Five Little Peppers and their Friends

  XIX

  JOEL'S NEW FRIEND

  But no Joel "bright as a button and gay as a lark" came in sight. Instead,at a corner they were turning rapidly, Mr. King in desperation giving theorder to drive to one of the boys' houses most likely to attract Joel'sattention this morning, Thomas came to an abrupt halt that nearly threw thehorses back on their haunches.

  "What are you about there?" he cried in vexation. "Can't you keep out fromunder the horses' heels, I'd like to know?"

  The boy thus addressed paid not the slightest attention to the iratecoachman, but advanced to the carriage door. He seemed to have somethingthe matter with his arm that would evidently have given him a good deal ofbother had his mind been on anything but the desire to attract Mr. King'sattention.

  But that gentleman, violently jolted by the sudden pull-up of the horses,not being in the best frame of mind, called out testily, "Bless me, what isthe man stopping for? Drive on, Thomas," and looked directly over his head.

  Seeing which, the boy clambered up the carriage step and hung on with onehand, but so much determination was in his eyes that old Mr. King fumedout: "Make the scoundrel get down, Jasper."

  "What do you want?" asked Jasper, trying to make it as pleasant aspossible, before the more summary treatment set in.

  "I've got to speak to him," said the boy. Thomas, gathering up the reins inone hand and the whip in the other, looked around with fury in his eye."Shall I give him a lick?" he asked.

  "No, no," said Jasper hastily, "keep quiet, Thomas."

  "I've nothing to say to you," cried Mr. King in his most pompous way, andwith a stately wave of his hand, "so take yourself off, boy."

  "Father--" began Jasper, in a distressed tone.

  "And be quick about it." The old gentleman fairly roared it out. "Thomas,drive on."

  That functionary, with a very dissatisfied expression that he hadn't beenallowed to use his whip when he got it all ready so nicely, now cracked itat the horses. The boy, with one hesitating glance at Jasper, slid off thecarriage-step down to the street, and yelled defiantly up into Mr. King'sface as the brougham spun off:

  "I was going to tell you where your boy is."

  "Father!" exclaimed Jasper, with a white face, "he must know where Joel is.Thomas, _Thomas, stop!_" For Thomas, having no other way to vent hisvexation, took it out in driving as fast as possible, so he didn't hearwhat was going on in the coach.

  "Eh?" Mr. King was saying in bewilderment. At last Jasper succeeded ingetting his wishes known, and once more the horses were jerked back, forthe summons was quick and sharp.

  By this time the boy was off, and although Jasper peered this way and that,he could see nothing of the old blue cap that had adorned the head thrustover the carriage door.

  "He knows something about Joel, Father, you may depend," persisted Jasper;"we must find him."

  Frick, who had been ready to cry, all huddled down in his corner, now satstraight, for it didn't seem to be just the time for tears, and in a minutehe had scrambled past Mr. King, and hopped out.

  "I'm going to find him," came back on the air, as he shot off.

  "Do you wait here, Father," said Jasper, following him, and leaping out,"and we'll get the boy."

  But the boy, quite willing to tell whatever story there was on his mindwhen he jumped on the carriage step, was now of a different mind, and heran like a deer, first down one street then another. At last, findinghimself pursued by some one not at all inclined to easily give up thechase, it suddenly dawned on him that his blue cap might possibly be ameans of tracing his course. So he twitched it off and tucked it under hiswell arm. This made it more difficult for Jasper, whose footsteps were fastgaining on him, to follow him accurately, and for the first time a horriblemoment came to the pursuer when he thought that after all the boy mightescape; but Frick, who had seen Jasper's nimble progress around a corner,ran down a side street, then across a garden, and came plump into the faceof the boy.

  "Here he is," cried Frick, the breath almost knocked out of him by theencounter. He had grasped whatever he could first lay his fingers on andheld to it firmly. It proved to be the arm for which the boy had notappeared to have much use.

  Once caught, the boy gave a groan, then started to run. Frick beingsmaller, it might be an easy matter to shake him off, even with only oneavailable arm.

  "No, you don't get away this time," said Frick, for the tall boy had him inhand now, and was marching him back to the carriage at a pace much morecomfortable for all concerned. "What have you to tell us?" he was beingasked.

  "I would have told you then," said the boy doggedly. He couldn't help butshow some suffering in his face, and Jasper, looking down to see its cause,found one arm hanging in a very peculiar manner. "You've hurt your arm," hesaid abruptly. "Frick, take care"--to the boy, not at all particular whathe took hold of if he only got a good grip.

  "Well, he shan't get away," said Frick decidedly, nipping up the end of thejacket nearest to him.

  "How did you hurt your arm?" asked Jasper. Despite all his anxiety aboutJoel, and an awful feeling that in some way an accident had occurred thathad enveloped them both, he looked into he face beneath him with realconcern.

  "None of your business," the boy was going to say, but instead he turnedaway his face, then brought it back, and defiance was written all over it."He sassed me, that old fellow in the carriage. Did you s'pose I'd tell himafter that?"

  "He's dreadfully anxious," said Jasper, ignoring everything else. "You see,Joel's been gone in all this storm, and we don't know anything in the worldwhere he is."

  "I do," said the boy.

  "Then, if you do"--Jasper stopped suddenly and brought his keen dark eyesto bear on the rough, defiant face--"I just hope you will tell me. And Iknow you will," he added, after a pause in which Frick fastened his gaze onthem both wildly, luckily without discovering any use for his tongue.

