Sunny Boy trudged down to the brook and started running with his kite as he had seen the boys do, to give it a good start. Up, up, it went, sailing high over his head, the crumpled paper tail wiggling in the wind.
“Jus’ as good,” said Sunny Boy to himself, “jus’ as good.”
He meant to say “Just as good as Archie Johnson’s,” Archie being one of the older boys who played in the park and who sailed elaborate kites. But Sunny had not tied the knots in his string tightly enough, and a strong puff of wind coming by, the cord parted and away sailed the kite, over the brook and into the woods!
“Ding-ling! Ding-ling! Ding-a-ling!” rang Araminta’s bell.
It is often a good thing to be too busy to cry. Sunny Boy might have felt bad over the loss of his kite—indeed he watched it out of sight—but if he meant to cry the sound of the bell changed his mind. Instead, he ran up to the house as fast as he could go, and found Mother and Grandma waiting for him.
“Did you miss us?” asked his mother. “We knew you were having a good time, dear. Grandma has brought you a lolly-pop. What have you been doing to get so sun-burned?”
“Flying kites,” stated Sunny Boy. “Thank you, Grandma. We found bunnies down in the field.”
Grandpa came on the porch then, his glasses pushed up on his forehead.
“Mary, Olive, have either of you seen anything of those two five hundred dollar bonds I had on my desk?” he said anxiously. “They were there this morning, and when I came in from the mowing I couldn’t find them. Have either of you used my desk?”
“No, Father,” said Mrs. Horton.