sorry, and I never will tell you in all this world, never, never,
never!"
"And I'm sure I don't care whether you do or not," said Alexia, as they
all laughed, "only I'm not going to have my head eaten off, I can tell
you that."
"Well, come on," said Polly, briskly, "and let's talk over Christmas.
Oh, you can't think, Ben, what elegant things we are going to do!"
"Let's call all the others and get down on the library rug," proposed
Ben.
"O dear me!" Polly's face fell. "Without Jasper?" she said.
"Now see here, Polly," said Ben, whirling around to get a good look at
her face, "I promised Jasper I'd do my best to go on with everything the
minute we got home, the same as if he were able to be in it all. I
thought you'd help me, Polly, for I can't do anything without you." He
looked so disapprovingly at her that she made haste to say, "Oh, I will,
I will, Ben."
"Then run and get the others," said Ben, with a little pat on her back.
"And you go, too, Alexia, that's a good girl."
"Of course, I will," said Alexia, "if Polly is going."
And almost as soon as one could write it, there they all were in a group
on the big rug before the library fire, and Grandpapa in his easy-chair,
smiling down at his family.
And little Doctor Fisher looked in to say that Jasper had stood the
journey re-_mar_kably well, that he was now fast asleep, and that
to-morrow he would be down among them all.
"Oh, goody! goody!" cried Polly, clapping her hands.
At this Phronsie slipped out from her nest where she had been sitting,
her head in Polly's lap so that she could smooth the yellow waves away
from the hot little cheeks, and, picking up her skirts, she began to
dance, finishing up with a little cheese in the middle of the library
floor.
"I don't mean you can have your Christmas to-morrow," the little doctor
made haste to explain. "Jasper must have some hours of rest. But the day
after--then says I." He took off his big spectacles, wiped them
carefully, stuck them on his nose again, laughed gleefully at the babel
of rejoicing he had set up, and was off.
"Well now, Phronsie," said Grandpapa, "you would better come and sit
with me. I really need you, child."
"Do you, Grandpapa?" asked Phronsie, and coming up to his big chair,
exceedingly pleased.
"Very much indeed," said the old gentleman, decidedly. "There, that's
right," as she climbed up into his lap, and laid her head on his breast.
"Now then, you and I can hear all these wonderful plans finely."
"We're going to have a Christmas," said Phronsie, putting up a soft
little hand to pull his face down.
"No, really?"
"Yes, we are," said Phronsie, in grave delight. Then she bobbed up her
head to look at him the closer. "We surely are, Grandpapa; and Polly is
going to tell about it, she is."
"Well, then we must listen, you and I," said old Mr. King. "So we'll be
still as mice, Phronsie," he whispered.
"Well, now," Polly was saying, drawing a long breath and smoothing down
her gown; "O dear me! How shall we begin, we've so very much to tell?
Ben--"
"Why, just begin," said Joel, impatiently, burrowing deeper in the rug,
where he lay nearest to the fire.
"Do be still, Joe," said Alexia, with a little pinch.
"Ow!" said Joel. Then he reached out and took up one of her long braids.
"Whee!" exclaimed Alexia, flying around at him. "Oh, you bad boy, you
pulled my hair awfully."
"Well, you pinched me," snorted Joel.
"Such a little nip," said Alexia, pulling both of her braids in front of
her; "nothing at all like what you did to me. And you've mussed up my
bow," she added, twitching it off to tie it again.
"Come, you two, stop your sparring," said Ben, with a laugh. "Goodness
me, have you kept that up all the while I've been gone?"
"Every single day," said Alexia, tying the ribbon fast, and proceeding
to pick out the bow-ends with critical fingers. "Joel's bad, always, you
know."
"I suppose you are not, Alexia," said Ben, with another laugh.
"Well, come on, Polly, do begin," said Alexia, ignoring the question;
and her bow being tied to her satisfaction, "although 'tisn't as good as
it was before," she grumbled, "do hurry up."
