Five Little Peppers Grown Up

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"I did so want to tell you myself," mourned Phronsie on the way.

"Then you shall." Ben set her on the floor suddenly. "I'll come up in a
minute or so," he called. "There now, Phronsie, we'll have the wonderful
news. Out with it, child."

"I don't suppose you ever could guess," said Phronsie, pausing a moment,
"I really don't, Ben, because this is something you never would think
of."

"No, I'm quite sure I should never guess in all the world," said Ben
decidedly, "so let us have it."

"Grandpapa has promised to give us a surprise party," announced
Phronsie, with careful scrutiny to see the effect of her news.

"A surprise party? Goodness me!" exploded Ben, "what do you mean,
Phronsie?"

"A surprise party to go and see Jasper; and we are to start to-morrow.
Now, Ben!" and Phronsie, her news all out, beamed up into his face.

"Oh, so it's Jasper's surprise party," cried Ben.

"Yes, and it's ours too; because you see we didn't any of us think
Grandpapa was going to do it," said Phronsie.

"Well, it's my surprise party, too," said Ben lugubriously, "for I'm
astonished; and beside I'm left out in the cold."

"O, Ben, can't you go?" cried Phronsie, her face falling instantly.

"No, Pet; wait till you get to be a business man and you'll see that
surprise parties can't be indulged in very often."

"Won't Mr. Cabot let you go?" asked Phronsie, with an anxious droop of
the head. "O, I think he will; truly I do."

"I sha'n't ask him," said Ben; "I'm sure of that."

"But Grandpapa will," said Phronsie, her face changing.

"No, no, Pet; you mustn't say anything about that. I'd rather stick to
the business. There, come on; they're wild, I suppose, upstairs, to tell
the news."

Just then some one called Phronsie. "Oh, dear," she sighed
involuntarily, as Ben sped over the stairs without her.

"I thought you were never coming home, Ben," said Polly, meeting him in
the upper hall. "Oh, we've such a fine thing to tell you!"

"I'm going to guess," said Ben wisely.

"Oh, you never can," declared Polly; "never in all this world. Don't
try."

"Can't I, though? Give me a chance. You are to have a surprise party,
and go to see Jasper. There!"

"How did you guess?" cried Polly in wide-eyed astonishment.

Ben burst into a hearty laugh. "Well, I met Phronsie, if you must know."

"Of course," laughed Polly; "how stupid in me! Well, was ever anything
so fine in all this world?" and she danced down the hall, and came back
flushed and panting.

"And Grandpapa has written to tell Mr. Cabot how it is, and to ask for a
day or two off for you," she said, with a little pat on his back.

"O, Polly!" exclaimed Ben, in dismay, "Grandpapa shouldn't--I mean, I
ought not to go. I'd really rather not."

"Well, Grandpapa says that you are working too hard, Bensie, and it's
quite true," Polly gave him another pat, this time a motherly one; "and
so you are going."

But Ben shook his head.

"And we start to-morrow," ran on Polly, "and Jasper doesn't know a word
about our coming; and we are going to stay at the hotel two or three
days." And here Phronsie ran eagerly up the stairs.

"And it's going to be lovely, and not rain any of the time; and we are
to take Jasper a box full of everything," she announced in great
excitement. "We began to pack it the very minute that Grandpapa told us
we were to go."

"That's fine! Well, I'll drop something into that box," said Ben.

"Of course," said Polly, in great satisfaction.

"And Jasper wouldn't like it not to have something of Ben's in it," said
Phronsie.

"Well, now, Bensie, run down after dinner and ask Pickering Dodge to go.
That's a good boy." Polly patted the broad back coaxingly this time.

Ben's face fell. "How do you know that Grandpapa would like to have him
along?" he asked abruptly.

"As if I'd ask you to invite him," cried Polly, "unless Grandpapa had
said he could go. The very idea, Ben!"

"Well, something is the matter with Pick," confessed Ben unwillingly,
"and I don't want to ask him."

