Five Little Peppers Abroad

  XXII

  POLLY TRIES TO HELP

  "Mamsie, what shall we do?" Polly clasped her hands in despair, andlooked down on Phronsie, sleeping away as if she meant to take her owntime to wake up, regardless of sunrise on the Rigi. "O dear me, and shewent to bed so early last night on purpose."

  "You go right along, Polly," said Mother Fisher. "Put on your golf capeover your jacket, child, it's dreadfully cold out there. I shall staywith Phronsie, for of course we wouldn't leave her alone with Matilda,and all go off for a nice time."

  "No, of course not," cried Polly, in horror at the mere thought.

  "And she's in such a nice sleep and so warm, that it's a pity to wakeher up," finished Mrs. Fisher.

  "O dear me," cried Polly, in distress, "I'd rather stay, Mamsie, andhave you go."

  "No," said Mrs. Fisher, firmly, "I shall stay, so that is all there isabout it, Polly. Now run along, child, and tell Matilda to hurry outtoo, for she wants to see the sunrise."

  Polly still lingered, until her mother looked up in surprise. "Why,Polly," she said, reprovingly.

  "O dear me!" exclaimed Polly, "I didn't mean to disobey, Mamsie, Ireally didn't; I'll go." And setting a kiss on Mother Fisher's blackhair, she ran out on unsteady feet, and with all her comfort gone.

  When she joined her group it would have been rather hard to distinguishany of them, as everybody was wrapped up in shawls and rugs, if Jasperhadn't been a sort of scout in waiting for her and Mrs. Fisher andPhronsie. And Tom could easily be picked out, for he hung around inJasper's wake, and besides, he was so very big.

  "Where are they?" asked Jasper, looking down the corridor back of her.

  "Oh, Mamsie isn't coming, nor Phronsie either, for she's asleep. AndMamsie made me come," finished Polly, dismally.

  "O dear me," said Jasper, quite gone in sympathy. Tom Selwyn poked hishead forward to hear, but, as it was something quite beyond his powersto help, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and kicked aimlessly onthe floor.

  "Well, come on, Polly," said Jasper, wishing he could lift the gloomfrom Polly's face, and feeling quite dismal himself.

  Little Dr. Fisher, muffled up in a big plaid shawl so that only hisspectacles gleamed in between the folds and his cap, suddenly edged upback of Polly, and dropped the folds away from his ears so that hecould hear what was going on. And when the group hurried out of thedoor, into the cold gray dawn, he was skipping down to his wife's room,in the liveliest way imaginable.

  Old Mr. King had gone on ahead with the parson, as he couldn't scrambleso fast. And now he met them with, "Well, are you all here--where'sPhronsie?"

  "Oh, Jasper, I can't tell him," gasped Polly, up on the tiptop bunch ofrocks, and trying to be glad of the promise of the beautiful sunrise tocome, for everybody agreed that it was apparently to be the best onethat had gladdened the hearts of travellers for years. Then she whirledaround and stared with all her might, "If there isn't Mamsie coming!"

  "As true as you live it is!" cried Jasper, with a good look, andspringing down the rocks to help her up. Tom Selwyn plunged after him,getting there first. So in the bustle, nobody answered Mr. King. Andhe, supposing from the merry chatter that Phronsie was in the midst ofit, concluded it best not to interrupt their fun, even if he could makethem hear.

  "Your father made me come, Polly," said Mrs. Fisher, coming up betweenthe two boys. "But I'd so much rather that he saw it." And her downcastface looked so very much like Polly, that Jasper thought matters hadn'tbettered themselves any.

  "But, Mamsie," said Polly, creeping up to her with all the comfort shecould, "it makes him happy, just as it made you happy to have me go."

  "I know it," said Mother Fisher, with a sigh, "but he has so fewpleasures, Polly, and he works so hard." And her gaze wandered off tothe distant clouds, slowly beginning to break away.

  Polly held her breath as they waited and looked, although her heart wassad when the wee little streak of light began to come over in the east.

  "Isn't that just beautiful!" exclaimed Jasper, trying to enjoy it asmuch as he had expected; "see, Polly, the stars seem goingout--daylight's coming!"

  "I know," said Polly, "so it is." Sure enough, a little strip of goldtouched up the leaden sky, and spread slowly.

  "See, it's turning pink." Mrs. Selwyn's plain, quiet face glowed. "See,Polly, look at that peak bathed in colour."

  Just then a little voice said, "Oh, isn't that beautiful!" And whirlingaround on her rock, Polly saw little Dr. Fisher staggering along with abig bundle in his arms, out of which was peering Phronsie's face.

  Mother Fisher had turned too. "Oh, Adoniram!" was all she said, asPolly sprang off to meet them.

  "Give her to me," cried Tom Selwyn, of course reaching there first,before either Polly or Jasper; and before Dr. Fisher quite knew how,Phronsie was perched on the broad shoulder, and Tom was prancing up therocky path as easily as if a bird had lighted on his arm.

  "She woke up, luckily," said little Dr. Fisher, "and she's bundled upso there isn't a chance of her taking cold. Wife, this is grand!" Hegained her side, and drew her hand under the big shawl.