"Well," said Polly, pushing back the little rings of brown hair from her
forehead, "where shall I begin? Oh, I know,--we are going to--"
"She says there's a reply expected." The butler came up to the group and
thrust out a big white note.
"You take it, Polly," said Ben.
"It's for Master Joel," said Hobson. And there it was in big, slanting
letters clear across the envelope.
"Here's your missive, Joe," said Ben, catching it to toss it over to
him. "Hurry up and read it so that Polly can go on."
"O dear me! Must we wait for this tiresome boy?" cried Alexia. "Can't
you read your letter and let Polly tell just the same? You know all she
is going to say, Joe."
"No, you are going to wait," said Joel, with a grimace at her.
"Hurry up, Joe, or we will go on," warned Ben.
So Joel tore open his letter and plunged into it. The next moment he
stood outside the circle and stamped up and down the library floor like
a wild beast. "I'm not going; I won't, I won't,--I--"
"Joey, what _is_ the matter?" cried Polly, in great alarm, and springing
out from the group, she ran up to seize his arm. But he slipped away
from her.
"She wants me to go and play with those boys," cried Joel, in a towering
passion, and plunging up and down. "I won't! So there! Let me alone,
Polly," for she ran after him; this time she was more successful.
"Now see here," Ben jumped to his feet, "stop acting like a goose,
Joel."
"He's more like a wild-cat," said Alexia, stretching herself comfortably
in the space he had vacated.
"Joel, stop this moment," commanded Grandpapa. Joel's head dropped at
the tone, but he ran over to the big easy-chair. Phronsie popped up her
yellow head in dismay from its nest in the old gentleman's arms.
"Now don't you see how you are frightening this child to death?" said
old Mr. King. "What is the matter, my boy?" for Joel's face was working
dreadfully.
"She wants me--that old woman," began Joel, swallowing hard, and
grasping the chair-arm for dear life.
"Who?"
"Madam--Madam--"
"Madam Van Ruypen?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, what does she want? Out with it. You're not to do it if you don't
wish to, of course, so what's the use in feeling so? What does she want
you to do, Joe?"
"She wants me to go over to see those--those boys," said Joel, in a
burst.
"What boys, pray tell?" demanded Grandpapa, a trifle impatiently.
"Those boys who've just come," said Joel, "the washerwoman's boys. O
dear!" He had great difficulty now in keeping the tears back; still, he
managed it after a fashion.
"Whatever in the world are you talking of?" cried the old gentleman,
helplessly. "Polly, come here, my child, and see if you can make any
sense of what this boy is saying. I'm sure it is beyond me."
"Now, Joel," Polly was saying, and she had her hands on the ones hanging
to the chair-arm, "you must just tell the whole thing so that we can
understand what it is about, for you are making Grandpapa sick, and he
has just come home," she added, reproachfully.
Joel gave one look into the face under the white hair, then he blurted
out, "She sent for 'em, and they've come to-day--the washerwoman's boys.
And we went to the station, and they came from the mountains. And I
promised to go and help her take care of 'em, and,--and I won't, so
there!" and he glanced at the whole group, as if they were all against
him.
"Joel, did you promise to go and help Madam Van Ruypen?" asked
Grandpapa, quietly, with a keen glance into the flushed face.
"Yes, sir. But she said she only wanted me 'cause Ben wasn't here."
"Did you promise her?" asked old Mr. King, just as quietly, and not
taking his eyes away.
"Yes, sir; and there's a girl come too. And she said she guessed Polly
would help take care of her." Joel began to snivel now.
"Never mind what Mrs. Van Ruypen said about anybody else," said
Grandpapa, firmly. "You must go anyway, Joe, my boy, and keep that
promise."
"O dear, dear, dear!" wailed Joel, now clear gone in distress.
"See here," Ben had with the greatest difficulty all this while kept
from crying out. "Is it? Can it be? Has Madam Van Ruypen really sent for
those poor children up in the mountains?" At last he broke out, "Oh,
Grandpapa, may we all go? Come, Polly, you'll come, won't you?" He threw
his arm around her.
