a box of lunch, putting in a
whole apple pie. Daddy had brought his fishing rod with him, and he
promised to make Sunny one as soon as they found a place to fish. Mother
thought she would not go, for she was already tired from a long walk the
day before. So Sunny Boy and Daddy set off alone for the brook in the
woods where the speckled trout lived.

"Shall I catch one?" asked Sunny Boy, scuffling along. He did like to
scuffle his feet and Daddy did not seem to care how much noise he made.
"Shall I fish?"

"Sure you'll fish," Daddy assured him. "Likely, you'll catch one, though
you never can tell. A good sportsman doesn't growl even if he spends a
whole day and doesn't catch one fish. We'll be good sports, shan't we?"

"Yes," agreed Sunny Boy. "But I would rather catch a fish."

Daddy laughed and began to whistle.

"Do you know Jimmie?" said Sunny Boy, running to keep up with him. "Do
you know Jimmie and Mr. Sites and Araminta and David and Raymond and
Juddy and Fred and Sarah and Dorabelle? Do you, Daddy?"

"I went to school with a boy named Jaspar Sites," Daddy stopped whistling
to answer. "Guess he's the same. Araminta helps Grandma--I know her, and
Jimmie I've met before. But I must say the others haven't the pleasure of
my acquaintance--who is Dorabelle, may I ask?"

"They're Araminta's brothers and sisters," explained Sunny Boy. "They
live down the road. Let's fish now, Daddy."

"We will," agreed Mr. Horton. "You've picked out a good place. Now first
I'll start you in, and then I'll try my luck."

He found a nice long branch for Sunny, and tied a fish-line to it. At the
end of the line he fastened a bent pin with a bit of cracker on the
point.

"There you are," he told him. "Now you sit out here on the dead roots of
this tree that hangs over the bank, and you dangle the cracker in the
water and keep very, very still. And perhaps a little fish on his way to
the grocery store for his mother will see the cracker and want a bite of
lunch. Then you'll catch him."

Sunny Boy sat very still while Daddy baited a sharp thin hook with real
bait and threw his line into the water, too. He sat down beside Sunny and
together they waited.

"Daddy!" said Sunny Boy after a long while.

Mr. Horton raised a warning finger.

"But Daddy?" this after Sunny Boy had waited a longer time.

"You'll scare the fish," Mr. Horton whispered. "What is it?"

"My foot prickles!"

Mr. Horton took his line and whispered to him to