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MAMSIE'S SURPRISE
Polly cried herself to sleep that night, although Mother Pepperhad comforted and cuddled her when the whole story had come outon their return; how in a minute the passion had died down whenthe two children thought of Mamsie as they stood there in theroad. "Joel was the first to be sorry," Polly had said generously,when confessing it all.
"No, I wasn't," contradicted Joel, "Polly looked sorry first."
"Polly was older," Mother Pepper had said gravely.
"I know it," said Polly, and her head drooped lower yet.
"But Joey was very naughty indeed in Mr. Atkins' store andbesides, he ought not to have gone there." And Mrs. Pepper'sface looked very sad indeed.
The two children, not having a word to say to this, stood verymournfully in front of her. The bedroom door was shut fast, andBen was doing his best out in the kitchen to keep the other twochildren amused, in this unwonted state of affairs.
"I wish you'd punish me, Mammy," said Polly, in a broken littlevoice, "real hard."
"And me, too," cried Joel, sniffling.
"I've never punished you children since you were big enough toknow better," said Mother Pepper, slowly, "and I don't believe Ican begin now. And it seems to me it's the best way for you topunish yourselves. So I'll leave you to think over it," and shewent out and closed the door on them.
How long they sat there, Polly didn't know, and as for Joel, hewas in such a state of mind, he couldn't tell anything, onlythat Polly and he finally crept out in the gathering dusk of thelong afternoon. No one but Mother Pepper ever knew the reasonfor the many unwelcome little tasks that Joey did after that,and, strange to relate, without a single grumble, while as Pollycouldn't very well do more work than she did at present, and asthere were no luxuries to give up in the way of eatables, thePeppers having butter and other nice things only when peoplewere good enough to send them some, it is hard to think what shecould do to punish herself. But that was Mother Pepper's and Joel'sand her secret. And then Mamsie cuddled them and comfortedthem. Only Polly, when she went to bed that night, felt the tearsdrop quite fast on her pillow, and that was the last thing sheremembered before she dropped to sleep.
Meantime, it was rather hard work rehearsing the little play."We'd give that up, Mamsie," cried Polly, though Joel made a wryface as he agreed to it, "but the others want it so much."
"But that wouldn't be a very good way: to make other people sufferfor your faults," Mrs. Pepper had replied. So the work over thelittle play went on, as if nothing sad had happened. But Pollycarried a sorry little face about, until Phronsie would look ather wonderingly, or Davie would forget to smile; on suchoccasions Mrs. Pepper would look at her and raise her fingerwarningly, and Polly would exclaim, "Oh, I forgot," and then shewould toss them a merry little bit of nonsense that made themhappy at once. But down in her heart Polly had many sad thoughts.At last it was the great day. Nobody said "circus," but all thefive little Peppers shouted it was the Play Day! And it reallydidn't rain, and the sky was as blue as could be, and Mamsiestayed home that day, and oh! Polly was quite sure she smeltsomething very nice, when she raced into the kitchen in themiddle of the morning. Mother Pepper had sent them all out torehearse the play in the orchard, and in the midst of it Pollycried out that she had forgotten the wings she was to put on asfairy godmother, when she appeared in time to rescue the littlewhite cat, and to change her into a small girl again. She hadmade them, with the greatest trouble, out of thin paper and someold wire, and for fear they would get broken in the woodshed,Mamsie had said she might put them in the lower drawer of thebig bureau in the bedroom, where Phronsie's red-topped shoeswere always kept wrapped up. So now Polly dashed suddenly intothe kitchen to run after them.
"Oh, Mamsie!" she exclaimed suddenly, wrinkling up her nose atthe unwonted smell of something baking.
Mother Pepper was stooping over the oven door, which was open.She closed it quickly, and stood straight. "Polly," she said,and there was a little laugh in her eyes, although her firm lipswere closed, "you are not to say anything what you think to theother children."
"No, Mamsie, I won't," promised Polly, with a wild thought ather heart, "Could Mamsie possibly be making a cake?" as sherushed into the bedroom, got the wings, and raced out again. Andall through the rehearsing she kept thinking how good it smeltwhen that little whiff from the oven flew out.
And Mother Pepper smiled away to herself, and the voices fromthe orchard, with its one scraggy apple tree, came pealing inthrough the open window, as the rehearsal for the grand play wasin progress. And then the whole bunch of little Peppers hurriedoff to get some wild flowers, "for it won't be much," Polly hadsaid, "without some posies to put on the table" (the big stoneBen had tugged home from Deacon Brown's meadow).
"I'm glad Polly'll have her posies," said Mrs. Pepper, hearingthat, and seeing them go on the flower-hunt, as she paused amoment at the window. "Now they'll be good to trim the ca--"
And it almost popped out, and she didn't mean to whisper thesecret, even to herself!