"Something the matter with Pickering?" repeated Polly in dismay. "O,
Ben, is he sick?"

"No," said Ben bluntly, "but he's cross."

"O, Ben, then something very bad must have happened," said Polly, "for
Pickering is almost never cross."

"Well, I don't know what to make of him," said Ben; "he's been queer for
a week now, more or less, and to-day he wouldn't speak to me; just shot
off telling me to let him alone;" and Ben rapidly laid before Polly the
little scene of the morning in the store.

"Now, Ben," said Polly, when it was all over, "I know really that
something dreadful is the matter with Pickering, and I shall send him a
note to come here to-night. He must tell us what it is. I'm going to
write it now." And Polly sped off to her room, followed by Phronsie.

Ben went slowly down the hall to get ready for dinner. "I don't know how
it is," he said, "but everything seems to be getting mixed up in this
house, and all our good, quiet times gone. And now what can Charlotte
have heard to make her want to go home?"

And all the time during dinner, Ben kept up a steady thinking, until
Polly, looking across the table, caught his eye.

"Don't worry," her smile said, "I've sent a note to Pickering, and we'll
find out what the trouble is."

Ben sat straight in his chair, and nodded back at her. "I can't tell her
now that Pick is not what I'm stewing over," he said to himself, "and I
can't tell her any time, either, for Charlotte has heard something that
makes her think Polly is bothered by her being here. I must just fuss at
it myself till I straighten it out."

So when Pickering Dodge, with a radiant face at being sent for by
Polly's own hand, ran lightly up the steps of the King mansion, about an
hour later, Ben hurried off to find Charlotte Chatterton.

"I can't come down," called Charlotte from the upper hall, "I'm tired;
good-night."

"So am I tired," declared Ben, "but I'm going to talk to you,
Charlotte," he added, decidedly.

"No; I don't want to talk," said Charlotte, shaking her head.
"Good-night. Thank you, Ben," she added a bit pleasanter, "but I'm not
going down."

"Indeed you are!" said Ben obstinately. "I'm not going to stir from this
spot," he struck his hand on the stair railing, "until you are down
here. Come, Charlotte."

"No," began Charlotte, but the next moment she was on the stairs, saying
as she went slowly down, "I don't want to talk, Ben. There isn't
anything to say."

"Now that's something like," observed Ben cheerfully, as she reached his
side. "Come in here, do, Charlotte," leading the way into Mother
Fisher's little sewing-room.

"But I'm not going to talk," reiterated Charlotte, following him in.

"You are going to talk enough so that I can know how to get this
ridiculous idea out of your head," said Ben, as he closed the door on
them both.

Mr. Cabot hurried into his wife's room, his face lighted with great
satisfaction. "Well, Felicia," he said, "I believe I needn't worry about
that boy any more."

"Who, Pickering?" asked Mrs. Cabot, with a last little touch to the lace
at her throat.

"Of course Pickering. Well, he's in better hands than mine. Oh, I'm so
glad to be rid of him;" and he threw himself into an easy chair and
beamed at her.

"What in the world do you mean, Mr. Cabot?" demanded his wife. "You
haven't had another fuss with Pickering? Oh, I'm quite sure he'll do
well in the Law, if you'll only have patience a little longer."

"Nonsense, Felicia," said Mr. Cabot, "as if I'd get him out of that
office, when it was such a piece of work to fasten him in there. Well,
to make a long story short, he loves Polly Pepper. Think of that,
Felicia!" And Mr. Cabot, in his joy, got out of the chair and began to
rush up and down the room, rubbing his hands together in glee.

"O, Mr. Cabot--Mr. Cabot," cried his wife, flying after him, "you don't
mean to say that Pickering and Polly are betrothed? Was ever anything so
lovely! Oh! never mind about dinner; I couldn't eat a mouthful. I must
go right around there, and get my arms around that dear girl. Tell Biggs
to put the horses in at once."

"Stop just one moment, Felicia, for Heaven's sake!" cried Mr. Cabot,
putting himself in front of her; "that's just like a woman; only hear
the first word, and off she goes!"

