"It can't rain," cried Polly Pepper, "and it isn't going to. Don't think
it, girls."
"But it looks just like it," said Alexia obstinately, and wrinkling up
her brows; "see those awful, horrid clouds, girls." She pointed
tragically up to the sky.
"Don't look at them," advised Polly. "Come on, girls. I challenge you to
a race as far as the wicket gate."
Away she dashed, with a bevy at her heels. Alexia, not to be left behind
staring at the sky, went racing after.
"Wait," she screamed. The racers, however, spent no time attending to
laggards, but ran on.
Polly dashed ahead, and touched the green wicket gate. "Oh, Polly got
there first!" Almost immediately came another girl's fingers on it.
"No--I don't think so," panted Polly. "Philena got there just about as
soon."
"No, you were first," said the girl who plunged up next; "I saw it
distinctly."
"Well, it was so near that we ought to have another race to decide it,"
declared Polly, with a little laugh, pushing back the damp rings of hair
from her forehead. "Girls, isn't it lovely that we have this splendid
place where we can run, and nobody see us?"
"Yes," said Alexia, throwing herself down on the grass; which example
was immediately followed by all the other girls. "I just love this
avenue down to the wicket gate, Polly Pepper."
"So do I," chimed in the others.
"Oh dear me! I'm just toasted and fried," declared Alexia. "I never
_was_ so hot in all my life."
"You shouldn' have run so, Alexia," said Polly reproachfully, patting
the arm still in its sling. "Oh, how could you!"
"Well, did you suppose I was going to see you all sprinting off and
having such fun, and not try it too? No, indeed; that's asking too much,
Polly."
Then she threw herself at full length on the grass, and gazed at her
meditatively.
"Well, we mustn't have the second race, Philena," said Polly; "because
if Alexia runs again, it surely will hurt her."
"_Ow!_" exclaimed Alexia, flouncing up so suddenly that she nearly
overthrew Amy Garrett, who was sitting next, and who violently protested
against such treatment, "now I won't keep you back, Polly. Oh dear me!
it can't hurt me a single bit. I'm all ready to take off this horrible
old thing, you know I am, only Dr. Fisher thought--"
"He thought it would be safer to keep it on till after the picnic,"
Polly was guilty of interrupting. "You know he said so, Alexia. No, we
won't run again, girls," Polly brought up quite decidedly.
"Polly, you shall; I won't run--I really won't; I'll shut my eyes," and
Alexia squinted up her pale eyes till her face was drawn up in a knot.
"I'll turn my back, I'll do anything if you'll only race; _please_ try
it again, Polly."
So Polly, seeing that Alexia really wished it, dropped a kiss on each of
the closed eyes. "Put your hand over them, and untwist your face from
that funny knot," she laughed. "Come on, girls," and the race began.
Alexia twisted and wriggled, as the pattering feet and quick breath of
the girls when they neared her resting place, plunged her in dreadful
distress not to look. "Oh dear--um! if I could just see once; um--_um_!
I know Polly will win; oh dear! She _must_."
But she didn't. It was Cathie Harrison, the new girl; that is, new to
them, as they hadn't drawn her into their set, but a few weeks. She was
a tall, thin girl, who got over the ground amazingly, to touch the green
wicket gate certainly three seconds before Polly Pepper came flying up.
"You did that just splendidly, Cathie," cried Polly breathlessly. "Oh
dear me, that _was_ a race!"
"Goodness me!" cried Alexia, her eyes flying open, "my face never'll get
out of that knot in all this world. My! I feel as if my jaws were all
tied up. Well, Polly, this time you beat for sure," she added
confidently, as the girls came running up to throw themselves on the
grass again.
"But I didn't," said Polly merrily. "Oh dear! I _am_ so hot."
"Yes, you did," declared Alexia stubbornly.
"Why, Alexia Rhys! I didn't beat, any such a thing," corrected
Polly--"not a single bit of it."
"Well, who did, then?" demanded Alexia, quite angry to have Polly
defeated.
"Why, Cathie did," said Polly, smiling over at her.
"What, that old--" then Alexia pulled herself up; but it was too late.
A dull red mounted to Cathie's sallow cheek, that hadn't changed color
during all the two races. She drew a long breath, then got up slowly to
her feet.
"I'm going to play bean-bags," announced Polly briskly. "Come on, girls.
See who'll get to the house first."
"I'm going home," said Cathie, hurrying up to wedge herself into the
group, and speaking to Polly. "Good-bye."
"No," said Polly, "we're going to play bean-bags. Come on, Cathie." She
tried to draw Cathie's hand within her arm, but the girl pulled herself
away. "I must go home--" and she started off.
