Five Little Peppers And How They Grew [67]
echoed with the sound.
At this, the bundle opened suddenly, and--out popped Phronsie!
"Here lam! I'm here, Polly!"
But Polly couldn't speak; and if Jasper hadn't caught her just in time, she would have tumbled over backward from the stool, Phronsie and all!
"Aren't you glad I've come, Polly?" asked Phronsie, with her little face close to Polly's own.
That brought Polly to. "Oh, Phronsie!" she cried, and strained her to her heart; while the boys crowded around, and plied her with sudden questions.
"Now you'll stay," cried Van; "say, Polly, won't you."
"Weren't you awfully surprised?" cried Percy; "say, Polly, awfully?"
"Is her name Phronsie," put in Dick, unwilling to be left out, and not thinking of anything else to ask.
"Boys," whispered their mother, warningly, "she can't answer you; just look at her face."
And to be sure, our Polly's face was a study to behold. All its old sunniness was as nothing to the joy that now transfigured it.
"Oh!" she cried, coming out of her rapture a little, and springing over to Mr. King with Phronsie still in her arms. "Oh, you are the dearest and best Mr. King I ever saw! but how did you make mammy let her come?"
"Isn't he splendid!" cried Jasper in intense pride, swelling up. "Father knew how to do it."
But Polly's arms were around the old gentleman's neck, so she didn't hear. "There, there," he said soothingly, patting her brown, fuzzy head. Something was going down the old gentleman's neck, that wet his collar, and made him whisper very tenderly in her ear, "don't give way now, Polly; Phronsie'll see you."
"I know," gasped Polly, controlling her sobs; "I won't--only--I can't thank you!"
"Phronsie," said Jasper quickly, "what do you suppose Prince said the other day?"
"What?" asked Phronsie in intense interest slipping down out of Polly's arms, and crowding up close to Jasper's side. "What did he, Japser?"
"Oh-ho, how funny!" laughed Van, while little Dick burst right out, "lapser!"
"Be still," said Jappy warningly, while Phronsie stood surveying them all with grave eyes.
"Well, I asked him, 'Don't you want to see Phronsie Pepper, Prince?' And do you know, he just stood right upon his hind legs, Phronsie, and said: 'Bark! yes, Bark! Barki"
"Did he really, Japser?" cried Phronsie, delighted beyond measure; and clasping her hands in rapture, "all alone by himself?"
"Yes, all alone by himself," asserted Jasper, vehemently,
and winking furiously to the others to stop their laughing; "he did now, truly, Phronsie."
"Then mustn't I go and see him now, Japser? yes, pretty soon now?"
"So you must," cried Jasper, enchanted at his success in amusing; "and I'll go with you."
"Oh, no," cried Phronsie, shaking her yellow head. "Oh no, Japser; I must go by my very own self."
"There Jap, you've caught it," laughed Percy; while the others screamed at the sight of Jasper's face.
"Oh Phronsie!" cried Polly, turning around at the last words; "how could you!"
"Don't mind it, Polly," whispered Jasper; "twasn't her fault."
"Phronsie," said Mrs. Whitney, smilingly, stooping over the child, "would you like to see a little pussy I have for you?"
But the chubby face didn't look up brightly, as usual: and the next moment, without a bit of warning, Phronsie sprang past them all, even Polly, and flung herself into Mr. King's arms, in a perfect torrent of sobs. "Oh! let's go back!" was all they heard!
"Dear me!" ejaculated the old gentleman, in the utmost amazement; "and such a time as I've had to get her here too!" he added, staring around on the astonished group, none of whom had a word to say.
But Polly stood like a statue! All Jasper's frantic efforts at comfort, utterly failed. To think that Phronsie had left her for any one!-- even good Mr. King! The room seemed to buzz, and everything to turn upside down--and just then, she heard another cry--"Oh, I want Polly, I do!"
