she stood still a moment, lost in thought. “Maybe Jane's put it out
in the hall,” she said, as a bright thought struck her. “I can get it
there,” and out she pattered over the soft carpet to the table at the
end of the long hall, where Jane often placed the children's playthings
over night. As she was coming back after her fruitless search, she
stopped to peep over the balustrade down the fascinating flight of
stairs, now so long and dark. Just then a little faint ray of light shot
up from below, and met her eyes.
“Why!” she said in gentle surprise, “they're all down-stairs! I guess
they're making something for mamsie--I'm going to see.”
So, carefully picking her way over the stairs with her little bare feet,
and holding on to the balustrade at every step, she went slowly down,
guided by the light, which, as she neared the bottom of the flight, she
saw came from the library door.
“Oh, isn't it funny!” and she gave a little happy laugh. “They won't
know I'm comin'!” and now the soft little feet went pattering over the
thick carpet, until she stood just within the door. There she stopped
perfectly still.
Two dark figures, big and powerful, were bending over something that
Phronsie couldn't see, between the two big windows. A lantern on the
floor flung its rays over them as they were busily occupied; and the
firelight from the dying coals made the whole stand out distinctly to
the gaze of the motionless little figure.
“Why! what are you doing with my grandpa's things?”
The soft, clear notes fell like a thunderbolt upon the men. With a start
they brought themselves up, and stared--only to see a little white-robed
figure, with its astonished eyes uplifted with childlike, earnest gaze,
as she waited for her answer.
For an instant they were powerless to move; and stood as if frozen to
the spot, till Phronsie, moving one step forward, piped forth:
“Naughty men, to touch my dear grandpa's things!”
With a smothered cry one of them started forward with arm uplifted; but
the other sprang like a cat and intercepted the blow.
“Stop!” was all he said. A noise above the stairs--a rushing sound
through the hall! Something will save Phronsie, for the household is
aroused! The two men sprang through the window, having no time to catch
the lantern or their tools, as Polly, followed by one and another,
rushed in and surrounded the child.
“What!” gasped Polly, and got no further.
“STOP, THIEF!” roared Mr. King, hurrying over the stairs. The children,
frightened at the strange noises, began to cry and scream, as they
came running through the halls to the spot. Jasper rushed for the
men-servants.
And there stood Phronsie, surrounded by the pale group. “Twas two
naughty men,” she said, lifting her little face with the grieved,
astonished look still in the big brown eyes, “and they were touching my
grandpa's things, Polly!”
“I should think they were,” said Jasper, running over amongst the few
scattered tools and the lantern, to the windows, where, on the floor,
was a large table cover hastily caught up by the corners, into which a
vast variety of silver, jewelry, and quantities of costly articles were
gathered ready for flight. “They've broken open your safe, father!” he
cried in excitement, “see!”
“And they put up their hand--one man did,” went on Phronsie. “And the
other said 'Stop!'--oh, Polly, you hurt me!” she cried, as Polly, unable
to bear the strain any longer, held her so tightly she could hardly
breathe.
“Go on,” said Jasper, “how did they look?”
“All black,” said the child, pushing back her wavy hair and looking at
him, “very all black, Jasper.”
“And their faces, Phronsie?” said Mr. King, getting down on his old
knees on the floor beside her. “Bless me! somebody else ask her, I can't
talk!”
“How did their faces look, Phronsie, dear?” asked Jasper, taking one of
the cold hands in his. “Can't you think?”
“Oh!” said Phronsie--and then she gave a funny little laugh, “two big
holes, Jasper, that's all they had!”
“She means they were masked,” whispered Jasper.
“What did you get up for?” Mrs. Whitney asked. “Dear child, what made
you get out of bed?”
“Why, my cushion-pin,” said Phronsie looking worried at once. “I
couldn't find it, and--”
But just at this, without a bit of warning, Polly tumbled over in a dead
faint.
And then it was all confusion again.