"Cathie--_Cathie_, wait," but again Cathie beat her on a swift run down
the avenue.
Alexia stuffed her fingers, regardless of arm in the sling, or
anything, into her mouth, and rolled over in dreadful distress, face
downward on the grass. The other girls stood in a frightened little
knot, just where they were, without moving, as Polly came slowly back
down the avenue. She was quite white now. "Oh dear!" groaned Philena,
"look at Polly!"
Alexia heard it, and stuffed her fingers worse than ever into her mouth
to keep herself from screaming outright, and wriggled dreadfully. But no
one paid any attention to her. She knew that Polly had joined the girls
now; she could hear them talking, and Polly was saying, in a sad little
voice, "Yes, I'm afraid she won't ever come with us again."
"She must, she shall!" howled Alexia, rolling over, and sitting up
straight. "Oh Polly, she shall!" and she wrung her long hands as well as
she could for the arm in the sling.
"Oh, no, I am afraid not, Alexia," and her head drooped; no one would
have thought for a moment that it was Polly Pepper speaking.
And then Amy Garrett said the very worst thing possible: "And just think
of that picnic!" And after that remark, the whole knot of girls was
plunged into the depths of gloom.
Jasper, running down the avenue with Pickering Dodge at his heels, found
them so, and was transfixed with astonishment. "Well, I declare!" He
burst into a merry laugh.
"You look like a lot of wax figures," said Pickering pleasantly; "just
about as interesting." Then they saw Polly Pepper's face.
"Oh, what is it?" cried Jasper, starting forward.
Polly tried to speak cheerfully, but the lump in her throat wouldn't let
her say a word.
"If you boys must know," said Alexia, flouncing up to her feet, "I've
been bad and perfectly horrid to that Harrison girl; and I've upset
everything; and--and--do go right straight away, both of you, and not
stand there staring. I don't think it's very polite."
"Oh Polly," cried Jasper, gaining her side, "can't we help?" He was
dreadfully distressed. "Do let us."
Polly shook her head. "No, Jasper, there isn't anything you can do," she
said brokenly.
Pickering thrust his hands in his pockets, and whistled softly. "Girls
always get into such rows," he observed.
"Well, I guess we don't get into worse ones than you boys do, nor half
as bad," cried Alexia crossly, perfectly wild to quarrel with somebody.
"And, besides, this isn't the other girls' fault. It's all my fight from
beginning to end."
"Then you ought to be perfectly ashamed of yourself, Alexia," declared
Pickering, not intending to mince matters in the slightest.
"Well, I am," said Alexia, "just as ashamed as I can be. Oh dear me! I
wish I could cry. But I'm too bad to cry. Polly Pepper, I'm going to run
after that horrible Harrison girl. Oh misery! I wish she never had come
to the Salisbury School." Alexia made a mad rush down the avenue.
"Don't, Alexia, you'll hurt your arm," warned Polly.
"I don't care--I hope I shall," cried Alexia recklessly.
"It's no use to try to stop her," said Jasper, "so let us go up to the
house, Polly."
So they started dismally enough, the girls, all except Polly, going over
in sorry fashion how Cathie Harrison would probably make a fuss about
the little affair--she was doubtless on her way to Miss Salisbury's
now--and then perhaps there wouldn't be any picnic at all on the
morrow. At this, Philena stopped short. "Girls, that would be too
dreadful," she gasped, "for anything!"
"Well, it would be just like her," said Silvia Horne, "and I wish we
never had taken her into our set. She's an old moping thing, and can't
bear a word."
"I wish so too," declared Amy Garrett positively; "she doesn't belong
with us; and she's always going to make trouble. And I hope she won't go
to the picnic anyway, if we do have it, so there."
"I don't think that is the way to mend the matter, Amy," said Jasper
gravely.
"Hoh, hoh!" exclaimed Pickering, "how you girls can go on so, I don't
see; talking forever about one thing, instead of just settling it with a
few fisticuffs. That would be comfortable now."
The girls, one and all, turned a cold shoulder to him after this speech.
"Well, we sha'n't get the picnic now, I know," said Philena tragically;
"and think of all our nice things ready. Dear me! our cook made me the
sweetest chocolate cakes, because we were going to start so early in the
morning. Now we'll have them for dinner, and eat them up ourselves. We
might as well."
"You better not," advised Pickering. "Take my advice; you'll get your
picnic all right; then where would you be with your cakes all eaten up?"
"You don't know Miss Salisbury," said Sally Moore gloomily; "nothing
would make her so mad as to have us get up a fuss with a new scholar.
She was so pleased when Polly Pepper invited that Harrison girl to come
to our bee for that poor family down South."
