Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

by Margaret Sidney

  POLLY'S DISMAL MORNING

  Everything had gone wrong with Polly that day. It began with her boots.

  Of all things in the world that tried Polly's patience most were thetroublesome little black buttons that originally adorned those usefulparts of her clothing, and that were fondly supposed to be there whenneeded. But they never were. The little black things seemed to beinvested with a special spite, for one by one they would hop off on theslightest provocation, and go rolling over the floor, just when she wasin her most terrible hurry, compelling her to fly for needle and threadon the instant. For one thing Mrs. Pepper was very strict about--andthat was, Polly should do nothing else till the buttons were all onagain, and the boots buttoned up firm and snug.

  "Oh dear!" said Polly, sitting down on the floor, and pulling on herstockings. "There now, see that hateful old shoe, mamsie!" And shethrust out one foot in dismay.

  "What's the matter with it?" said Mrs. Pepper straightening the thingson the bureau. "You haven't worn it out already, Polly?"

  "Oh no," said Polly, with a little laugh. "I hope not yet, but it'sthese dreadful hateful old buttons!" And she twitched the boot off fromher foot with such an impatient little pull, that three or four morewent flying under the bed. "There now--there's a lot more. I don't care!I wish they'd all go; they might as well!" she cried, tossing that booton the floor in intense scorn, while she investigated the state of theother one.

  "Are they all off?" asked Phronsie, pulling herself up out of a littleheap in the middle of the bed, and leaning over the side, where sheviewed Polly sorrowfully. "Every one, Polly?"

  "No," said Polly, "but I wish they were, mean old things; when I wasgoing down to play a duet with Jasper! We should have had a good longtime before breakfast. Oh, mayn't I go just once, mamsie? Nobody'llsee me if I tuck my foot under the piano; and I can sew 'em onafterwards--there'll be plenty of time. Do, just once, mamsie!"

  "No," said Mrs. Pepper firmly, "there isn't any time but now. And pianoplaying isn't very nice when you've got to stick your toes under it tokeep your shoes on."

  "Well then," grumbled Polly, hopping around in her stocking-feet, "whereis the work-basket, mamsie? Oh--here it is on the window-seat." A rattleof spools, scissors and necessary utensils showed plainly that Polly hadfound it, followed by a jumble of words and despairing ejaculations asshe groped hurriedly under chairs and tables to collect the scatteredcontents.

  When she got back with a very red face, she found Phronsie, who hadcrawled out of bed, sitting down on the floor in her little nightgownand examining the boot with profound interest.

  "I can sew 'em, Polly," she said, holding up her hand for the big needlethat Polly was trying to thread--"I can now truly; let me, Polly, do!"

  "Dear no!" said Polly with a little laugh, beginning to be very muchashamed. "What could you do with your little mites of hands pullingthis big thread through that old leather? There, scamper into bed again;you'll catch cold out here.

  "Tisn't very cold," said Phronsie, tucking up her toes under thenight-gown, but Polly hurried her into bed, where she curled herselfup under the clothes, watching her make a big knot. But the knotdidn't stay; for when Polly drew up the long thread triumphantly tothe end--out it flew, and away the button hopped again as if glad to bereleased. And then the thread kinked horribly, and got all twisted up indisagreeable little snarls that took all Polly's patience to unravel.

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

  "Oh dear," said Polly, resigning the needle with a big sigh, and leaningback 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 soundsunder Jane's vigorous ringing pealed up over the stairs. "There won'tbe time anyway, now! I wish there wasn't such a thing as shoes in theworld!" And she gave a flounce and sat up straight in front of hermother.

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

  "Oh, mamsie!" cried Polly, ignoring for a moment the delights of thefinished shoe to fling her arms around her mother's neck and give her agood 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 ofher preparations and tried to make up for lost time.

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

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

  "What do you want to have her do?" asked Jasper, looking up from thesofa 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 theboys 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, boatin 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 thelibrary, "Oh--here you are, Percy! I couldn't come before; mamsie wantedme. Now, says I, for the sails." And she began to flap out a long whitepiece 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 hadflashed 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 longingto get back to mamsie. "Wait till they're done; then they'll be good--asgood as can be!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "Oh now, that's too bad!" he cried, seeing Polly fold up the remainingbits of cloth, and pick up the scraps on the floor. "And you've goneand let her cut out every one of 'em, and never told me a word! You're amean, 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, "andwaiting--and wa
iting!"

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

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

  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 onthe table, "for I made most of the boat, there!"

  "Oh no, you didn't!" cried Percy in the greatest alarm, hanging on tothe 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'lltell you what I'll do, boys."

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

  "I'll make you another pair of sails," said Polly groaning withinherself as she thought of the wasted minutes, "and then you can see mecut '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 thosetiresome old things! Van, let her off!"

  "Oh no, I won't! I won't!" he cried in the greatest alarm, running up toher 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, andtucked away into Polly's little work-basket ready for the sewing on themorrow. And then Mr. King came in and took Jasper off with him; and thetwo Whitney boys went up to mamma for a story; and Polly sat down inmamsie's room to tackle her French exercise.