ised to help Mother up the stairs. So they went
into the wide, pleasant cabin and up the broad staircase and came out
on the sunny deck. There was a roof over it, and a cabin where people
who did not like so much fresh air might sit, but Sunny Boy, of
course, wanted to stand by the railing, and since it was a pleasant
day, so did almost every one else.

"See the birds!" exclaimed Mrs. Horton, to whom a ferry trip was new
too. "What do you suppose they find to eat?"

The gulls were flying gracefully above the water, sometimes coming
close to the boat and now and then one would make a sudden dash down
to the water, just dip his head in it and skim it with his wings, then
soar up into the air again.

"I suppose they find bits of fruit and other refuse they can eat,"
replied Mr. Horton.

"That boat is going to run into the little flat one," said Sunny Boy
positively, pointing an excited little forefinger at a fussy little
tugboat making straight for a lazily floating barge loaded with coal.

"You watch," counseled Mr. Horton. "You can not see the rope because
it is in the water, but that other tug up ahead is towing the barge.
She'll have it out of the way before the other boat gets there."

And the towing tug did just that, apparently without hurrying, and
before the noisy tugboat reached the coal barge it drifted safely out
of the way.

"Now you can see where we are going in," said Mr. Horton, pointing out
a dark opening just ahead of them.

The slips were made like stalls, with piling driven down on either
side, and beams nailed across them. As the ferryboat turned into her
slip she bumped smartly against the sides of the slip two or three
times. It swayed, and Sunny Boy thought that there had been an
accident.

"Oh, that often happens," his father assured them, as they stood a
little to one side watching the people streaming off. "Sometimes, when
it is very foggy, the boats have great difficulty in getting in, and
sometimes an unusually high tide makes it hard for them, too."

The Hortons did not get off the ferryboat, and it was not long before
more people were crowding on the decks again.

"Are they the same ones?" asked Sunny, puzzled.

"My no," answered Daddy quickly. "There are large cities on this side
of the river, and people go back and forth between New York and New
Jersey all day long. But I thought we were taking this trip because
you wanted to see the horses enjoying a boat ride. Don't you wan