Five Little Peppers And How They Grew [93]
his way down the steps--at the same time that Van, on Polly's other side, rushed up to the gentleman:
"Papa--oh, papa!"
Polly, half way up the steps, turned around, and then, at the rush of feeling that gathered at her heart, sat right down on the wet slippery step.
"Why, Polly Pepper!" exclaimed Joel, not minding his own upset. "You're right in all the slush--mother won't like it, I tell you!"
"Hush!" cried Polly, catching his arm, "he's come--oh, Joel --he's come!"
"Who?" cried Joel, staring around blindly, "who, Polly?" Polly had just opened her lips to explain, when Mr. King's portly, handsome figure appeared in the doorway. "Do come in, children--why--good gracious, Mason!"
"Yes," cried the stranger, lightly, dropping his big bundle and umbrella as he passed in the door, with his little sons clinging to him. "Where is Marian?"
"Why didn't you write?" asked the old gentleman, testily. "These surprises aren't the right sort of things," and he began to feel vigorously of his heart. "Here, Mrs. Pepper, be so good as to call Mrs. Whitney."
"Pepper! Pepper!" repeated Mr. Whitney, perplexedly.
"She's coming--I hear her up-stairs," cried Van Whitney. "Oh, let me tell her!" He struggled to get down from his father's arms as he said this.
"No, I shall--I heard her first!" cried Percy. "Oh, dear me! Grandpapa's going to!"
Mr. King advanced to the foot of the staircase as his daughter, all unconscious, ran down with a light step, and a smile on her face.
"Has Polly come?" she asked, seeing only her father. "Yes," replied the old gentleman, shortly, "and she's brought a big bundle, Marian!"
"A big bundle?" she repeated wonderingly, and gazing at him.
"A very big bundle," he said, and taking hold of her shoulders he turned her around on--her husband.
So Polly and Phronsie crept in unnoticed after all.
"I wish Ben was here," said little Davie, capering around the Whitney group, "an' Jappy, I do!"
"Where are they!" asked Polly.
"Don't know," said Joel, tugging at his shoe-string. "See-- aren't these prime!" He held up a shining black shoe, fairly bristling with newness, for Polly to admire.
"Splendid," she cried heartily; "but where are the boys?"
"They went after you," said Davie, "after we came home with our shoes."
"No, they didn't," contradicted Joel, flatly; and sitting down on the floor he began to tie and untie his new possessions. "When we came home Ben drew us pictures--lots of 'em--don't you know?"
"Oh, yes," said Davie, nodding his head, "so he did; that was when we all cried 'cause you weren't home, Polly."
"He drawed me a be-yew-tiful one," cried Phronsie, holding up her mangy bit; "see, Polly, see!"
"That's the little brown house," said Davie, looking over her shoulder as Phronsie put it carefully into Polly's hand.
"It's all washed out," said Polly, smoothing it out, "when you staid out in the rain."
Phronsie's face grew very grave at that.
"Bad, naughty old rain," she said, and then she began to cry as hard as she could.
"Oh dear, don't!" cried Polly in dismay, trying her best to stop her, "oh, Phronsie, do stop!" she implored, pointing into the next room whence the sound of happy voices issued, "they'll all hear you!"
But Phronsie in her grief didn't care, but wailed on steadily.
"Who is it anyway?" cried Joel, tired of admiring his precious shoes, and getting up to hear them squeak, "that great big man, you know, Polly, that came in with you?"
"Why, I thought I told you," said Polly, at her wit's end over Phronsie. "It's Percy and Van's father, Joey!"
"Whockeyl" cried Joel, completely stunned, "really and truly, Polly Pepper?"
"Really and truly," cried Polly, bundling Phronsie up in her arms to lay the little wet cheek against hers.
"Then I'm going to peek," cried Joel, squeaking across the floor to carry his threat into execution.
"Oh, you mustn't, Joe!" cried Polly, frightened lest he should. "Come right back, or I'll tell mamsie!"
