ffed birds."

"Stuffed birds?" echoed his father.

"I promised to take him over to the Museum of Natural History," Mrs.
Horton explained. "But of course, Daddy, if you are ready to go, we
are."

"Well, I'm through a week earlier than I expected," said Mr. Horton.
"And if you can be ready by Friday, there's no reason why we should
stay longer."

"I'm anxious to get Sunny Boy started in school," answered Mrs. Horton
thoughtfully. "We'll wire Bessie to have Harriet open the house, and I
have very little packing to do. Yes, we'll be ready easily by Friday."

Mr. Horton was consulting a time table.

"I'd like to go down to the station this afternoon," he said, "and
see about reservations. The hotel will do it, of course, but I like to
attend to such matters myself. Suppose you and Sunny Boy go with me
and then go on to the Museum."

So after lunch Sunny Boy and his mother went over to the big
Pennsylvania Station with Daddy and waited for him to get their
tickets for Centronia.

"It's the biggest place," observed Sunny Boy. "And such lots and lots
of people!"

"I dare say we could stand here all day, or a week for that matter,
and never see a soul we knew," returned Mrs. Horton.

"Why Mother!" Sunny Boy almost shouted in his excitement, "there's
somebody we know this minute--over there by that window. It's Joe
Brown!"

"We'll go over and speak to him," said Mrs. Horton.

As they came up to the window they heard the ticket agent speaking to
the boy.

"Seven sixty-five, one way to Centronia," said the agent.

"But I don't want a parlor car seat or nothing," protested Joe Brown.

"That doesn't count in a Pullman," retorted the agent. "Seven
sixty-five one way, I tell you."

Joe Brown shuffled his shabby feet uneasily.

"How--how--how little do you have to be to get half-fare?" he blurted.

"A sight smaller than you are," snapped the agent. "Do you want a
ticket or not?"

Joe Brown looked at the crumpled wad of dirty bills and loose change
in his hand.

"I guess I won't take it just now," he mumbled, and turned away.

"Hello, Joe!" Sunny Boy pounced upon him gleefully, having waited till
this minute only because his mother had held him back. "How are you?"

"Pretty well, thank you," answered Joe politely, flushing a little.

"Joe, do you want to go home?" asked Mrs. Horton gravely. "I overheard
you talking with the ticket agent. Haven't you enough money?"

Joe Brown looked at her quickly, then awa