Five Little Peppers And How They Grew [96]
down the rosy face.
"Will you, really?" he said, "just like Ben--and everything?"
"I can't be as good as Ben," said Jappy, laughing, "but I'll be a real brother like him."
"Fhoo--phoo! Then I don't care!" cried Joel wiping off the last tear on the back of his chubby hand. "Now I guess we're better'n you," he exclaimed with a triumphant glance over at the little Whitneys, as he began to make the new shoes skip at a lively pace up and down the long room.
"Oh, dear!" they both cried in great distress.
"Now, papa, Jappy's going to be Joey's brother--and he isn't anything but our old uncle! Make him be ours more, papa, do!"
And then Polly sprang up.
"Oh! oh--deary me!" And she rushed out into the hall and began to tug violently at the big bundle, tossed down in a corner. "Cherry'll die--Cherry'll die!" she cried, "do somebody help me off with the string!"
But Polly already had it off by the time Jasper's knife was half out of his pocket, and was kneeling down on the floor scooping out a big handful of the seed.
"Don't hurry so, Polly," said Jasper, as she jumped up to fly up-stairs. "He's had some a perfect age--he's all right."
"What!" said Polly, stopping so suddenly that two or three little seeds flew out of the outstretched hand and went dancing away to the foot of the stairs by themselves.
"Oh, I heard him scolding away there when I first came home," said Jasper, "so I just ran down a block or two, and got him some."
"Is that all there is in that big bundle?" said Joel in a disappointed tone, who had followed with extreme curiosity to see its contents. "Phoo!--that's no fun--old bird-seed!"
"I know," said Polly with a gay little laugh, pointing with the handful of seed into the library, "but I shouldn't have met the other big bundle if it hadn't have been for this, Joe!"
End
"Will you, really?" he said, "just like Ben--and everything?"
"I can't be as good as Ben," said Jappy, laughing, "but I'll be a real brother like him."
"Fhoo--phoo! Then I don't care!" cried Joel wiping off the last tear on the back of his chubby hand. "Now I guess we're better'n you," he exclaimed with a triumphant glance over at the little Whitneys, as he began to make the new shoes skip at a lively pace up and down the long room.
"Oh, dear!" they both cried in great distress.
"Now, papa, Jappy's going to be Joey's brother--and he isn't anything but our old uncle! Make him be ours more, papa, do!"
And then Polly sprang up.
"Oh! oh--deary me!" And she rushed out into the hall and began to tug violently at the big bundle, tossed down in a corner. "Cherry'll die--Cherry'll die!" she cried, "do somebody help me off with the string!"
But Polly already had it off by the time Jasper's knife was half out of his pocket, and was kneeling down on the floor scooping out a big handful of the seed.
"Don't hurry so, Polly," said Jasper, as she jumped up to fly up-stairs. "He's had some a perfect age--he's all right."
"What!" said Polly, stopping so suddenly that two or three little seeds flew out of the outstretched hand and went dancing away to the foot of the stairs by themselves.
"Oh, I heard him scolding away there when I first came home," said Jasper, "so I just ran down a block or two, and got him some."
"Is that all there is in that big bundle?" said Joel in a disappointed tone, who had followed with extreme curiosity to see its contents. "Phoo!--that's no fun--old bird-seed!"
"I know," said Polly with a gay little laugh, pointing with the handful of seed into the library, "but I shouldn't have met the other big bundle if it hadn't have been for this, Joe!"
End