"And now, just think how we've initiated her into our club!" said Lucy
Bennett, with a sigh. "Oh my goodness--look!"
She pointed off down the avenue. All the girls whirled around to stare.
There were Alexia and Cathie, coming toward them arm in arm.
"Jasper"--Polly turned to him with shining eyes--"see!" Then she broke
away from them all, and rushed to meet the two girls.
"There isn't anybody going to say a word," announced Alexia, as the
three girls came up to the group, Polly Pepper in the middle, "because,
as I told you, it was all my fight, anyway. So, Pickering, you needn't
get ready to be disagreeable," she flashed over at him saucily.
"I shall say just what I think," declared Pickering flatly.
"No doubt," said Alexia sweetly, "but it won't make a bit of difference.
Well, now, Polly, what shall we do? Do start us on something."
"We came, Pick and I," announced Jasper, "to ask you girls to have a
game of bean-bags. There's just time before dinner--on the south lawn,
Polly."
"Oh, good--good!" cried the girls, clapping their hands. "Come on,
Cathie," said Philena awkwardly, determined to break the ice at once.
"Yes, Cathie, come on," said Amy and Silvia, trying to be very nice.
Cathie just got her mouth ready to say, "No, I thank you," primly,
thought better of it, and before she quite realized it herself, there
she was, hurrying by a short cut across the grass to the south lawn.
"I'm going to stay with Alexia," said Polly, when they all reached
there, and Jasper flew over to pull out the bean-bags from their box
under the piazza. "Come on, Alexia, let's you and I sit in the hammock
and watch it."
"Oh Polly, come and play," begged Jasper, pausing with his arms full.
"Here, Pick, you lazy dog. Help with these bags."
"Can't," said Polly, shaking her head. So Alexia and she curled up in
one of the hammocks.
"I'm just dying to tell you all about it, Polly Pepper," said Alexia,
pulling Polly's cheek down to her own.
"Yes," said Polly happily, "and I can't wait to hear it; and besides,
you can't play bean-bags, Alexia, with that arm. Well, do go on," and
Polly was in quite a twitter for the story to begin.
"You see," said Alexia, "I knew something desperate had got to be done,
Polly, for she was crying all over her best silk waist."
"Oh dear me!" exclaimed Polly, aghast.
"Yes; she had sat down on the kitchen step."
"The kitchen step," repeated Polly faintly.
"Yes. I suppose she got beyond caring whether the cook saw or not, she
was feeling so very badly. Well, there she was, and she didn't hear me,
so I just rushed up, or rather down upon her, and then I screamed 'Ow!'
And she jumped up, and said, 'Oh, have you hurt your arm?' And I held on
to it hard, and made up an awful face, oh, as bad as I could, and
doubled up; and the cook came to the door, and said could she get me
anything, and she was going to call Mrs. Fisher. That would have been
terrible." Alexia broke off short, and drew a long breath at her
remembrance of the fright this suggestion had given her. "And Cathie
fell right on my neck with, 'Oh, do forgive me,' and I said 'twas my
fault, and she said, no, she oughtn't to have got mad, and I said she
must hold her tongue."
"Oh Alexia!" cried Polly reprovingly.
"I had to," said Alexia serenely, "or we should have gotten into another
fight. And she said she would, and I just took hold of her arm, and
dragged her down here. And I'm tired to death," finished Alexia
plaintively.
"Alexia," exclaimed Polly, cuddling up the long figure in a way to give
perfect satisfaction, "we must make Cathie Harrison have the best time
that she ever had, at the picnic to-morrow."
"I suppose so," said Alexia resignedly. "Well, but don't let's think of
it now, for I've got you, Polly, and I want to rest."
XIII THE PICNIC
The four barges were to leave the "Salisbury School" at precisely
half-past eight o'clock the next morning. Miss Salisbury was always very
particular about being prompt, so woe be to any girl who might be late!
There was great scurrying, therefore, to and fro in the homes of the day
scholars. And the girls hurried off with maids behind carrying their
baskets; or, as the case might be, big family carriages filled with
groups of girls collected among those of a set; or in little pony
carriages. All this made the thoroughfares adjacent to the "Salisbury
School" extremely busy places indeed.
Mother Fisher sent Polly's basket over to the school, at an early hour,
Polly preferring to walk, several of the girls having called for her. So
they all, with Jasper, who was going as far as the corner with them, set
out amidst a chatter of merry nonsense.
"Oh girls, I _am_ so glad we are going to the Glen!" exclaimed Polly,
for about the fiftieth time.
"So am I," cried all the others in a chorus.
