Ben Pepper

  II

  BEN'S PLAN

  When Phronsie saw the two boys racing away, she wanted to run too, andstarted to patter off after them.

  "No, no, Phronsie," said Polly, calling her back. "She'll get all tiredout to begin with," she said to Ben, "then what should we do?"

  "Oh, I want to race to the big gate with Joel and David," said Phronsie,coming back slowly. "Can't I, Polly? Do let me," she begged.

  "No," said Polly, decidedly, "you'll get all tired out, Phronsie."

  "I won't be tired," said Phronsie, drawing herself up very straight; "Iwon't be, Polly."

  "You will be if you run and race to begin with," declared Polly, verymuch wishing she could join the boys herself. But she was holdingPhronsie's hand by this time, and it never would do to leave her. "So wemust walk till we reach the car."

  Phronsie heaved a sigh, but she kept tight hold of Polly's hand, andwalked obediently on.

  "You see," said Polly, who never could bear to hear Phronsie sigh,"we're going shopping, Phronsie, and there's a good deal of walking wehave before us, and--"

  "And I have my money-bag," cried Phronsie, breaking in jubilantly, andnot waiting for Polly to finish, and lifting it high as it dangled fromher arm. "See, Polly, and dear Grandpapa gave it to me, he did."

  "I know, pet," said Polly; "take care, now, or you'll tumble on yournose."

  "And I'm going to buy my dear Grandpapa something," declared Phronsie,with a bob of her fur-trimmed bonnet; "I am, Polly."

  "So you shall," cried Polly, radiantly; "now that'll be fine."

  "Polly," said Ben, on her other side, "I've been thinking of somethingthat perhaps it would be good to do."

  "Oh, Ben, what is it?" she cried, all in a twitter to know, for Ben'splans, if sometimes slow, were always so good to follow.

  "Why, let's us all put our money together instead of buying littlethings for Grandpapa, for of course we are all going to give himsomething, and buy one good present." It was a long speech for Ben, andhe was quite glad when it was all out.

  "Let's," said Polly, quite enchanted. "Oh, Ben, you do think of just theright things."

  "No," said Ben, "I don't think up such nice things as you do, Polly,"and he looked at her admiringly; "I can't."

  "Well, your things are always best in the end, anyway," said Polly,unwilling to take so much praise, and preferring that Ben should haveit.

  "O dear me!" Joel, with David at his heels, came tumbling up. "You areso slow, just like snails," he grumbled.

  "Just like snails," echoed Phronsie, with very pink cheeks, steppingvery high, all her attention on the money-bag dangling from her wrist.

  "Well, we can't go any faster, Joe," said Ben, "so you must make up yourmind to be satisfied."

  "Well, I'm not satisfied," declared Joel, in a dudgeon.

  "So it seems," said Ben, with a little laugh.

  "And it isn't the way, when people are going shopping, to run throughthe street," said Polly, "so when you get outside the gateway, you'vegot to walk, Joel. It isn't elegant to race along."

  When Polly said "elegant" with such an air, the children always feltvery much impressed, and little David now hung his head quite ashamed.

  "I'm sorry I ran, Polly," he said.

  "Oh, it's no matter in here," said Polly, "but when we get outside, thenyou must walk in a nice way. Mamsie'd want you to. Oh, now, Ben, go onwith your plan and tell the rest."

  "Oh, now you've been talking up things, you and Ben; you're always doingthat, Polly Pepper," cried Joel, loudly. And he tried to crowd inbetween Polly and Phronsie.

  "See here, you get back!" cried Ben, seizing his jacket collar; "you'renot to crowd so, Joe."

  "Well, you and Polly are always talking secrets," said Joel, but he fellback with Ben nevertheless, "and keeping them from Dave and me."

  "Then you should have stayed with us," said Ben, calmly.

  "We didn't know you were going to talk secrets," grumbled Joel.