When the children came back from roaming the fields and woods,with the blossoms and green vines gathered in their aprons andarms, and they were all nicely set in the cracked teacup withthe handle gone that Mamsie had given them some time before, andsome other dishes that Mrs. Pepper had handed out with strictcharges to be careful of 'em, they all stood off in a row fromthe stone table, in delighted admiration.
"Isn't it perfectly beautiful!" exclaimed Polly, in a rapture,and clasping her hands.
"Perfectly beautiful!" breathed little David.
"Be-_yew_-ful!" echoed Phronsie, hopping up and down withvery pink cheeks, and her hair flying.
"It looks very well, Polly," said Ben, in a practical way.
"I wish we had somethin' to eat," began Joel.
"Oh, Joey!" cried Polly, reproachfully. But her heart jumped atthe recollection of the lovely smell that came from the oven,and Mamsie's face. "Now, children," she said, "we've goteverything all done," with a quick glance around, "and Phronsiemust have her nap, so's to be a nice little wide-awake white cat.Oh, Ben, leave the fur rug and the other things out under thetable," as Ben began piling them up to carry back to thewoodshed.
"Mamsie said, Always put everything back when we'd got throughplaying," said Ben.
"Well, she'll let us put them there, we're going to use them sosoon, I know," said Polly, "if you tuck 'em in neatly. Won't you,Mamsie?" she cried, running to the window to thrust her brownhead in.
"Yes," said Mrs. Pepper.
"And may we all come in now?" asked Polly.
"Yes," said Mother Pepper again.
"Don't forget your wings, Polly," cried Joel, picking them upwhere Polly had carefully laid them against the tree, andrushing to her, waving them aloft.
"Take care, Joel" warned Ben, but too late. One wing floppedover, and caught in a knobby old branch of the apple tree, andin a minute there was a big hole right in the middle!
"Oh, you--" began Polly, passionately, when she turned and sawwhat was done. In a minute she dashed over to Joel and threw herarms around him. "You couldn't help it," she finished, "and Ican paste a piece of paper over it, and it will be most as goodas new," while the children stood aghast at the mischief, andBen exclaimed, "How could you, Joe! Why didn't you let italone?"
"I didn't mean to. And now it won't fly--fly," screamed Joel, ina gust.
"Oh, yes, it will," declared Polly, merrily; "you'll see. Andwhen I get it on, Joey Pepper, look out and look if you don'tsee me sailing up to the sky."
Joel came out of his sobs and looked up to the blue sky, andsmiled through his tears, and when David and Phronsie saw Pollyso merry, they smiled too, and Ben caught Polly's eye and didn'tsay any more. So they all marched into the house, and Phronsiewas tucked up on Mamsie's bed, for her nap, and Polly sat downto mend her broken wing.
Mrs. Pepper, going on with her work, sent her a smile and lovinglook, that said just as plainly as words could speak it, "You'retrying har
d, Polly, my girl, and Mother knows it." So Pollybegan to hum at her task, and presently the kitchen became thevery cheeriest place possible. What they would have done if anyof them had happened to spy out what was on the upper shelf ofthe cupboard, covered carefully with a clean old towel, cannotpossibly be told.
At last it came to be three o'clock, the hour of the grand play.Mrs. Pepper, as audience, was seated in her big rocking chairthat Ben had brought out from the kitchen and placed in the bestspot on the grass to see it all, and Polly and Ben and Joel andDavid and Phronsie were in the depths of excitement, andflitting here and there, Polly, as chief director, having aperfectly awful time to get them into their parts, particularlyas Phronsie would keep rushing up, the old white fur rug nearlytripping her up every step, to lay her soft face against MotherPepper's, and cry out, "I'm to be a white cat, Mamsie. I trulyam!" And Joel would insist on roaring like a bear, and prancingand waving his arms, around which Polly had tied a lot of blackhair that Mamsie had let her take out of her cushion.
"'I'M TO BE A WHITE CAT, MAMSIE'"]
"Joel, you spoil everything!" cried Ben at him. "See here, nowall your hair is tumbling off from your arms."
"They ain't arms. They're paws," said Joel, stopping suddenlyto look with dismay at the damage he was making. "Polly didn'ttie it on good," he said, trying to stuff back the loose hair.
"Yes, she did, too, real good," retorted Ben, "only you areflourishing round so, nothing would keep on you. Keep still,can't you!"
"And I'll tie it on again," said Polly, "if you'll wait till Ifix Davie--just a minute--there, Davie, you're all right. Now,says I, Mr. Bear," and she flew over to Joel again.
Once more Mother Pepper sent her a swift approving smile, andPolly's heart was so warm that a little sunbeam seemed suddenlyto have hopped right down there. And the little play went onfrom first to last perfectly splendidly, and Mrs. Pepper,feeling very strange indeed to be sitting there in the middle ofthe afternoon with nothing in her hands to work over, clappedthem together and applauded enough for a big audience. And therenever was such a good time in all this world--no, not even underthe big white circus tent over in Hillsbury!
