“polly,” said jasper, “could you come into the den?”
“why, yes, jasper,” she cried, in surprise at his face. “oh, has anything happened?”
“no,” he said, but the gloomy look did not disappear. “oh polly, it's too bad to ask,—were you going to study?” with a glance at her armful of books.
“no—that is, i can do them just as well after dinner.” polly dropped her books on the hall chair. “oh, what is it, jasper?” running after him into the den.
“it's just this, polly, i hate to tell you—” he paused, and gloom settled worse than ever over his face.
“jasper,” said polly quite firmly, and she laid her hand on his arm, “i really think you ought to tell me right away what is on your mind.”
“do you really, polly?” jasper asked eagerly.
“yes, i do,” said polly, “unless you had248 rather tell mamsie. perhaps that would be best, jasper.”
“no, i don't really think it would in this case, polly. i will tell you.” so he drew up a chair, and polly settled into it, and he perched on the end of the table.
“you see, polly,” he began, “i hate to tell you, but if i don't, why of course you can't in the least understand how to help.”
“no, of course i can't,” said polly, clasping her hands together tightly, and trying to wait patiently for the recital. oh, what could it be!
“well, pickering isn't doing well at school,” said jasper, in a burst. it was so much better to have it out at once.
“oh dear me!” exclaimed polly, in sorrow.
“no, he isn't,” said jasper decidedly; “it grows worse and worse.”
“dear me!” said polly again.
“and now mr. faber says there isn't much hope for him, unless he picks up in the last half. he called me into his study to tell me that to-day—wants me to influence him and all that.”
all the hateful story was out at last. polly sprang out of her chair.
“you don't mean—you can't mean, that249 pickering will be dropped, jasper?” she cried as she faced him.
“worse than that,” answered jasper gloomily.
“worse than dropped!” exclaimed polly with wide eyes.
“to be dropped a class wouldn't kill pick; so many boys have had that happen, although it is quite bad enough.”
“i should think so,” breathed polly.
“but pick will simply be shot out of the school,” said jasper desperately; “there's no use in mincing matters. mr. faber has utterly lost patience; and the other teachers as well.”
“you don't mean that pickering dodge will be expelled?” cried polly in a little scream.
“yes.” jasper nodded his head, unable to utter another word. then he sprang off from the table-end, and walked up and down the room, as polly sank back in her chair.
“you see, it's just this way, polly,” he cried. “pick has had warning after warning—you know the teachers have a system of sending written warnings around to the boys when they fall behind in their work—and he hasn't paid any attention to them.”
“won't he pay attention to what the teachers250 write to him, jasper?” asked polly, leaning forward in her big chair to watch him anxiously as he paced back and forth.
“no, calls them rubbish, and tears them up; and sometimes he won't even read them,” said jasper. “oh, it's awful, polly.”
“i should say it was,” said polly slowly. “very awful indeed, jasper.”
“and the last time he had one from herr frincke about his german, pick brought it into the room where a lot of us boys were, and read it out, with no end of fun over it, and it went into the scrap-basket; and he hasn't tackled his grammar a bit better since; only the translations he's up a trifle on.”
“oh, now i know why you wouldn't go to ride with me for the last week,” cried polly, springing out of her chair to rush up to him, “you've been helping pickering,” she declared, with kindling eyes.
“never mind,” said jasper uneasily.
“and it was splendid of you,” cried polly, the color flying over her cheeks. “oh jasper, i do believe you can pull him through.”
“no, i can't, polly.” jasper stood quite still. “no one can pull him through, but you, polly.”251
“i!” exclaimed polly in amazement. “why, jasper king!” and she tumbled back a few steps to stare at him. “what do you mean?”
“it's just this way.” jasper threw back his hair from his hot forehead. “pick doesn't care a bit for what i say: it's an old story; goes in at one ear, and out at the other.”
“oh, he does care for what you say,” contradicted polly stoutly, “ever and ever so much, jasper.”
“well, he's heard it so much; perhaps i've pounded at him too hard. and then again—” jasper paused, turned away a bit, and rushed back hastily, with vexation written all over his face. “i must speak it: i can't help him any more, for somehow mr. faber has found it out, and forbids it; that's one reason of the talk this morning in his study—says i must influence him, and all that. that's rubbish; i can't influence him.” jasper dashed over to lay his head on the table on his folded arms.
“polly, if pick is expelled, i—” he couldn't finish it, his voice breaking all up.
polly ran over to lay a hand on his shaking shoulders.