And so, on the following afternoon, it turned out that the Peppers,
about whose coming there had been so many plans and expectations, just
walked in as if they had always lived there. The greater excitement
completely swallowed up the less!
WHICH TREATS OF A GOOD MANY MATTERS
“Phooh!” said Joel a few mornings after the emptying of the little brown
house into the big one, when he and Van were rehearsing for the fiftieth
time all the points of the eventful night, “phooh! if I'd been here they
wouldn't have got away, I guess!”
“What would you have done?” asked Van, bristling up at this reflection
on their courage, and squaring up to him. “What would you have done,
Joel Pepper?”
“I'd a-pitched right into 'em--like--everything!” said Joel valiantly;
“and a-caught 'em! Yes, every single one of the Bunglers!”
“The what?” said Van, bursting into a loud laugh.
“The Bunglers,” said Joel with a red face. “That's what you said they
were, anyway,” he added positively.
“I said Burglars,” said Van, doubling up with amusement, while Joel
stood, a little sturdy figure, regarding him with anything but a sweet
countenance.
“Well anyway, I'd a-caught 'em, so there!” he said, as Van at last
showed signs of coming out of his fit of laughter, and got up and wiped
his eyes.
“How'd you have caught 'em?” asked Van, scornfully surveying the square
little country figure before him. “You can't hit any.
“Can't?” said Joel, the black eyes flashing volumes, and coming up in
front of Van. “You better believe I can, Van Whitney!”
“Come out in the back yard and try then,” said Van hospitably, perfectly
delighted at the prospect, and flying alone towards the door. “Come
right out and try.”
“All right!” said Joel, following sturdily, equally delighted to show
his skill.
“There,” said Van, taking off his jacket, and flinging it on the grass,
while Joel immediately followed suit with his little homespun one.
“Now we can begin perfectly splendid! I won't hit hard,” he added
patronizingly, as both boys stood ready.
“Hit as hard as you've a-mind to,” said Joel, “I'm a-going to.”
“Oh, you may,” said Van politely, “because you're company. All
right--now!”
So at it they went. Before very many minutes were over, Van relinquished
all ideas of treating his company with extra consideration, and was
only thinking how he could possibly hold his own with the valiant little
country lad. Oh, if he could only be called to his lessons--anything
that would summon him into the house! Just then a window above their
heads was suddenly thrown up, and his mamma's voice in natural surprise
and distress called quickly: “Children what are you doing? Oh, Van, how
could you!”
Both contestants turned around suddenly. Joel looked up steadily. “We're
a-hitting, ma'am; he said I couldn't, and so we came out and--”
“Oh, Vanny,” said Mrs. Whitney reproachfully, “to treat a little guest
in this way!”
“I wanted to,” said Joel cheerfully; “twas great fun. Let's begin again,
Van!”
“We mustn't,” said Van, readily giving up the charming prospect, and
beginning to edge quickly towards the house. “Mamma wouldn't like it you
know. He hits splendidly, mamma,” he added generously, looking up. “He
does really.”
“And so does Van,” cried Joel, his face glowing at the praise. “We'll
come out every day,” he added slipping into his jacket, and turning
enthusiastically back to Van.
“And perhaps he could have pitched into the Burglars,” finished Van,
ignoring the invitation, and tumbling into his jacket with alarming
speed.
“I know I could!” cried Joel, scampering after him into the house. “If
I'd only a-been here!”
“Where's Ben?” said Van, bounding into the hall, and flinging himself
down on one of the chairs. “Oh dear, I'm so hot! Say, Joe, where do you
s'pose Ben is?”
“I don't know,” replied Joel, who didn't even puff.
“I saw him a little while ago with master Percy,” said Jane, who was
going through the hall.
“There now! and they've gone off somewhere,” cried Van in extreme
irritation, and starting up quickly. “I know they have. Which way did
they go, Jane? And how long ago?”
“Oh, I don't know,” replied Jane carelessly, “half an hour maybe; and
they didn't go nowhere as I see, at least they were talking at the door,
and I was going up-stairs.”
