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_Frontispiece--Dear Little Couple Abroad_
"Polly drew her stockings and shoes on." _See p. 6_]
HOW "A DEAR LITTLE COUPLE" WENT ABROAD
BY
MARY D. BRINE
AUTHOR OF "THE DOINGS OF A DEAR LITTLE COUPLE"
WITH SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
DEDICATION.
To my little friends who have known and loved our "Dear Little Couple" (Polly and Teddy) I herewith dedicate this story, which tells of _more_ of the Doings of the Little Couple, and am lovingly the friend of all my little readers,
MARY D. BRINE.
COPYRIGHT, 1903. BY HENRY ALTEMUS.
HOW "A DEAR LITTLE COUPLE" WENT ABROAD.
CHAPTER I.
POLLY THINKS OVER HER "SURPRISE."
Polly opened her blue eyes one lovely morning in May, and found the "sunfairies"--as she called them--dancing all about her wee bed-chamber, andtelling her in their own bright way that it was high time little girlswere up and dressing for breakfast.
At first she was sure she had been having a beautiful dream, for whatelse could make her feel so happy and "sort of all-overish," as ifsomething very nice and unusual had come upon her? She was sure she haddreamed that a splendid surprise had happened, and it was somethingabout going away, too!
Polly lay still in her little white nest of a bed, and thought over herdream, and lo! on a sudden, as she grew more and more awake, the realcause of her new and glad sensations came into her curly head, and shebounced, like a little rubber ball, right out of bed, and danced a weelively jig on the floor.
Why, of course it wasn't a dream! No, indeed! it was as real--oh! asreal as Polly Darling herself, and no wonder she had felt so"all-overish" and so "glad all inside of her"! She sat down on the softcarpet and drew her stockings and shoes on, but it was slow work,because Polly was thinking, and she had a great deal to think about, yousee.
First--oh! how it all came back to her now!--first she remembered thatlast night after supper Papa had taken her on his knee and whispered inher ear: "Pollybus, how would you like to go with Mamma and Papa acrossthe sea for a little trip?"
And while she was squeezing him almost to pieces by way of answer, Mammahad come along, and had shaken her finger at Papa, as she said: "Oh,naughty Papa! the idea of telling Polly that _just when she's going tobed_! She won't sleep a wink for thinking of it." And Polly rememberedjumping down from Papa's knee, and going to Mamma's side, saying veryearnestly: "Oh, yes, I will! I truly will, Mamma! I'll shut my eyes andthink 'bout little lambs jumping over a fence, 'cause Cook says that'sthe best way to get sleepy, and it's worked be-yewtifully on _her_ lotsof times! Oh, true and true, black and blue, I'll go right to sleep! Andoh, I'm so happy!"
And pretty soon after that the bed-time for little girls had come, andPolly had been kissed and petted a little, as was usual after she hadsnuggled down in bed, and had a little while alone with her dear Mamma,and then she had tried very hard to keep her promise, and "go right tosleep." But oh, dear, it had been such hard work to keep those blue eyesshut! No matter how much she thought of the lambs jumping, one after theother, over the imaginary fence, it did not make her the least bitsleepy, and the lambs all seemed to scamper off to Europe as soon asthey had jumped the fence, and of course Polly's thoughts had to goflying after them. So, you see, it had really been a long while beforethe little tired lids had closed over those dear soft blue eyes, andsleep had really come. But when it did come you may be sure it was avery sound, sweet sleep, and so when Polly awakened in the morning itcould hardly be wondered at that she thought she had been having abeautiful dream.
She knew now that it was no dream, but a most delightful reality, andoh, how happy she was!
She came to the end of her long "think" at last, and turned herattention to her dressing, and just then Mamma came in to put thefinishing touches to the process, and Polly's tongue wagged so fast allthe while that it really seemed as though it were hung in the middle,like a little sweet-toned bell, and able to swing both ways.
However, Mamma patiently answered all the rapid questions, and explainedthat Papa, having to go abroad on business, had decided that it woulddo Mamma and Polly good to go also, and be the best thing to keep _him_from being lonely, of course.
And she told Polly something else that had not been told the nightbefore, but kept for an added "surprise" this morning, and that was thatTeddy's Mamma and Papa had given permission for _Teddy_ to go with Pollyto Europe, as a great and wonderful treat for both little folks. ButTeddy didn't know it yet, because both Mammas thought Polly would enjoytelling him herself and giving him a delightful surprise.
"So you may run over right after breakfast," added Mamma, "and tell himthe good news."
This additional beautiful "surprise" was more than Polly could bear inan ordinary way, so she just simply _cried_ for joy (you've heard ofpeople doing that?), and in the midst of her tears she began to laugh,and then she cried a little more, and it seemed a long time before thelittle happy Polly settled down and was able to eat her breakfast.