"Why, you haven't ever been to any other place for your picnic, have
you, Polly?" cried Jasper, with a laugh.
"No," said Polly, "we never have. But suppose Miss Salisbury had decided
to try some other spot this year; oh, just suppose it, Jasper!" and her
rosy color died down on her cheek. "It would have been just too dreadful
for anything."
"We couldn't have had our picnic in any other place," declared Rose
Harding; "it wouldn't be the same unless it was at the Glen."
"Dear old Glen!" cried Polly impulsively. "Jasper, it's too bad you boys
can't all come to our picnics."
"I know it. It would be no end jolly if we only could," said Jasper
regretfully, to whom it was a great grief that the picnic couldn't take
in the two schools.
"Yes," said Polly, with a sigh, "it would, Jasper. But Miss Salisbury
never will in all this world let the boys' school join."
"No, I suppose not," said Jasper, stifling his longing; "well, you must
tell me about it to-night, the same as always, Polly."
"Yes, I will, Jasper," promised Polly. So he turned the corner, to go to
his school. But presently he heard rapid footsteps back of him. "Oh
Jasper," cried Polly, flushed and panting, as he whirled about, "tell
Phronsie I won't forget the little fern-roots. Be sure, Jasper."
"All right; I will," said Jasper. "Dear me! do hurry back, Polly. You'll
be late."
"Oh no, there are oceans of time," said Polly, with a little laugh.
"I've the tin case in my picnic basket, Jasper, so they will keep all
fresh and nice."
"Yes; do hurry back," begged Jasper. So Polly, with a merry nod, raced
off to the corner where the girls were drawn up in a knot, impatiently
waiting for her.
Every bit of the fuss and parade in getting the big company started--for
all the scholars went to the annual picnic--was a special delight to the
girls. The only trouble was that the seats were not all end ones, while
the favorite places up by the driver were necessarily few in each
vehicle.
"Come on, Polly," screamed Alexia. Everybody had agreed that she should
have one of these choice positions because of her lame arm, which Dr.
Fisher had said must be carried in its sling this day. So there she was,
calling lustily for Polly Pepper, and beating the cushion impatiently
with her well hand. "Oh, _do_ hurry up!"
Polly, down on the ground in a swarm of girls, shook her head. "No," her
lips said softly, so that no one but Alexia, who was leaning over for
that purpose, could possibly hear, "ask Cathie."
"Oh bother!" exclaimed Alexia, with a frown. Then she smothered it up
with a "Come, Polly," very persuasively.
"Can't," said Polly; "I'm going back here." And she moved down to the
end of the barge.
"Then I'm going back too." Alexia gave a frantic dive to get down from
the barge.
Miss Salisbury saw it; and as she had planned to give Alexia just that
very pleasure of riding on the front seat, she was naturally somewhat
disturbed. "No, no, my dear," seeing Alexia's efforts to get down, "stay
where you are."
"Oh dear me!" Alexia craned her long neck around the side of the
vehicle, to spy Polly's movements. "I don't want to be mewed up here,"
she cried discontentedly. But Miss Salisbury, feeling well satisfied
with her plan for making Alexia happy, had moved off. And the babel and
tumult waged so high, over the placing of the big company, all the girls
chattering and laughing at once, that Alexia, call as she might, began
to despair of attracting Polly's attention, or Cathie's either for that
matter.
"You better set down," said the driver, an old man whom Miss Salisbury
employed every year to superintend the business, "and make yourself
comfortable."
"But I'm not in the least comfortable," said Alexia passionately, "and I
don't want to be up here. I want to get down."
"But you can't,"--the old man seemed to fairly enjoy her
dismay,--"'cause she, you know," pointing a short square thumb over his
shoulder in the direction of Miss Salisbury, "told ye to set still. So
ye better set."
But Alexia craned her neck yet more, and called insistently, "Polly--oh,
Polly!"
Miss Anstice looked up from the bevy of girls she was settling in
another barge. "Alexia Rhys," she said severely, "you must be quiet; it
is impossible to get started unless all you girls are going to be
tractable and obedient."
"Miss Anstice,"--Alexia formed a sudden bold resolve,--"please come
here. I want you very much," she said sweetly.
Miss Anstice, pleased to be wanted very much, or indeed at all, left her
work, and went over to the front barge where Alexia was raging inwardly.
"Miss Anstice, I need Polly Pepper up next to me," said Alexia, "oh, so
much. She knows all about my arm, you know; her father fixed it for me.
Will you please have her come up here? Then if I should feel worse, she
could help me."
Miss Anstice peered here and there in her nearsighted fashion. "I don't
see Polly Pepper," she said.