“Right here?” cried Van, and stamping with his foot to point out the
exact place; “at this door, Jane?”
“Yes, yes,” said Jane; “at that very door,” and then she went into the
dining-room to her work.
“Oh dear me!” cried Van, and flying out on the veranda, he began to peer
wildly up and down the drive. “And they've gone to some splendid
place, I know, and wouldn't tell us. That's just like Percy!” he added
vindictively, “he's always stealing away! don't you see 'em, Joel? oh,
do come out and look!”
“'Tisn't any use,” said Joel coolly, sitting down on the chair Van had
just vacated, and swinging his feet comfortably; “they're miles away if
they've been gone half an hour. I'm goin' up-stairs,” and he sprang up,
and energetically pranced to the stairs.
“They aren't up-stairs!” screamed Van, in scorn, bounding into the hall.
“Don't go; I know that they've gone down to the museum!”
“The what?” exclaimed Joel, nearly at the top, peering over the railing.
“What's that you said--what is it?”
“A museum,” shouted Van, “and it's a perfectly elegant place, Joel
Pepper, and Percy knows I like to go; and now he's taken Ben off;
and he'll show him all the things! and they'll all be old when I take
him--and--and--oh! I hope the snakes will bite him!” he added, trying to
think of something bad enough.
“Do they have snakes there?” asked Joel, staring.
“Yes, they do,” snapped out Van. “They have everything!”
“Well, they shan't bite Ben!” cried Joel in terror. “Oh! do you suppose
they will?” and he turned right straight around on the stairs, and
looked at Van.
“No,” said Van, “they won't bite--what's the matter, Joe?”
“Oh, they may,” said Joel, his face working, and screwing both fists
into his eyes; at last he burst right out into a torrent of sobs. “Oh,
don't let 'em Van--don't!”
“Why, they can't,” said Van in an emphatic voice, running up the stairs
to Joel's side, frightened to death at his tears.
Then he began to shake his jacket sleeve violently to bring him back to
reason, “Wait Joe! oh, do stop! oh, dear, what shall I do! I tell you,
they can't bite,” he screamed as loud as he could into his ear.
“You said--you--hoped--they--would,” said Joel's voice in smothered
tones.
“Well, they won't anyway,” said Van decidedly. “Cause they're all
stuffed--so there now!”
“Ain't they alive--nor anythin'?” asked Joel, bringing one black eye
into sight from behind his chubby hands.
“No,” said Van, “they're just as dead as anything, Joel Pepper--been
dead years! and there's old crabs there too, old dead crabs--and they're
just lovely! Oh, such a lots of eggs as they've got! And there are
shells and bugs and stones--and an awful old crocodile, and--” “Oh,
dear!” sighed Joel, perfectly overcome at such a vision, and sitting
down on the stairs to think. “Well, mamsie'll know where Ben is,” he
said, springing up. “And then I tell you Van, we'll just tag 'em!”
“So she will,” cried Van. “Why didn't we think of that before? I wanted
to think.”
“I did,” said Joel. “That was where I was goin'.”
Without any more ado they rushed into Mrs. Pepper's big, sunny room,
there to see, seated at the square table between the two large windows,
the two lost ones bending over what seemed to be an object of the
greatest importance, for Polly was hanging over Ben's shoulder with
intense pride and delight, which she couldn't possibly conceal, and
Davie was crowded as near as he could get to Percy's elbow.
Phronsie and little Dick were perched comfortably on the corner of the
table, surveying the whole scene in quiet rapture; and Mrs. Pepper with
her big mending basket, was ensconced over by the deep window seat just
on the other side of the room, underneath Cherry's cage, and looking up
between quick energetic stitches, over at the busy group, with the most
placid expression on her face.
“Oh!--what you doin'?” cried Joel, flying up to them. “Let us see, do
Ben!”
“What is it?” exclaimed Van, squeezing in between Percy and Ben.
“Don't--” began Percy. “There, see, you've knocked his elbow and spoilt
it!”
