XXVII
PRINCES AND PRINCESSES
"Polly," said Mrs. Pepper, "don't worry any more about the boysnot coming home; just keep the potatoes hot in the oven." ForPolly had run to the window about a dozen times, wondering wherethey could be, and why they didn't come back for dinner.
"They are having a nice time, somewhere, bless their hearts,"said Mrs. Pepper, with a smile. "I'm so glad the snow has comeearly, for they've been longing for it so much." She hadn't feltso happy and contented for a good while, for besides rejoicingin her boys' pleasure, Mr. Atkins had given her this verymorning an order to knit as many mittens as she could, and sheeven caught herself humming a little tune.
Polly heard her, and ran over to her side. "Oh, Mamsie Pepper!"she exclaimed, "do sing it," and she threw her arms around herneck.
"I can't sing now," said Mother Pepper, a little flush coming onher cheek, "and besides, I don't need to, with you, Polly," andshe smiled fondly on her.
"I'll stop, Mamsie--if you'll only sing to us more," cried Polly.
"Then I never should sing, Polly," declared Mother Pepper, witha little laugh. "I shouldn't know what to do, child, if I didn'thear you singing round."
"Shouldn't you, Mammy?" asked Polly, much gratified, and curlingdown into a little ball at her mother's feet.
"No, dear, I shouldn't." Mrs. Pepper stopped her work longenough to lay her hand caressingly on Polly's brown hair. "Why,it wouldn't seem like the little brown house at all, Polly, andI don't know what we should any of us do, if you stopped it."
"Then I'll sing always for you, Mamsie," said Polly; "I trulywill."
"So do, child. Well, I must hurry along, or I shan't get time tobegin on those mittens. And just think, Polly, Mr. Atkins haspromised to let me knit as many pairs as I can."
"Mamsie," said Polly, suddenly, and hopping to her feet, "won'tyou teach me to knit, and then I can help you."
"Yes," said Mrs. Pepper; "for it's good for you to know how. ButI shan't be willing to have you help me any more than you do now.I wish you didn't have to work so hard, child," and an anxiouscloud overspread the brightness on Mother Pepper's face.
"Oh, I'm not going to work too hard," cried Polly, with happythrobs at her mother's words. And she dashed off to herinterrupted work, and Mrs. Pepper smiled, as presently Pollybegan to sing so merrily that Phronsie set up a little song,till the old kitchen was the cosiest place possible. At last, ina lull, Mother Pepper called, "Polly, what is this stopping atthe gate? Tell him we don't want any," as she saw it was a loadof wood.
Polly ran to the door, and was beginning to say, "We don't wantany wood," when her face turned very white, and she ran over thesnow on unsteady feet. "Oh, Joel, what is it?" throwing her armsaround him. But before he could answer, there was Mrs. Pepperclose behind her.
They lifted Davie down from the pile of wood, where they hadmade him as comfortable as possible, Farmer Seeley and Joel;the old man tried to tell that "'Twarn't none o' my fault. Th' boysran into me," but Joel, for the first time in his life, was without words.
"Mamsie, don't feel badly," said little Davie, putting up hisface to be kissed, as her arms received him. Joel flew to Pollyfor comfort.
"And Mr. Seeley's nice," said David, who had found out the oldfarmer's name on the long, slow, homeward journey, and nowseemed afraid he might be blamed, and not thanked enough.
The old farmer, not hearing this, or indeed much of the talk,kept saying at intervals, "'Twarn't my fault. I ain't to blame,"till Mrs. Pepper carried David into the little brown house, andthe others, following mournfully enough, the door was shut.
David was laid up with a sprained ankle, that was all, after theupset. But Joel found it dismal enough to play out in the snowalone, and he kept pretty close to the window, so that he couldlook up and sing out once in a while to Dave seated by it inMamsie's big rocking chair. And pretty soon, one day, Benbrought Davie out, all bundled up, and set him carefully on thebig sled.
"There you are!" cried Ben, depositing his burden, "as fine ascan be," all the rest of the family flocking around to tuckDavid in tighter, and to pull his tippet closer, and to be surethat he had his mittens on.
"Don't go very far, Joe," cautioned Mrs. Pepper.
"I won't, Mamsie," said Joe, proudly enough, marching off, whilethe big sled, with Davie sitting upon it as happy as a king,came sliding along behind.
"Hooray!" cried a harsh voice, when they had proceeded in thisway for a good distance down the road, David joyfully exclaimingevery minute, "Oh, Joey, it's so good to get out doors again."