"Do order the carriage," begged Mrs. Cabot, with dancing eyes. "I can't
wait an instant, but I must tell Polly how glad we are. And of course
you'll come too, Mr. Cabot. Oh, dear, it's such blessed news!"

"I didn't say they were engaged," began Mr. Cabot frantically, "I--I"--

"Didn't say that Polly and Pickering were engaged?" repeated Mrs. Cabot.
"Well, what did you say, Mr. Cabot?"

"I said he loved her," said Mr. Cabot. "O, Felicia, it's the making of
the boy," he added jubilantly.

Mrs. Cabot sank into her husband's deserted chair, unable to find a
word.

CHAPTER XII.

POLLY TRIES TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

"O, Pickering!" Polly actually ran into the drawing-room with
outstretched hands. "Why did Jencks put you in here?"

"I asked to come in here," said Pickering. "I don't want to see a lot of
people to-night; I only want you, Polly."

"But Mamsie could help you--she'd know the right thing to say to you,"
said Polly.

"No, no!" cried Pickering in alarm, and edging off into a corner. "Do
sit down, Polly, I--I want to talk to you."

So Polly sat down, her eyes fastened on his face, and wishing all the
while that Mamsie would come in.

"I don't wonder you think I'm in a bad way," began Pickering nervously;
"it was awfully good in you to send for me, Polly, awfully."

"Why, I couldn't help it," said Polly. "You know it's just like having
one of the boys in trouble, to have you worried, Pickering."

"Yes, yes," said Pickering, "I know."

"Well, I want to tell you something," began Polly radiantly, thinking it
better to cheer him up a bit with her news before getting at the root of
his trouble. "Do you know that Grandpapa is going to take us all
to-morrow to see Jasper? It's to be a surprise party."

"Ah," said Pickering, all his gladness gone.

"Yes; and Grandpapa wants you to go with us, Pickering," Polly went on.

"Oh, dear me--I can't--can't possibly!" exclaimed Pickering, in a tone
of horror. "Don't ask me, Polly. Anything but that."

"O, yes, you can," laughed Polly, determined to get him out of his
strange mood. "Why, Pickering, we don't want to go without you. It would
spoil all our fun."

"Well, I can't go," cried Pickering, in an agony at being misunderstood.
"I'd do anything in the world you ask, Polly, but that."

"Why not, you ridiculous boy?" asked Polly, quite as if it were Joel who
was before her.

"Because Jasper and I don't speak to each other," Pickering bolted out;
"we had a fight."

[Illustration: "WHAT DO YOU SAY?" CRIED POLLY.]

Polly sprang to her feet. "What do you say?" she cried.

"It's beastly, I know," declared Pickering, his face aflame, "but,
Polly, if you knew--I really couldn't help it; Jasper was"--

"Don't tell me that it was any of Jasper's doings," cried Polly
vehemently, clasping her hands tightly together, so afraid she might say
something to make the matter worse. "I know, Pickering, it was quite
your own fault if you won't speak."

"O, Polly!" exclaimed Pickering, the hot blood all over his face, "don't
say that; please don't."

"I must; because I know it is the truth," said Polly uncompromisingly.
"If it isn't, why, then come with us to-morrow, Pickering," and her brow
cleared.

"I can't, Polly, I can't possibly," cried Pickering in distress; "ask me
anything but that, and I'll do it."

"This is the only thing that you ought to do," said Polly coldly. "O,
Pickering, suppose that anything should happen so that you never could
speak!" she added reproachfully.

"I'm sure I don't want to speak to a man when I've broken friendship
with him," said Pickering sullenly. "What is there to talk about, I'd
like to know?"

"If you've broken friendship with Jasper, I'm quite, quite sure it is
your own fault," hotly declared Polly again; "Jasper never turned away
from a friend in his life." And Polly broke off suddenly and walked down
the long room, aghast to find how angry she was at each step.

"Don't you turn away from me, Polly," begged Pickering in such a piteous
tone that Polly felt little twinges of remorse, and in a minute she was
by his side again.