“Oh no, he hasn't,” said Ben, putting down his pencil, and taking up a
piece of rubber. “There, see it all comes out--as good as ever.”
“Isn't it just elegant?” said Percy in the most pleased tone, and
wriggling his toes under the table to express his satisfaction.
“Yes,” said Van, craning his neck to get a better view of the picture,
now nearly completed, “It's perfectly splendid. How'd you do it, Ben?”
“I don't know,” replied Ben with a smile, carefully shading in a few
last touches. “It just drew itself.”
“Tisn't anything to what he can do,” said Polly, standing up as tall as
she could, and beaming at Ben, “He used to draw most beautiful at home.”
“Better than this?” asked Van, with great respect and taking up the
picture, after some demur on Percy's part, and examining it critically.
“I don't believe it, Polly.”
“Phooh; he did!” exclaimed Joel, looking over his shoulder at a
wonderful view of a dog in an extremely excited state of mind running
down an interminable hill to bark at a locomotive and train of cars
whizzing along a curve in the foreground. “Lots better'n that! Ben can
do anything!” he added, in an utterly convincing way.
“Now give it back,” cried Percy, holding out his hand in alarm. “I'm
going to ask mamma to have it framed; and then I'm going to hang
it right over my bed,” he finished, as Van reluctantly gave up the
treasure.
“Did you draw all the time in the little brown house?” asked Van, lost
in thought. “How I wish I'd been there!”
“Dear, no!” cried Polly with a little skip, turning away to laugh. “He
didn't have hardly any time, and--”
“Why not?” asked Percy.
“Cause there was things to do,” said Polly. “But sometimes when it
rained, and he couldn't go out and work, and there wasn't anything to
do in the house--then we'd have--oh!” and she drew a long breath at the
memory, “such a time, you can't think!”
“Didn't you wish it would always rain?” asked Van, still gazing at the
picture.
“Dear, no!” began Polly.
“I didn't,” broke in Joel, in horror. “I wouldn't a-had it rain for
anything!--only once in a while,” he added, as he thought of the good
times that Polly had spoken of.
“'Twas nice outdoors,” said little Davie, reflectively; “and nice
inside, too.” And then he glanced over to his mother, who gave him a
smile in return. “And 'twas nice always.”
“Well,” said Van, returning to the picture, “I do wish you'd tell me how
to draw, Ben. I can't do anything but flowers,” he said in a discouraged
way.
“Flowers aren't anything,” said Percy, pleasantly. “That's girls' work;
but dogs and horses and cars--those are just good!”
“Will you, Ben?” asked Van, looking down into the big blue eyes, so
kindly turned up to his.
“Yes, indeed I will,” cried Ben, “that is, all I know; 'tisn't much, but
everything I can, I'll tell you.”
“Then I can learn, can't I?” cried Van joyfully.
“Oh, tell me too, Ben,” cried Percy, “will you? I want to learn too.”
“And me!” cried Dick, bending forward, nearly upsetting Phronsie as he
did so. “Yes, say I may, Ben, do!”
“You're too little,” began Percy. But Ben nodded his head at Dick,
which caused him to clap his hands and return to his original position,
satisfied.
“Well, I guess we're going to, too,” said Joel. “Dave an' me; there
isn't anybody goin' to learn without us.”
“Of course not,” said Polly, “Ben wouldn't leave you out, Joey.”
Phronsie sat quite still all this time, on the corner of the table, her
feet tucked up under her, and her hands clasped in her lap, and never
said a word. But Ben looking up, saw the most grieved expression
settling on her face, as the large eyes were fixed in wonder on the
faces before her.
“And there's my pet,” he cried in enthusiasm, and reaching over the
table, he caught hold of one of the little fat hands. “Why we couldn't
think of getting along without her! She shall learn to draw--she shall!”
“Really, Bensie?” said Phronsie, the sunlight breaking all over the
gloomy little visage, and setting the brown eyes to dancing. “Real,
true, splendid pictures?”
