it was quite impossible that the detailed records presented through the later pepper books, of the doings and sayings of the "little brown house" family, should omit ben. he, the eldest-born of mother pepper's brood, and her mainstay after the father died, the quiet, "steady-as-a-rock boy," as the badgertown people all called him, with lots of fun in him too, because he could not help it, being a pepper, was worthy of a book to himself.

so the hosts of readers of the pepper series decided, and many of them accordingly be-sought the author to give ben a chance to be better known. he was always so ready to efface himself, that it was margaret sidney's responsibility, after all, to bring him more to the front, to be understood by all who loved his life in the earlier records.

so margaret sidney, despite ben's wishes, has written this latest volume. to do it, polly and joel and david and phronsie have told her most lovingly the facts with which it is strewn. most of all, mother pepper-fisher contributed to the new book, out of a heart full of gratitude and love for her ben.

margaret sidney.