  "Oh, we've only just begun," said Polly, brightly, looking over pastPhronsie, "so you'll hear it all, Joey; and Davie, too," she added,looking off to little David on the farther end of the line.

  "I'm not going to stir a step away ever again," declared Joel, squirmingup as close to Ben as he possibly could, "then you can't talk thingswithout I hear them."

  "You've got to give me a little more of the walk, Joe," said Ben,striding on and thrusting out his elbow on Joel's side, "else you'll gobehind."

  "O dear! I want to hear what you're going to say," whined Joel. But hegave way, moving up against David, who was the last in the row. "Well,do begin," he begged.

  "Yes, do tell them, Ben," said Polly.

  "Well, you see," said Ben, as they turned out of the big stone gateway,"we are all to give Grandpapa a present, each one, I mean."

  "I am," shouted Joel, jumping up and down, "Whoopity la, whickets, Iam!"

  "Oh, Joel Pepper!" exclaimed Polly, looking down the row at him.Whenever Polly said "Joel Pepper," everybody felt that the case was veryserious. So Joel hung his head and looked quite sheepish.

  "Mamsie would be so sorry to hear you say that," went on Polly.

  "Well, he isn't going to say it again," said Ben, "I don't believe."

  "No, I'm not," declared Joel, his black head going up again, "neveragain, Polly."

  "That's right," and she smiled approvingly. "Oh, now, do go on again,Ben," she said, "with your plan."

  "Yes, we're all going to give Grandpapa presents," cried Joel, beforeBen had time to put in a word. "I am, and I won't tell what I'm going tobuy, either. You can't make me, Dave." He slapped the pocket containinghis purse, but encountering the big pin, drew off his fingers. "Ow!"

  "There, who's hurt now?" cried Ben, with a laugh as he looked down atthe rueful face.

  "Pooh--it didn't hurt any," said Joel, pulling off his glove to suck thedrop of blood that came up to meet him.

  David, who never could bear to see Joel hurt, pressed up to see theextent of his injury, and turned pale. Perhaps it went clear through hisfinger, for it was Mamsie's big shawl-pin!

  "Oh, don't, Joel," cried Polly, with a grimace; "take your handkerchief,do!"

  "No, I'm not going to," said Joel, squirming away, and repeating theprocess as another little drop appeared; "I can spit it out, and myhandkerchief'll stay bad."

  "Joel," said Polly, sternly, "you must not do that. Do you hear me?"

  "Well, that's the last drop, anyway," declared Joel, "so I haven't gotto do anything."

  "Let me see," said Polly, feeling quite motherly with all her brood tolook after. So the whole row stopped and Joel leaned over and thrust outhis finger for Polly to examine it.

  "Yes, that's all right," she said with a sigh of relief. "Well, now, wemust hurry, for we have so much to do. And, Ben, do go on."

  "Well, you see Grandpapa has so many things that it'll be hard to pickout five that he'd like," said Ben, "so I thought--"

  "He'll like mine," interrupted Joel.

  "Hold on, Joe, and wait till I get through," commanded Ben, turning onhim.

  "And if you interrupt again, you must walk behind, Joel," said Polly,severely.

  "I don't want to walk behind," said Joel, ducking as he caught herglance.

  "Well, then, you mustn't interrupt Ben again," declared Polly, in hermost decided fashion.

  "Oh, I won't, I won't!" he promised, much alarmed as he saw her face.

  "See that you don't, then," said Ben. "Well, so it seems as if perhapsit would be a good plan to all put our money together and get Grandpapaone good thing."

  "I think it would be a perfectly elegant plan," declared Polly,radiantly.

  Joel stood stock-still twitching the end of Ben's coat, so that he waspulled up short. "I'm not going to put any money in," he cried in a loudtone.

  "Hey? Oh, then, you don't like the plan, Joe?" said Ben, getting hiscoat free and whirling around on him.

