Five Little Peppers Abroad

  IX

  A BOX FOR THE PEPPER BOYS

  "Mamsie, have we been here a whole week in Amsterdam," cried Polly,leaning out of the window to look up and down the canal where themany-coloured boats lay, "beside all those days at Scheveningen? Ican't believe it!"

  "It doesn't seem possible," Mother Fisher answered musingly, and herhands dropped to her lap, where they lay quietly folded.

  "Mamsie,"--Polly suddenly drew in her gaze from the charming old canaland its boats, and sprang to Mrs. Fisher's side,--"do you know, I thinkit was just the loveliest thing in all the world for Grandpapa to bringdear Mr. and Mrs. Henderson abroad with us? I do, Mamsie."

  "Mr. King is always doing good, kind things," said Mrs. Fisher, comingout of her revery, as Polly threw herself down on the floor and laidher head in her mother's lap, just as she used to do at home. "Ihaven't done this for so long," she said, "and it is so good!"

  "That is the only drawback about travel," observed Mother Fisher, herhand passing soothingly over Polly's head, "that there never seems tobe time for the little home ways that are so good. Now we must make thetime and keep it, Polly."

  "Indeed we will," cried Polly, seizing Mamsie's other hand to cuddle itunder her chin, "and I'm going to begin right now. It makes me think ofthe little brown house, Mamsie, whenever you smooth my hair. What goodtimes we used to have there!"

  Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene asever. "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.

  "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the oldstove when it acted badly. But then came my new stove. Mamsie, wasn'tPapa Fisher splendid? And then he saved my eyes. Just think, Mamsie, Inever can love him half enough. I wish I could do something for him,"she mourned, just as she did in the old days.

  "You do, Polly; you are doing something every day of your life," saidher mother, reassuringly. "Never think that you don't do anything. Why,it was only this very morning that your father told me that you werehis little helper, and that he depended on you to cheer him up."

  "Did he say that?" asked Polly, much gratified, poking up her head tolook at her mother. "Oh, I want to be, but I don't know how to helphim. Papa Fisher always seems to be doing something for other people,and not to need anybody to do things for him."

  "Ah, Polly, when you have lived longer," said Mrs. Fisher, "you willknow that those who are doing things always for other people, are thevery ones who need cheering up, for they never complain. Your father,in going about as he does, day after day, to the hospitals andeverywhere, where he can learn anything that will make him a betterdoctor, is working very hard indeed, and yet think how cheerful he iswhen he comes home! And he says you help to keep him so, Polly." Shebent over and set a kiss on Polly's red cheek.

  "Mamsie," cried Polly, with a glow where the kiss had dropped, "I'mgoing to try harder than ever to see wherever I can find a time to helpPapa-Doctor. And I hope that one will come soon."

  "And you'll find just such a time will come; it never fails to when youwatch for it," said Mother Fisher, wisely. Just then the door opened,and Phronsie, fresh from the hands of Matilda, who had been changingher gown, came in with Araminta in her arms. When she saw Polly on thefloor with her head in Mamsie's lap, she got down by her side andcurled up there, too.

  "Smooth my hair, do, Mamsie," she begged.

  "Mamsie's got her two bothers," said Polly, with a little laugh.

  "Mamsie doesn't mind her bothers," said Mrs. Fisher, her other handgoing softly over Phronsie's yellow hair, at which Phronsie gave asmall sigh of content, and wriggled her toes as they were stretched outstraight before her on the carpet, "if only they grow up a littlebetter every day than they were the day before."

  "We'll try to, Mamsie," said Polly, "won't we, Pet?" leaning over andkissing her.

  "I'll try to," promised Phronsie, with another wriggle of her smalltoes.

  "That's right," said Mother Fisher, smiling approval.

  "Mrs. Fisher!" called Grandpapa's voice at the door. Thereupon Pollyand Phronsie sprang to their feet, and a lively race ensued to seewhich should be there the first to open it. The consequence was thatboth faces met him at once.

  "Bless me!" cried old Mr. King, laughing gaily, as the door flew open,and they both rushed into his arms; "so you did like to have your oldGrandfather come to see you," he exclaimed, mightily pleased.

  "I should think we did!" cried Polly, as they escorted him in, and ledhim to the seat of honour, a big carved arm-chair, with a fadedtapestry covering.

  "I should very much like to get into your lap, Grandpapa dear," saidPhronsie, surveying him gravely as he sat down and leaned his headagainst the chair back.

  "So you shall," cried Mr. King, lifting her up to his knee, Aramintaand all. She perched there in quiet content, while he set forth hisbusiness which he had come to talk over with Mother Fisher.

  "Now, you know those three boys of yours are the most splendid boysthat ever were in all this world, and they are working away at home,studying and all that, Joel and David are, and Ben is pegging away atbusiness." Old Mr. King thought best to go to the heart of the matterat once without any dallying.

  Mrs. Fisher's cheek grew a shade paler, but she said not a word as shefastened her black eyes on his face.

  "Hem--well, we don't talk much about those boys," observed the oldgentleman, "because it makes us all homesick after them, and it's bestthat they should be there, and that we should be here, so that wassettled once for all by our coming."

  Still Mrs. Fisher said not a word.

  "Well, now, the fact of it is," continued old Mr. King, still keepingto the main point with wonderful directness, "I think the time has comefor us to act, which is much better than talking, in my opinion; and Iwant to do something for those boys."

  A pin could have been heard to drop. Polly leaned over his chair andhung on his words, while Mrs. Fisher never took her eyes from his face.

