Five Little Peppers at School

by Margaret Sidney

  VI THE ACCIDENT

  "Oh dear me!" exclaimed Clem. They were all on the cars--the earlytrain--going home; the governess, a middle-aged person who looked afterthe younger Horne children and who was going in to her sister's to passthe night, taking care of the party. "Now I've got to sit up till allhours when I get home, to get my lessons."

  Polly Pepper gave a comfortable little wriggle under her coat. "Isn't itnice Mamsie makes me get my lessons the first thing, before I play!" shesaid to herself for about the fiftieth time.

  "So have I," cried Lucy Bennett, echoing Clem's words.

  "Well, I can't," cried Alexia with a flounce, "because my aunt won't letme sit up after nine o'clock; that is, to study. So I have to get upearly in the morning. Oh dear!" with a grimace at the thought.

  "So do I," said Amy Garrett. "Dear me! and I'm just as sleepy in themorning as I can be."

  Alexia yawned at the very memory of it. "Well, don't let's talk of it,"she begged. "Seems as if Miss Salisbury's eyes were all over me now."

  "I have Miss Anstice to-morrow," said Amy, "and it's the day for herblack silk gown."

  "Horrors!" exclaimed Alexia; and, "How do you know she'll wear the blacksilk gown to-morrow, Amy?" from the other girls.

  "Because she said Professor Mills from the Institute is to be thereto-morrow," said Amy. "He gives the art lecture to our class. And youknow the black silk gown will surely go on."

  "There's no help for you, you poor child," cried Alexia, exulting thatshe never would be gathered into Miss Anstice's class, and that she justhated art and all that sort of thing, despite the efforts of MissSalisbury's younger sister to get her interested. "Yes, that black silkgown will surely be there. Look out now, Amy; all you girls will catchit."

  "Oh, I know it," said Amy with a sigh. "How I do wish I never'd got intothat class!"

  "Well, you know I told you," said Alexia provokingly; "you'd muchbetter have taken my advice and kept out of her clutches."

  "I wish I had," mourned Amy again.

  "How Miss Anstice can be so horrid--she isn't a bit like MissSalisbury," said Alexia. "I don't see--"

  "She isn't horrid," began Polly.

  "Oh Polly!"

  "Well, not always," said Polly.

  "Well, she is anyway when she has company, and gets on that black silkgown; just as stiff and cross and perky and horrid as can be."

  "She wants you all to show off good," said Alexia. "Well, I'm gladenough I'm not in any of her old classes. I just dote on MissSalisbury."

  "Oh Alexia, you worry the life out of her almost," said Sally.

  "Can't help it if I do," said Alexia sweetly. "I'm very fond of her. Andas for Mademoiselle, she's a dear. Oh, I love Mademoiselle, too."

  "Well, she doesn't love you," cried Clem viciously. "Dear me! fancy oneof the teachers being fond of Alexia!"

  "Oh, you needn't laugh," said Alexia composedly as the girls giggled;"every single one of those teachers would feel dreadfully if I left thatschool. They would really, and cry their eyes out."

  "And tear their hair, I suppose," said Clem scornfully.

  "Yes, and tear their--why, what in this world are we stopping for?"cried Alexia in one breath.

  So everybody else wondered, as the train gradually slackened speed andcame to a standstill. Everybody who was going in to town to the theatreor opera, began to look impatient at once.

  "Oh dear!" cried the girls who were going to sit up to study, "now isn'tthis just as hateful as it can be?"

  "I don't care," said Alexia, settling comfortably back, "because I can'tstudy much anyway, so I'd just as soon sit on this old train an hour."

  "Oh Alexia!" exclaimed Polly in dismay, with her heart full at thethought of Mamsie's distress, and that of dear Grandpapa and Jasper.Phronsie would be abed anyway by the time the early train was in, so shecouldn't worry. But all the others--"Oh dear me!" she gasped.

  "Don't look so, Polly," said Alexia, "we'll start pretty soon, Iguess."

  The governess, Miss Baker, came over from the opposite seat to stand inthe aisle. "I think we'll start soon," she said. But her eyes lookedworried.

  "What is it--oh, Miss Baker, what is the reason we're stopping?" criedtwo or three of the girls.

  "I don't know," said the governess.

  A man coming in from outside, where a lot of gentlemen were pouring outof the cars to investigate, furnished the information.

  "Driving wheel broken," he said, being sparing of words.

  "Oh, can't we go out to see?" cried Alexia, hopping out of her seat."Come on," and she was prancing down the aisle.

  "No, indeed," said Miss Baker in displeasure, "and do you come directlyback," she commanded.