"They're all comin' in, anyway," cried little Davie, delightedly, and scuttling
"Papa--oh, papa!"
Polly, half way up the steps, turned around, and then, at the rush of feeling that gathered at her heart, sat right down on the wet slippery step.
"Why, Polly Pepper!" exclaimed Joel, not minding his own upset. "You're right in all the slush--mother won't like it, I tell you!"
"Hush!" cried Polly, catching his arm, "he's come--oh, Joel --he's come!"
"Who?" cried Joel, staring around blindly, "who, Polly?" Polly had just opened her lips to explain, when Mr. King's portly, handsome figure appeared in the doorway. "Do come in, children--why--good gracious, Mason!"
"Yes," cried the stranger, lightly, dropping his big bundle and umbrella as he passed in the door, with his little sons clinging to him. "Where is Marian?"
"Why didn't you write?" asked the old gentleman, testily. "These surprises aren't the right sort of things," and he began to feel vigorously of his heart. "Here, Mrs. Pepper, be so good as to call Mrs. Whitney."
"Pepper! Pepper!" repeated Mr. Whitney, perplexedly.
"She's coming--I hear her up-stairs," cried Van Whitney. "Oh, let me tell her!" He struggled to get down from his father's arms as he said this.
"No, I shall--I heard her first!" cried Percy. "Oh, dear me! Grandpapa's going to!"
Mr. King advanced to the foot of the staircase as his daughter, all unconscious, ran down with a light step, and a smile on her face.
"Has Polly come?" she asked, seeing only her father. "Yes," replied the old gentleman, shortly, "and she's brought a big bundle, Marian!"
"A big bundle?" she repeated wonderingly, and gazing at him.
"A very big bundle," he said, and taking hold of her shoulders he turned her around on--her husband.
So Polly and Phronsie crept in unnoticed after all.
"I wish Ben was here," said little Davie, capering around the Whitney group, "an' Jappy, I do!"
"Where are they!" asked Polly.
"Don't know," said Joel, tugging at his shoe-string. "See-- aren't these prime!" He held up a shining black shoe, fairly bristling with newness, for Polly to admire.
"Splendid," she cried heartily; "but where are the boys?"
"They went after you," said Davie, "after we came home with our shoes."
"No, they didn't," contradicted Joel, flatly; and sitting down on the floor he began to tie and untie his new possessions. "When we came home Ben drew us pictures--lots of 'em--don't you know?"
"Oh, yes," said Davie, nodding his head, "so he did; that was when we all cried 'cause you weren't home, Polly."
"He drawed me a be-yew-tiful one," cried Phronsie, holding up her mangy bit; "see, Polly, see!"
"That's the little brown house," said Davie, looking over her shoulder as Phronsie put it carefully into Polly's hand.
"It's all washed out," said Polly, smoothing it out, "when you staid out in the rain."
Phronsie's face grew very grave at that.
"Bad, naughty old rain," she said, and then she began to cry as hard as she could.
"Oh dear, don't!" cried Polly in dismay, trying her best to stop her, "oh, Phronsie, do stop!" she implored, pointing into the next room whence the sound of happy voices issued, "they'll all hear you!"
But Phronsie in her grief didn't care, but wailed on steadily.
"Who is it anyway?" cried Joel, tired of admiring his precious shoes, and getting up to hear them squeak, "that great big man, you know, Polly, that came in with you?"
"Why, I thought I told you," said Polly, at her wit's end over Phronsie. "It's Percy and Van's father, Joey!"
"Whockeyl" cried Joel, completely stunned, "really and truly, Polly Pepper?"
"Really and truly," cried Polly, bundling Phronsie up in her arms to lay the little wet cheek against hers.
"Then I'm going to peek," cried Joel, squeaking across the floor to carry his threat into execution.
"Oh, you mustn't, Joe!" cried Polly, frightened lest he should. "Come right back, or I'll tell mamsie!"
"They're all comin' in, anyway," cried little Davie, delightedly, and scuttling