"Hooray!" screamed the voice again, and Joel, staring as hard ashe could, saw two boys pop up from behind a stone wall, and comerushing down toward him, each with a large snowball in his hand.And the next thing, the snowballs flew through the air, and onehit David in the neck, and burst all over his tippet. Joeldidn't care that the other one gave him a whack on the head.
"You stop that!" commanded Joel, with a face as red as fire."Don't you hit Dave again," and his black eyes flashed.
"We're bigger'n you," sneered one boy, and he picked up somemore snow, and began to roll it into a hard ball.
"No, you ain't, either," contradicted Joel, who never wouldacknowledge any one to be bigger than himself. "And you let Davealone, I say."
"We're going to push him off th' sled," said the other boy, witha dreadful grin.
At this Joel looked all around in despair for a moment to see ifany one was coming who would help. "Davie's ankle. O dear me!"he thought. So he got between the sled and the biggest boy. "Youlet him alone!" he cried sturdily, setting his teeth tighttogether.
"Hoh--hoh--'fraid-cat--'fraid-cat!" laughed both boys, hoppingabout in glee, and singing over and over, '"Fraid-cat--'fraid-cat!"
Joel clenched his little brown hands together tightly. It washard work not to fly at them and pommel away. "But Davie'sankle--dear--dear!" So he held his breath and kept still.
Suddenly both boys made a rush at David, meaning to make himeat snow and have one ball thrust down his back at one and thesame time, but Joel was too quick for them, and the first thingthey knew, as David gave a scream at their approach, two hardlittle fists were pommelling them to right and left.
"Stop it!" they cried. But Joel didn't know how to stop; hepounded away so much and so fast, and they didn't exactly seemto know where he was going to strike next, that in a few minutesboth boys were crying as hard as they could.
"'Fraid-cat! 'Fraid-cat!" sang Joel, dancing around them, andswinging his fists in the liveliest fashion.
"Joel Pepper!" exclaimed a voice, suddenly, that made all theboys skip, while little Davie shook in much worse apprehensionthan he did before. "Fighting in the public road! Well, I neverheard anything so dreadful!"
Joel whirled around, his fists still ready. "I ain't fighting,"he denied stoutly. It was Miss Jerusha, Parson Henderson'ssister.
"And it's bad enough to fight, without telling a lie about it,"said Miss Jerusha, holding up her black gloves in horror. "Iain't fighting. And I didn't tell a lie," declared Joel. "Andyou mustn't say so," he added, advancing on her with blazingeyes.
Miss Jerusha retreated. "You're a very bad boy," she said tartly,"and I shall have no more to say to you."
"You must say I don't tell a lie," insisted Joel with unpleasantfirmness, and throwing his head back.
"What are you doing, if you're not fighting?" began Miss Jerusha,loudly; "pray tell."
Joel was just going to say, "They were going to hurt Davie,"when, before he could get the words out, Polly was seen runningdown the road toward them all, her hood flying back on hershoulders.
"Oh, Joel, what _do_ you think--" she began, when she sawthe two boys, and, worst of all, Miss Jerusha; then she came toa dead stop.
"Where are your manners?" snapped that lady, wanting to scoldsome one. "I'm sure when I was a girl I was pretty spoken, whenI met people."
"How do you do, Miss Jerusha?" asked Polly. Then she couldn'thelp regarding the two boys with wide-e
yed astonishment; theydug the toes of their shoes in the snow, and wouldn't look at her.
"She says I told her a lie," blurted Joel, not taking hisblazing eyes from Miss Jerusha's face.
"O dear me!" exclaimed Polly, in the greatest distress. "Joelcouldn't tell a lie, Marm; he never did."
Joel flung his black head higher, but he didn't take his eyesfrom Miss Jerusha's face.
"I'm sure I don't know nor care whether he did or not," retortedMiss Jerusha, shrilly. "And you're very pert, Polly Pepper, toset yourself up against your elders. When I was a little girl Inever contradicted folks. Never in all the world! What is yourmother thinking of, to bring you up in this way?" And she heldup her black gloves again.
"Polly," called little Davie, where he had been crouchingtimidly in the middle of the big sled, "can't we go home?"
"Yes," said Polly, hoarsely. "Joel, come home with me thisminute; don't say another word, Mamsie wouldn't like it," shecommanded. She seized the rope, and Joel, removing his eyes withthe greatest difficulty from Miss Jerusha's face, grasped it, too,and the little Peppers went as swiftly as they could go, backhome to Mamsie, leaving the other three in the middle of the road.
