Five Little Peppers and their Friends

by Margaret Sidney

  XVI

  THE ACCIDENT

  But the boys didn't get back after Joel--not just then. A big tallyhocoach, in swinging around a corner, bore down upon the struggling crowd,the driver halloing and the horn blowing lustily, by way of a signal toclear the road. This would have been all well enough and easy to avoid, ifa string of bicyclists had not selected that very identical moment toappear from the opposite direction. And Larry, whose uncle was in thelast-mentioned procession, having a laudable desire to see him and make hisrelation aware of the fact, turned, waved his cap and his arms with a, "Hi,there, Uncle Jack!" and in another second was under the big wheels, thewhole merry party going over him and the laughter and chat still fillingthe air.

  Miss Mary Taylor, having an outside seat, looked over quickly. HamiltonDyce, sitting next, clambered down.

  "Don't be frightened," he said into her pale face.

  Half a dozen men were on the ground with him, and the boys swarmed aroundwildly, getting in everybody's way. The bicyclists, not catching the ideaof any accident, were swiftly coasting down the hill, for after all theirleader had suddenly changed his mind and veered off just before reachingthe scene of the accident.

  "Help me down," said Miss Taylor hoarsely.

  "Ugh, don't!" said Beth Cameron, with a shiver, poking her parasol welldown over her eyes. "I wouldn't see it for all the world"--shivering.

  "You can't do any good; better not," said Mr. Dyce, looking up at MissTaylor.

  But Miss Mary continued to say, "Help me down," and she so evidentlydisplayed the intention of getting down without any assistance if itweren't forthcoming, that Mr. Dyce did as he was bidden, and she was on thespot by the time that Larry was drawn out from under the wheels and laid onthe roadside grass.

  "I'm afraid he's done for, poor beggar," said one of the men.

  Mr. Dyce turned Miss Mary completely around and marched her off to themiddle of the road before she knew that such summary treatment was to beaccorded her. Then she caught her breath.

  "You needn't think to save me," she said, with a little gasp: "I'm--I'mquite strong. I must go. Oh, don't stop me. Think of poor Mrs. Keep!" andshe was back in among the group of men and the frantic boys. "Send forDoctor Fisher," she cried, kneeling down by Larry's side.

  "No use--" began another man, but Hamilton Dyce cried, "Which one can runthe fastest for Doctor Fisher?"

  Little Porter Knapp could, there was no doubt of that. All arms and legswas he, and able to get over more ground a minute than any other boy oftheir set, not excepting Joel Pepper. So, before Mr. Dyce had finishedspeaking, he was off like a shot, leaving Miss Taylor sitting on the grassholding Larry's poor head, while the whole crowd of men revolved aroundher, nervous to do something, but not seeing their way clear to find outwhat would be expedient.

  "If those chaps would stop howling!" exclaimed one of the men, indesperation, stalking off a bit to cram his hands in his pocket, andejaculate this to a companion.

  "It's pretty hard on the kids," remarked the friend, with a glance over hisshoulder at Frick and the rest of the boys, who added to the misery bycrowding up to the scene and impeding the progress of all would-be helpers.

  "He's dead, it's easy to see," observed the first man, nodding over to thegroup.

  "That's a fact, it looks like it," nodded the friend. "Well, it's a badthing, but no one's at fault. Mac couldn't help it. The little beggar ranright under the horses."

  "Oh, Mac's not to blame," said the first speaker hastily, "but it's anawful calamity just the same, to run down a kid. Well, we must pacify theladies." So the two walked back and up to the side of the coach, when thebig hats under the parasols leaned over and allowed their fair owners to bediverted with all sorts of comforting things. And presently little DoctorFisher came rushing along in his gig, out of which sprang Porter Knappbefore the horse could be persuaded to stop.

  "Oh, Larry," said Miss Taylor gently, bending over him.]

  No one said a word, least of all Miss Taylor, except the Doctor, whoordered them to right and to left, as assistants. And before long, Larryopened his blue eyes.

  "Why--where?" he began. He didn't even know he had been hurt--not tillafterward when the pain and suffering set in.

  "Easy--easy there," said little Doctor Fisher.

  "Great Scott!" The young man who had pronounced him dead crammed thosehands of his deeper yet in their pockets and gave a whistle.

  "Oh, Larry," said Miss Taylor gently, bending over him.

  "What is it?" Larry tried to move, and felt a strong hand laid on him justwhere it made any motion impossible. Beside, a great wave of pain swept himsuddenly into such astonishment as well as suffering that all he could dowas to shut his eyes and let his head sink back.

  "Now, then!" Doctor Fisher glanced up to the coach-load. "All of you getdown," he said curtly, and before the women quite knew how, the prettygowns and hats and parasols were all descending, a gay, fluttering bevy allchattering together.

  "Miss Mary, I'll trouble you to hop up there," and a dozen hands helped herinto position on the coach. "Now, then, Mr. Dyce, and you"; he nodded overto Harry Delafield, the little doctor did, then rapidly picked out two moremen. "Up with you, please," and quicker than it takes to tell it all, theywere in position, and Larry had been lifted gently into their laps, hishead on Miss Taylor's arm.