"There she is; there she is," cried Alexia, trembling in every limb, for
her plan could not be said to be a complete success yet, and pointing
eagerly to the end of her barge; "she's the fourth from the door, Miss
Anstice. Oh, how lovely you are!"
Miss Anstice, quite overcome to be told she was lovely, and especially
by Alexia, who had previously given her no reason to suppose that she
entertained any such opinion, went with great satisfaction down the
length of the barge, and standing on her tiptoes, said very
importantly, "Polly Pepper, I want to place you differently."
So Polly, quite puzzled, but very obedient, crawled out from her seat,
where she was wedged in between two girls not of her set, who had been
perfectly radiant at their good fortune, and clambering down the steps,
was, almost before she knew it, installed up on the front row, by
Alexia's side.
"Oh Polly, what richness!" exclaimed that individual in smothered
accents, as Miss Anstice stepped off in much importance, and hugging
Polly. "I'm so glad my sling is on, for I never'd gotten you up here
without the old thing," and she giggled as she told the story.
"Oh Alexia!" exclaimed Polly, quite shocked.
"Well, I may get a relapse in it, you don't know," said Alexia coolly,
"so you really ought to be up here. Oh my goodness me! I forgot this
man," she brought up suddenly. "Do you suppose he'll tell?" She peered
around anxiously past Polly.
"Ef you'll set still, I won't tell that teacher," said the old man with
a twinkle in his eye, "but ef you get to carryin' on, as I should think
you could ef you set out to, I'll up an' give the whole thing to her."
"Oh, I'll sit as still as a mouse," promised Alexia. "Oh Polly, isn't he
a horrible old thing!" in a stage whisper under cover of the noise going
on around them.
"Hush," said Polly.
"Well, I'm not going to hush," cried Alexia recklessly; "I'm going to
have a good time at the picnic to-day, and do just everything I want to,
so there, Polly Pepper!"
"Very well," said Polly, "then when we get to the Glen, I shall go off
with the other girls, Alexia," which had the desired effect. Alexia
curled up into her corner, and hanging to Polly Pepper's arm, was just
like a mouse for quiet. And off they went; the old man's whip going
crack--_snap_! as he led the way with a grand flourish, as much better
than his efforts of former years, as was possible!
The road led through winding, woodsy paths, redolent of sweet fern; the
girls never tired of its delights, exclaiming at all the sights and
sounds of country life at all such moments as were not filled to the
brim with the songs that ran over from their happy hearts. So on and up
they went to the Glen, a precipitous ravine some fifteen miles out from
the city.
When the barges finally drew up with another grand flourish at the
entrance, a smooth grassy plateau shaded by oaks and drooping elms, they
simply poured out a stream of girls from each conveyance; the old man
and his companion drivers laughing to see them tumble out. "Pretty quick
work, eh, Bill?" said old man Kimball, "no screaming for first places
now."
"It's the same beautiful, dear old Glen!" exclaimed Polly, with kindling
eyes and dancing feet. "Oh Alexia, come on!" and seizing the well hand,
they spun round and round, unable to keep still, having plenty of
company, all the other girls following suit.
Polly looked at her little watch. "In five minutes we must stop. It'll
be time to get the flowers."
"Oh, can we?" cried Alexia. "Misery me! I'm so tired cooped up in that
barge, I feel stiff as a jointed doll, Polly Pepper."
"Well, I don't," said Polly, dancing away for dear life. "Oh Alexia,
when Miss Salisbury gives the signal to explore, won't it be just fun!"
"I should say," cried Alexia, unable to find words that would just
express the case.
There was always one routine to be observed in the annual picnic of the
"Salisbury School," and no one thought for a moment of deviating from
it. The maids collected the baskets taken from the wagons, and set them
in a cool, shady place among the rocks just within the Glen. The girls
ran hither and thither to collect flowers and ferns to drape Miss
Salisbury's seat of honor, and one as near like it as possible for Miss
Anstice. These were big crevices in the rocks, that were as comfortable
as chairs, and having backs to them in the shape of boulders, they were
truly luxurious. Indeed, Miss Salisbury had declared, when the seats
were discovered by Polly Pepper at the first picnic after she joined the
"Salisbury School," that she never sat in one more comfortable; and she
was so pleased when she was led to it and inducted therein, all
flower-trimmed with little vines trailing off, and arching over her
head.
"Why, my dears!" she exclaimed, quite overcome. "Oh, how pretty! and how
did you think of it?"
"It was Polly Pepper who thought of it," said a parlor boarder. And
Polly, blushing rosy red, a new girl as she was, was led up, and Miss
Salisbury set a kiss on her round cheek. Polly never forgot how happy
she was that day.