  "I'm not going to put any money in," repeated Joel, in the same highkey. br />
  "Well, then, you needn't," said Ben, nowise disturbed.

  "Oh, Ben, then we can't any of us do it," said Polly, quite dismayed,"and it would have been so perfectly splendid." She stopped short, andPhronsie, looking up in surprise, pulled her hand gently. "Oh, Polly,"she exclaimed, "are you sick?"

  "Oh, the rest of us will do it," said Ben, coolly, "and Joel can stayoutside."

  "Oh, I'm not going to stay outside," howled Joel, throwing his armsaround Ben and clinging to him in his distress. "I'm not. I'm not, Ben,don't make me."

  "I don't make you," said Ben, getting himself free from Joel's franticlittle hands; "if you don't want to join us, why, you'll just have tostay by yourself."

  "I'm not going to stay by myself," cried Joel, in the greatest distress,"need I, Polly?" and he flew over to her. "I don't want to stay bymyself, I don't."

  But Ben answered instead of Polly.

  "Hush now, Joel, we're to walk along quietly, else you'll have to gohome. And we'll vote now, and all who don't want to get Grandpapa onebig, nice present, can just stay out of the plan. Polly and I are goingtogether in it, anyway."

  Which was just the same as saying the plan would be carried out. IfPolly and Ben were to join in it, all the remainder of the "Five LittlePeppers" would consider it the greatest calamity to be left out, so Joelpushed as near to Ben as he could get as the whole group drew off to thecurbstone to vote on the question.

  "I'm in it,--I'm in it," screamed Joel, making more than one passer-byturn the head to look back at the busy little group. "Come on, Dave,"twitching that individual's jacket to get him into the centre of things."He's in it, too, Ben," he added, anxious to have that settled beyond adoubt. "David is."

  "Everybody is looking at us," said Polly, whose greatest pride was tohave the children appear well, and she looked quite mortified. "O dearme!" and this was only the beginning of the Christmas shopping!

  "Now you must just understand, Joe," Ben laid hold of him; "we aren'tgoing to have such carryings on. Look at Polly, how you're making herfeel."

  All the children now regarded Polly anxiously, Phronsie standing ontiptoe to achieve the best result. "Oh, I won't make her feel," criedJoel, much alarmed, "I won't. Please don't, Polly; I'll be good," hepromised. His face worked, and he had hard work not to burst out crying.

  "All right, Joey," said Polly, trying to smile, and the little puckerbetween her eyebrows straightened itself out at once. And she leanedover and set a kiss on the chubby cheek.

  "You kissed me on the street!" said Joel, quite astounded. "Why, PollyPepper, and you said the other--"

  "Never mind," broke in Ben, hastily.

  "And I couldn't help it," said Polly, happily, yet with a backwardglance to see if any one saw it, for Polly deeply loved to be fine onall occasions.

  "And if we are going shopping for Christmas presents," said Ben, "wemust hurry up. Hush, Joe, don't say a word. Now how many want to put intheir money to buy one big, nice present for Grandpapa instead of littlebits of ones? Put up your hands."

  Joel's hand shot up as high as he could raise it, while he stood ontiptoe, and of course Polly's went up, and so did David's. But Phronsiestood looking down at her money-bag dangling from her arm, while shepatted it lovingly and crooned softly to herself.

  "She doesn't understand," said Polly, so she got down until she couldlook into the face within the fur-trimmed bonnet. "Look up, pet; nowdon't you want to buy Grandpapa a big, big present with all of us?"

  "I'm going to buy my dear Grandpapa a present," cried Phronsie, in ahappy little voice, and, taking her gaze from the money-bag, "I am,Polly," she declared, dreadfully excited. Then she put her mouth closeto Polly's rosy cheek; "I'm going to buy him a cat," she whispered.

  "O dear me!" exclaimed Polly, nearly tumbling over backward.

  "Yes, I am," said Phronsie, decidedly, "a dear sweet little cat, andGrandpapa will like it, he will."