"I didn't mean to be cross," she said quickly, "but you mustn't say such
things, Pickering."

"I must tell you the truth," said Pickering doggedly, "and that is that
I've broken friendship with Jasper, and I can't speak to him."

"Pickering," said Polly, whirling abruptly to get a good look at his
face, "you must speak to Jasper," and she drew a long breath.

"I tell you I can't," said Pickering, his face paling with the effort to
control himself.

"Then," said Polly, very deliberately, yet with a glow of determination,
"you can't speak to me; so good-night, Pickering," and she ran out of
the room.

Pickering stared after her a moment in a dazed way, then picked up his
hat, and darted out of the house, shutting the door hard behind him.

Polly, hurrying over the stairs to her own room, kept saying to herself
over and over, "Oh! how could I have said that--how could I? when I want
to help him--and now I have made everything worse."

"Polly," called Mrs. Fisher, as Polly sped by her door, "you are going
to take the noon train, you know, to-morrow, Mr. King says; so you can
pack in the morning easily."

"I'm not going, Mamsie; that is--I hope we are not any of us going,"
said Polly incoherently, as she tried to hurry by.

"Not going! Polly, child, what do you mean?" cried Mrs. Fisher aghast.

"O, Mamsie, don't ask me," begged Polly, having hard work to keep the
tears back. "Do forgive me, but need I tell?" and Polly stopped and
clung to the knob of the door.

"No, Polly, if you cannot tell mother your trouble willingly, I will not
ask it, child." And Mrs. Fisher turned off, and began to busy herself
over her work.

Polly, quite broken down by this, deserted her door-knob, and rushed
into the bedroom.

"O, Mamsie, it's about--about other people, and I didn't know as I ought
to tell. Need I?" cried Polly imploringly, seizing her mother's gown
just as Phronsie would.

"No more had you a right to tell, Polly," said her mother, "if that is
the case," and she turned a cheerful face toward her; "I can trust my
girl, that she won't keep anything that is her own, away from me. There,
there;" and she smoothed Polly's brown hair with her hand. "How I used
to be always telling you to brush your hair, and now how nice it looks,
Polly," she added approvingly.

"It's the same fly-away hair now," said Polly, throwing back her
rebellious locks with an impatient toss of the head. "Oh! how I do wish
I had smooth hair like Charlotte's."

"Fly-away hair, when it's taken care of as it ought to be," observed
Mrs. Fisher, "is one thing, and when it's all sixes and sevens because a
girl doesn't have time to brush it, is another. Your hair is all right
now, Polly, There, go, child;" and she dismissed her with a final loving
pat. "I can trust you, and when your worry gets too big for you, why,
bring it to mother."

So Polly, up in her own room at last, crept into a corner, and there
went over every word, bitterly lamenting what she had done. At last she
could endure it no longer, and she sprang up. "I'll write a note to
Pickering and say I am sorry," she cried to herself. "Maybe Ben will
take it to him. O, dear! I forgot; Ben is vexed with him; but perhaps he
will leave it at the door. Any way, I'll ask him."

So Polly scribbled down hastily:

Dear Pickering:

I am so sorry I said those words to you; I don't see how I came to. Do
forget them, and forgive
Polly.

"Ben, Ben!" Polly ran over the stairs, nervously twirling the little
note. "O, dear me, where are you, Ben?"

"Here," called Ben, "in Mamsie's sewing-room."

"Oh! I beg your pardon," exclaimed Polly, throwing wide the door on the
tete-a-tete Ben was having with Charlotte.

"Come in, Polly," cried Ben, his blue eyes glowing with welcome. "That's
all right; you don't interrupt us. Charlotte and I were having a bit of
a talk, but we're through. Now what's the matter?" with a good look at
Polly's face.

"O, Ben, if you could," began Polly fearfully, "it's only this," waving
the note with trembling fingers. "Now do say you will take this note to
Pickering Dodge."

"Why, I thought you sent him a note before dinner," said Ben in
surprise.