  "You've come just in time," cried Polly, skipping around on her rock tothe imminent danger of falling on her nose, and varying the exercisesby cuddling Phronsie's toes, done up in a big bundle.

  "I declare if Papa Fisher hasn't tied them up in one of the blankets,"she announced merrily.

  "A blanket is just as good as anything when the sunrise is waiting foryou," said the little doctor, coolly.

  "Isn't it!" cried Polly, back at him, happily. "Oh--oh!"

  Everybody echoed, "Oh-oh!" then stood hushed to silence. A rosy blushspread from peak to peak, and all the shadows fell away. Everythingbelow, towns, villages, lakes, and forests, stood out in the clear colddawn, and at last the sun burst forth in all his glory.

  "I'm so glad that people don't chatter," said Polly, when at last theyturned away, for the swift clouds had shut it all out. "Did you seePhronsie's face, Jasper, when that light burst out?"

  "Yes, and father's," answered Jasper. "I expect he'd been looking forher; everybody is so bundled up you can hardly find your best friend.And then he saw her."

  "Yes, and she saw him and called him," said Polly, "didn't you hearher?"

  "Didn't I, though?" said Jasper; "who could help it? Wasn't fatherpleased when he got up to us, Tom, to think you had Phronsie in suchgood shape? Phronsie, you're in luck," pinching as much of her toes asthe bundle of blanket would allow; "you've got the best place of any ofus, up on that perch."

  "I like it," said Phronsie, in grave delight, "very much, indeed,"surveying them out of the depths of the shawl, "and I wish it needn'tstop."

  "Well, it must," said Polly, with a sigh. "Dear me, see those peoplerun."

  "Well, it's cold," said Jasper; "let's you and I race to the hotel,Polly."

  "And the show is over," said Tom, "why shouldn't they run?" as Jasperand Polly set off, and he strode after, getting there nearly as soon.

  An hour later, Polly, who couldn't get to sleep again, for a nap beforebreakfast, went out to the little balcony window just outside her door,where she might sit and write in her journal, and meantime catch anychance view that the grey scudding clouds might afford. In this way shestrove to work off the impatience possessing her for the beautiful hourto come after breakfast. "I can hardly believe it now," she thought,and she gave herself a little pinch to see if she were really awake;"it seems too good to be true to think that the great ProfessorBauricke is actually going to tell me how to learn to play well!"

  "Say," a voice struck upon her ear, "oh, I'm in the most awfuldistress."

  Polly clapped her book to, and looked up.

  "O dear, dear!" It was a tall, spare woman with a face that hadsomething about it like Grandma Bascom's. It must have been thecap-frills flapping around her cheeks.

  "What can I do for you?" asked Polly, springing up. "Oh, do take mychair and sit down and tell me about it."

  "Oh, will you help me? T
he land! I couldn't set when I'm in suchtrouble," declared the old woman. "My senses, I should fly off thehandle!" Polly, feeling that she was in the presence of some dreadfulcalamity, stood quite still. "You see, me and my sister--she's inhighstrikes now in there." The old woman tossed her head to indicate aroom further down the hall, whereat the cap-frills flapped wilder thanever. "Bein' as it belonged to both of us, she feels as bad as I do,but as I was the one that lost it, why it stands to reason I've got toshake around and get it again. Say, will you help me? You've got a pairof bright eyes as ever I see in a head; and what's the good of 'em ifyou can't help in trouble like this?"

  Polly, feeling that her eyes would never forgive her if she didn't letthem help on such an occasion, promised.

  "What is it you have lost?" she asked.

  "Don't you know?" cried the old woman, impatiently. "Mercy me! how manytimes shall I tell you? My buzzom pin; it was took of Pa when he was ayoung man and awful handsome, and I didn't want to leave it in the roomwhen we went out, cause somebody might get in, and they'd be sure towant it, so I pinned it on my nightcap strings and it's gone, and Ia-gallivanting round on them rocks, a-looking at the sunrise, and I cansee that to home all I want to. I must have been crazy."

  "Oh, I see; and you want me to go out and help you look for it," saidPolly, her brow clearing.

  "Of course," assented the old woman, impatiently. "Land, yourintellects ain't as bright as your eyes. My sakes!--how many times doyou expect me to tell you? I've been a-looking and a-peekingeverywhere, but my eyes are old, and I don't dare to tell any one tohelp me, for like enough they'd pick it up when I warn't seein', andslip Pa in their pocket, and I never'd see him again."

  Polly, feeling, if Pa were slipped in a pocket and carried off, itwould be a calamity indeed, said heartily, "I'll get my jacket and capand come right out."

  "She looks honest; I guess I hain't done no harm to tell her about ourbuzzom pin," said the old woman to herself as Polly disappeared. Mamsiebeing asleep, Polly could say nothing to her, but feeling that shewould allow it if she knew, she threw on her things and ran out to meetthe old woman, with a shawl tied over her nightcap and a big long capeon.