  "Well, now," said Polly, recovering herself, "don't you want to put therest of your money you were going to spend for Grandpapa's present intosomething big? We're all going to do that, Phronsie, and give him a niceChristmas present."

  "My present will be nice," said Phronsie, gravely.

  "Yes, yes, I know," said Polly, quickly, and giving the boys a look thattold them to keep away from this conference; "but don't you want to helpto buy this big present, too? I would, Phronsie pet, if I were you!"

  "I shall give him the cat," said Phronsie, decidedly and bobbing herhead.

  "Yes, of course. But you can help to buy the other, too," said Polly.

  "I'll help to buy the other," hummed Phronsie. Then she hopped away fromPolly and made a little cheese right on the sidewalk. The fur-trimmedcoat flew out as well as it could, and the money-bag also.

  "Oh, Phronsie!" exclaimed Polly, in dismay, getting her up as quickly aspossible.

  "I'm going to buy a cat and a big thing, too, for my dear Grandpapa,"announced Phronsie to all the bunch, as Polly got her straight andsmoothed down her coat and settled her bonnet.

  All this proceeding took so much time that Ben now hurried them off, andthey walked briskly along till presently they turned into the mainstreet where the most of the holiday shoppers were out in full force.And as Joel wanted to stop at each window that presented a smartdisplay, and that was furnished at nearly every step of the way, theydidn't make so very much progress after all.

  "We shan't get anywhere at this rate," said Ben, at last, in despair,and, hauling Joel away from a fascinating window against which he hadset his chubby face, quite lost to the delightful show within, he struckoff at a smart pace, threading his way quickly in and out of the crowdof shoppers, so that Polly and Phronsie, clinging to her hand, had greatdifficulty to keep track of him at all. David was pattering along infront as close to Ben as he could get.

  At last they stopped before a big toy-shop, and Ben drew breath.

  "O dear me!" cried Polly, hurrying up. Phronsie's bonnet was pushed awrywhere an excited shopper had knocked a big bundle against it, so shecouldn't see anything till Polly had set it straight.

  All this took a little time; meanwhile the bunch of shoppers wasstopping the crowd.

  "Get out of the way," roared an expressman at them. He was so crowded upwith bundles that only his head was to be seen above the pile; there wasanother heap on the pavement and a man loading up, as fast as he could,the already well-filled wagon, and he gave Joel a punch with something,not his hand, for that was full.

  "Stop that!" Joel squared up at him and doubled up his little fist.

  "Joe, Joe!" cried Ben, suddenly.

  "That man pushed me with an old bundle," said Joel, his eyes flashing.

  "Well, come on," said Ben, picking his sleeve. Polly, busy withPhronsie, had heard nothing of it.

  "O dear, dear!" David was wailing.

  "And I'll give you something more'n a push if you don't get out of theway," declared the expressman, trying to look over his shoulder as heedged his way to the wagon, "you saucy cub, you!"

  "And he's calling me names," cried Joel, wildly; "let me go back andmake him stop," and he shook his small fists in the air. "He's a bad oldman and he hasn't any right. Let me go, Ben."

  But Ben by this time had Joel well within the shop, and, the othersfollowing, they were soon lost in the important business of choosingChristmas presents.

  "Let Phronsie buy hers first," said Polly. And the others, even Joel,saying, "Yes, let Phronsie buy hers first," they edged their way along,Phronsie proclaiming in a high key, as they threaded their course down along aisle, that she was going to buy Grandpapa a cat, so that everybodyturned and smiled, until at last they found a saleswoman, who seemed tobe willing and able to wait on them.

  "So you want a cat?" she said to Phronsie, who could just manage to seeover the counter by standing on her tiptoes.

  "Yes," said Phronsie, "I do, a really and truly cat for my dearGrandpapa."