  The boy swallowed hard, dropped his eyes for a moment, then looked up.

  "He was out on the pond."

  "Out on the pond!" echoed Frick, and his hand nipping the jacket-end fellnerveless to his side.

  "No one told you to speak," said the boy sharply, turning on him, "so youshut up."

  "But what was he doing out on the pond in such a storm?" asked Jasper. Hislips were white, but he didn't allow his eyes to waver, for it was betterto have the whole story before getting back to his father.

  "It didn't rain till after we'd had the row," said the boy.

  "Had the row?" It seemed an eternity to Jasper, for Joel perhaps even nowmight be in peril, before the next question was answered, "What row?"

  "Yes," said the boy, as if he were going to add, "Well, what are you goingto do about it?" The next moment, he had made up his mind to tell all therewas to tell. It wasn't exactly clear why, but he was giving the account ina very few words, leaving it where it ended with his seeing Joel rowing offdown the pond.

  And presently the two who had hopped out of the carriage, with the new boyand the one who had thrust his head in over the door, were seated in thebrougham, and Thomas had turned his back on the city streets and wasdriving off at a furious pace for Spy Pond.

  Frick collapsed now and mumbled distractedly, "Oh, dear! now Joel's----"what, he didn't trust himself to say. "And Larry's 'most killed, and----"

  Jasper interrupted him sharply, "What do you say, Frick?" for it was thefirst hint of anything gone wrong with any of the other boys.

  Then out came that story to add to the general misery, and old Mr. King satvery straight and kept saying, "Bless me! Tell Thomas to drive faster," and"Oh, bless me!" again, as he glanced over at the boy.

  But no Joel. They pranced, the horses did, shaking off the rain from theirwet manes, around as much of the pond as was adapted to carriages, andJasper and Frick got out and explored the rest, at least wherever Joelwould be supposed to put into port, the boy holding up the arm thatappeared not to be in its usual condition and going along, too, yet unableto add any information to his or
iginal statement. At last: "Probably Joel'sgone home"--it was all Jasper could do to get the words out of his whitelips.

  Without a word old Mr. King sank back, and waved his hand, which meant"Yes," settling down amongst the cushions hopelessly, while their faceswere turned homeward.

  "Hullo!" Unmistakably Joel's voice, and there he was, wet and dirty, andwaving frantically from a side street for them to stop, as he made his besttime to the corner.

  Jasper threw wide the door. "_Joe!_" he cried. Thomas pulled up again,the horses by this time having become so well accustomed to this method ofbringing up that they did it quite well, and there was a great to-do in thecoach.

  "I've been calling and calling," panted Joel, blowing like a porpoise, andrunning up with red cheeks, "and you wouldn't stop," he added in a veryinjured way.

  "Well, we didn't hear you, you beggar," cried Jasper. "Come, get in withyou"--putting out both hands to assist in the process. "Where have youbeen, Joe?" for old Mr. King was beyond talking.

  "I've been--" began Joel, glad enough to hop in; "why, where--" as hisblack eyes fell on the boy in the corner.

  Frick had tried to swarm all over him, but Joel put out an unsteady hand.

  "I came to tell," said the boy, seeing he was expected to say something.

  "Oh, don't," cried Joel involuntarily; "'tisn't any matter; I don't care."

  "Well, it's all out, Joe," said Jasper affectionately, who couldn't stoppatting his back. Frick flew over to the opposite side and let Joel snuggleup to the old gentleman. "I'm here, Grandpapa," he said happily.

  "Oh, bless me! Yes, my boy!" said old Mr. King brokenly, and fondling thelittle brown hands. "Well, we must get you home and out of these wetclothes as soon as possible. I don't know what your mother will say. Oh,dear me, Joe!"

  "Pooh!" cried Joel, "I'm not wet."

  "You're wet as a drowned rat, Joe," declared Jasper, bursting into a laugh,which was such a relief to all concerned that in a minute it really seemedlike a pleasure excursion. But Joel pulled himself up.

  "Oh, I'm going to see what's the matter with Jack's arm," and he leanedover and put his hand on it.

  "Nothing," said Jack, trying to pull it away, but Joel held on.

  "Tis, too," he said. "You're going to have it fixed. Grandpapa, won't youtake him to Doctor Fisher's office? Please do."

  At this Frick pricked up his ears. "Doctor Fisher isn't----"

  "Frick," began Jasper desperately, "look out and see if it rains."

  Frick stared in amazement, and even Joel bobbed his head over at Jasper.

  "Why, doesn't it rain on your side?" he cried, his black eyes very wide.

  "Never mind; do as I tell you," said Jasper, nowise disconcerted. So Frickreported that it did rain; and then Jasper began to talk so fast that Joelhad no time to get in a word at all, although he tried with all his might.

  "See here," he shouted at last, and his voice rang clear above every othernoise, "can't we take him to Doctor Fisher's office--can't we, Grandpapa?Make Thomas turn about and take us there"--he fairly howled it now.

  "And Doctor Fisher won't be there," screamed Frick, on just as high a key.

  "Why not?"

  It was impossible to stop the dreadful news of Larry's accident from comingnow. And in a minute Frick had it all out in a burst, quite unconscious ofJasper's efforts, and well pleased at having something important to say.

  "Larry's been run over by Mr. MacIlvaine's tallyho, and 'most smashed todeath."