  "Oh dear me!" grumbled Alexia to Sally, who had tumbled out after her,"she's worse than Miss Anstice--stiff, precise old thing!" She cameslowly back.

  "That a young lady under my care," said Miss Baker, lifting her blackgloves in amazement, "should so far forget herself as to want to runout on that track with a lot of men! I _am_ astonished."

  "There's a girl out there," said Alexia, sinking into her seat crossly,and peering over Polly Pepper's head.

  "And there's another," proclaimed Sally triumphantly.

  "Well, if they've forgotten themselves so far as to go out there undersuch circumstances, I shall not let any young lady in my care do it,"said Miss Baker emphatically.

  So, swallowing their disappointment at not being allowed to see all thatpresented itself, the girls settled back and made themselves ascomfortable as possible. Meantime almost everybody else poured out oftheir car. But it seemed to Polly Pepper as if she never could keepstill in all this world. And she clasped her hands tightly together andhoped nobody would speak to her just yet.

  "Polly,"--Alexia gave a little push, as she leaned over,--"isn't itperfectly dreadful to be mewed up here in this way? Say, Polly, dotalk."

  "Go right away, Alexia." Polly gave a little flounce, and sat quitestraight.

  "Oh dear me!" exclaimed Alexia in astonishment, and falling back.

  "And I wish you would let me alone," cried Polly, quite aghast atherself, but unable to stop.

  "Oh dear me!" Alexia kept saying quite faintly, and rolling her eyes.

  "Well, I'm glad Polly has made you behave for once," said Clem, whonever could forgive Alexia for getting Polly so much to herself.

  Alexia stopped saying, "Oh dear me!" and sat quite still. Just thenPolly turned and saw her face.

  "Oh Alexia!" she cried, flying at her, when an awful bump, and thenanother much worse, and then a grinding noise, perfectly terrible,--andeverybody who was left in the car, went tumbling out of their seats.

  "Oh, we're run into!" screamed half a dozen of the girls. Miss Baker,who had been standing in the aisle, was down in a heap on the floor.

  "Oh, oh!" Polly had her arms around Alexia and was hugging her tightly."Are you hurt?" as they wriggled out of the bunch of girls into whichthey had been precipitated, up to their feet.

  "N--no," Alexia, tried to say. Instead, she wobbled over, and laid herhead on Polly's arm.

  "Girls--girls--Miss Baker!" called Polly, not seeing that lady, in theconfusion of the other passengers, staggering along the aisle, herbonnet knocked over her eyes, and a girl on either hand to help heralong. "Clem--oh, somebody help me! Alexia is hurt." But nobody heard inthe general tumult.

  "Oh dear! Alexia, do open your eyes," begged Polly, quite gone now withdistress. "And to think I was so cross to her!" And she turned quitewhite.

  "Dear, dear Alexia," she cried; and because there was nothing else todo, she leaned over and dropped a kiss on Alexia's long face, and twotears dropped down as well.

  Alexia opened her eyes. "That's very nice, Polly," she said, "do so somemore."

  "Aren't you ashamed!" cried Polly, the rosy color coming back to hercheek. And then, remembering, she hugged Alexia tightly. "Oh, I'm soglad you're not hurt, Alexia, so very glad!" she cried gratefully.

  "Ow!" exclaimed Alexia, shrinking back.


  "Oh, now you are hurt," cried Polly. "Oh Alexia!" And she turned verywhite again. "Tell me where it is." And just then some of the girlsrushed up with the news, corroborated by the other passengers, that thedown express had run into them,--been signalled, but couldn't stop intime, etc., etc.,--till Polly thought she should go wild before thebabel could be stopped. "Don't crowd around so," she cried hoarsely."Alexia is hurt."

  "Alexia?" The noise, as far as Miss Salisbury's girls were concerned,stopped at once; and at last the other passengers were made tounderstand how it was. And Alexia, quite faint now, but having senseenough to hang to Polly Pepper's hand, was laid across an improvised bedmade of two seats, and a doctor who happened to be on the train, one ofthe party going in to the theatre, came up, and looked her overprofessionally.

  "It's my arm," said Alexia, opening her eyes again; "it was doubled upsomeway under me. Oh dear me! I'm so silly to faint."

  "You're not silly at all," cried Polly warmly, and holding her wellhand, while her eyes searched the doctor's face anxiously. "Oh, is itbroken?" they asked, as plainly as possible.

  "Not a bit of it," said the doctor cheerfully, feeling it all over againto make quite sure, while Alexia set her teeth together, trying not toshow how very much it hurt. "It's badly strained,--the ligamentsare;--but fortunately no bones are broken."

  "Oh dear!" groaned Alexia. "Now why can't it be broken?"

