“ought we to, mamsie?” asked polly. jasper and she were in mrs. fisher's room, and they both waited for the reply anxiously.
“yes, polly, i think you ought,” said mother fisher.
“oh dear me! phronsie can't have only a little bit of it,” said polly.
“i know it. but think, polly, the boys have to go back to school so soon that even if other people didn't care if it were postponed, they would lose it. besides, tom is to be one of the chief people on the program. no, no, polly, there are others to think of outside of ourselves. you must have your entertainment just as it is planned,” mrs. fisher brought up very decidedly.
“well,” sighed polly, “i am glad that papa fisher says that phronsie can hear a little part of it, anyway.”301
“yes,” said her mother cheerfully, “and helen fargo is to sit next to her. mrs. fargo is to take her home early, as she has not been very well. so you see, polly, it will all turn out very good after all.”
“but i did so want phronsie to be there through the whole,” mourned polly.
“so did i,” echoed jasper. then he caught mother fisher's eye. “but, polly, the boys would lose it then,” he added quickly.
“oh!” cried polly, “so they would; i keep forgetting that. dear me! why isn't everything just right, so that they all could hear it?” and she gave a little flounce.
“everything is just right, polly,” said mrs. fisher gravely; “don't let me hear you complain of things that no one can help.”
“i didn't mean to complain, mamsie,” said polly humbly; and she crept up to her, while jasper looked very much distressed.
“mother knows you didn't,” said mrs. fisher, putting her arm around her, “but it's a bad habit, polly, to be impatient when things don't go rightly. now run away, both of you,” she finished brightly, “and work up your program,” and she set a kiss on polly's rosy cheek.302
“jasper,” cried polly, with happiness once more in her heart as they raced off, “i tell you what we can do. we must change the program, and put those things that phronsie likes, up first.”
“that's so,” cried jasper, well pleased. “now, what will they be, polly?”
“why, mr. dyce's story of the dog,” said polly, “for one thing; phronsie thinks that's perfectly lovely, and always asks him for it when he tells her stories.”
“all right,” said jasper. “what next?”
“why, tom must sing one of his funny songs.”
“yes, of course. that will please her ever so much,” cried jasper. “don't you know how she claps her hands when he's rehearsing, polly?”
“yes; oh, i wouldn't have her miss that for anything, jasper,” said polly.
“no, indeed,” cried jasper heartily. “well, polly, then what ought to come next? let's come into the den and fix it up now.”
so they ran into the den; and jasper got out the long program all ready to be pinned up beside the improvised stage, on the evening of the great event, and spread it on the table, polly meanwhile clearing off the books.303
“let's see.” he wrinkled up his brow, running his finger down the whole length. “now, when i make the new program, mr. dyce goes first.”
polly stood quite still at that. “oh, jasper, we can't do it—no, never in all this world.”
“why, polly,”—he turned suddenly—“yes, we can just as easily. see, polly.”
“we can't spoil that lovely program that took you so long to make, for anything,” said polly, in a decisive fashion. “phronsie wouldn't want it,” she added.
“phronsie isn't to know anything about it,” said jasper, just as decidedly.
“well, but jasper, you can't make another; you haven't the time,” said polly in great distress, and wishing she hadn't said anything about the changes. “i didn't think there would have to be a new program made.”
“oh, polly, i think we'd better have a new one,” said jasper, who was very particular about everything.
“i thought we were going to have changes announced from the stage,” said polly. “oh, why can't we, jasper? i'm sure they do that very often.”304
“well, that's when the changes come at the last moment,” said jasper reluctantly.
“well, i'm sure this is the last moment,” said polly. “the entertainment is to-morrow night, and we've ever so much to do yet. please, jasper.” that “please, jasper,” won the day.
“all right, polly,” he said. “well, now let's see what ought to come after tom's song.”
“well, phronsie is very anxious to hear pickering's piece; i know, because i heard her tell mamsie so.”
“why, she has heard pick recite that ever so many times since he learned it for our school exhibition,” said jasper.
“and don't you know that's just the very reason why she wants it again?” said polly, with a little laugh.
