Ben Pepper

  VIII

  "ANY ONE WHO WANTS TO PLEASE JASPER," SAID BEN, "HAD BETTER TAKE UP THISCHAP"

  And the first thing Ben knew, he was being hurried over the stairs andinto Master Presbrey's big library. There stood Grandpapa, and, wonderof wonders, with a smile on his face!

  "You are to see Jasper," said the old gentleman, briefly.

  Ben staggered back, it was all so sudden, and stared up at the one theboys had called "Dr. Smith" standing near.

  "Yes," said the gentleman, "he has asked for you." And without furtherado Ben was piloted into the back room, and there, looking eagerlytoward the door, was Jasper in the big bed and propped up with pillows.

  "Halloo!" It was all either of them said at first; then Ben, with a lumpin his throat, leaned over and grasped the fingers on the coverlet.

  "You see I'm all right," said Jasper, his eyes roving affectionately allover Ben's square figure.

  "Yes," nodded Ben.

  "But it was good, though, to see Father and you." And Jasper's dark eyesbeamed; then a wave of pain swept its trail over his face. And thedoctor, seeing that, unceremoniously bundled Ben out of the room, andback to old Mr. King again.

  But the next day, oh, that was joy! for Ben was not only let in again,but allowed to stay a good half-hour. And this time he found his tongue,for Dr. Smith said a little cheery talking was just the thing. So thebudget of home news was undone, and Ben regaled Jasper, who hungrilytook in every word.

  "It's a shame I spoiled all the Christmas," murmured Jasper, his face inthe pillow, his thoughts flying back to Polly and the others, busy withthe preparations for that gay festival.

  "Oh, that's no matter," said Ben, cheerily, "and perhaps you'll be ableto come home soon, and we'll have it then."

  "But it won't be Christmas," said Jasper, dejectedly.

  "Well, but we can call it Christmas," said Ben, "so that'll be just asgood." Then, for want of something else to say, he began on Mrs. VanRuypen buying all sorts of things for poor people, of course with nevera word of himself mixed up in it.

  "Now isn't that fine?" cried Jasper, taken for the moment off from theloss of Christmas to the family, and bringing his face into view again.

  "Yes," said Ben, "it is," and he went on so fast that Polly herselfcouldn't have told it better, Dr. Smith smiling to himself insatisfaction at the experiment of letting Ben in.

  "Well, now, boys," he said at last, coming up to the bed, "time is up.But you can come in, maybe, this afternoon," to Ben.

  "Oh, let him stay now!" begged Jasper.

  "Can't," said the doctor, laconically. And off Ben went again. And thistime he, too, smiled. And the first person he ran up against was a smallboy, his hands full of little wads of paper bundles, crammed tightlytogether in his nervous fists.

  AND THE FIRST PERSON HE RAN UP AGAINST WAS A SMALL BOY,HIS HANDS FULL OF LITTLE WADS OF PAPER BUNDLES.]

  "They're for him," said the small boy, emptying the fistful into Ben'shands, who involuntarily thrust his out, as it seemed to be expected ofhim.

  "For whom?" asked Ben, in astonishment.

  "Why, for him," said the boy, pointing with a set of sticky fingers hefirst put into his mouth, off toward Jasper's room. "Of course; hurryand give 'em to him before the doctor sees. It's candy." He couldn'trepress his longing as his eyes now fell on the wads in Ben's hands. "Igot 'em down town. Hurry up!" and his little face, pasty-colored andsharp, scowled at the delay.

  "If you mean I'm to give these to Jasper," said Ben, holding the littlepackets toward the small figure, "I can't do any such thing; the doctorwouldn't like it."

  "You are a 'fraid cat," said the boy, contemptuously; "but he won't hurtyou, 'cause you're a stranger, so hurry up!" and he laid his stickyfingers on Ben's arm.

  "But don't you understand that these things will hurt Jasper?" said Ben,kindly, into the scowling little face.

  "Hoh! I guess not," said the boy, with another longing look at thelittle packets; "they'll make him well, do take 'em to him. O dear!" andhis thin lips trembled, his sticky little fingers flew up to his eyes,and he turned his face to the wall.