"Where are you going?" cried Alexia, raising her head, where she had
been luxuriously awaiting their return to the rug. "Polly Pepper, where
_are_ you going?"
"To Madam Van Ruypen's," said Polly, dancing off, her cheeks as red as
two roses. "Come on, Alexia."
"Come on, yes. You lead the way and we'll follow," said Ben, bundling
out of the room, Pip at his heels, followed closely by Pickering Dodge.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Alexia, getting up to her feet. "Percy--Van--what
is it, do you know?" as they hopped up, and raced after the others.
"Come on," howled Joel, every tear gone, and smiles all over his round
face. And looking back at her, for he wouldn't for the world have Alexia
left behind. "It's a party over at that old woman's, Mad--" the rest was
lost in his rush.
"Party?" repeated Alexia; "O dear me! Wait!" and she was off after them.
"She said there was an answer," repeated the butler, who hadn't stirred
from his tracks.
"Er--oh," exclaimed the old gentleman. "Well, the answer will get there
before a note could. That's all, Hobson. Now then, Phronsie, you and I
will have a cosey time all to ourselves, child."
XVIII
TELLING ALL THE NEWS
"Here, Polly and Ben," little Doctor Fisher met them racing along the
hall the next morning, "I want you both," and he led them into his
office and closed the door. "Now then, I have some good news for you.
You are to go up to see Jasper!"
"Oh, Papa Fisher!" cried Polly, in a tremor of delight. She seized his
hand and began to dance up and down, while Ben said, "Whew!" and stood
quite still. But the color flew all over his round cheeks.
"I thought Jasper would have to rest all day," said Polly, still hopping
about and clinging to the long fingers.
"So I thought," said Doctor Fisher, with a wise little nod. Then he set
his big spectacles straighter on his nose, and took a sharp look first
at one flushed face and then the other. "I can trust you both," he said.
"The truth is, Jasper wants you, and I don't believe it will hurt him."
"Can we go now?" cried Polly, impatiently. "Can we, Papa Fisher?"
"There, there," said the little doctor, "not so fast, Polly, my child.
You see, Jasper isn't really sick now, only I didn't want him to get
about too fast after his journey. But it's dull for him alone, that's a
fact, and he's been asking for you both. The fact is, he teased," and
Doctor Fisher burst out laughing at the recollection of Jasper's face.
"So you can go up, but don't for goodness' sake let the children know.
If Joel were--" and he broke off, quite alarmed, and mopped his face
with his big silk handkerchief.
"We'll creep up the back stairs," said Polly, tiptoeing to the door.
"Come, Ben. Oh, do hurry!"
"That isn't saying you are safe from Joel," said Doctor Fisher, grimly,
"by any means. Well, go along and be careful."
So Polly and Ben, peering on either hand, hurried up the back stairs,
softly. "There isn't so very much danger," said Ben, under his breath,
"that Joel will hear us, because he's got Pip somewhere."
"We better be careful, though," whispered Polly, who knew by experience
Joel's capacity for finding out things.
"Yes, that's so," said Ben, "you never can tell where Joe will pop up.
Well, here we are," as they hurried into Jasper's room.
"Well, I thought you never would come," cried Jasper, popping up his
head from the pillows at the back of the big easy-chair, and beaming at
them affectionately. "Oh, now it's good to be home, and have you, Polly.
Isn't it, Ben?"
"I should say so," said Ben, in huge satisfaction, dragging up a chair
for Polly.
"Oh, I'm going to sit down here," said Polly, running after a hassock,
to pull it up in front of Jasper's big chair.
"So will I get another," said Ben, discarding the chair.
"That's good," said Jasper, rubbing his hands together in delight. "O
dear me! I wish I could get out of this old chair. I'm going to," and he
threw back the sofa-blanket from his knees.
"Oh, don't, Jasper, you mustn't," cried Polly and Ben, deserting their
hassocks to run either side of the easy-chair, and lay a restraining
hand on him. "You'll hurt yourself."
"And then Doctor Fisher will blame us," finished Ben.