“yes, of course,” said jasper, laughing too. “well, she must have it then. so down goes pick.” he ran to the table drawer and drew out a big sheet of paper. “first, mr. dyce, then tom beresford, then pickering dodge,” writing fast.
“and then,” said polly, running up to look over his shoulder, “phronsie wants dreadfully to hear tom play on his banjo.”305
“oh, polly,”—jasper threw back his head to look at her—“i don't believe there'll be time for all that; you know the music by miss taylor comes first as an overture. we can't change that.”
“why,” exclaimed polly in dismay, “we must, jasper, get tom's banjo in; and there's percy's piece. phronsie wouldn't miss that for anything.”
“why, we shall have the whole program in if we keep on,” said jasper, looking at her in dismay.
“oh, jasper, papa fisher says that phronsie may stay in twenty minutes. just think; we can do a lot in twenty minutes.”
“but somebody is bound to be late, so we can't begin on time. nobody ever does, polly.”
“we must,” said polly passionately, “begin on time to-morrow night, jasper.”
“we'll try,” said jasper, as cheerfully as he could manage.
“and there's your piece. why, jasper, phronsie told me herself that she must hear yours.”
“well, and so she told me that she'd rather hear you play your piece,” said jasper; “but you and i, polly, as long as we change the program, can't come in among the first.”306
“no, of course not,” said polly. “but, oh, jasper,” and she gave a sigh, “it's too bad that you can't recite yours, for it is most beautiful!” polly clasped her hands and sighed again.
“well, that's not to be thought of,” said jasper. “now i tell you how we'll fix it, polly,” he said quickly.
“how?” asked polly gloomily.
“why, we have twenty minutes that phronsie can stay in. now, let's mark off all those things that she wants, except yours and mine, even if they come beyond the time; and then we'll draw just those that will get into the twenty minutes.”
“oh, jasper, what a fine idea!” exclaimed polly, all her enthusiasm returning.
“well, mark off half of 'em, and i'll write the others,” said jasper, tearing off strips from his big sheet of paper. so polly and he fell to work; and presently “pick,” and “tom” (“that's for the song,” said polly), and “banjo,” and “mr. dyce,” and “percy,” went down on the little strips.
“oh, and i forgot,” said polly, raising her head from her last strip, “phronsie wanted to hear clare very much indeed.”
“oh, i do hope i shall draw the right one, jasper.”
“well, we should have had the whole program with a vengeance,” said jasper, bursting into a laugh. “well, put him down, polly.”
so “clare” went down on another strip, and then they were all jumbled up in a little chinese bowl on the bookcase.
“now, you draw first, polly,” said jasper.
“oh, no, let us choose for first draw,” said polly; “that's the way to be absolutely right.”
so she ran back to the table and tore off two more strips, one short and the other long, and fixed them in between her hands.
“you didn't see?” she asked over her shoulder.
“not a wink,” said jasper, laughing.
so polly ran back, and jasper drew the short one. “there; you have it, polly!” he cried gleefully. “oh, that's good!”
“oh, i do hope i shall draw the right one, jasper,” she said, standing on tiptoe, her fingers trembling over the bowl.
“they are all of them good,” said jasper encouragingly. so polly suddenly picked out one; and together they read, “tom.”
“fine!” they shouted.
“oh, isn't that perfectly splendid?” cried polly, “because, you see, phronsie did so very much wish to hear tom sing,” just as if she308 hadn't mentioned that fact before. “now, jasper.”
“i'm in much the same predicament as you were,” said jasper, pausing, his hand over the bowl. “if i shouldn't choose the right one, polly!”
“they are all of them good,” said polly, laughing at his face.
“oh, i know, but it is a fearful responsibility,” said jasper, wrinkling his brows worse yet. “well, here goes!”
he plunged his fingers in, and out they came with the strip, “percy.”
“now, jasper, you couldn't possibly have chosen better,” declared polly, hopping up and down, “for phronsie did so want to hear percy speak. and it will please percy so. oh, i'm so glad!”
“well, i'm thankful i haven't to draw again,” declared jasper, “for we can't have but three pieces beside the overture, you know. so it's your turn now, polly.”
