Five Little Peppers at School Part 24

"Yes," said Polly, with a sigh, "it would, Jasper. But Miss Salisbury never will in all this world let the boys' school join."

"No, I suppose not," said Jasper, stifling his longing; "well, you must tell me about it to-night, the same as always, Polly."

"Yes, I will, Jasper," promised Polly. So he turned the corner, to go to his school. But presently he heard rapid footsteps back of him. "Oh Jasper," cried Polly, flushed and panting, as he whirled about, "tell Phronsie I won't forget the little fern-roots. Be sure, Jasper."

"All right; I will," said Jasper. "Dear me! do hurry back, Polly. You'll be late."

"Oh no, there are oceans of time," said Polly, with a little laugh.

"I've the tin case in my picnic basket, Jasper, so they will keep all fresh and nice."

"Yes; do hurry back," begged Jasper. So Polly, with a merry nod, raced off to the corner where the girls were drawn up in a knot, impatiently waiting for her.

Every bit of the fuss and parade in getting the big company started--for all the scholars went to the annual picnic--was a special delight to the girls. The only trouble was that the seats were not all end ones, while the favorite places up by the driver were necessarily few in each vehicle.

"Come on, Polly," screamed Alexia. Everybody had agreed that she should have one of these choice positions because of her lame arm, which Dr.

Fisher had said must be carried in its sling this day. So there she was, calling l.u.s.tily for Polly Pepper, and beating the cus.h.i.+on impatiently with her well hand. "Oh, _do_ hurry up!"

Polly, down on the ground in a swarm of girls, shook her head. "No," her lips said softly, so that no one but Alexia, who was leaning over for that purpose, could possibly hear, "ask Cathie."

"Oh bother!" exclaimed Alexia, with a frown. Then she smothered it up with a "Come, Polly," very persuasively.

"Can't," said Polly; "I'm going back here." And she moved down to the end of the barge.

"Then I'm going back too." Alexia gave a frantic dive to get down from the barge.

Miss Salisbury saw it; and as she had planned to give Alexia just that very pleasure of riding on the front seat, she was naturally somewhat disturbed. "No, no, my dear," seeing Alexia's efforts to get down, "stay where you are."

"Oh dear me!" Alexia craned her long neck around the side of the vehicle, to spy Polly's movements. "I don't want to be mewed up here,"

she cried discontentedly. But Miss Salisbury, feeling well satisfied with her plan for making Alexia happy, had moved off. And the babel and tumult waged so high, over the placing of the big company, all the girls chattering and laughing at once, that Alexia, call as she might, began to despair of attracting Polly's attention, or Cathie's either for that matter.

"You better set down," said the driver, an old man whom Miss Salisbury employed every year to superintend the business, "and make yourself comfortable."

"But I'm not in the least comfortable," said Alexia pa.s.sionately, "and I don't want to be up here. I want to get down."

"But you can't,"--the old man seemed to fairly enjoy her dismay,--"'cause she, you know," pointing a short square thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Miss Salisbury, "told ye to set still. So ye better set."

But Alexia craned her neck yet more, and called insistently, "Polly--oh, Polly!"

Miss Anstice looked up from the bevy of girls she was settling in another barge. "Alexia Rhys," she said severely, "you must be quiet; it is impossible to get started unless all you girls are going to be tractable and obedient."

"Miss Anstice,"--Alexia formed a sudden bold resolve,--"please come here. I want you very much," she said sweetly.

Miss Anstice, pleased to be wanted very much, or indeed at all, left her work, and went over to the front barge where Alexia was raging inwardly.

"Miss Anstice, I need Polly Pepper up next to me," said Alexia, "oh, so much. She knows all about my arm, you know; her father fixed it for me.

Will you please have her come up here? Then if I should feel worse, she could help me."

Miss Anstice peered here and there in her nearsighted fas.h.i.+on. "I don't see Polly Pepper," she said.

"There she is; there she is," cried Alexia, trembling in every limb, for her plan could not be said to be a complete success yet, and pointing eagerly to the end of her barge; "she's the fourth from the door, Miss Anstice. Oh, how lovely you are!"

Miss Anstice, quite overcome to be told she was lovely, and especially by Alexia, who had previously given her no reason to suppose that she entertained any such opinion, went with great satisfaction down the length of the barge, and standing on her tiptoes, said very importantly, "Polly Pepper, I want to place you differently."

So Polly, quite puzzled, but very obedient, crawled out from her seat, where she was wedged in between two girls not of her set, who had been perfectly radiant at their good fortune, and clambering down the steps, was, almost before she knew it, installed up on the front row, by Alexia's side.