  "Now, I guess you're Pip," said Ben, hustling the little wads all intoone hand, and putting the other on the small shoulder.

  "Yes, I am," snivelled Pip, flattening his face against the wall, "andall the boys hate me, and say I've killed King, and--O dear!" he whined.

  "Well, now, you just see here," Ben turned the little figure swiftlyaround; "no more of that."

  It was so sudden that Pip released one pale eye from his sticky fingersto peer up at the big boy, and he stopped snivelling in amazement.

  "The worst thing you can do for Jasper King is to carry on like this,"said Ben, firmly. "Come, now, wipe your eyes," which Pip at onceproceeded to do on his jacket sleeve, "and take your candy," and Bendropped the little packets of sweets back into their owner's hands."I'll tell Jasper all you wanted to do for him; it was nice of you." Benwas astounded to find how fast he was getting on in conversation. Reallyhe hadn't supposed he could talk so much till he got this Pip on hishands. Meantime, his grasp still on the small shoulder, he was marchinghim off, and downstairs, and across the school yard, not exactly knowingwhat in the world to do with him after all.

  "Great Scott! If that Pepper boy hasn't got Pip!" A dozen heads, theirowners just released from recitation, were thrust up to the windows of aclass room. Meantime Pip, in the familiar borders of the school yard,and remembering everything again with a rush, began to snivel once more,so that Ben was at his wits' end, and seeing a boy a good deal biggerthan his companion coming down the long path, he hailed himunceremoniously.

  "See here, can't you do something for him?" Ben bobbed his head down atthe cowering shoulders. "Can't you play ball with him?" He said thefirst thing that came into his head.

  "You must excuse me," said the boy, with an aristocratic air, and, notknowing Ben in the least, he looked him all over contemptuously. "Kingwas my great friend. I don't know this little cad at all, nor youeither," and he walked on.

  Pip's head slunk down deeper yet between his shoulders at that, and hesnivelled worse than ever.

  "Come along, I'll play with you myself," said Ben. "Got a ball, Pip?"

  "Ye-es," said Pip, between a snivel and a gasp, "but the fellows wo-on'tlet you play with me. O dear, boo-hoo-hoo!"

  "Oh, yes, they will," said Ben. "Come, let's get your ball. Where's yourroom?"

  So Pip, seeing that he was to have company all the way, led off somehowto his room, and the little wads of candy were placed in the bureaudrawer. Once the ball was in Ben's hands he managed to follow him to acorner of the playground where, without any more words, Ben soon had himthrowing and catching in such a rapid fashion there was no time fortears or anything else but the business in hand.

  Meantime the boy they had met on the long path had marched off, veryangry at having been spoken to by such a common-looking person incompany with Pip, whom nobody had liked from the first, certainly notafter the injury to their favorite, King. And nursing his wrath heprojected himself into the class room where the heads of the boys werestill at the windows.

  "Something must be done with that Pip!" he fumed, throwing down his bookon the first desk.

  "What's the poor chap done now?" cried Tim, turning off from his windowquite readily, as there was nothing more to be seen. "Can't you let upon him, Bony?"

  "No," said Bony, called short for Bonaparte, much to his distress, forthe great air which he assumed he fondly hoped was to bring himdistinction, "and none of us ought to."

  "It wasn't the poor little beggar's fault that King got hurt," said Tim,thrusting his hands in his pockets and lounging over toward Bony, "andwe ought to remember that."

  "Don't preach," cried Bony, derisively. "Well, he is such aninsufferable little cad!" he brought up in disgust. "And that countrylout--Great guns! how did that fellow dare to address me?" With that hebegan to fume up and down the room, puffing out his chest at every step.

  "Has any
one dared to speak to our Bony?" cried Tim, throwing his headback and blowing out his cheeks, in step and manner imitating as much ashis long figure could, as he followed the other one down between therows of desks.

  "See here, now, Tim," Bony turned suddenly amid the roars of thedelighted boys, "you quit that now," and he doubled up his fists in arage.

  "Excuse me, your high mightiness, if I object to being crushed," saidTim, coolly, and folding his fists, which were long and muscular likethe rest of his body. "Now, then, Bony, if you like."

