Five Little Peppers and their Friends

  IX

  THE TEN-DOLLAR BILL

  "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Joel brought himself up remorsefully, trying to recoverthe collection of rag dolls sent spinning from her black arms.

  "An' dey were sech perfec' beauties!" mourned Candace, twisting her handssorrowfully together. "Oh, me! oh, my!"

  "They aren't hurt a bit," declared Joel stoutly, precipitating the wholecollection unceremoniously at her. "There they are, every single one, asnice as ever!"

  "Take care," warned Candace. "Oh, my soul and body!" she mourned, "dey'reall mussed up."

  "You can comb it out," said Joel, longing to comfort, and forgetting it waswool from Candace's own head.

  "And what'll Mis' Cabot and Mis' Alstyne say?" groaned Candace. Then shesat right down on the grass and began to pick at the dolls discontentedly."W'y couldn't you 'a' looked whar you're goin', Mas'r Joel?"

  "Have Mrs. Alstyne and Mrs. Cabot bought those dolls?" cried Joel, pointinga brown finger at them. "Oh, dear me!" He just saved himself fromexclaiming, "Those horrors!"

  "Yes," said Candace, smoothing a woolly head in great distress, "but Idunno's they'll want 'em now, dey've been shook up so and spilt on degroun'--oh, dear me!"

  "Joel, aren't you coming with that letter bag?" and, "Joel Pepper, hurryup!" The cries were now so insistent that Joel dashed away, stopped, andrushed back tumultuously. "Oh, Candace, I'm so sorry!" He flung himselfdown on the grass by her side. Distress was written so plainly all over hishot face that Candace stopped in her work over the dolls to turn and regardhim.

  "Bress yer heart, honey," she cried, now as much worried over Joel as shehad been about the dolls, "dey ain't hurt a mite--not a single grain," sheadded emphatically.

  "Oh, Candace, are you sure?" he exclaimed delightedly.

  "Not a mite," protested Candace, bobbing her own woolly head in a decidedfashion. "Dear me! now I'm afraid I discomberated my turban, an' it's myspick an' span comp'ny one Mr. King give me for this yere berry occasion,"and she put up both black hands to feel of it anxiously. Joel jumped to hisfeet and ran all around the big figure to get the most comprehensive view.

  "It's all right, Candace," he reported, in great satisfaction.

  "Sure, honey?" she asked doubtfully.

  "Yes, yes," declared Joel quickly, prancing up in front of her. "I likeyou, Candace; you're just as nice as can be."

  "Den gimme your hands!"--she laid the rag dolls carefully on the grass, andput out both of her black ones--"and hoist me up, honey, dat's a goodchile."

  So Joel stuck out his brown hands, and Candace laying hold of them, hetugged, very red in the face, till finally she set her ample gaiters on theground and stood straight.

  Up rushed Van.

  "They're complaining at the post office," he squealed. "You've got to giveme your bag. Folks can't get their letters. Give me the bag." He thrust outboth hands.

  Joel turned on him in a fury,

  "You aren't going to have my bag," he screamed.

  "I am, too; you're so slow, and don't give out the letters," said Van,delighted to find some chance to get the best of Joel, and quite importantto be sent with a message to such an effect.

  "You shan't either; I ain't slow," cried Joel, answering both statements atonce, and whirling around in an endeavor to keep the bag at his back. ButVan flew for it, disdaining to waste more time over arguments.

  Candace stretched out a large, black hand. "See here, now, Mas'r Van, leggodat bag." She seized him by the jacket collar with such a grip that hedismissed all thoughts of the mail bag, his one concern now being to getfree from Candace.

  "Ow!" he screamed, wriggling violently. "I don't want the mail bag; let mego, Candace, do!"

  "See," cried little Dick, half across the lawn, to a merry party of ladiesand gentlemen, who turned to follow the pointing of the small finger towardCandace and her capture.

  "Oh, let me go," cried Van, very red in the face at this, and trying toduck behind her big figure, "_please,_ Candace."

  "Let him go," begged Joel, just as much distressed; "he won't touch thebag, I don't believe, again, Candace."

  "Oh, I won't, I won't," promised Van wildly. "I don't want the bag; do letme go, Candace."

  "Yer see, Mas'r Joel was a-helpin' me," said Candace, slowly releasingVan's jacket collar, "an' 'twarn't none 'o his fault dat he stoppedkerryin' de letters." But Van was off from under her open fingers and shotacross the green in the opposite direction from little Dick and his party.

