Five Little Peppers And How They Grew [84]
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 rm going to look around and pick up something to keep my hands out of mischief as much as Jean, 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 anns, 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. Pepp~r joined in heartily till the room got very merry with the glee and enthusiasm called forth; so much so, that
"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 rm going to look around and pick up something to keep my hands out of mischief as much as Jean, 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 anns, 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. Pepp~r joined in heartily till the room got very merry with the glee and enthusiasm called forth; so much so, that