"That's so," said Jasper, twitching the sofa-blanket up. "O dear me!"
and he leaned back against the pillow. "Well, do go on and tell me
something. I suppose I've just got to stay here like an old log."
"Yes, you must stay here," said Polly, tucking the blanket in with deft
little pats; "but you are not an old log, Jasper."
"Yes, I am," said Jasper, guilty of contradicting, and making a very wry
face, "a stiff horrible old log," and he gave a little kick that sent
one end of the sofa-blanket flying out again.
"I should call you a slippery eel," said Ben, while Polly ran around to
the other side to tuck the blanket-end in again.
"Oh, beg your pardon," said Jasper, while the color went flying over his
pale face. "I didn't mean to make you so much trouble, Polly, I really
didn't."
"It isn't any trouble, Jasper," said Polly, with a final little pat,
"only you mustn't get cold, for then I'm sure I don't know what we
should do."
"Oh, I couldn't get cold," said Jasper, with a glance over at the bright
hickory fire on the hearth, "I couldn't possibly, Polly."
"Well, you aren't going to kick off the blanket like that again," said
Ben, with a bob of his head, "or we'll go straight off like a shot,
Polly and I will, so there, sir!"
"Oh, I won't, I won't," cried Jasper, bursting into a laugh, "so do sit
down, both of you. I'll be just as good as--what is it Candace always
says--pie!"
"See that you are then," said Ben, with another laugh.
"Well, now Polly, you begin," said Jasper, hungry for news, as the two
were seated on their hassocks, "and tell everything straight through,
what you've all been doing since Ben was away."
"O dear me!" cried Polly, drawing a long breath, "I couldn't tell
everything, Jasper."
"You must," said Jasper, decidedly. "I want to hear every single thing;
so begin, Polly."
"Well," said Polly, folding her hands in her lap, and plunging in at
once on the most interesting part of the story, "in the first place, you
know Ben went out shopping with Madam Van Ruypen."
"Ugh!" exclaimed Ben, "don't tell about that, Polly; that's no good."
"What is it, Polly?" cried Jasper, eagerly. "Oh, do go on. You be still,
Ben," shaking his finger at him; "now go on, Polly; don't mind him, he's
no good."
"Polly," cried Ben, "tell about how we did our Christmas shopping,
that's better. Do, Polly."
"Polly, don't you mind this chap at all," said Jasper, turning a cold
shoulder to Ben; "go on with what you were saying; now then."
"The Christmas shopping is enough sight better," said Ben, in another
desperate attempt to get Polly's attention.
"Oh, never you mind about the Christmas shopping," said Jasper, coolly,
"I'll get that all in good time. Now then, Polly, you said Ben went out
shopping with Madam Van Ruypen. Well, what else?"
"Yes, he did," said Polly, keeping her eyes away from Ben, so that all
his frantic efforts to attract her attention went for nothing. "You see
she took a great fancy to him, and--"
"Oh, now, Polly," began Ben, with a very red face. "Don't you believe
her, Jasper; it's just because she didn't have any one else to ask."
"Who, Polly?" cried Jasper, turning back to him.
"No, no, the old lady, Madam Van Ruypen."
"Oh, well, let Polly tell that," said Jasper, turning away again. "Well,
go on, Polly, she took a great fancy to him--and what then?"
"And so she invited him to go out with her in her great big carriage to
help her get her Christmas things."
"Well, well!" exclaimed Jasper. "I say, Ben Pepper, of all things!"
"I wish you would stop, Polly," said Ben, in a tone of great vexation,
and twisting uncomfortably on his hassock.
"Oh, I wouldn't stop her for all the world," cried Jasper, in high
delight. "Well, what did they buy, Polly? Fancy Ben out shopping with a
lady!"
"Well, you see, Jasper, Madam Van Ruypen goes up in the summer to the
mountains, and a poor woman does her washing," said Polly, hurrying
along, and not daring to look at Ben. "And she wanted to do something
for her. She has ever so many children, you know."
"Who? Madam Van Ruypen?" asked Jasper, wrinkling his brows.