  But Bony didn't like, taking refuge in, "You're no gentleman," andturning his back.

  "I suppose not," said Tim, coolly, and regarding his fistsaffectionately, "but I don't see why these wouldn't do. I really can'tsee, Bony, why you object to them; they're a good pair."

  "What's the row, anyway?" The boys, not to be balked out of all the fun,seeing that Bony would not fight, crowded around him. "What's upset you,Bony?"

  "Enough to disturb any one," he cried, glad to vent injured feelings onsomething. "A common country fellow just now spoke to me on the longpath; fancy that, will you? I never saw him in my life, and he took itupon himself to give me advice about Pip."

  "What?" cried ever so many of the boys.

  "Yes, just fancy. And there I had just come from seeing Mr. King," hereBony threw out his chest again and looked big. "I'd had a long talk withhim; his father knew my father very well, _very_ well indeed, and hewants me to meet Ben Pepper that he brought here yesterday," and Bonypaused to see the effect on his auditors.

  "Well, you've met him," said one boy. Some of the others gave a longwhistle.

  "No such thing," retorted Bony. "I wasn't with your crowd when he gothere last night," he added superciliously. "This is quitedifferent,--quite in the social way,--and his grandfather is going tointroduce us."

  "You won't need any introduction," said Tim, with a chuckle. "Hush up,boys," for the room was in an uproar of cat-calls and peals of laughter.

  "Yes, I will, too," said Bony, in a superior way, "for I never speakunless properly introduced. My set never does."

  "Well, you've broken your rule for once then," said Tim, in a hush now,every boy holding himself in check to lose no word, "for that countrylout with Pip was Ben Pepper."

  Bony sat down on the nearest desk, his chest sank in, and he gropedfeebly with his hands, mumbling something--what, the boys couldn't havetold, even if the babel that now set up around him had been less. AndMr. Sterrett coming in, and the other boys rushing out, he was presentlyasked if he were ill.

  "No, sir," said Bony, getting up from the desk; "oh, no, sir, I--I onlysat down a minute," and he slipped out, leaving his Bonaparte air behindhim.

  But if the boys didn't have any more fun with Bony, they did with theball game going on between the two over in the playground corner, whichthey soon spied, and off they rushed there.

  "Let us in, Pepper, will you?" cried Tim, his long legs getting therefirst.

  "Sure," said Ben, his round cheeks all aglow with the exercise. "Nowthen, Pip, wait a bit," the ball just then getting ready to fly from thethin little hand.

  Pip paused, his small pasty-colored face, that without having gained anycolor had quieted down from its nervousness, now took on a fresh alarm,and he looked ready to run.

  "They're all going to play with us," said Ben, looking around brightlyon the group as the other boys rushed up. "Now, then, Pip, we'll have asplendid game!"

  "Yes, we'll play," cried the boys, in different keys. And before longthe whole playground resounded with shouts of enjoyment. Ben couldn'tplay the most scientific game according to their rules, but he was acapital pitcher, and he took all errors in a sturdy good humor that keptthings jolly. Altogether, by the time the game was over, everybody in ithad voted that Pepper was worthy to be King's friend.

  "You'll have that little chap at your heels every minute, after this,"Tim nodded over toward Pip, who was running after, having lingeredbehind a bit to get his ball, as Ben struck off on the path leading toMaster Presbrey's house.

  "All right, let him come," said Ben.

  "He'll be an awful nuisance," said Tim; "take my advice, Pepper, anddrop him now."

  "Can't," said Ben, "can't oblige," and his fingers closed on the thinlittle ones crowding into them, as Pip ran up to his other side.

  "And I think any one who wants to please Jasper," said Ben,--he hated topreach, but it must be done,--"had better take up this chap."

  Tim coughed and stuck his hands deeply in his pockets.

  "I'm going down this way," said Ben, striking off on a side path, and hemarched off with pip.

  "I never knew such a chap," Tim waited for a crowd of the boys who hadjoined in the game to come up; "he's been here a little more than oneday, and he leads us all by the nose. Boys, we've just got to take upthat Pip, and we might as well do it handsomely as not."