“oh dear me!” exclaimed polly, the color dying down in her cheek, “if i shouldn't draw the right one, jasper king; and it's the last chance.”
she stood so long with her hand poised over309 the chinese bowl, that jasper finally laughed out. “oh, polly, aren't your tiptoes tired?”
“not half so tired as i am,” said polly grimly. “jasper, i'm going to run across the room, and then run back and draw suddenly without stopping to think.”
“do,” cried jasper.
so polly ran into the further corner, and came flying up, to get on her tiptoes, thrust in her fingers, and bring out the third and last strip.
“the deed is done!” exclaimed jasper. “now, polly, let's see who it is.”
“pick!” he shouted.
and “pickering!” screamed polly. and they took hold of hands and spun round and round the den.
“oh, dear, we're knocking off your beautiful program,” cried polly, pausing in dismay.
“it hasn't hurt it any—our mad whirl hasn't,” said jasper, picking up the long program where it had slipped off the table to the floor. “polly, you can't think how i wanted pick to be chosen. it will do him so much good.”
“and only think, if i hadn't chosen him out of that bowl!” cried polly, in dismay at the very thought.310
“well, you did, polly, so it's all right,” said jasper. “now everything is fixed, and it's going to be the finest affair that ever was,” he added enthusiastically; “and the best of it is—i can't help it, polly—that mrs. chatterton isn't to come back till next week,” he brought up in great satisfaction.
mrs. chatterton had gone to new york for some weeks, but was to return to finish her visit at “cousin horatio's.”
“and i am so glad too,” confessed polly, but feeling as if she oughtn't to say it. “and isn't everything just beautiful, jasper!”
“i should think it was!” cried jasper jubilantly. “just as perfect as can be, polly.”
and the next afternoon, when the last preparations for the grand entertainment were made, and everybody was rushing off to dress for dinner, a carriage drove up the winding driveway. there were big trunks on the rack, and two people inside.
joel, racing along the hall with tom at his heels, took one look. “oh, whickets!” he ejaculated, stopping short, to bring his feet down with a thud.
“what's the row?” asked tom, plunging up to him in amazement.311
“that person.” joel pointed a finger at the carriage. “i must tell polly,” and off he darted.
tom, not feeling at all sure that he ought to wait to see “that person,” wheeled about and followed.
“polly,” roared joel, long before he got to her. “she's come!”
“has she?” polly called back, supposing he meant alexia. “well, tell her to come up here, joe, in my room.”
joel took the stairs two at a time, tom waiting below, and dashed into the blue and white room without ceremony.
“polly, you don't understand,” he blurted out; “she's come!”
polly had her head bent over a drawer, picking out some ribbons. at the sound of joel's voice she drew it out and looked at him.
“why, how funny you look, joe!” she said. “what is the matter?”
“i guess you'd look funny,” said joel glumly, “if you'd seen mrs. chatterton.”
“not mrs. chatterton!” exclaimed polly aghast; and jumping up, her face very pale, and upsetting her box of ribbons, she seized joel's arm.312
“tell me this very minute, joel pepper,” she commanded, “what do you mean?”
“mrs. chatterton has just come. i saw her coming up the drive. there's johnson now letting her in.” joel had it all out now in a burst, ready to cry at sight of polly's face, as the bustle in the hall below and the thin, high voice proclaimed the worst.
“oh, joel, joel!” mourned polly, releasing his arm to wring her hands. “what shall we do?”
“she's an old harpy,” declared joel; “mean, horrid, old thing!”
“oh, stop, joel!” cried polly, quite horrified.
“well, she is,” said joel vindictively, “to come before we'd got back to school.”
“well, don't say so,” begged polly, having hard work to keep back her own words, crowding for utterance. “mamsie wouldn't like it, joey.”
joel, with this thought on his mind, only grumbled out something so faintly that really polly couldn't hear as she ran out into the hall.
“oh, jasper!”
“polly, did you know? what can we do?” it was impossible for him to conceal his vexation. and polly lost sight of her own discomfiture, in the attempt to comfort him.313
“and father—it will just make him as miserable as can be,” said jasper gloomily. “and he was so happy over the beautiful time we were going to have this evening.” he was so vexed he could do nothing but prance up and down the hall.