  "In short," continued old Mr. King, well pleased with the attention ofhis audience, "I propose that we send a box of good things of variousdescriptions to Ben and Joel and David."

  A small howl of delight from Polly broke the silence. When she heardthat, Phronsie gave a little crow. "Oh, Grandpapa!" exclaimed Polly,"do you really mean it?" and she threw her arms around his neck.Phronsie immediately clambered up and did the same thing.

  "That's just as your mother shall decide," said Mr. King, immenselypleased with the way his news was received. "She hasn't said a word yetwhether she likes the idea or not."

  "It's just because I couldn't speak at first," said Mrs. Fisher, wipingher eyes; and her voice trembled. "But it's the very thing; and oh!thank you, sir, for thinking of it. The boys won't be so homesick forus when they get the box. And it will be the best thing in the worldfor us to keep busy, so we can't worry about them."

  "Mamsie _has_ said 'yes'!" exclaimed Polly, flying off to dance aroundand around in the middle of the room. "Oh, I wish Jasper was here!" shecried regretfully, breaking short off.

  "Go and call him, then,--he's down in the reading room, writing to theboys,--and bring him up here," said old Mr. King. "No, no, Phronsie,you want to stay and take care of me," as Phronsie showed signs ofslipping down from his lap to go too.

  "I'll stay and take care of you," said Phronsie, obediently; "just letme lay Araminta down, Grandpapa, on the sofa, and then I'll come backand rub your head."

  So she got down and set Araminta up straight against the sofa back, andthen came and clambered up again into his lap. By this time Polly andJasper, racing along the hall, had reached Mother Fisher's room.

  "That's regularly splendid, father." Jasper tossed his dark hair backfrom his forehead, and his eyes sparkled. "Oh, can't we go out rightaway and begin to buy the presents?"

  "I shouldn't think that idea was a half-bad one," said old Mr. King."What do you say, Mrs. Fisher? If we are going to send the box, whyisn't it best to begin the work at once? There's never so good a timeas now, in my opinion. I'
m sure you agree with me."

  On Mother Fisher saying "yes," all three of the young people took holdof hands, and danced around the room in glee. For old Mr. King setPhronsie down, with, "There, go, child, and spin with the others; thenall hurry and get your hats on, and we'll be off."

  And in less time than it takes to write it, old Mr. King and MotherFisher and Jasper and Polly and Phronsie all hurried out of the hotel,and began a round of the shops to get the things together for thewonderful box to go home to the boys. And though Polly didn't know it,several other things, that boys wouldn't be supposed to care for in theleast, were slyly added to the purchases, when she wasn't looking, tobe sent home to the hotel in separate parcels to Mr. King. For Pollywas going to have a birthday before very long; though she had quiteforgotten it in the excitement over this box for Ben and Joel and David.

  "It's just like buying things for Christmas, isn't it, Jasper?" saidPolly, as they hung over the show-cases and peered into windows; "onlyeverything is so funny here. Oh, no, Phronsie, that won't do; it's toobig," as Phronsie protested that nothing was so nice as a huge Delftplate hanging on the wall. There was a big windmill and several littlewindmills in the distance along a Dutch canal, and two or three cows inthe foreground, and a peasant girl with a basket in her hand. Phronsiestood and gazed at it all the time they were in this particular shop.

  "I like that little girl," she said, "and those cows; and they are likeDeacon Blodgett's cows at home in Badgertown. And Ben would like it,and Joel, and David." And all Polly could do, she would still say, "Ilike it, Polly, and I want Grandpapa to send it."

  At last Polly turned in despair to Jasper. "Oh, what can we do?" shecried; "she is just as determined as she was when she would send thegingerbread boy to Grandpapa."

  "Well, I think we would better not try to get her away from the idea,"said Jasper, with a look at the rapt little face. Phronsie was nowkneeling on a Flemish oak chair, and studying the Delft plate withabsorbed attention.

  "No," said Polly, with a sigh, "I suppose it isn't any use to try whenshe looks like that." Just then old Mr. King, who had been busy in afarther corner with the proprietor of the shop, picking out some smallarticles that struck his fancy, turned and called Phronsie. She didn'thear him, being too absorbed. And so he laid down the little silverpaper-cutter he was looking at, and came over to see what was thematter.

  "Well, child," he said, looking over her shoulder. "And so you likethat, hey?"

  Phronsie drew a long breath. "I do, Grandpapa, like it very muchindeed," she said.

  "Well, then, I don't see but what you must have it. And it shall hangin your own little room at home, Phronsie."

  "But I don't want it for my very own, Grandpapa," said Phronsie; "itmust go in the box for Ben and Joel and David."

  "Dear me! You think they would like it, Phronsie?" he asked doubtfully,and just on the point of saying, like Polly, "it's too big, child,"when he stopped himself and finished up--"and so it pleases you,Phronsie?"

  "Yes, it does," said Phronsie, with an emphatic little nod; "I lovethat nice cow, and that little girl. Grandpapa, I think I should liketo live in a windmill."

  "Bless me! I think you wouldn't want to live there very long, child.Well, the plate shall go to the boys, and I only hope they will likeit," he said to himself, dubiously.

  "He is going to send it," Jasper and Polly said to each other, peeringround an angle in the shop at the two. "Well, it's a mercy it's got acow on it instead of a cat," said Jasper. "How Joel would howl ifPhronsie sent him the picture of a cat!"

  "She would if there were a cat to be found," said Polly; "don't youbelieve, Jasper, but what she would?"