y
happy to be beginning the journey at last that a white-haired
gentleman next to him asked him if he was thinking about Christmas.

Sunny Boy shook his head. He hadn't begun to think of Christmas. That
was months and months away.

"I'm going to New York," he informed the white-haired gentleman
proudly. "Daddy and Mother and me. And I can ride on top of the
busses, Daddy said so."

"Dear me," said the gentleman, "that is a long trip for a chap of your
age. I have a little grandson who lives in New York. He's counting the
days now till he can come to see me."

This was a new idea to Sunny Boy.

"Do you s'pose folks who live in New York like to come to see
Centronia?" he asked doubtfully.

"Just as much as you count on going to New York," said the
white-haired gentleman promptly. "It's new to them, you see. Here's my
corner now. Good-bye. I hope you will have all the good times you are
looking forward to."

"Isn't it funny, Daddy?" said Sunny Boy, watching the gentleman go out
the door. "Most everybody has relations living in New York. Harold
Wallace's cousin lives there. Have we any 'lations to go to see?"

"Not in New York," answered Mr. Horton, pressing the button to tell
the motor-man to let them off. "You and Mother will have to amuse
each other, because you may find it lonesome at first with no friends
to talk to."

They were opposite the station now, and the car stopped. Sunny Boy
hopped off blithely, but his thoughts were busy with what Daddy had
said. How could one be lonely in New York?

"'Member the time the baggage man thought the alarm clock was a
'fernal machine?" asked Sunny Boy, as he followed his father into the
station and over to the baggage room.

"Indeed I do," Mr. Horton laughed.

You see, when Sunny Boy and his mother had been going to see Grandpa
Horton, Sunny, as his part in the packing, tucked in the family alarm
clock so that he would be sure to get up early in the country. And he
forgot the clock might be set, as it was. The station people had held
the trunk and it took a great deal of explaining, and the Hortons
nearly missed their train before they were allowed to check the trunk.

The baggage man remembered Sunny Boy.

"How's the alarm clock?" he grinned cheerfully. "Any more infernal
machines in your baggage this time?"

Sunny Boy smiled shyly.

"We didn't have a finger in packing this trunk," Daddy answered for
him. "All right, Son, we're fixed. Now we'll see if we ca