“well, we must make him forget that she is here,” said polly, swallowing her own distress at the change of all the conditions.
“how can we, polly?” jasper stopped for a minute and stared at her.
“i mean,” said polly, feeling that it was a very hopeless case after all, “that we mustn't show that we mind it, her coming back, and must act as if we forgot it; and then that will keep him happy perhaps.”
“if you only will, polly,” cried jasper, seizing both of her hands, “it will be the best piece of work you ever did.”
“oh, i can't do it alone,” exclaimed polly, in consternation. “never in all this world, jasper, unless you help too.”
“then we'll both try our very best,” said jasper. “i'm sure i ought to; 'twould be mean enough to expect you to go at such a task alone.”314
“oh, you couldn't be mean, jasper,” declared polly, in horror at the very thought.
“well, i should be if i left you to tackle this by yourself,” said jasper, with a grim little laugh. “so polly, there's my hand on it. i'll help you.”
and polly ran back to pick up her ribbons and dress for dinner, feeling somehow very happy after all, that there was something she could do for dear grandpapa to help him bear this great calamity.
tom beresford, meanwhile, withdrew from the great hall when johnson ushered in the tall, stately woman and her french maid, and took shelter in the library. and mrs. whitney, coming over the stairs, saying, “well, cousin eunice, did you have a pleasant journey?” in the gentle voice tom so loved, gave him the first inkling of the relationship. but he wrinkled his brows at joel's exclamation, and his queer way of rushing off.
“you know journeys always tire me, marian. so that your question is quite useless. i will sit in the library a moment to recover myself. hortense, go up and prepare my room,” and she sailed into the apartment, her heavy silk gown swishing close to tom's chair.315
“who is that boy?” she demanded sharply. then she put up her lorgnette, and examined him closely as if of a new and probably dangerous species.
tom slipped off from his chair and stiffened up.
“it's one of joel's friends,” said mrs. whitney, slipping her hand within the tall boy's arm. “the boys are at home from school for a week.”
“joel's friends,” repeated mrs. chatterton, paying scant attention to the rest of the information. then she gave a scornful cackle. “haven't you gotten over that nonsense yet, marian?” she asked.
“no; and i trust i never shall,” replied mrs. whitney with a happy smile. “now, cousin eunice, as you wish to rest, we will go,” and she drew tom off.
“my boy,” she said, releasing him in the hall, to give a bright glance up at the stormy, astonished face above her, “i know you and joel will get dressed as rapidly as possible for dinner, for my father will not want to be annoyed by a lack of promptness to-night.” she did not say, “because he will have annoyance enough,” but tom guessed it all.316
“i will, mrs. whitney,” he promised heartily. and, thinking he would go to the ends of the earth for her, to be smiled on like that, he plunged off over the stairs.
“i've seen the old cat,” he cried in smothered wrath to joel, rushing into his room.
joel sat disconsolately on the edge of his bed, kicking off his heavy shoes, to replace with his evening ones.
“have you?” said joel grimly. “well, isn't she a—” then he remembered mamsie, and snapped his lips to.
“'a,'” exclaimed tom, in smothered wrath, as he closed the door. “she isn't 'a' at all, joe. she's 'the.'”
“well, do be still,” cried joel, putting on his best shoes nervously, “or you'll have me saying something. and she's visiting here; and mamsie wouldn't like it. don't, tom,” he begged.
“i won't,” said tom, with a monstrous effort, “but—oh dear me!” then he rushed into his own room and banged about, getting his best clothes out.