"No, the poor woman, the washerwoman," said Polly.
"There, Polly, you're getting all mixed up," said Ben, quite pleased.
"You better stop."
"You be still," said Jasper, with a nudge. "Polly will tell it all right
if you will only let her alone."
"She doesn't seem to be getting on very well," grumbled Ben.
"Well, and then, Polly, what next?" Jasper leaned forward to catch every
word.
"Why, there were boys in the mountains, you know, the poor washerwoman's
home, so Madam Van Ruypen wanted Ben to pick out some things for them."
"What things?" demanded Jasper, intensely interested.
"Oh, overcoats and tippets and gloves and jackets and--"
"Oh, hurrah!" exclaimed Jasper, breaking into the list. Then he whirled
around and bestowed a resounding rap on Ben's back.
"Whew!" exclaimed Ben. "Well, you don't need to get your strength back,"
he added ruefully.
"Don't I though?" said Jasper, with shining eyes, and lifting up his
hand. "Now, here's another--to think she chose you to do that, Ben!"
"No, you don't," said Ben, moving back so hastily that he rolled off his
hassock in a heap on the floor.
"See what you got by deserting your best friend," said Jasper, coolly.
"Well, go on, Polly; and so Ben bought things?"
"Yes, she let him pick them out all by himself," said Polly, with great
pride.
"Polly!" cried Ben, with flaming cheeks.
"She did; she told me so herself," Polly bobbed her head to emphasize
every word, "and she said--"
"Polly, I can't think Papa Fisher would like to have us stay any
longer," burst in Ben, desperately, coming up to lay a hand on Polly's
shoulder.
"Hoh! Hoh!" cried Jasper, "now go on, Polly, tell the whole--mind I must
have every word."
"I shall tell," said Polly, twitching away her shoulder from Ben's hand,
"and you mustn't think to stop me, Ben, 'cause Jasper shall know. She
said that Ben had more sense than anybody she knew," ran on Polly, while
Ben stuffed his fingers in his ears and marched to the other side of the
large room, "and she did everything he said."
"What, _everything_?" asked Jasper, eagerly.
"Yes, every single thing," said Polly. "She didn't choose a thing; all
she did was to pay the bill."
"Whew!" whistled Jasper. "Good for Ben!"
"And then she sent all the things in a big box to the poor washerwoman
in the mountains," said Polly.
"Polly," said Jasper, and his dark eyes shone, "I think Ben can do just
anything, don't you, if he tries?"
"Yes," said Polly, very much pleased, "I know he can; he always could."
"Well, so he did at the school," said Jasper; "all the boys were talking
about it."
"Oh, Jasper," cried Polly, very much excited, "tell me all about it.
Do." Her cheeks were very rosy now, and she beat her foot impatiently on
the floor.
"Some other time," said Jasper, nodding over at Ben, "when he's not by.
Well, old fellow, you must open your ears, we're through with that old
story," he cried, addressing Ben.
"Are you sure you are through?" cried Ben, pulling the finger out of one
ear, and glancing at them in suspicion.
"Quite," said Jasper, coolly. "Come on, Ben, and sit down and behave
yourself, there's a good chap. Now we're going to talk about something
else."
"In that case, I'll come back," said Ben, sitting down on the hassock
again.
"Well now, Polly, tell some other things," said Jasper, when they were
all settled quietly once more.
"Oh," said Polly, finding it hard work to pull her mind off from the
unknown but splendid things that the boys at Jasper's school had said
about Ben, "let me see," and she wrinkled up her brows, "where shall I
begin?"
"I should think the most natural thing would be to tell about what we
did last night," said Ben, composedly.
"Oh, what did you do last night?" cried Jasper. "I suppose you had a
lovely time telling all about your plans for Christmas, and there was I,
put to bed like a great baby."
"No, we didn't," said Ben, "not by a long shot; we went over to Madam
Van Ruypen's."
"You went over to Madam Van Ruypen's!" repeated Jasper in astonishment.
