By: Ramy Allison White

SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY

By RAMY ALLISON WHITE

Illustrated By CHARLES L. WRENN

BARSE & HOPKINS Publishers New York, N.Y. Newark, N.J.

Copyright, 1920 By Barse & Hopkins

Sunny Boy in the Country

Printed in the United States of America

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

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

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

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

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

With a crash a frightened little boy fell into the flour barrel. 163

SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY

CHAPTER I

THE MENDED DRUM

"Rub a dub, dub! Bang! Rub a dub dub Bang! Bang!" Sunny Boy thumped his drum vigorously.

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

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

There were any number of interesting things going on around the front door this morning, but he was chiefly interested in Harriet, because as a rule he had to help her Saturday mornings by going with her to the grocery store at the corner. He liked to stand in her clean, comfortable kitchen 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 numbers were so dull and streaked he couldn't read them! Think how we'd feel if that should happen to us!"

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

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

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