“shut the door,” roared joel after him, “or you'll begin to fume, and i can't stand it, tom; it will set me off.”317
so tom shut the door; and with all these precautions going on over the house, all the family in due time appeared at dinner, prepared as best they could be to bear the infliction of mrs. chatterton's return.
and after the conclusion of the meal, why, everybody tried to forget it as much as possible, and give themselves up to the grand affair of the evening.
and old mr. king, who had been consumed with fear that it would have a disastrous effect on polly and jasper, the chief getters-up of the entertainment, came out of his fright nicely; for there they were, as bright and jolly as ever, and fully equal to any demands upon them. so he made up his mind that, after all, he could put up with cousin eunice a bit longer, and that the affair was to be an immense success and the very finest thing possible.
and everybody else who was present on the eventful occasion, said so too! and it seemed as if mr. king's spacious drawing-room, famous for its capacity at all such times, couldn't possibly have admitted another person to this entertainment for the benefit of the poor brakeman's family.318
and joel, who wasn't good at recitations, and who detested all that sort of thing, and van, for the same reason, were both in their element as ticket takers. and the little pink and yellow squares came in so thick and fast that both boys had all they could do for a while—which was saying a good deal—to collect them.
and everybody said that miss mary taylor had never played such a beautiful overture—and she was capable of a good deal along that line—in all her life; and phronsie, sitting well to the front, between old mr. king and helen fargo, forgot that she ever had a hurt arm, and that it lay bandaged up in her lap.
and little dick, when he could lose sight of the fact that he wasn't next to phronsie instead of helen fargo, snuggled up contentedly against mother fisher, and applauded everything straight through.
and old mr. king protested that he was perfectly satisfied with the whole thing, which was saying the most that could be expressed for the quality of the entertainment; and he took particular pains to applaud tom beresford, who looked very handsome, and acquitted himself well.319
“i must,” said tom to himself, although quaking inwardly, “for they've all been so good to me—and for joel's sake!” so he sang at his very best. and he played his banjo merrily, and he was encored and encored; and joel was as proud as could be, which did tom good to see.
and percy—well, the tears of joy came into his mother's eyes, for it wasn't easy for him to learn pieces, nor in fact to apply himself to study at all. but no one would have suspected it to see him now on that stage. and grandpapa king was so overjoyed that he called “bravo—bravo!” ever so many times, which carried percy on triumphantly over the difficult spots where he had been afraid he should slip.
“if only his father could hear him!” sighed mrs. whitney in the midst of her joy, longing as she always did for the time when the father could finish those trips over the sea, for his business house.
polly had made jasper consent, which he did reluctantly, to give his recitation before she played; insisting that music was really better for a finale. and she listened with such delight to the applause that he received—for ever so many of the audience said it was the gem of the320 whole—that she quite forgot to be nervous about her own performance; and she played her nocturne with such a happy heart, thinking over the lovely evening, and how the money would be, oh, such a heap to take down on the morrow to the poor brakeman's home, that jasper was turning the last page of her music—and the entertainment was at an end!
polly hopped off from the music stool. there was a great clapping all over the room, and grandpapa called out, “yes, child, play again,” so there was nothing for polly to do but to hop back again and give them another selection. and then they clapped harder yet; but polly shook her brown head, and rushed off the stage.
and then, of course, grandpapa gave them, as he always did, a fine party to wind up the evening with. and the camp chairs were folded up and carried off, and a company of musicians came into the alcove in the spacious hall, and all through the beautiful, large apartments festivity reigned!
“look at the old cat,” said tom in a smothered aside to joel, his next neighbor in the “sir roger de coverley.” “isn't she a sight!”
“i don't want to,” said joel, with a grimace,321 “and it's awfully mean in you, tom, to ask me.”
“i know it,” said tom penitently, “but i can't keep my eyes off from her. how your grandfather can stand it, pepper, i don't see.”
and a good many other people were asking themselves the same question, madam dyce among the number, to whom mrs. chatterton was just remarking, “cousin horatio is certainly not the same man.”
“no,” replied madam dyce distinctly, “he is infinitely improved; so approachable now.”
“you mistake me,” mrs. chatterton said angrily, “i mean there is the greatest change come over him; it's lamentable, and all brought about by his inexplicable infatuation over those low-born pepper children and their designing mother.”
“mrs. chatterton,” said madam dyce—she could be quite as stately as mr. king's cousin, and as she felt in secure possession of the right in the case, she was vastly more impressive—“i am not here to go over this question, nor shall i discuss it anywhere with you. you know my mind about it. i only wish i had the peppers—yes, every single one of them,” warmed up the old lady,—“in my house, and that fine woman, their mother, along with them.”