  "Ugh!" Betty Cameron gave a worse shiver than before. "How Mary Taylorcan!" she exclaimed, with a grimace. "Oh, dear me! I'm as faint as I canbe, just to think of it. I should die outright to be up there with him."

  "Well, we've got to walk home, I suppose," observed one of the other girlsdisconsolately, who, now that Larry could really speak, thought it quitetime to turn attention to her own discomfort, and she thrust out her daintyshoe.

  The boys, when they saw that Larry was really alive, stopped howling,especially as each and all had felt the glare of the eyes back of DoctorFisher's big spectacles. And they set off on a run by the side of thecoach, and as far ahead of that vehicle as possible, as Mac handled theribbons with his best style, trying to drive as gently as possible for thepatient.

  "To his home, of course," said the little doctor, turning his spectacles upto Mac. Then he got into his gig, whipped up, and took the lead.

  Porter Knapp went across streets and got there first and was leaning overthe stone gateway when the little doctor's gig drove up.

  "Eh!" exclaimed Doctor Fisher, looking at him over his glasses. "Well, youhave a pair of legs! Joel was right; he says you beat everything inrunning."

  Porter looked much pleased and glanced down at his legs affectionately.Then he remembered Larry and sobered at once.

  Doctor Fisher, while going up the steps, said in passing:

  "Larry'll pull through all right, I think."

  "She's here," cried Porter suddenly. He had heard the words, but somethinghad abruptly come in between, and he wildly dashed at the little doctor.Doctor Fisher turned around and saw, flourishing up to the gateway, a gaylittle runabout, and in it Larry's mother and sister.

  "My goodness!" He was down by its side. And off in the distance, but comingsurely and steadily on, was the coach bearing Larry to his home.

  "Yes, yes, how do you do? Don't stop," cried the little doctor, waving hishand that was free from his bag of instruments; "go on to the stable."

  "Oh, no, I'll stop here." Mrs. Keep had her foot on the step, and put outthe hand not occupied with her flowing draperies. "Eleanor is going on tosee a friend. Well, how do you do?"

  "You had better drive on to the stable," said the little doctor, "both ofyou."

  This time he had such an imperative manner that, thoroughly bewildered,Mrs. Keep stepped back into her seat and motioned Eleanor to obey.

  "Isn't he awfully funny!" said Eleanor, turning in at the driveway, morepuzzled, if possible, than her mother.

  "Yes," said Mrs. Keep, "he is, but then I suppose he has a good deal on hismind. You know they say his practice is getting to be tremendous. Well, wemust run
in and see him," as they drove down to the stable. "And you can goafterward to see Mary Taylor."

  "Yes, sir," called Joel back, from the alcove.]

  "All right," said Eleanor, and one of the stable boys coming out to meetthe pony, they both jumped out of the runabout and ran up the back verandasteps.

  "It's funny he didn't come down this way, if he wanted us to drive to thestable," cried Eleanor. "Mamma, do say you think it's queer. It would besome comfort if you would."

  "Well, I will, then," laughed Mrs. Keep, and there stood Doctor Fisher atthe dining-room door, and the minute she saw his face she knew thatsomething dreadful had happened.

  "Well, Joel, my boy." Old Mr. King, who had been consulting his watch everyfive minutes, whirled around in his big chair. "Time to lay down the work,"he called cheerily.

  "Yes, sir," called Joel back, from the alcove.

  "And I'm sure if ever an hour was long, this last one has been," the oldgentleman was saying to himself. Joel, who was rather stiff in the jointswhen first getting up from his work on the carpet, now came out feeling hisarms, and then indulging in a good long stretch.

  "It seems rather good--eh, Joe?--to swing your arms," cried Grandpapa witha laugh, and a keen glance into the black eyes.

  "Yes, _sir,_" declared Joel, with another stretch, and wondering ifever anything was so good in this world as to be told the hour was up.

  "Take care," warned the old gentleman; "those long arms of yours will havethings off from my table. My goodness, Joe! you must really go out of doorsand stretch, you make such a sweep," and he laughed again.

  "I can reach so far." Joel ran all around the table and stretched out hisbrown arms. "See, Grandpapa," he cried; then he got on his tiptoes andleaned over to achieve greater and more astonishing results.

  "You'll be over on your nose, if I don't rescue you and the things on mytable," said Mr. King, bursting into a heartier laugh than ever. "Come on,Joey, my boy, let's get out of doors, in a larger place." So he gathered upone of the sprawling sets of fingers, and summarily marched him out.

  "Now I suppose the next thing in order is to race after Frick and thoseboys," observed old Mr. King, when the garden walk was attained.

  "Yes, sir," cried Joel, his black eyes alight and his feet dancing.

  "Well, be off with you."

  No need to say more; Joel's heels beat the hastiest of retreats, as hescuttled off at the liveliest pace of which he was capable.

  Old Mr. King, left alone, nodded to himself two or three times, and smiledin a pleased way. "The very thing," he said at last, and in as greatsatisfaction as if he had been talking to a good listener.