  "Now I'll take my dolls to de ladies," observed Candace, bundling them upin her clean, checked apron. She sent a satisfied glance after Joel, makingquick time toward the post office, then waddled off.

  "Boy!" called a fine, imperious voice, as Joel dashed by a group of ladiesand gentlemen. As there wasn't any other boy in sight, he might be supposedto be the one wanted; but Joel by this time was frantic to get to the postoffice, and with his mind filled with mortification and distress at hisdelay from his duty, he paid no heed to the call, now repeated moreinsistently.

  "It's a lady," then said Joel to himself, "so I must go back. Oh, dear me!"He wheeled abruptly, and, hot and red-faced, plunged up to the group.

  "What is it, ma'am?" Then he saw to his disgust that it was Mrs.Chatterton. She was surrounded by friends whom she had met abroad.

  "Why didn't you come when I bade you?" she exclaimed arrogantly. "Don't youknow it's your place to serve me?"

  "No, ma'am," said Joel bluntly, his black eyes fixed on her face. One ortwo of the gentlemen turned aside with a laugh.

  "What, you little beggar!" Mrs. Chatterton said it between her teeth,furious at the amusement of her friends, but Joel heard.

  "I'm not a beggar," he declared hotly, and squaring his shoulders. By thistime he forgot all about the mail bag. "And you haven't any right to sayso"--with flashing eyes.

  Mrs. Chatterton, now seeing him worked up, recovered herself and smiledsweetly. She leaned back in her garden chair and swung her parasol daintilyback and forth.

  "Oh, yes, you are," she declared; "we all know it, so there is no use inyour denying it. Well, you get us some ices and be quick about it." Shedismissed him with a wave of her beautiful arm, in its flowing, lacedrapery.

  But Joel did not budge.

  "You don't know it." He swept the whole group with his black eyes. "Itisn't as she says, is it?"

  "No," said one of the gentlemen who had laughed, whirling around to bring avery sharp pair of eyes on Joel's face, "it isn't, my boy."

  "Well, I must say," protested Mrs. Chatterton, an angry light coming intoher cold eyes, and turning around on him sharply, "that this isn't veryfriendly in you, Mr. Vandeusen, to pit that upstart boy against me. Nowthere will be no managing him hereafter."

  "Well, but, Mrs. Chatterton," broke in one of the other gentlemen, in apropitiatory voice, and leaning over her chair, Mr. Vandeusen turningcalmly on his heel to survey the distant lawns through his monocle, "abeggar, don't you know--well, it isn't the pleasantest thing in the worldto be called that, don't you know?"

  "Particularly when one isn't a beggar," said a young lady hotly. Then sheturned to Joel and laid a hand on his arm. "Don't you mind it," she said.

  "And as for you, Miss Tresor, I should consider it wiser for you to besilent." Mrs. Chatterton turned on her with venom. "What do you know aboutthese miserable Peppers that infest my cousin's house, pray tell?"

  "I like them," declared Miss Tresor decidedly, not turning her head. "Don'tmind it, my lad."

  "I don't, now," said Joel. Then the gentlemen laughed again.

  "Oh, I must go." All his long neglect of his letter-carrier duties, made somuch worse by this delay, now surged over him. He raised his chubby face,over which a smile ran, and bounded off.

  "Isn't he a dear!" exclaimed Miss Tresor impulsively.

  "Come away, Emily," begged another young lady, seizing Miss Tresor's arm,"the old cat is quite furious; just look at her face."

  "We'll leave her to mamma's tender mercies," said
Emily carelessly, "sheknows how to handle her. Do you remember that scene, Elinor, at Geneva?"

  "Don't I!" laughed Elinor, as they sauntered off.

  Well, by the time that six o'clock came, there wasn't so much as a scrap ofa letter left in Jasper's post office, but, instead, a box crammed full ofsilver pieces and banknotes. And Miss Mary Taylor and Mr. Hamilton Dyce,and some other young ladies and gentlemen whom they drilled into theservice, shut themselves up in the library and wrote as fast as ever theycould make their pens fly over the paper, till little white piles appearedon the table. And Percy and Joel and Van and the other boys would rush infor these same piles to put them in the post office, to earn more money, togo into the big box. So back and forth ran these letter carriers, untileven Miss Mary threw down her pen.