  "I tell you she's in highstrikes," said the old woman, going down thehall. "That's our room, 37, an' I've seen you an' your folks goin' by,so I feel in some ways acquainted. An' if I don't find Pa, I'll beflabbergasted myself."

  "Do let us hurry," said Polly, her mind now only on Pa. So they wentdown the stairs and out by the door and up the rocky path just wherethe old woman said she and sister Car'line took when they went out tosee the sunrise.

  "An' I wish we'd kept in bed," ejaculated Polly's companion. "I mostlost my teeth out, they chattered so; and so did Car'line hers. Butthat wouldn't 'a' been nothin' to losin' Pa, cause we could 'a' gotmore teeth; but how could we 'a' got him took when he was nineteen andso handsome? There! here we stopped, just at this identical spot!"

  "Well, I think we shall find it," said Polly, consolingly. "How did thepin look?" she asked, for the first time remembering to ask, andbeginning to poke around in the crevices.

  "My land sakes! I never see such a girl for wanting to be told over andover," exclaimed the old woman, irritably, picking up first one amplegaiter and then another to warm her cold toes in her hands. "Haven't Itold you he was awful handsome? Well, he had on his blue coat and bigbrass buttons for one thing, an' his shirt front was ruffled. And--"

  "Was it gold around it?" asked Polly, poking away busily.

  "Gold? I guess it was; and there was dents in it, where Car'line an' Ibit into it when we were babies, 'cause mother give it to us when ourteeth was comin'--'twas better'n a chicken bone, she said."

  "Oh," said Polly.

  "Well, now you know," said Car'line's sister, "an' don't for mercy'ssakes ask any more useless questions. I'm most sorry I brung you."

  "I might go down and get the boys, Jasper and Tom--they'd love tohelp," said Polly, feeling that she was very much out of place, andthere was no hope of finding Pa under the circumstances.

  The old woman clutched her arm and held her fast. "Don't you say asingle word about any boys," she commanded. "I hate boys," sheexploded, "they're the worry of our lives, Car'line and mine,--they getinto our garden, and steal all our fruit, and they hang on behind ourchaise when we ride out, and keep me a-lookin' round an' slashin' thewhip at 'em the whole livelong time; O my--_boys!_"

  "What in the world is Polly Pepper doing up on those rocks?" criedJasper, just spying her. "Come on, Tom, and let's see." And they seizedtheir caps, and buttoned their jackets against the wind which had justsprung up, and dashed off to see for themselves.

  "Ugh--you go right away!" screamed Car'line's sister, as their headsappeared over the point of rocks, and shaking both hands fiercely atthem.

  "Whew!" whistled Jasper, with his eyes in surprise on Polly.

  "And what old party are you?" demanded Tom, finding it easy to talk toher, as she was by no means a girl. "And do you own this mountain,anyway?"

  "Oh, don't," begged Polly. "And Jasper, if you would go away, please,and not ask any questions."

  "All right," said Jasper, swallowing his disappointment not to know."Come on, Tom, Polly doesn't want us here."

  "An' I won't have you here," screamed the old woman, harder than ever."So get away as soon as you can. Why, you are boys!"

  "I know it." Tom bobbed his head at her. "We've always been, ma'am."

  "An' boys are good for nothing, an' lazy, an' thieves--yes, I wouldn'ttrust 'em." So she kept on as they hurried back over the rocky path.

  "That's a tiger for you!" ejaculated Tom. Then he stopped and lookedback a little anxiously. "Aren't you afraid to leave Polly with her?"

  "No," said Jasper; "it would trouble Polly to have us stay." Yet hestopped and looked anxious too. "We will wait here."

  And after a while, down came the two searchers--the old woman quitebeside herself now, and scolding every bit of the way,--"that shedidn't see what bright eyes were for when they couldn't findanything--an' now that Pa'd gone sliding down that mountain, they mightas well give up, she an' Car'line"--when a sudden turn in the pathbrought the boys into view waiting behind the rocks. Then all her furyburst upon them.

  "See here, now," cried Tom, suddenly squaring up to her and looking atthe face between the nodding cap-frills, "we are ready to take acertain amount of abuse, my friend and I, but we won't stand more, Ican tell you."

  "Oh, don't," began Polly, clasping her hands. "Oh, Tom, _please_ keepstill. She doesn't know what she's saying, for she's lost her pin withher father on."

  "Hey?" cried Jasper. "Say it again, Polly," while Tom shouted androared all through Polly's recital.

  "Was it an old fright with a long nose in a blue coat and ruffles, andas big as a turnip?" he asked between the shouts. While Polly tried tosay, "Yes, I guess so," and Miss Car'line's sister so far overcame heraversion to boys as to seize him by the arm, Tom shook her off like afeather. "See here, old party," he cried, "that ancient pin of yours isreposing in the hotel office at this blessed moment. Jasper and I,"indicating his friend, "ran across it on the rocks up there more thanan hour ago, and--"

  "Oh, Pa's found!" exclaimed the old woman, in a shrill scream ofdelight, beginning to trot down to the hotel office.

  "Yes, it would have been impossible for Pa to have got off thismountain without making a landslide," said Tom, after her.