"O dear!" gasped Polly, as they ran on. Then, "Joel, if we canonly get to Mamsie," while back on the sled Davie trembled withdelight at the very thought.
In front of the little brown house stood a big comfortablesleigh of the old-fashioned pattern. Although it had once beenvery handsome, it was now faded and ancient. A man who almostlooked as if he had gone into service along with the sleigh andthe other belongings of his mistress, sat primly upon the frontseat. He expressed as much pleasure at seeing the little Pepperscoming, as his stoical countenance would allow, but he didn'tmove a muscle of face or figure. At any other time Joel wouldhave howled with delight at seeing Miss Parrott's man sittingthere before the house, and in a sleigh. And it wouldn't havebeen a minute before he would have been in that sleigh, and onthat front seat, besieging that stiff figure to let him drive.But now Joel flew by, dropping the rope, and rushed into thehouse, and Polly was left to drag David to the door, and call toMamsie to help lift him off. But she stopped to say to MissParrott's man, "I must stop to speak to Mamsie, first, if youplease."
Miss Parrott's man so far forgot the ancient usage of his yearsthat he rubbed his eyes as Polly turned away, and then he turnedand continued to gaze at her as long as she was to be seen. Forhe really could not believe that it was the same little girl whohad danced down the road, with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks,and he even glanced nervously around, the more he thought aboutit.
"Mamsie!" cried Joel, hoarsely, flinging himself into MotherPepper's arms, as she came to the door to meet him, her facebeaming with happiness at the realization that Miss Parrott'ssleigh actually was waiting at the door to take her little onesfor a sleigh-ride, "Mamsie! Miss Jerusha says I told a lie. DidI, Mammy?" and Joel clutched her and broke into a torrent oftears.
And then Polly got there, and Davie was lifted off the sled andcarried into the house, and among all three of them the storywas out.
And there was Miss Parrott's man sitting stiffly on the frontseat of the sleigh, only his head was turned, and his eyes werestaring like all possessed at the little brown house.
"Now, Polly," said Mrs. Pepper, when there was no more to tell,and the children gazed at her in amazement to see her socheerful, "you just get yourself ready, as soon as ever you can.Wash your face good, and your eyes, and I'll spring to, and helpJoey and Davie. Phronsie's all ready." Indeed, she was, andsitting patiently on her little cricket all this time, her smallmittened hands folded in her lap. To Phronsie, every bit of thefuss of getting ready for a trip was always as much of a delightas the expedition itself, and was enjoyed with grave pleasure.
"And, dear me!" continued Mother Pepper, in her briskest fashion,all the while she was washing and patting and pulling the twoboys into just the right condition for such a grand occasion asthis, "there is Miss Parrott's man waiting out there all thistime! Now see how good you can stand still, Joey, and then we'llbe as quick as we can be." And pretty soon they were all ready,and Joel's swollen nose and red eyes didn't look so very muchas if he had been crying, and Polly's face showed very little trace,after all, that she had been crying, too. So they all went down to thegate, Mother Pepper and Polly and Joel carrying David, andPhronsie walking gravely behind.
"I am very sorry," said Mother Pepper to Miss Parrott's man,still immovably staring at them, "to keep you waiting. It is notmy children's fault, I should say that." Then she helped them in,and tucked the big fur robes all nicely around the three on theback seat. Joel, of course, was by this time snugly settled onthe front seat.
"Now, children," said Mrs. Pepper, regarding them for a moment,and standing quite still by the roadside, "you are to have thevery nicest time you ever had in all your lives. Remember!" andshe smiled at them, and all the sunbeams that ever shone seemedto hop right down into their hearts. Miss Parrott's man solemnlygathered up the reins tighter in his hands, and touched thehorses with the whip with the same dignity, and off they went.
Mrs. Pepper watched the big sleigh till she couldn't see a speckof it; then she turned and went into the house, took down herSunday bonnet and shawl, for this was to be a call of importance,and soon she had left the little brown house, and was walkingrapidly over the snowy road to the minister's house.
"I must get it over with as soon as I can, and be home beforethey get back," she said to herself, going swiftly on.
It wasn't two minutes before Joel was laughing gayly, andbobbing around with an important air on that front seat to theothers on the back seat, and Polly found herself tossing scrapsof nonsense back at him and the two others, and little Daviesmiled happily. As for Phronsie, she sat wedged in between theother two, her little mittens folded in her lap, in gravesatisfaction. Miss Parrott's man drew a long breath when allthis was accomplished, and the only word he said for the firsttwo miles was, "I guess you're all right _now_."