“what can i do, jasper?” she cried brokenly. “tell me, and i'll do it, every single thing.”252
“you must talk to him,” said jasper, raising his head. it filled polly with dismay to see his face. “get him in here; i'll bring him over and then clear out of the den.”
“oh jasper!” exclaimed polly, quite aghast. “i couldn't talk to pickering dodge. why, he wouldn't listen to me.”
“yes, he would,” declared jasper eagerly; “he thinks everything of you, polly, and if you'll say the word, it will do more good than anything else. do, polly,” he begged.
“but, jasper,” began polly, a little white line coming around her mouth, “what would he think to have me talk to him about his lessons?”
“think?” repeated jasper, “why, he'd like it, polly, and it will be the very thing that will help him.”
“oh, i can't!” cried polly, twisting her fingers. then she broke out passionately, “oh, he ought to be ashamed of himself not to study; and there's that nice mr. cabot, and his aunt—”
“aunt!” exclaimed jasper explosively. “polly, i do believe if he hadn't her picking at him all the time, he would try harder.”
“well, his uncle is different,” said polly, her indignation by no means dying out.253
“yes, but it's his aunt who makes the mischief. honestly, polly, i don't believe i could stand her,” said jasper, in a loyal burst.
“no, i don't believe i could either,” confessed polly.
“and you see, when a boy has such a home, no matter what they give him, why, he doesn't have the ambition that he would if things were different. just think, polly, not to have one's own father or mother.”
“oh jasper!” cried polly, quite overcome. “i'll do it, i will.”
“polly!” jasper seized her hands, and held them fast, his dark eyes glowing. “oh polly, that's so awfully good of you!”
“and you better run right over, and get him now,” said polly, speaking very fast, “or i may run away, i shall get so scared.”
“you won't run away, i'll be bound,” cried jasper, bursting into a merry laugh, and rushing off with a light heart. and presently, in less time than one could imagine, though to polly it seemed an age, back he came, pickering with him, all alive with curiosity to know what polly pepper wanted of him.
“it's about the play, i suppose,” he began,254 lolling into an easy-chair; “jasper wouldn't tell me what it's all about; only seized me by the ear, and told me to come on. draw up your chair, jasper, and—why, hullo! where is the chap?” swinging his long figure around to stare.
“pickering,” began polly; and the den, usually the pleasantest place in all the house, was now like a prison, whose walls wouldn't let her breathe, “i don't know what to say. oh dear me!” poor polly could get no further, but sat there in hopeless misery, looking at him.
“eh—what? oh, beg pardon,” exclaimed pickering, whirling back in his chair, “but things are so very queer; first jasper rushes off like a lunatic—”
“and i am worse,” said polly, at last finding her tongue. “i don't wonder you think it's queer, pickering, but jasper does so love you, and it will just kill him if you don't study.” it was all out now, and in the most dreadful way. and feeling that she had quite destroyed all hope, polly sat up pale and stiff in her chair.
pickering threw his long figure out of the easy-chair, rushed up and down the den with immense strides, and came back to stand directly in front of her.255
“do you mean it, polly?” his long face was working badly, and his hands were clenched, but as they were thrust deep within his pockets, polly couldn't see them.
“yes,” said polly, “i do, pickering.”
he stalked off again, but was back once more, polly wondering how she could possibly bear to tell jasper of her failure, for of course pickering was very angry; when he said, “polly, i want to tell you something.”
“what is it?” polly looked at him sharply, and caught her breath.
“i won't drag jasper down, i tell you, with me. i'll get through somehow at school. i promise you that. here!” he twitched out his right hand from its pocket, and thrust it out at her.
“oh pickering dodge!” exclaimed polly in a transport, and seizing his hand, it was shaken vigorously.
“there, that's a bargain,” declared pickering solemnly. “i'll get through someway. and say, polly, it was awfully good of you to speak.”
“it was awfully hard,” said polly, drawing a long breath. “oh, are you sure you are not vexed, pickering? very sure?” and polly's face drooped anxiously.256
“vexed?” cried pickering. “i should rather say not! polly, i'm lazy and selfish, and good for nothing; but i couldn't be vexed, for 'twas awfully hard for you to do.”
“i guess it was,” said polly. then she gave a little laugh, for it was all bright and jolly again, and she knew that pickering would keep his word.
and that evening, after jasper and she had a dance—they were so happy, they couldn't keep still—in the wide hall, jasper burst out suddenly with a fresh idea.
“polly,” he said, drawing her off to rest on one of the high, carved chairs, “there's one more thing.”
