y again.

"I would kinda like to go home," he admitted.

"Oh, Joe!" Mrs. Horton cried half impatiently, half laughing. "Come
over here and sit down a minute. Now tell me truly. Did you run away,
and do you want to go back?"

Joe sat down on one side of her, and Sunny Boy scrambled into the seat
on the other side. He leaned over her shoulder to listen.

"Well, yes, I did run away," confessed Joe humbly. "That is, I meant
to go see my Aunt Annabell, and write the folks from her house. But
she had moved, honest she had; I couldn't locate her nowhere. And then
I thought I'd get me a job and wear new clothes home. But New York
isn't such an easy place to get along in. These don't look much like
new clothes."

Mrs. Horton glanced at the shabby suit.

"But your mother, Joe?" she urged. "Haven't you written to her?"

"I sent her postals telling her not to worry," answered Joe.

"And now you want to go home?" asked Mrs. Horton.

Sunny Boy, watching the careless, slouching Joe, was surprised to see
great tears come into his eyes suddenly. He tried to wipe them away
with his coat sleeve.

"I want to go home!" he choked. "It's been an awful long time, and I'm
so lonesome--and there's my mother!"

Sunny Boy's mother tucked a clean little white handkerchief into Joe's
hand.

"Don't cry," she said kindly. "We'll see that you get home. Here comes
Mr. Horton. He'll make it all right."

When Mr. Horton heard that Joe wanted to go home, he said it was the
"easiest thing in the world."

"I'll get your ticket and see you on the train," he promised. "There's
a local leaving in half an hour. You'll be in Centronia by eight
o'clock to-night."

"But I haven't enough money," faltered Joe.

"I'll lend it to you," said Mr. Horton, just as he would speak to a
business friend. "Then next week you come down to the office and we'll
talk things over. How will that do?"

Joe said he guessed it was all right, and while he and Mr. Horton went
off to buy the ticket, Mrs. Horton and Sunny Boy bought a bag of fruit
and sandwiches for Joe to have on the train.

"He looks half starved," commented Mrs. Horton. "Won't his mother
enjoy getting him a good meal!"

"When you going home?" Joe Brown asked, as they walked with him to the
train gate. "Wish it was now."

"We're coming to-morrow," said Mrs. Horton, "Say good-bye to Joe,
precious. He'll be home before you are."

Joe shook hands awkwardly with Sunny Boy and then with Mr. and Mrs.