Where they went, no one of the four little Peppers could havetold. It all seemed like Fairyland, a great enchanted space ofwinding snowy roads, dazzling in the morning sunlight of aperfect winter day; every little crystal sparkling away on apine tree, where it had to melt away, seemed to come out andwink at them, as the stately horses bore them along. All the fieldssleeping under their soft, white blankets, were new to the Peppersgliding by. That surely was not Deacon Brown's field, where theyused to race across lots, on a summer day! And as for that beingMr. Blodgett's meadow--why! no one need ever tell them so; itwas enchanted ground, and they were princes and princesseswhirling by in their chariots.
"Let's play so," cried Polly, suddenly, and leaning back againstthe padded cushion, feeling very glad indeed.
"What, Polly!" cried Joel, wheeling around, at the imminentdanger of tumbling out backward, and astonished that Pollyshould want to play anything when they were enveloped with suchrichness of enjoyment.
"Oh, that we were princesses and princes," answered Polly, witha grand air, "and we were riding through our kingdom in a bigchariot."
"Oh, yes, let's--let's!" screamed Joel, "and I'm the biggestprince," he announced, with another shout. "I wished I had afeather in my cap," he added ruefully, remembering the splendidone that Grandma Bascom's rooster had furnished for a former occasion,when Polly decked him out a prince, and that was tucked away inhis box of treasures in the woodshed,--"O dear! if I'd onlybrought it!"
"But we haven't got our things," said Polly, quickly, "so youmust just play it, Joel. That's as good as having the feather."
"I think it's heaven," said little Davie, with a long breath,hanging out as far as he could over his side of the back seat."Polly, isn't it?"
"Yes, dear," said Polly, leaning past Phronsie to drop him akiss, which, by reason of the big sleigh going just then over ahump of frozen snow, fell on the tip of his nose. This made himlaugh, and then Polly laughed, and Phronsie came out of hergrave delight, to gurgle her amusement; and Joel, hearing th
emall have such a funny time back there, bobbed around again, and_he_ laughed, though he never found out what it was all about.
And Miss Parrott's man learned more about princesses and princesand golden chariots and Fairyland and enchanted things andplaces in general than he ever heard in his life before, and whenat last they glided into Badgertown Centre, it really seemed as ifthe cup of happiness would overflow.
"Polly," cried little David, his cheeks aflame under his woollencap that was drawn close around his ears, and sitting quiteerect as a prince should, "the people are all coming out to meetus--the queen and king have sent us to do the errands; haven'tthey, Polly?"
"Yes," cried Polly, delighted at the idea. "Oh, let's playthat!" So the four little Peppers drove down Badgertown mainstreet, where all the shops were, and old Mr. Beebe happened tobe standing by his little window watching for customers. "Ma--Ma!"he screamed, "here's the Pepperses goin' by in a sleigh; it's MissParrottses, I do declare."
And Mrs. Beebe, stopping to put on her best cap with the pinkribbons before she ran out from the little parlor back of theshop, of course didn't get there till long after the triumphalprocession was over. And of all the people who stared andrejoiced in their happiness,--for there wasn't one who saw themwho didn't feel glad, down to the tips of the fingers and toes,that the Peppers were going a-pleasuring,--no one of them allsuspected that it was a chariot load of princes and princessesgliding by.
At last it was all over, and the golden chariot paused beforethe little brown house. Polly and Joel carried David over thesnowy path, while Phronsie ran ahead like a mad little thing.And so they all rushed in, royalty dropping off at the old flatdoor stone.
"We've been princes," cried Joel, as Polly set Davie down, andstamping the snow, gathered on the royal rush over the yard,from his feet, "and I was the biggest prince."
"I was the best," declared David, twitching off his cap that hadgotten knocked over his eyes in the scramble to carry him in."Mamsie, I truly was."
"Oh, Mamsie!" cried Polly, dancing around the kitchen on happyfeet, her eyes glowing like stars, "it was perfectly gorgeous!"for Polly dearly loved fine words, and she thought nothing couldbe too grand for this occasion.
"And I was a princess," piped Phronsie, crowding up to hold fastto her mother's gown. "I truly was, Mamsie. Polly said so."
"So you were," declared Mamsie, smiling happily on her wholebrood; "but then, you mustn't ever forget, children, that it'swell enough to be princes and princesses once in a while, butyou're my little brown house people every day."
The Adventures of Joel Pepper Page 27
