Five Little Peppers And How They Grew [47]
now," and after bobbing lovingly to the others, with eyes beaming over with fun, he caught up the little girl who was screaming--"Oh, here's Japser! and my beyew-ti-ful doggie!"
"Now Phronsie," he cried, "give me a kiss; you haven't any soft soap to-day, have you? no; that's a good, nice one, now; your 'gingerbread boy' was just splendid!"
"Did he eat it?" asked the child in grave delight.
"Well--no--he hasn't eaten it yet," said Jasper, smiling on the others; "he's keeping it to look at, Phronsie."
"I should think so!" groaned Polly.
"Never mind, Polly," Ben whispered; "Jasper's been a-tellin' me about it; his father liked it--he did truly."
"Oh!" said Polly, "I'm so glad!"
"He had eyes," said Phronsie, going back to the charms of the "gingerbread boy."
"I know it," said Jasper admiringly; "so lie did."
"Rather deep sunk, one of 'em was," muttered Ben.
"And I'll bake you one, Japser," said the child as he put her down; "I will very truly--some day."
"Will you," smiled Jasper; "well then," and there was a whispered conference with Phronsie that somehow sent that damsel into a blissful state of delight. And then while Phronsie monopolized Prince, Jasper told them all about the reception of the parcel--how very dull and forlorn he was feeling that morning, Prince and he shut up in-doors--and how his father had had a miserable night, and had eaten scarcely no breakfast, and just at this juncture there came a knock at the door, "and" said Jasper, "your parcel walked in, all dressed up in flowers!"
"They weren't our flowers," said Polly, honestly. "Mrs. Blodgett put 'em on."
"Well she couldn't have, if you hadn't sent the parcel," said Jasper in a tone of conviction.
Then he launched out into a description of how they opened the package--Prince looking on, and begging for one of the cakes.
"Oh, didn't you give him one?" cried Polly at this. "Good old Prince!"
"Yes I did," said Jasper, "the biggest one of all."
"The one I guess," interrupted Joel, "with the big raisin on top."
Polly spoke up quickly to save any more remarks on Joel's part. "Now tell us about your father--and the 'gingerbread boy.
So Jasper broke out with a merry laugh, into this part of the story, and soon had them all in such a gale of merriment, that Phronsie stopped playing out on the door-step with Prince, and came in to see what the matter was.
"Never mind," said Polly, trying to get her breath, just as Jasper was relating how Mr. King set up the "gingerbread boy" on his writing table before him, while he leaned back in his chair for a hearty laugh.
"And to make it funnier still," said Jasper "don't you think, a little pen-wiper he has, made like a cap, hanging on the pen-rack above him, tumbled off just at this very identical minute right on the head of the 'gingerbread boy,' and there it stuck!"
"Oh!" they all screamed, "if we could only have seen it."
"What was it?" asked Phronsie, pulling Polly's sleeve to make her hear.
So Jasper took her in his lap, and told how funny the "gingerbread boy" looked with a cap on, and Phronsie clapped her hands, and laughed with the rest, till the little old kitchen rang and rang again.
And then they had the baking! and Polly tied one of her mother's ample aprons on Jasper, as Mrs. Pepper had left directions if he should come while she was away; and he developed such a taste for cookery, and had so many splendid improvements on the Peppers' simple ideas, that the children thought it the most fortunate thing in the world that he came; and one and all voted him a most charming companion.
"You could cook a Thanksgiving dinner in this stove, just as easy as not," said Jasper, putting into the oven something on a little cracked plate that would have been a pie if there were any centre; but lacking that necessary accompaniment, probably was a short-cake. "Just as easy as not," be repeated with emphasis, slamming the door, to give point to his remarks.
"No, you couldn't either," said Ben at the table with equal decision; "not a bit of it, Jasper
"Now Phronsie," he cried, "give me a kiss; you haven't any soft soap to-day, have you? no; that's a good, nice one, now; your 'gingerbread boy' was just splendid!"
"Did he eat it?" asked the child in grave delight.
"Well--no--he hasn't eaten it yet," said Jasper, smiling on the others; "he's keeping it to look at, Phronsie."
"I should think so!" groaned Polly.
"Never mind, Polly," Ben whispered; "Jasper's been a-tellin' me about it; his father liked it--he did truly."
"Oh!" said Polly, "I'm so glad!"
"He had eyes," said Phronsie, going back to the charms of the "gingerbread boy."
"I know it," said Jasper admiringly; "so lie did."
"Rather deep sunk, one of 'em was," muttered Ben.
"And I'll bake you one, Japser," said the child as he put her down; "I will very truly--some day."
"Will you," smiled Jasper; "well then," and there was a whispered conference with Phronsie that somehow sent that damsel into a blissful state of delight. And then while Phronsie monopolized Prince, Jasper told them all about the reception of the parcel--how very dull and forlorn he was feeling that morning, Prince and he shut up in-doors--and how his father had had a miserable night, and had eaten scarcely no breakfast, and just at this juncture there came a knock at the door, "and" said Jasper, "your parcel walked in, all dressed up in flowers!"
"They weren't our flowers," said Polly, honestly. "Mrs. Blodgett put 'em on."
"Well she couldn't have, if you hadn't sent the parcel," said Jasper in a tone of conviction.
Then he launched out into a description of how they opened the package--Prince looking on, and begging for one of the cakes.
"Oh, didn't you give him one?" cried Polly at this. "Good old Prince!"
"Yes I did," said Jasper, "the biggest one of all."
"The one I guess," interrupted Joel, "with the big raisin on top."
Polly spoke up quickly to save any more remarks on Joel's part. "Now tell us about your father--and the 'gingerbread boy.
So Jasper broke out with a merry laugh, into this part of the story, and soon had them all in such a gale of merriment, that Phronsie stopped playing out on the door-step with Prince, and came in to see what the matter was.
"Never mind," said Polly, trying to get her breath, just as Jasper was relating how Mr. King set up the "gingerbread boy" on his writing table before him, while he leaned back in his chair for a hearty laugh.
"And to make it funnier still," said Jasper "don't you think, a little pen-wiper he has, made like a cap, hanging on the pen-rack above him, tumbled off just at this very identical minute right on the head of the 'gingerbread boy,' and there it stuck!"
"Oh!" they all screamed, "if we could only have seen it."
"What was it?" asked Phronsie, pulling Polly's sleeve to make her hear.
So Jasper took her in his lap, and told how funny the "gingerbread boy" looked with a cap on, and Phronsie clapped her hands, and laughed with the rest, till the little old kitchen rang and rang again.
And then they had the baking! and Polly tied one of her mother's ample aprons on Jasper, as Mrs. Pepper had left directions if he should come while she was away; and he developed such a taste for cookery, and had so many splendid improvements on the Peppers' simple ideas, that the children thought it the most fortunate thing in the world that he came; and one and all voted him a most charming companion.
"You could cook a Thanksgiving dinner in this stove, just as easy as not," said Jasper, putting into the oven something on a little cracked plate that would have been a pie if there were any centre; but lacking that necessary accompaniment, probably was a short-cake. "Just as easy as not," be repeated with emphasis, slamming the door, to give point to his remarks.
"No, you couldn't either," said Ben at the table with equal decision; "not a bit of it, Jasper