Of
course nothing was settled that morning, but Judge Layton and his wife
came over in the evening to see the Hortons and to learn more about the
Parkneys. In a day or two the Judge went to see Mr. Parkney, and
before the month was out the Parkneys were comfortably established in
the farmhouse which Judge Layton insisted on putting in good order for
them.

Mr. Parkney's arm was much better and Bob's cold was entirely cured by
the time they moved. The four children who were of school age came
into Centronia every day on the trolley car and Bob declared that
nothing could keep him from going to school now that he had a prospect
of learning to use the typewriter that summer. Judge Layton engaged
Mr. Parkney to look after the farm during the winter and to see that no
tramps came along and set fire to the barns or cut down any of the
valuable trees. There was no really hard work for him to do, and he
was so contented and happy that he did not seem like the same man.
Mrs. Parkney was happy, too. As for the children, they thought Mr.
Horton and his family were fairies.

"I never saw such dandy skates," said Bob, when Sunny Boy gave them to
him. "They must have cost a heap of money. I can't say thank you
right."

"Don't try," replied Grandpa Horton, with a smile. "Just think of them
as a gift from a little boy who admires you very much."

CHAPTER VIII

WHEN TOYS GO TO SCHOOL

Before the Parkney family moved to Judge Layton's farm, Miss May's
school had opened, the Christmas holidays were over, and dear Grandpa
and Grandma Horton had gone home to Brookside. Grandma had to take the
sweater she was knitting for Bob home with her to finish, but she sent
it to him as soon as it was done. And a handsome sweater it was, dark
gray and warm and comfortable. Bob was delighted with it.

The first day of school, after the holiday vacation, Jessie Smiley, a
little girl who sat near Sunny Boy in Miss Davis' room, brought her
walking doll to school with her.

"I couldn't leave Cora Florence at home," Jessie explained to Miss
Davis. "Santa Claus brought her to me. I thought she could sit in a
chair and wait for me, mornings."

Miss Davis shook hands politely with Cora Florence and said that she
might stay. The girls were much interested in the doll, and even the
boys wanted to make her walk, though of course they privately thought
that dolls were rather silly things. But Cora Florence was as large as
the youn