  "I can't write another word," she cried. "I've exhausted everything I canthink of. I don't want to see another letter!"

  And then a card was put up outside the Wistaria arbor, "Post OfficeClosed." And everybody who still had money, was anxious to spend it beforegoing home; so it was just lavished on the flower-bowers, the fancy-worktable, and the candy shop.

  And then, when there wasn't anything more to be bought or sold, the bandsmoved down nearer to the center of the big lawn, making the gay littlegroups all move back, leaving a broad, smooth surface, for the affair wasto end in dancing on the green.

  Meanwhile Grandpapa was gallantly offering his arm to Madam Dyce, andleading her up to an esplanade on the upper terrace, and, word being spreadabout that all the guests were expected to follow, there they found seatsand little tables and a bevy of waiters to serve a delicious supper. Andhere the dancing on the green below by the young people could be seen inall its gayety, the setting sun casting bright gleams upon the merry scene.

  "Dear me! shouldn't you think those young people would be tired enoughafter all they have worked," observed the old gentleman, leaning back inhis comfortable chair, "to sit still and take it easy with us here?"

  "No, indeed!" exclaimed Madam Dyce, "my old feet are actually twitchingunder my gown to dance too."

  "In that case," observed old Mr. King most gallantly, "let me lead youdown, and will you give me the honor?" He bent his white hair to the levelof her hand.

  "No, indeed," laughed Madam Dyce; "I will leave the field for the youngpeople. But it carries me back to my youth, when you and I did dance many atime together, Horatio."

  "Did we not?" laughed Grandpapa, too. And then up came some merry groups,tired of dancing, after some supper, when down they would go again,fortified and refreshed, to begin it all over once more. At last, even thelingering ones were obliged to say good-bye. The evening had shut in andthe brilliant garden party was a thing of the past. The King household wasresting and talking it all over on the spacious veranda, luxurious in itscushions and rugs, its easy-chairs and hammocks.

  "Oh, it has been so perfectly beatific!" exclaimed Polly, in a rapture. Shewas curled up on the top step, her head in Grandpapa's lap, who wasensconced in a big chair with Phronsie's tired little face snuggled up onhis breast. "Hasn't it, Alexia?" For Alexia was going to stay over night.

  "Oh, my!" Alexia gave a sigh and squeezed Polly's hand. "I never had such agood time in all my life, Polly Pepper," she declared. "The poor childrenwon't begin to get the fun out of it that we've had."

  "Oh, those dear poor children!" exclaimed Polly, stretching out her toes,which now began to ache dreadfully; "just think how perfectly lovely it'sgoing to be for them all summer, Alexia."

  Joel caught the last words. He poked up his head from one of the hammocks.

  "Well, I guess Mr. Cabot has helped a poor child to go into the country,"he cried, in a pleased tone.

  "I guess everybody has helped," observed Ben, "the way your letters went,Jasper! Who would think so many could have been sold!"

  Jasper stopped pulling Prince's ears.

  "Didn't they go!" he cried, in huge satisfaction.

  "I guess you were glad to get that big bill, Jasper," shouted Joel. "My,wasn't he good to send it!"

  "Eh?" asked Jasper. Everybody was chatting and laughing, so it wasn'tstrange that things couldn't be heard the first time. So Joel shouted itagain, glad to be allowed to scream such a splendid contribution over andover. "The big bill, wasn't it prime, Jasper!"

  "What are you talking about, Joe?" cried Jasper, stopping his play withPrince, as he saw Joel was terribly in earnest over something.

  "Why, the big bill I gave you, that Mr. Cabot sent. Hurrah! Wasn't itfine!" Joel kicked up his heels and emitted a whistle that made Polly clapher hands over her ears.

  "What big bill?" exclaimed Jasper. "What on earth are you talking about,Joe?"

  Joel tumbled out of the hammock and took long leaps across the piazzafloor, which landed him in front of Jasper.

  "Why, that ten-dollar bill I gave you that Mr. Cabot sent to the postoffice," he said, in a breath.

  "You didn't give me any ten-dollar bill," said Jasper, all in a puzzle;"you've been dreaming, Joe."

  "I--I laid it down right by you." Joe could only gasp the words now.

  "I didn't see it," said Jasper.

  X

  TROUBLE FOR JOEL