“Yes, the splendidest,” said Ben, “the very splendidest pictures,
Phronsie Pepper, you ever saw!”
“Oh!” cried Phronsie; and before any one knew what she was about,
she tripped right into the middle of the table, over the papers and
everything, and gave a happy little whirl!
“Dear me, Phronsie!” cried Polly catching her up and hugging her; “you
mustn't dance on the table.”
“I'm going to learn,” said Phronsie, coming out of Polly's embrace, “to
draw whole pictures, all alone by myself--Ben said so!”
“I know it,” said Polly, “and then you shall draw one for mamsie--you
shall!”
“I will,” said Phronsie, dreadfully excited; “I'll draw her a cow, and
two chickens, Polly, just like Grandma Bascom's!”
“Yes,” whispered Polly, “but don't you tell her yet till you get it
done, Phronsie.”
“I won't,” said Phronsie in the loudest of tones--but putting her mouth
close to Polly's ear. “And then she'll be so s'prised, Polly! won't
she?”
Just then came Jasper's voice at the door. “Can I come in?”
“Oh, do, Jappy,” cried Polly, rushing along with Phronsie in her arms to
open the door. “We're so glad you've got home!”
“So am I,” said Jasper, coming in, his face flushed and his eyes
sparkling; “I thought father never would be through downtown, Polly!”
“We're going to learn to draw,” said Percy, over by the table, who
wouldn't on any account leave his seat by Ben, though he was awfully
tired of sitting still so long, for fear somebody else would hop into
it. “Ben's going to teach us.”
“Yes, he is,” put in Van, bounding up to Jasper and pulling at all the
buttons on his jacket he could reach, to command attention.
“And us,” said Joel, coming up too. “You forgot us, Van.”
“The whole of us--every single one in this room,” said Van decidedly,
“all except Mrs. Pepper.”
“Hulloa!” said Jasper, “that is a class! Well, Professor Ben, you've got
to teach me then, for I'm coming too.”
“You?” said Ben, turning around his chair, and looking at him; “I can't
teach you anything, Jappy. You know everything already.”
“Let him come, anyway,” said Polly, hopping up and down.
“Oh, I'm coming, Professor,” laughed Jasper. “Never you fear, Polly;
I'll be on hand when the rest of the class comes in!”
“And Van,” said Mrs. Pepper, pausing a minute in her work, and smiling
over at him in a lull in the chatter--“I think flowers are most
beautiful!” and she pointed to a little framed picture on the mantel,
of the bunch of buttercups and one huge rose that Van had with infinite
patience drawn, and then colored to suit his fancy.
“Do you?” cried Van, perfectly delighted; and leaving the group he
rushed up to her side. “Do you really think they're nice, Mrs. Pepper?”
“Of course I do,” said Mrs. Pepper briskly, and beaming on him; “I think
everything of them, and I shall keep them as long as I live, Van!”
“Well, then,” said Van, very much pleased, “I shall paint you ever so
many more--just as many as you want!”
“Do!” said Mrs. Pepper, taking up her work again. “And I'll hang them
every one up.”
“Yes, I will,” said Van; “and I'll go right to work on one to-morrow.
What you mending our jackets for?” he asked abruptly as a familiar hole
caught his attention.
“Because they're torn,” said Mrs. Pepper cheerfully, “an' they won't
mend themselves.”
“Why don't you let Jane?” he persisted. “She always does them.”
“Jane's got enough to do,” replied Mrs. Pepper, smiling away as hard
as she could, “and I haven't, so I'm going to look around and pick up
something to keep my hands out of mischief as much as I can, while I'm
here.”
“Do you ever get into mischief?” asked little Dick, coming up and
looking into Mrs. Pepper's face wonderingly. “Why, you're a big woman!”
“Dear me, yes!” said Mrs. Pepper. “The bigger you are, the more mischief
you can get into. You'll find that out, Dickey.”
“And then do you have to stand in a corner?” asked Dick, determined
to find out just what were the consequences, and reverting to his most
dreaded punishment.
