CHAPTER II.
TEDDY'S SURPRISE.
PERHAPS before I go any farther I ought to explain to those of my littlefriends who have not chanced to read the first book about "The Doings ofa Dear Little Couple" that Polly and Teddy were next-door neighbors inthe pretty village which was their home, and that they had been, duringall their acquaintance with each other, most loving and devoted littlechums. They were each seven years old at the time of my last writing,but at the time of this story had become eight-year-olders, and Teddyinsisted that because their birthdays came together they were "realtruly twinses." Now I will return to my story.
When Polly finished her breakfast and was excused from the table, shescampered off as fast as she could down the garden till she came to thelittle gap in the fence of which my first book told you, you remember,and called: "Teddy! Ted-dee! Oh! Teddy Terry!" as loud as she could allthe while she was running.
Now, it happened that Teddy Terry was eating _his_ breakfast at thattime, and he was just putting a piece of potato into his rosy mouth whenhe heard Polly's eager voice. He swallowed that piece of potato so fastthat it nearly choked him, and when he had finally gotten it out of theway, he said: "Please 'scuse me, Mamma, Papa!" and, slipping from hischair, was off in a jiffy to meet his little chum, Polly.
"Oh, Teddy, come up in our tree!" cried Polly, as Teddy's curly brownhead pushed through the low gap in the dividing hedge fence. "Comequick, quick, quick! I've got the goodest news in the world to tell you'bout!" She danced about on her little toes while speaking, and,Teddy's plump body having speedily followed his head, he left the fence,and with his little companion ran for the old apple-tree which--as youremember I told you in the first book--was the "consultation office" ofour dear little couple whenever they had any especially privateconversation with each other.
So up into the stout branches of the old tree they clambered, andsettled comfortably down in a safe fork of limbs amid a thicket of greenleaves, and then, after Teddy had followed his usual loving habit ofkissing Polly on her soft little cheek, and receiving the same sweetgreeting from her, she proceeded to tell her secret.
"I'd ask you to _guess_ it first," she said, "but oh, Teddy Terry, younever could in the world! It's this: You 'n' I are going to Europe withmy Papa 'n' Mamma! There! what do you think of _that_, Teddy Terry? Oh,isn't it the very bestest news we could have? Aren't you s'prised mostto pieces?"
Teddy's brown eyes opened so wide that it is a wonder they did notstretch out of shape. Surprised? well, indeed he was, and when Polly hadtold him more about the matter he gave the loudest _whoop-la_! he could,and then a funny thing happened--he slid off that tree and disappearedin the wood-shed near by, and--I don't know surely--but I think itlikely he went in there to hide the tears that came to his eyes, thetears of joy which Polly had had, you know, only Teddy didn't want herto see him turn "cry-baby," and so he had run quickly away. But Pollysoon found him there, and together they went to see his Mother, and thenhe learned more fully all about the pleasure in store for him, and thatMamma and Papa had consented to let him go because _they_ had beencalled unexpectedly away a long distance to see a sick relative, and itmade them glad to know that their little son would be safe and happywith Polly and her Mother and Father during that time. Afterwards, whenTeddy and Polly were again together, they talked the coming trip over aschildren do, and were greatly excited and delighted.
"I promised Mamma solermy, oh, jus' as solermy as could be, that I'd bethe goodest behaving boy your Mamma ever saw!" said Teddy, when he andPolly, tired of jumping about and shouting "whoop!" at last sat down onthe grass to talk it over, "and--and--she said she wasn't 'fraid totrus' me at all."
"Course not," responded Polly; "you're the best that ever could be tokeep promises, and if you forget 'bout 'em, it's jus' 'cause youcouldn't truly help it."
The more they talked over the wonderful new surprise, the more excitedthe dear little couple were growing, and the number of times Teddy putsoft kisses on his Polly's cheek (one of his sweet little ways ofexpressing his joy, at any time, over pleasures they were to sharetogether) I cannot tell, but you may be sure he did not limit his kissesin the least, dear loving little chum as he was!