"So I did; and he came," said Polly, her head drooping in a shamefaced
way, "and I was cross to him."

"O, Polly, you cross to him!" exclaimed Ben; "as if I'd believe that!"
while Charlotte stared at her with wide eyes.

"I truly was," confessed Polly. "There, don't stop, Ben, to talk about
it, please, but do take this note," thrusting it at him.

But Ben shook his head. "I thought I told you, Polly, that Pick don't
want to speak to me. How in the world can I go at him?" At this
Charlotte stared worse than ever.

"You needn't go in the house," said Polly, "just leave it at the door.
Ah, do, Ben;" she went up to him and coaxingly patted his cheek.

"All right, as long as you don't want me to bore him," said Ben, slowly
getting out of his chair. "Here, give us your note, Polly. Of course
you'll make me do as you say."

"You're just as splendid as you can be," cried Polly joyfully. "There,
now, Bensie," pushing the note into his hand, "do hurry, that's a good
boy."

And in a quarter of an hour, Ben rushed in, meeting Polly in the hall,
kis face aglow, and eyes shining. "Here, Polly, catch it," tossing her a
note; "that's from Pick."

"Why, did you see him?" asked Polly, in amazement.

"Yes; couldn't help it--he was rushing out the door like a whirlwind,
and we came together on the steps," said Ben, with a burst of laughter
at the remembrance, "and we spoke before we meant to; couldn't help it,
you know; just ran into each other--and he read your note, and then he
flew into the house, and was gone a moment or two, and came back
mumbling it was all his fault, and he'd written; that you'd understand,
or something of that sort, and he gave me this note to carry back; and I
guess Pick is all right, Polly." Ben drew a long breath of relief after
he got through; he was so unaccustomed to long speeches.

Polly tore open her note, and stooped to read it by the dancing flames
of the hall fire.

To show that I forgive you, Polly, I'll go to-morrow with you all to see
Jasper.

PICKERING.

"Won't Jasper be surprised?" Phronsie kept exclaiming over and over,
when they were once fairly in the cars; much to old Mr. King's delight,
who never tired of congratulating himself on planning the outing.
"Grandpapa dear, I do think it was, oh! so lovely in you to take us
all."

"Well, Jasper has been working hard lately," said the old gentleman,
"and it will be no end of good to him even if it doesn't agree with you,
my pet," pinching Phronsie's ear.

"Oh, but it does agree with me," said Phronsie in great satisfaction,
"very much, indeed, Grandpapa."

"So it seems," said the old gentleman. "Well, now, Phronsie," glancing
around at the rest of his party, "everything is moving on well, and I
believe I'll take a bit of a nap; that is, if that youngster," with a
nod toward the end of the car, "will allow me to."

"I don't believe that baby will cry any more," said Phronsie, with a
hopeful glance whence the disturbing sounds came, "he can't, Grandpapa;
he's cried so much. Now do lean your head back; I'm going to put this
rug under it;" and Phronsie began to pull out a traveling blanket from
the roll.

Polly, across the car aisle, laid down her book, and clambered out her
seat. "Let me take baby," she said, coming up unsteadily to the pale
little woman who was endeavoring to pacify a stout, red-cheeked boy a
year old, just beginning on a fresh series of roars.

An old gentleman in the seat back, laid down the paper he had been
trying to read, to see the fresh attempts on the small disturber.

"He'll tire you out, Miss," said the pale little woman deprecatingly.
"There, there, Johnny, do be still," with an uneasy pull at Johnny's red
skirt.

"Indeed he won't," laughed Polly merrily. Hearing this, Johnny stopped
beating the window in the vain effort to get out, and deliberately
looked Polly over. "I like babies," added Polly, "and if you'll let me,"
to the little mother, "I'm going to play with this one." And without
waiting for an answer, she sat down in the end of the seat, and held out
her hands alluringly to Johnny.

"Young lady, there are babies and babies," observed the old gentleman
solemnly, and leaning over the back of the seat, he regarded Polly over
his spectacles with pitying eyes, "and I'd advise you to have nothing to
do with this particular one."