With a bound, Polly was at Mr. King's side, with her face on his coat, close to the little tear-stained one. The fat, little arms unclasped their
At this, the bundle opened suddenly, and--out popped Phronsie!
"Here lam! I'm here, Polly!"
But Polly couldn't speak; and if Jasper hadn't caught her just in time, she would have tumbled over backward from the stool, Phronsie and all!
"Aren't you glad I've come, Polly?" asked Phronsie, with her little face close to Polly's own.
That brought Polly to. "Oh, Phronsie!" she cried, and strained her to her heart; while the boys crowded around, and plied her with sudden questions.
"Now you'll stay," cried Van; "say, Polly, won't you."
"Weren't you awfully surprised?" cried Percy; "say, Polly, awfully?"
"Is her name Phronsie," put in Dick, unwilling to be left out, and not thinking of anything else to ask.
"Boys," whispered their mother, warningly, "she can't answer you; just look at her face."
And to be sure, our Polly's face was a study to behold. All its old sunniness was as nothing to the joy that now transfigured it.
"Oh!" she cried, coming out of her rapture a little, and springing over to Mr. King with Phronsie still in her arms. "Oh, you are the dearest and best Mr. King I ever saw! but how did you make mammy let her come?"
"Isn't he splendid!" cried Jasper in intense pride, swelling up. "Father knew how to do it."
But Polly's arms were around the old gentleman's neck, so she didn't hear. "There, there," he said soothingly, patting her brown, fuzzy head. Something was going down the old gentleman's neck, that wet his collar, and made him whisper very tenderly in her ear, "don't give way now, Polly; Phronsie'll see you."
"I know," gasped Polly, controlling her sobs; "I won't--only--I can't thank you!"
"Phronsie," said Jasper quickly, "what do you suppose Prince said the other day?"
"What?" asked Phronsie in intense interest slipping down out of Polly's arms, and crowding up close to Jasper's side. "What did he, Japser?"
"Oh-ho, how funny!" laughed Van, while little Dick burst right out, "lapser!"
"Be still," said Jappy warningly, while Phronsie stood surveying them all with grave eyes.
"Well, I asked him, 'Don't you want to see Phronsie Pepper, Prince?' And do you know, he just stood right upon his hind legs, Phronsie, and said: 'Bark! yes, Bark! Barki"
"Did he really, Japser?" cried Phronsie, delighted beyond measure; and clasping her hands in rapture, "all alone by himself?"
"Yes, all alone by himself," asserted Jasper, vehemently,
and winking furiously to the others to stop their laughing; "he did now, truly, Phronsie."
"Then mustn't I go and see him now, Japser? yes, pretty soon now?"
"So you must," cried Jasper, enchanted at his success in amusing; "and I'll go with you."
"Oh, no," cried Phronsie, shaking her yellow head. "Oh no, Japser; I must go by my very own self."
"There Jap, you've caught it," laughed Percy; while the others screamed at the sight of Jasper's face.
"Oh Phronsie!" cried Polly, turning around at the last words; "how could you!"
"Don't mind it, Polly," whispered Jasper; "twasn't her fault."
"Phronsie," said Mrs. Whitney, smilingly, stooping over the child, "would you like to see a little pussy I have for you?"
But the chubby face didn't look up brightly, as usual: and the next moment, without a bit of warning, Phronsie sprang past them all, even Polly, and flung herself into Mr. King's arms, in a perfect torrent of sobs. "Oh! let's go back!" was all they heard!
"Dear me!" ejaculated the old gentleman, in the utmost amazement; "and such a time as I've had to get her here too!" he added, staring around on the astonished group, none of whom had a word to say.
But Polly stood like a statue! All Jasper's frantic efforts at comfort, utterly failed. To think that Phronsie had left her for any one!-- even good Mr. King! The room seemed to buzz, and everything to turn upside down--and just then, she heard another cry--"Oh, I want Polly, I do!"
With a bound, Polly was at Mr. King's side, with her face on his coat, close to the little tear-stained one. The fat, little arms unclasped their