“No,” said Mrs. Pepper laughing. “Corners are for little folks; but
when people who know better, do wrong, there aren't any corners they can
creep into, or they'd get into them pretty quick!”
“I wish,” said little Dick, “you'd let me get into your lap. That would
be a nice corner!”
“Do, mamsie,” said Polly, coming up, “that's just the way I used to
feel; and I'll finish the mending.”
So Mrs. Pepper put down her work, and moved the big basket for little
Dick to clamber up, when he laid his head contentedly back in her
motherly arms with a sigh of happiness. Phronsie regarded him with a
very grave expression. At last she drew near: “I'm tired; do, mamsie,
take me!”
“So mamsie will,” said Mrs. Pepper, opening her arms, when Phronsie
immediately crawled up into their protecting shelter, with a happy
little crow.
“Oh, now, tell us a story, Mrs. Pepper,” cried Van; “please, please do!”
“No, no;” exclaimed Percy, scuttling out of his chair, and coming up,
“let's talk of the little brown house. Do tell us what you used to do
there--that's best.”
“So 'tis!” cried Van; “ALL the nice times you used to have in it! Wait
just a minute, do.” And he ran back for a cricket which he placed
at Mrs. Pepper's feet; and then sitting down on it, he leaned on her
comfortable lap, in order to hear better.
“Wait for me too, till I get a chair,” called Percy, starting. “Don't
begin till I get there.”
“Here, let me, Percy,” said Ben; and he drew forward a big easy-chair
that the boy was tugging at with all his might.
“Now I'm ready, too,” said Polly, setting small finishing stitches
quickly with a merry little flourish, and drawing her chair nearer her
mother's as she spoke.
“Now begin, please,” said Van, “all the nice times you know.”
“She couldn't tell all the nice times if she had ten years to tell them
in, could she, Polly?” said Jasper.
“Well, in the first place then,” said Mrs. Pepper, clearing her throat,
“the little brown house had got to be, you know, so we made up our minds
to make it just the nicest brown house that ever was!”
“And it was!” declared Jasper, with an emphatic ring to his voice. “The
very nicest place in the whole world!”
“Oh dear,” broke in Van enviously; “Jappy's always said so. I wish we'd
been there, too!”
“We didn't want anybody but Jappy,” said Joel not very politely.
“Oh Joey, for shame!” cried Polly.
“Jappy used to bake,” cried little Davie; “an' we all made pies; an'
then we sat round an' ate 'em, an' then told stories.”
“Oh what fun!” cried Percy. “Do tell us!”
So the five little Peppers and Jasper flew off into reminiscences and
accounts of the funny doings, and Mrs. Pepper joined in heartily till
the room got very merry with the glee and enthusiasm called forth; so
much so, that nobody heard Mrs. Whitney knock gently at the door, and
nobody answering, she was obliged to come in by herself.
“Well, well,” she cried, merrily, looking at the swarm of little ones
around Mrs. Pepper and the big chair. “You are having a nice time! May I
come and listen?”
“Oh, if you will, sister,” cried Jasper, springing off from his arm of
the chair, while Ben flew from the other side, to hurry and get her a
chair.
Percy and Van rushed too, knocking over so many things that they didn't
help much; and little Dick poked his head out from Mrs. Pepper's arms
when he saw his mamma sitting down to stay and began to scramble down to
get into her lap.
“There now,” said Mrs. Whitney, smiling over at Mrs. Pepper, who was
smiling at her. “You have your baby, and I have mine! Now children,
what's it all about? What has Mrs. Pepper been telling you?”
“Oh, the little brown house,” cried Dicky, his cheeks all a-flame. “The
dearest little house mamma! I wish I could live in one!
“Twouldn't be the same without the Peppers in it,” said Jasper. “Not a
bit of it!”
“And they had such perfectly elegant times,” cried Percy, enviously,
drawing up to her side. “Oh, you can't think, mamma!”
“Well now,” said his mamma, “do go on, and let me hear some of the nice
times.”