“oh, what is it jasper?” she cried gaily, with flushed cheeks. “oh, wasn't that spin just delicious?”
“wasn't it?” cried jasper heartily. “well, now, polly,” flinging himself down on the next chair, “it's just this. do you know, i don't believe we ought to have our play.”
“not have our play?” polly peered around to look closely into his face. “what do you mean, jasper?”
“you see, polly, pick was to take a prominent257 part, and he ought not to, you know; it will take him from his lessons to rehearse and all that. and he's so backward there's a whole lot for him to make up.”
“well, but pickering will have to give up his part, then,” said polly decidedly, “for we've simply got to have that play, to get the money to help that poor brakeman's family.”
jasper winced. “i know; we must earn it somehow,” he said.
“we must earn it by the play,” said polly. “and besides, jasper, we voted at the club meeting to have it. so there, now,” she brought up triumphantly.
“we could vote to rescind that vote,” said jasper.
“well, we don't want to. why, jasper, how that would look on our two record books!” said polly in surprise, for jasper was so proud of his club and its records.
“yes, of course; as our two clubs united that evening, it must go down in both books,” said jasper slowly.
“yes, of course,” assented polly happily. “well, now, you see, jasper, that we really can't give it up, for we've gone too far. pickering258 will have to let some one else take the part of the chief brigand.” for the little play was almost all written by polly's fingers, jasper filling out certain parts when implored to give advice: and brigands, and highway robberies, and buried treasures, and rescued maidens, and gallant knights, figured generously, in a style to give immense satisfaction.
“and the play is so very splendid!” cried jasper. “oh dear me! what ought we to do, polly?” he buried his face in his hands a moment.
“pickering must give up his part,” said polly again.
“but, polly, you know he has been in all our plays,” said jasper. “and he'll feel so badly, and now he's got all this trouble about his lessons on his mind,” and jasper's face fell.
polly twisted uncomfortably on her chair. “oh dear me!” she began, “i suppose we must give it up.”
“and if we gave it up, not altogether, but put it off till he catches up on his studies,” suggested jasper, “why, he wouldn't be dropped out.”
“but the poor brakeman's family, jasper,”259 said polly, puzzled that jasper should forget the object of the play.
“oh, i didn't mean that we should put off earning the money, polly,” cried jasper, quite horrified at such a thought. “we must do something else, so that we can sell just as many tickets.”
“but what will it be?” asked polly, trying not to feel crushed, and sighing at the disappearance of the beautiful play, for a time at least.
“well, we could have recitations, for one thing,” said jasper, feeling dreadfully to see polly's disappointment, and concealing his own, for he had set his heart on the play too.
“oh dear me!” exclaimed polly, wrinkling up her face in disdain. “jasper, do you know, i am so tired of recitations!”
“so am i,” jasper bobbed his head in sympathy, “but we boys have some new ones, learned for last exhibition, so pick won't have to take a moment from his lessons. and then we can have music, and you will play, polly.”
“oh jasper, i've played so much,” said polly, “they're all tired of hearing me.”
“they never would be tired of hearing you, polly,” said jasper simply. “every one of us thinks you play beautifully.”260
“and tableaux and an operetta take just as much time to rehearse,” mused polly, thinking very hard if there wasn't something to keep them from the dreaded recitations.
“and i just loathe an operetta or tableaux,” exclaimed jasper, with such venom that polly burst out laughing.
“oh jasper, if you could see your face!” she cried.
“i shouldn't want to,” he laughed too; “but of all insipid things, an operetta is the worst; and tableaux—the way miss montague drilled and drilled and drilled us, and then stuck us up like sticks not to move for a half-hour or so, nearly finished me.”
“so it did me,” confessed polly. “and besides, it would take a great deal more time to go through all that drilling than to rehearse the play.”
“of course it would,” said jasper, “so tableaux, thank fortune, are not to be thought of. i think it will have to be recitations and music, polly.”
“i suppose so,” she said with a sigh. “oh jasper!” then she sprang off from her chair, and clapped her hands. “i've thought of the very261 thing. i believe mr. hamilton dyce would tell some of his funny stories and help out the program.”
“capital!” shouted jasper; and just at this moment the big front door opened, and the butler ushered in miss mary taylor and mr. dyce.
polly and jasper rushed up to the visitors, for they were prime favorites with the young people, and precipitated upon them all their woes. the end was, that they both promised beautifully to do whatever was wanted, for miss mary taylor sang delightfully.
“and pickering is safe, polly, for i know now he'll go through the last half,” cried jasper as they ran off to study their lessons for the next day.
