HAPTER IV

SONNY BOY FINDS A CROOKEDER BOY

Sonny Boy followed Lena through the great door.

The doorkeeper said if he was a friend of hers he might go in for a little
while, but the parrot must be kept outside; she was too noisy.

The boy in buttons seemed very willing to take care of Polly. He said he
would carry her out upon the grounds and give her an airing.

Lena led Sonny Boy into a large, long room, which she said was the "almost
well" room of the children's ward.

"But we're afraid Otto never will be well," she whispered, turning a sad
little face toward Sonny Boy, as she opened the door.

"Otto, the mice boy has come to see you!" she said to a white-faced,
humpbacked boy, who sat propped up in a chair, at a table, with the cage
of mice before him.

The boy drew the cage towards him and placed his thin white hands over
it.

"Have you come for them?" he asked, with a sob in his throat.

"Let me show you what they will do!" said Sonny Boy, and sat down opposite
him at the table.

Those mice had been trained before Sonny Boy had them, and for two years
he and Tom and Trixie had been teaching them. When either of the young
Plummers had the mumps or the measles, or there was a long storm, it meant
several new tricks for the white mice! and they could now do really
wonderful things.

[Illustration: "'LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THEY WILL DO.'"]

Since the war with Spain had begun, they were taught soldier tricks
altogether. And it was so fortunate that some had black spots, for those
could be Spaniards!

All the children in the ward who could walk crowded around the table, and
the matron and the nurses, too.

It was such a good time that many an ache and pain was forgotten for many
minutes. When Sonny Boy let the mice out of the cage and they scampered
all over the table, then the children scampered, too--every one who could.
Even the matron and the nurses uttered little screams.

But Sonny Boy whistled, and into the cage marched those mice like
soldiers! It was really a wonderful sight to see.

And the worn and tired looks were gone from so many children's faces!

Otto's poor, shrunken, misshaped body shook with laughter. "I want to know
how you trained them!" he said. "I want to train them! I want to do
everything that well boys do--that you do! And I'm going to learn! Lena is
only a girl, and I never had a brother. I think I could even learn
spelling and fractions if you would show me how!"

Son