"Oh Polly, what richness!" exclaimed that individual in smothered accents, as Miss Anstice stepped off in much importance, and hugging Polly. "I'm so glad my sling is on, for I never'd gotten you up here without the old thing," and she giggled as she told the story.

"Oh Alexia!" exclaimed Polly, quite shocked.

"Well, I may get a relapse in it, you don't know," said Alexia coolly, "so you really ought to be up here. Oh my goodness me! I forgot this man," she brought up suddenly. "Do you suppose he'll tell?" She peered around anxiously past Polly.

"Ef you'll set still, I won't tell that teacher," said the old man with a twinkle in his eye, "but ef you get to carryin' on, as I should think you could ef you set out to, I'll up an' give the whole thing to her."

"Oh, I'll sit as still as a mouse," promised Alexia. "Oh Polly, isn't he a horrible old thing!" in a stage whisper under cover of the noise going on around them.

"Hush," said Polly.

"Well, I'm not going to hush," cried Alexia recklessly; "I'm going to have a good time at the picnic to-day, and do just everything I want to, so there, Polly Pepper!"

"Very well," said Polly, "then when we get to the Glen, I shall go off with the other girls, Alexia," which had the desired effect. Alexia curled up into her corner, and hanging to Polly Pepper's arm, was just like a mouse for quiet. And off they went; the old man's whip going crack--_snap_! as he led the way with a grand flourish, as much better than his efforts of former years, as was possible!

The road led through winding, woodsy paths, redolent of sweet fern; the girls never tired of its delights, exclaiming at all the sights and sounds of country life at all such moments as were not filled to the brim with the songs that ran over from their happy hearts. So on and up they went to the Glen, a precipitous ravine some fifteen miles out from the city.

When the barges finally drew up with another grand flourish at the entrance, a smooth gra.s.sy plateau shaded by oaks and drooping elms, they simply poured out a stream of girls from each conveyance; the old man and his companion drivers laughing to see them tumble out. "Pretty quick work, eh, Bill?" said old man Kimball, "no screaming for first places now."

"It's the same beautiful, dear old Glen!" exclaimed Polly, with kindling eyes and dancing feet. "Oh Alexia, come on!" and seizing the well hand, they spun round and round, unable to keep still, having plenty of company, all the other girls following suit.

Polly looked at her little watch. "In five minutes we must stop. It'll be time to get the flowers."

"Oh, can we?" cried Alexia. "Misery me! I'm so tired cooped up in that barge, I feel stiff as a jointed doll, Polly Pepper."

"Well, I don't," said Polly, dancing away for dear life. "Oh Alexia, when Miss Salisbury gives the signal to explore, won't it be just fun!"

"I should say," cried Alexia, unable to find words that would just express the case.

There was always one routine to be observed in the annual picnic of the "Salisbury School," and no one thought for a moment of deviating from it. The maids collected the baskets taken from the wagons, and set them in a cool, shady place among the rocks just within the Glen. The girls ran hither and thither to collect flowers and ferns to drape Miss Salisbury's seat of honor, and one as near like it as possible for Miss Anstice. These were big crevices in the rocks, that were as comfortable as chairs, and having backs to them in the shape of boulders, they were truly luxurious. Indeed, Miss Salisbury had declared, when the seats were discovered by Polly Pepper at the first picnic after she joined the "Salisbury School," that she never sat in one more comfortable; and she was so pleased when she was led to it and inducted therein, all flower-trimmed with little vines trailing off, and arching over her head.

"Why, my dears!" she exclaimed, quite overcome. "Oh, how pretty! and how did you think of it?"

"It was Polly Pepper who thought of it," said a parlor boarder. And Polly, blus.h.i.+ng rosy red, a new girl as she was, was led up, and Miss Salisbury set a kiss on her round cheek. Polly never forgot how happy she was that day.

And afterward, when the girls were busy in various little groups, Miss Salisbury had beckoned Polly to her side where she reposed on her throne; for it was beautiful and stately enough for one, and quite worthy of royalty itself.

"Polly," said Miss Salisbury, in quite a low tone only fitted for Polly's ear, "do you think you could find a seat, like this beautiful one of mine, for sister? I should really enjoy it so very much more if sister had one also and she would prize the attention very much, Polly, from you girls."

So Polly, fired with the laudable desire to find one exactly like Miss Salisbury's very own, for "sister," at last was just so fortunate. So that was also flower-trimmed, with trailing vines to finish it off with.

And every year, the first thing the girls did after dancing around a bit to rest their feet after the long drive, was to set to work to collect the vines and ferns, and decorate the two stone seats.

Then with quite a good deal of pomp and ceremony, the girls escorted the two teachers to their thrones, unpacked the little bag of books and magazines, and arranged some cus.h.i.+ons and shawls about them. And then Miss Salisbury always said with a sweet smile, "Thank you, my dears."