Five Little Peppers And How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (best free ebook reader txt) 📕

But the knot didn't stay; for when Polly drew up the long thread triumphantly to the end - out it flew, and away the button hopped again as if glad to be released. And then the thread kinked horribly, and got all twisted up in disagreeable little snarls that took all Polly's patience to unravel.

"It's because you're in such a hurry," said Mrs. Pepper, who was getting Phronsie's clothes. And coming over across the room she got down on one knee, and looked over Polly's shoulder. "There now, let mother see what's the matter."

"Oh dear," said Polly, resigning the needle with a big sigh, and leaning back to take a good stretch, followed by Phronsie's sympathizing eyes; "they never'll be on! And there goes the first bell!" as the loud sounds under Jane's vigorous ringing pealed up over the stairs. "There won't be time anyway, now! I wish there wasn't such a thing as shoes in the world!" And she gave a flounce and sat up straight in front of her mother.

"Polly!" said Mrs. Pepper sternly, deftly fastening the little buttons tightly into place with quick, firm stitches, "better be glad you've got them to sew at all. There now, here they are. Those won't come off in a hurry!"

"Oh, mamsie!" cried Polly, ignoring for a moment the delights of the finished shoe to fling her arms around her mother's neck and give her a good hug. "You're just the splendidest, goodest mamsie in all the world. And I'm a hateful, cross old bear, so I am!" she cried remorsefully, buttoning herself into her boots. Which done, she flew at the rest of her preparations and tried to make up for lost time.

But 'twas all of no use. The day seemed to be always just racing ahead of her, and turning a corner, before she could catch up to it, and Ben and the other boys only caught dissolving views of her as she flitted through halls or over stairs.

"Where's Polly?" said Percy at last, coming with great dissatisfaction in his voice to the library door. "We've called her, I guess a million times, and she won't hurry."

"What do you want to have her do?" asked Jasper, looking up from the sofa where he had flung himself with a book.

"Why, she said she'd make Van and me our sails you know," said Percy, holding up a rather forlorn looking specimen of a boat, but which the boys had carved with the greatest enthusiasm, "and we want her now."

"Can't you let her alone till she's ready to come?" said Jasper quickly. "You're always teasing her to do something," he added.

"I didn't tease," said Percy indignantly, coming up to the sofa, boat in hand, to enforce his words. "She said she'd love to do 'em, so there, Jasper King!"

"Coming! coming!" sang Polly over the stairs, and bobbing into the library, "Oh - here you are, Percy! I couldn't come before; mamsie wanted me. Now, says I, for the sails." And she began to flap out a long white piece of cotton cloth on the table to trim into just the desired shape.

"That isn't the way," said Percy, crowding up, the brightness that had flashed over his face at Polly's appearance beginning to fade. "Hoh! those won't be good for anything - those ain't sails."

"I haven't finished," said Polly, snipping away vigorously, and longing to get back to mamsie. "Wait till they're done; then they'll be good - as good as can be!"

"And it's bad enough to have to make them," put in Jasper, flinging aside his book and rolling over to watch them, "without having to be found fault with every second, Percy."

"They're too big," said Percy, surveying them critically, and then looking at his boat.

"Oh, that corner's coming off," cried Polly cheerfully, giving it a sharp cut that sent it flying on the floor. "And they won't be too big when they're done, Percy, all hemmed and everything. There," as she held one up for inspection, "that's just the way I used to make Ben's and mine, when we sailed boats."

"Is it?" asked Percy, looking with more respect at the piece of cloth Polly was waving alluringly before him. "Just exactly like it, Polly?"

"Yes," said Polly, laying it down again for a pattern - "oh, how does this go - oh - that's it, there - yes, this is just exactly like Bensie's and mine - that was when I was ever so little; and then I used to make Joel's and Davie's afterwards and - "

"And were theirs just like this?" asked Percy, laying his hand on the sail she had finished cutting out.

"Pre-cisely," said Polly, with a pin in her mouth. "Just as like as two peas, Percy Whitney."

"Then I like them," cried Percy, veering round and regarding them with great satisfaction - as Van bounded in with a torrent of complaints, and great disappointment in every line of his face.

"Oh now, that's too bad!" he cried, seeing Polly fold up the remaining bits of cloth, and pick up the scraps on the floor. "And you've gone and let her cut out every one of 'em, and never told me a word! You're a mean, old hateful thing, Percy Whitney!"

"Oh don't!" said Polly, on her knees on the floor.

"I forgot - " began Percy, "and she cut 'em so quick - and - "

"And I've been waiting," said Van, in a loud wrathful key, "and waiting - and waiting!"

"Never mind, Van," said Jasper consolingly, getting off from the sofa and coming up to the table.

"They're done and done beautifully, aren't they?" he said, holding up one.

But this only proved fresh fuel for the fire of Van's indignation.