"Not the first evening you were at home?"
"Yes, we did," said Ben; "just as I said, we went over there."
"What for? Oh, Polly, what for?" Jasper flew around, appealing to her.
"What did you go over to Madam Van Ruypen's for? Tell me, Polly," as she
sat lost in thought.
"Oh, why because," said Polly, coming out of her abstraction, "she has
got some of the poor mountain children down there, and she didn't know
what to do with them."
Jasper turned a bewildered face over to Ben.
"You see," said Ben, "she had written up when the box went, you know, to
have the mother let some of the children come, so as to have a good
time. And they got here yesterday, so she had to have us," and he gave a
sigh.
"O dear me!" said Jasper, finding no more words for the occasion.
"And she wants us to spend our Christmas over there," said Polly, with a
dismal face. "But we are not going to; oh, no, the very idea, Jasper
King!" and she brightened up. "Why, Grandpapa wouldn't allow it."
"No, indeed," said Jasper, in his most decided fashion, "but we might
have them here," he added.
"If you are strong enough," said Ben. "Papa Fisher said it all depended
on you."
"If that is so," said Jasper, with a long breath, and stretching out his
hands, "why, we'll have the whole lot of them. See, I'm as strong as an
ox!"
"And oh, Jasper, you can't think," cried Polly, plunging into all the
delights of the coming celebration, "we are going to have the choir boys
of St. Stephen's to sing the carol."
"Not the St. Stephen's boys!" cried Jasper, in great excitement.
"Yes," said Polly, with dancing eyes, "we surely are, Jasper; Grandpapa
engaged them. He wrote from the school."
"Isn't Father just too splendid for anything!" cried Jasper, with
shining eyes.
"Isn't he!" echoed Polly and Ben together.
"And oh--" here Polly broke off with a happy little laugh, and clapped
her hands together.
"What is it, Polly? Oh, do tell me," begged Jasper, in a fever for the
secret.
But Polly laughed on. "Oh, you'll know to-morrow," she said gleefully.
"Oh, no, tell me now, Polly," begged Jasper. "If you don't I'll be sick
again, I'm afraid. Tell me, Polly, what is it?"
"Yes, Polly," said Ben, "you ought to tell him now; and if you don't,
why I will."
"Oh, I'll tell," said Polly, much alarmed at the news coming from any
one but herself. "Oh, Jasper," she cried, "Mr. Cabot gave us a present."
"Mr. Cabot gave us a present?" repeated Jasper.
"Yes, to all of us; wasn't he dear?"
"I don't know until you tell me what it is," said Jasper, much
mystified.
"The sweetest thing," said Polly. "Oh, you'll love it, Jasper."
"But what is it?" demanded Jasper.
"And he sent 'way to India for it."
"To India!" Jasper didn't seem to be able to say anything but the echo
of Polly's words.
"Yes," said Polly, nodding to Ben to keep still; "and it's just too
beautiful for anything."
"Oh, now I know; it's a vase," said Jasper, "one of those brass
things--that's what it is."
"A vase!" cried Ben, with a laugh, and slapping his knee. "Well, I guess
you won't say this is much like a vase when you see it, Jasper King."
"Oh, no, it isn't a vase," said Polly, shaking her brown head. "Guess
again, Jasper."
"Well, then, it's a curtain--a portiere, one of those embroidered
things."
"No, no," said Polly and Ben together.
"Well, a table cover," said Jasper.
"No, guess again."
"How can I tell?" cried Jasper, wildly. "It might be anything."
"But it isn't anything--I mean it is something," said Polly, in her most
decided fashion.
Jasper leaned his head back on a pile of pillows, and gave himself up to
thinking.
"Polly," said Ben, "you'd better tell; see, he's getting tired."
Seeing which, Polly gave a little start of dismay. "I'll tell; don't get
tired. Oh, Jasper, it's a monkey."
"A monkey!" repeated Jasper, faintly.
XIX
JOCKO
"Yes," said Polly, gleefully, "you can't think, Jasper; it's such a
beautiful monkey."