"And wasn"t that reception in the school parlors too perfectly beautiful for anything!" cried Polly Pepper, in a lull, for about the fiftieth time the remark had been made.
"Yes, and didn"t Alexia make an awful blunder with her paper of rice!"
said Clem sweetly.
"I can"t help it," said Alexia, nowise disturbed; "the old paper burst, and I had to put it in my handkerchief. You couldn"t expect me, girls, to keep my wits after that."
"Well, you needn"t have spilt it all over Miss Anstice"s bonnet," said Philena, laughing.
"Mrs. Clemcy"s, you mean," corrected Jasper.
"Oh dear me! I never shall get used to her new name," declared Philena.
"And I think I got my rice deposited as well as some of the rest of you girls," declared Alexia airily.
"Mine struck Mr. Clemcy full in the eye," said Silvia; "then I ducked behind Polly Pepper."
"Oh, that was a great way to do!" exclaimed Jasper.
"Oh, I saw her," said Polly, with a little laugh, "and I jumped away; and Mr. Clemcy saw her, too."
"Horrors!" cried Silvia. "Did he? Oh, I"m frightened to death! What did he look like, Polly?"
"Oh, he laughed," said Polly.
Just then came a ring at the doorbell, sharp and sudden.
"What is going to happen?" cried Polly, her face like a rose.
"Everything has been beautiful to-day; and now I just know something perfectly lovely is coming to finish off with."
"A telegram, sir." Johnson held out a long yellow envelope to Mr. King.
"It"s for Mrs. Fisher," said the old gentleman.
So the yellow envelope went down the table-length, the color going out of Polly"s cheek; and she didn"t dare to look at Mamsie"s eyes.
"Oh--the boys!" gasped Polly. "Jasper, do you suppose?"--What, she didn"t finish; for Mother Fisher just then cried out, and pa.s.sed the yellow sheet to the little doctor. "Read it aloud," was all she said.
But how her black eyes shone!
"David took first prize cla.s.sics. I"m picking up a bit. JOEL PEPPER."
THE END.
BOOKS BY
MARGARET SIDNEY
A LITTLE MAID OF CONCORD TOWN _Ill.u.s.trated by Frank T. Merrill_
A LITTLE MAID OF BOSTON TOWN _Ill.u.s.trated by Frank T. Merrill_
THE FAMOUS PEPPER BOOKS IN ORDER OF PUBLICATION
_Twelve Volumes Ill.u.s.trated_
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS MIDWAY
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS GROWN UP
PHRONSIE PEPPER
THE STORIES POLLY PEPPER TOLD
THE ADVENTURES OF JOEL PEPPER
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS ABROAD
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AT SCHOOL
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND THEIR FRIENDS
BEN PEPPER
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS IN THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE
OUR DAVIE PEPPER
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
[Ill.u.s.tration: "TAKE RICKIE: HE BEAT, TOO, AS MUCH AS I."]