"And you shan't have 'em, so!" he cried, making a lunge at the one on the table, "for I made most of the boat, there!"

"Oh no, you didn't!" cried Percy in the greatest alarm, hanging on to the boat in his hand. "I cut - all the keel - and the bow - and - "

"Oh dear!" said Polly, in extreme dismay, looking at Jasper. "Come, I'll tell you what I'll do, boys."

"What?" said Van, cooling off a little, and allowing Percy to edge into a corner with the beloved boat and one sail. "What will you, Polly?"

"I'll make you another pair of sails," said Polly groaning within herself as she thought of the wasted minutes, "and then you can see me cut 'em, Van."

"Will you really," he said, delight coming all over his flushed face.

"Yes, I will," cried Polly, "wait a minute till I get some more cloth." And she started for the door.

"Oh now, that's too bad!" said Jasper. "To have to cut more of those tiresome old things! Van, let her off!"

"Oh no, I won't! I won't!" he cried in the greatest alarm, running up to her as she stood by the door. "You did say so, Polly! You know you did!"

"Of course I did, Vanny," said Polly, smiling down into his eager face, "and we'll have a splendid pair in just - one - minute!" she sang.

And so the sails were cut out, and the hems turned down and basted, and tucked away into Polly's little work-basket ready for the sewing on the morrow. And then Mr. King came in and took Jasper off with him; and the two Whitney boys went up to mamma for a story; and Polly sat down in mamsie's room to tackle her French exercise.


POLLY'S BIG BUNDLE


The room was very quiet; but presently Phronsie strayed in, and seeing Polly studying, climbed up in a chair by the window to watch the birds hop over the veranda and pick up worms in the grass beside the carriage drive. And then came Mrs. Pepper with the big mending basket, and ensconced herself opposite by the table; and nothing was to be heard but the "tick, tick" of the clock, and an occasional dropping of a spool of thread, or scissors, from the busy hands flying in and out among the stockings.

All of a sudden there was a great rustling in Cherry's cage that swung in the big window on the other side of the room. And then he set up a loud and angry chirping, flying up and down, and opening his mouth as if he wanted to express his mind, but couldn't, and otherwise acting in a very strange and unaccountable manner.

"Dear me!" said Mrs. Pepper, "what's that?"

"It's Cherry," said Polly, lifting up her head from "Fasquelle," "and - oh, dear me!" and flinging down the pile of books in her lap on a chair, she rushed across the room and flew up to the cage and began to wildly gesticulate and explain and shower down on him every endearing name she could think of.

"What is the matter?" asked her mother, turning around in her chair in perfect astonishment. "What upon earth, Polly!"

"How could I!" cried Polly, in accents of despair, not heeding her mother's question. "Oh, mamsie, will he die, do you think?"

"I guess not," said Mrs. Pepper, laying down her work and coming up to the cage, while Phronsie scrambled off from her chair and hurried to the scene. "Why, he does act queer, don't he? P'raps he's been eating too much?"

"Eating!" said Polly, "oh mamsie, he hasn't had anything." And she pointed with shame and remorse to the seed-cup with only a few dried husks in the very bottom.

"Oh, Polly," began Mrs. Pepper; but seeing the look on her face, she changed her tone for one more cheerful. "Well, hurry and get him some now; he'll be all right, poor little thing, in a minute. There, there," she said, nodding persuasively at the cage, "you pretty creature you! so you sha'n't be starved."

At the word "starved," Polly winced as though a pin had been pointed at her.

"There isn't any, mamsie, in the house," she stammered; "he had the last yesterday."

"And you forgot him to-day?" asked Mrs. Pepper, with a look in her black eyes Polly didn't like.

"Yes'm," said poor Polly in a low voice.

"Well, he must have something right away," said Mrs. Pepper, decidedly. "That's certain."

"I'll run right down to Fletcher's and get it," cried Polly.

"Twon't take me but a minute, mamsie; Jasper's gone, and Thomas, too, so I've got to go," she added, as she saw her mother hesitate.

"If you could wait till Ben gets home," said Mrs. Pepper, slowly. "I'm most afraid it will rain, Polly."

"Oh, no, mamsie," cried Polly, feeling as if she could fly to the ends of the earth to atone, and longing beside for the brisk walk down town. Going up to the window she pointed triumphantly to the little bit of blue sky still visible. "There, now, see, it can't rain yet awhile."

"Well," said Mrs. Pepper, while Phronsie, standing in a chair with her face pressed close to the cage, was telling Cherry through the bars "not to be hungry, please don't!" which he didn't seem to mind in the least, but went on screaming harder than ever! "And besides, 'tisn't much use to wait for Ben. Nobody knows where he'll get shoes to fit himself and Joe and Davie, in one afternoon! But be sure, Polly, to hurry, for it's getting late, and I shall be worried about you.

"Oh, mamsie," said Polly,