  "Oh, we haven't any real cats," said the woman, turning back from theshelf
she was looking over with a pair of sharp eyes. "We don't keeplive cats in a shop. Nobody does," she added.

  "She means that it must have fur on," explained Polly, while the youngerboys never took their eyes from the transaction. This was quite one ofthe most important events of the afternoon for Phronsie to choose herown present. Just at this juncture a stout old lady, with a stiff blacksilk coat that made her bigger than ever, as it had a trick of flyingopen, and the sides blowing off seemed ready to engulf all unfortunatepassers-by, swept past Phronsie, and she disappeared from view for amoment.

  "Stop that!" roared Joel, looking up into the soft white puffs above thewoman's nose; "you 'most knocked my sister over."

  The stately old woman looked down into the chubby face. "You impertinentboy!" she exclaimed, then set her profile disdainfully in the oppositedirection and sailed on.

  "Oh, Ben!" cried Polly, in consternation, all the color gone out of herface; "what shall we do?"

  "Here, pet," and Ben swung Phronsie up to his shoulder. "Now, that's thebest place for you in such a crowd."

  "I want a truly cat," Phronsie kept saying from her perch, and, swingingher feet delightedly, she grasped Ben's neck so tightly it seemed as ifhe could hardly breathe; and his face got very red.

  "I tell you we haven't got any live cats," declared the saleswoman,impatiently, and slamming the glass door beneath. "Here's a china one,"and she set it on the counter.

  "Oh, no!" Phronsie shook her head. Polly meanwhile had been lookingafter the stately old woman, and clasping and unclasping her handsnervously. It wouldn't take but a minute to go after her, for the bigfigure had paused in front of the doll counter, and say how sorry shewas, for he was her brother, and would she please to excuse it? Andwithout stopping to think, Polly dashed off through the crowd, no one ofthe little bunch of Peppers seeing her go, as they were lost in thetransaction that was to get Phronsie her cat.

  She plunged up suddenly to the side of the stiff black silk coat, nowwedged in against the overcrowded counter, its owner by no means in thebest temper at her failure to attract any saleswoman to wait on her.

  "Oh, ma'am," Polly looked up into the impatient face, and everything shehad intended to say flew right out of her mind, for the white puffsseemed to stand right out like mountains, and the Roman nose was so verydreadful. "My brother," was all she could manage to say.

  "Hey?" The stately old woman laid down a doll and glared at her. "Mybrother," began Polly, wishing that she was back with the others. Ifonly she could catch a glimpse of Ben, but the intervening crowd surgedin waves between her and the spot where she had left them, so that theywere swallowed up. Meantime there was that dreadful old woman, with hercold, sharp eyes just like gimlets boring her through and through, andwaiting for her to finish what she had to say.

  "My brother," began Polly, faintly, and her head dropped, "saidsomething naughty to you."

  "Well?" said the old lady, and she turned her back on the doll counteras far as she was able for being wedged in so, and this time Polly feltthat she must make herself understood. Besides, the people on eitherside were beginning to be interested, and were nudging each other not tomiss this funny thing.

  So she began quite decidedly, determined to be brave and say it allthrough. "My brother--" But the stately old lady broke in, "I don't knowanything about your brother, nor you, girl, and if you speak to meagain, I shall call the proprietor," and she shook with indignation tillall the jingling jet things, and there seemed to be a great many underher silk coat, made a great commotion.

  "I came to ask you to forgive my brother who spoke to you because youbrushed against my little sister." Polly was speaking so fast now, alittle red spot on either cheek, that the stately old woman had to hear."It was naughty of him, and Mamsie would be sorry."

  "Naughty?" The old lady gasped for breath; it was such a new idea to askher to forgive a saucy boy; still, she couldn't make any other replythan "It was scandalous, and you are nearly as bad, interrupting me inthe midst of my Christmas shopping." Then she turned to the dolls again,leaving Polly to stumble back as best she might to the place where shehad left Ben and the children. But they were not there.