"I'm glad you like it!" cried Polly, tumbling over in a heap onthe grass when it was all over, and the audience got out of thebig rocking chair.
"It was very nice indeed, Polly," said Mother Pepper, withshining eyes.
"Indeed it was!" declared Ben with enthusiasm, which meant agreat deal from him.
"And now, children," said Mrs. Pepper, "you rest on the grassand talk it over, and I will call you into the house by and by."
"I don't ever want to go in," declared Joel, positively, androlling over on the grass to wave his legs in the air, whilelittle Davie lay quite still. "It was good to be in the play,Polly," he said, "but it's nice to rest here."
"I was a white cat, Polly," said Phronsie, sitting down on thegrass as close to Polly as she could get, and tucking up herfeet under her.
"So you were, Pet," cried Polly, "the loveliest, sweetest whitecat in all the world, Phronsie dear," giving her a little hug."O dear me, I'm glad it's done, and that it was nice."
"It was the nicest thing you've ever done, Polly," declared Ben,with emphasis.
"Chil-_dren_!" Mamsie's voice, and it had a new sound.
But Joel gave his sturdy legs another wave. "I wish we couldstay out here longer," he said. So it happened that he was lastin the procession filing into the little brown house, instead offirst, as was usually the case.
"_Oh, Mamsie_!" cried Polly, and, "_Oh, Mamsie_!"exclaimed every one of the others, while Joel pushed in betweenthem as fast as he could, anxious to see what it all was.
There was the table drawn out in the middle of the kitchen andspread with a clean white cloth. And on it stood a cake, yes, abig one, and there was--yes, there actually was white on top!When Polly saw that, she sat right down in the first chair. Asfor Ben, he was just as much astonished, and couldn't stop thechildren from reaching out to pick at the cake.
"I took some of your flowers, Polly, to trim it with," saidMother Pepper, pointing to the wreath running around the bigcake. "Now, children, all of you sit down, and Polly shall cutit, for she made the play." She handed Polly the big knife,sharpened up till it shone as bright as could be.
"Let me--let me!" screamed Joel, with no eyes now for anythingbut the sharp knife "I've never cut a cake. Mammy, let me!"
"Neither has Polly," said Mrs. Pepper, quietly. "No, Joe, Pollymade the play, else you couldn't any of you have had this nicetime."
"And she's worked herself most to death to get us through it,"said Ben.
Polly had seized the big knife, and taken one step toward thewonderful cake. Now she stopped, and looked over at Joel. "Youmay," she said, smiling brightly.
"Oh, goody!" cried Joel, plunging forward. Then he stoppedsuddenly, on meeting his mother's eye. "I'd rather not," he said.
"Go on, Polly, Joel's right," said Mrs. Pepper, in satisfaction.So the slices were cut very slowly, Polly breathing hard withanxiety. But the white frosting didn't fall off a bit, and eachpiece was soon laid on a plate by Mother Pepper, and passed,first to Ben and then to the others, and to Phronsie last of all,of course, because she was the youngest.
When it was all over, this delightful surprise of Mamsie's, andPolly and Mrs. Pepper were clearing up, Joel nudged David. "Comeon, Dave," he whispered, and the two boys ran out to the orchardagain.
"I'm goin' to be bear again," cried Joel. "O dear me! Ben'staken in all the black hair," he cried, in great disappointment.
"He had to put it back in Mamsie's cushion again," said David."You know he promised."
"He might have left it a little bit of a while," grumbled Joel.
"He said he'd do it right away," persisted David, "so he had to,Joel."
"Well, anyway, I'll be bear again without the black hair, then,"declared Joel. "Now, look out, Dave, 'cause I'm goin' to climbup th' apple tree."
"Bears don't climb up trees," observed little David, critically,watching Joel's progress, quite content to sit down on the grassmeanwhile.
"Well, I'm goin' to, when I'm a bear," cried Joel, now well upin the midst of the gnarled branches. "I'm goin' to climb trees,and do everything I want to, so there, Dave Pepper!"
Little David said nothing, and turned his gaze downward, and abig green worm, that had somehow lost his way in the tall grass,meandered past him, trying to get home. So he put forth a gentlefinger, bending down the biggest spears accommodatingly, and wasso absorbed in the matter that he forgot Joel, until he heard avoice, "Hi, there; look, Dave, look!"
"O dear me, Joe!" exclaimed David, letting the green spearsswing back abruptly, and viewing Joel in alarm, "you'll fall. Docome down."
"Pooh! I can bend way out. See, Dave! See!" cried Joel, twistinghis legs around the branch on which he sat, almost at the verytip of the apple tree, and he swung both arms exultingly. Therewas a crack, a swish, and something came tumbling through theair, and before David could utter a sound, there lay Joel on thegrass at his feet.
The Adventures of Joel Pepper Page 10