But Johnny was already scrambling all over Polly's traveling gown, and
she was laughing at him. And presently the pale little woman was
stretched comfortably on the opposite seat, her eyes closed restfully.

"Well done!" cried the old gentleman; "I'll read my paper while the calm
spell lasts;" as the train rumbled on, the sound only broken by Johnny's
delighted little gurgles, as Polly played "Rabbit and Fox" for his
delectation.

Phronsie looked down the intervening space, and heaved a sigh at Polly's
employment.

"Don't worry; I like it," telegraphed Polly, nodding away to her. So
Phronsie turned again to her watch, lest Grandpapa's head should slip
from the blanket pillow in a sudden lurch of the cars.

"I'd help her if I knew how," Charlotte, several seats off, groaned to
herself, "but that lump of a baby would only roar at me. Dear, dear, am
I never to be any good to Polly?"

She leaned her troubled face against the window-side, her chin resting
on her hand, and gave herself up to the old thoughts. "What did Ben
say?" she cried suddenly, flying away from the window so abruptly that
she involuntarily glanced around to be quite sure that none of her
fellow-passengers were laughing at her. "'You may be sure, Charlotte, if
you keep on the lookout, there will a time come for you to help Polly.'
That's what he said, and I'll hold fast to it."

On and on the train rumbled. The little mother woke up with a new light
in her eyes, and a pink color on her cheeks. "I haven't had such a sleep
in weeks," she said gratefully. Then she leaned forward.

"I'll take Johnny now," she said; "you must be so tired."

But Johnny roared out "No," and beat her off with small fists and feet.

"He's going to sleep," said Polly, looking down at him snuggled up
tightly within her arm, his heavy eyelids slowly drooping, "then I'll
put him down on the seat, and tuck him up for a good long nap."

At the word "sleep" Johnny screamed out, "No, no!" and thrust his fat
knuckles into his eyes, while he tried to sit up straight in Polly's
lap.

"There, there," cried Polly soothingly, "now fly back, little bird, into
your nest."

Johnny showed all the small white teeth he possessed, in a gleeful
laugh, and burrowed deeper than before within the kind arm as he tried
to play "Bo-peep" with her.

"You see," said Polly, to the little mother's worried look; "he'll soon
be off in Nodland," she added softly.

"I've never had any one be so good to me," said Johnny's mother
brokenly, "as you, Miss."

"Is Johnny your only little boy?" asked Polly, to stop the flow of
gratitude.

"Yes, Miss; I've buried four children."

"Oh!" exclaimed Polly, quite hushed.

The little mother wiped away the tears from her eyes, and looked out of
the window, steadily fixing her gaze on the distant landscape. And the
train sped on.

"But the worst is, the father is gone." She turned again to Polly, then
glanced down at her black dress. "Johnny and me have no one now."

"Don't try to tell me," cried Polly involuntarily, "if it pains you."

She would have taken the thin hand in hers, but Johnny's uneasy
breathing showed him still contesting every inch of progress the
"children's sandman" was making toward him, and she didn't dare to move.

"It does me good," said the little woman, "somehow, I must tell you,
Miss. And now I'm going to Fall River. Somebody told me I'd get work
there in the Print Mills. You see, I haven't any father nor mother, nor
anybody belonging to Johnny's father nor me."

"Are you sure of getting work when you reach Fall River?" asked Polly,
feeling all the thrill of a great lonely world, for two such little
helpless beings to be cast adrift in it.

"No'm," said the little woman; "but it's a big mill, they say, and has
to have lots of women in it, and there must be a place for me. I do
think that times are going to be good now for Johnny and me, and"--

A crash like that when the lightning begins on deadly work; a surging,
helpless tossing from side to side, when the hands strike blindly out on
either side for something to cling to; a sudden fall, down, down, to
unknown depths; a confused medley of shouts, and one long shuddering
scream.

"Oh! what"--began Polly, holding to Johnny through it all. And then she
knew no more.

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