  "Oh Alexia!" cried Polly. And now the tears that had been kept back,were rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so happy, I can't help it," she said.

  "And the very idea, Alexia Rhys," exclaimed Clem, "to wish your arm hadbeen broken!" and she gave a little shiver.

  "It hurts just as much," said Alexia, trying to sit up straight, andmaking an awful face, "so it might as well be. And I've never been in arailroad accident. But a sprained arm isn't anything to show; any babycan have that--oh dear me!"

  "Well, you better lie still," counselled Miss Baker tartly. "Dear me! Ilittle thought when I took charge of you young ladies that any suchthing would occur."

  "She acts as if she thought we did it on purpose," said Alexia, turningher face over to hide it on Polly's arm again, and wishing her ownneedn't ache so dreadfully. "Oh dear! such a time as we've had, PollyPepper, with those dreadful Briggses,--I mean Mrs. Briggs,--and now tobe all banged up, and this cross old thing to see us home! And now Inever'll be able to get through the term, 'cause I'll have to stay athome with this old arm, and aunt will scold." She was quite out ofbreath with all her woes.

  "Oh, yes, you will," cried Polly reassuringly, "I'll run over every day,and study with you, Alexia. And you'll soon be all well again. Don't tryto talk now, dear," and she patted the poor cheeks, and smoothed herhair. All the while she was trying to keep down the worry over thehome-circle who would be thrown into the greatest distress, she knew, ifnews of the accident should reach their ears.

  "Can't somebody telephone them?" she cried; "Oh, Miss Baker"--the doctorhad rushed off to other possible sufferers--"and tell them no one ishurt;--I mean seriously?"

  "There is," said the governess, quite calmly; "a man has been killed."

  "Oh dear!"

  "A brakeman," Miss Baker hastened to add. "Don't be frightened. None ofthe passengers."

  "Now I know he was brave, and trying to do something to save us," criedPolly, with kindling eyes.

  "Yes," said a passenger, coming up to their group, "he was running backwith a lantern to signal the train, and he slipped and fell, and theexpress went over him. But it stopped just in time for us."

  "Oh the poor, poor man!" Polly was quite gone by this time, and Alexiaforgot her pain in trying to comfort her.

  "But suppose he had children," cried Polly, "just suppose it, Alexia."

  "I don't want to suppose it," said Alexia, wriggling. "Ugh! you do saysuch uncomfortable things, Polly Pepper."

  "I know it." Polly swallowed hard, and held Alexia's hand tighter thanever. "Well, I won't talk of it any more."

  The governess, who had moved away a bit, now came back with vexationplainly written all over her face. "I must go and see if there isn'tsome way to get a message to Grandpapa King, Alexia," said Polly. "I'llbe back as soon as I can." She dropped a kiss on the nearest cheek.

  "Don't be gone long," begged Alexia.

  "I will go with you," said the governess, stepping off after her.

  "Very well," said Polly, going swiftly down the aisle, to see below thecar steps a crowd of passengers all in a tumult, and vociferatingangrily. In the midst of them, Polly saw the face of the doctor who hadjust fixed Alexia's arm.

  "Oh sir," she began.

  He looked up, and caught sight of the brown eyes. "Is the little girlworse?" And he sprang over toward her.

  Polly, not stopping to think how furious Alexia would be, who was quitethe tallest of their set, to be designated as a little girl, made hasteto say, "Oh no, sir; but oh, could you tell me how to let my grandpapaand my mother know we are safe? Could you, sir?" Poor Polly, who hadheld up so bravely, was clasping her hands tightly together, and thebrown eyes were full of tears.

  "Well, you see," began the doctor, hating to disappoint her, "it's adifficult matter to get in communication with them at once. We are onlyfive miles out, but--"

  "Five miles?" echoed Polly. "Oh then, some one can go to the neareststation, and telephone, can't they, sir?"

  "To be sure; and that's been done. But your family, little girl--how canwe reach them?"

  "Oh, I can run," cried Polly happily, "to the station myself, sir," andshe began to clamber down the car steps.

  "Come back," commanded the governess, lifting her hands in horror. "Inever heard of such a thing. The very idea! What would your grandfather,Mr. King, say to such a thing, Polly Pepper?"

  "Mr. who?" cried the doctor. "Stay, little girl," seizing her arm. "Mr.who?" he demanded, looking up to the governess on the car steps.

  "Mr. Horatio King," she replied with asperity, "and you'd better beoccupied with something else, let me tell you, sir, instead ofencouraging his granddaughter to run off on such a wild-goose errand asthis."

  "I certainly shall take pleasure in performing the wild-goose errandmyself," he said. "Now Polly, I'll send the message; don't you worry,"and he sped off down the track.