The delights of that day at Strawberry Hill never died out of remembrance, as Joel and David went over it constantly, so that the whole Pepper family soon felt that they had been of the company in the stage-coach along with Mr. Tisbett. Only when once the story was told of the trouble with Jim, as it was by David, Mrs. Pepper decided that that should never be referred to again. But her black eyes glowed when little David proudly related how Joel had stopped the beating that Jim"s father was giving him, although the account was much delayed, Davie was in such a tremble.
But the dinner! The two boys couldn"t tell enough times to suit themselves or their audience, about that wonderful meal.
"How did it taste?" asked Polly, as Joel finished the description of Mrs. Green"s raspberry shortcake, and smacked his lips over it.
"Just like all the best things you ever tasted in your life, Polly Pepper," he answered. "And the juice ran out all over it, and there was sugar on top."
"Oh, Joel," cried Polly, incredulously, "not sugar on top, and inside too!" and she paused to think how such a fine shortcake could taste.
"Yes, there was," said Joel; "lots and lots of sugar, Polly Pepper, was all sprinkled on top. Wasn"t it, Dave?"
"Yes," said little Davie, and his mouth watered as he thought of it.
"And sugar inside--was it sweet?" persisted Polly, still standing quite still.
"As sweet as anything," declared Joel, positively, and bobbing his stubby black head. "You can"t think what a shortcake that was, Polly, if you try ever so hard."
"Mamsie," cried Polly, suddenly, "do you suppose we"ll ever have one? Do you?"
"Maybe," said Mrs. Pepper, not looking into the brown eyes, but keeping her own bent on her work; "but I wouldn"t think of it, Polly, if I were you. Things don"t happen if you sit down and fold your hands and watch for "em."
"Well, I don"t b"lieve it will ever happen that we do get a shortcake, any more than we had a chicken pie," said Polly, turning away with a sigh.
"Why, you had your chicken pie, Polly," cried Joel, "only "twas a goose."
"Old gray goose!" said Polly, scornfully. "It was trimmed with a posy, though, and that was nice, wasn"t it, Mammy?" brightening up.
"Yes, indeed," cried Mrs. Pepper, cheerily; "and you baked it so good, Polly."
"So it was baked good," said Polly, all her good humor returning.
"And it did not make so much matter, did it, Mamsie, that he was tough?"
"No, indeed," said Mrs. Pepper, laughing; "he lasted all the longer, you know, Polly."
"Mean old gray goose!" exclaimed Joel, at the remembrance; "he most broke my teeth, trying to eat him."
"Do you remember, Joe, how you teased for the drumstick?"
laughed Polly. "You soon put it down on your plate, didn"t you?"
"Yes," said Joel, bobbing his head, "I remember, Polly. I couldn"t bite a single thing off. Mean old goose!"
"He looked nice," said little Davie, thoughtfully, "he was so brown, and there were Polly"s flowers on top of him."
"Yes," said Polly, "those were nice, children. Well, p"r"aps we"ll get a really and truly chicken pie sometime. And if the old stove would behave, and not have these dreadful holes coming all the time, where the putty tumbles out, it would be perfectly splendid. Now," cried Polly, running up to the stove, and shaking her brown head at it, "you"ve got to do your very best.
If you don"t, I"m sure I shall just give up!"
"Will you cry, Polly?" asked Phronsie, creeping up behind her.
"Yes, maybe," said Polly, recklessly. "Yes, I really think I shall have to cry, Phronsie, if that old stove lets the putty Ben put in last week tumble out again."
"Then it mustn"t, Polly," said Phronsie, very decidedly, "let the--What is it Ben put in?"
"The putty, child," said Polly.
"It mustn"t let the putty tumble out," said Phronsie. Then she ran up to the stove, and laid her little face up against its cold, black surface, for on summer afternoons there was never any fire in it. "You mustn"t be naughty, old stove," she said, "for then Polly will cry."
"Oh, Phronsie!" cried Polly, "you"ve s.m.u.tted your face, and blacked up your nice clean dress," and she pulled her back in dismay.
"O dear!" whimpered Phronsie, in distress, as she looked down at the long black streak across her pink calico gown. "I didn"t mean to, Polly; truly, I didn"t."
"Never mind," said Mrs. Pepper, looking across the kitchen; "Mother"ll wash it out for you by and by. Put on another one, Polly."
"Let me wash it, Mammy," begged Polly, carrying Phronsie off to wash her face and get her into another gown.
"No, you"ll only spread it more, for you don"t know how, Polly,"
answered Mother Pepper. So Polly, feeling as if there were a great many things she must grow up and learn, hurried off with Phronsie into the bedroom.
And then it was that Joel suddenly thought of the circus he meant to have whenever the time came ready. "Come on out to the woodpile, Dave," he said, "and let"s talk it over."
It was a good two hours after when Joel and David clambered down from the woodpile, and ran into the house.
"Joel," said Mother Pepper, "you forgot to fill up the wood box; see, it"s nearly empty."
"It"s always empty," Joel began, his head nearly bursting with big plans for his circus.
"Joel," said Mrs. Pepper, sternly, "don"t let me ever hear you fret at your work again. Go straight out and bring in the kindlings."
"And I"m going to help, too," cried David, skipping after. So it wasn"t very long before the two boys had brought in two good basketsful of kindlings, which just filled the wood box behind the stove.
"I"m glad it"s done," remarked Joel, with great satisfaction, knocking off the little splinters sticking to his fingers.
"People always are glad when their work is finished," said Mrs.
Pepper, breaking off a fresh needleful of thread.
"Shall you be glad, Mamsie?" suddenly asked Joel, who never could get over the idea that it was a perfect delight to his mother to sit and sew.
"Of course she will," cried Polly, unguardedly. "Mamsie"s tired to death sewing and working all the time."
Little David"s face grew very long, and he turned away, hoping no one would see him cry. Joel burst into a loud fit of sobbing.
"I think--it"s--too--too bad," he blubbered, covering his face with his arm, "that Mamsie has--has--to sew and work--all the time."
"Now you see, Polly," said Mrs. Pepper, putting aside her work and drawing Joel on her lap, "what mischief a few words can do.
There, there, Joel, don"t cry," and she patted his black hair.
"Mother"s glad to work for her children, and she gets rested when they"re good." But Joel sobbed on, and she had to repeat it many times before he would wipe his tears, and be comforted.
Little Davie drew near silently, to hear what she said.
Phronsie, in the bedroom, saw Joel in Mamsie"s lap, and Davie hanging over her chair, and she pattered across the kitchen floor. "Take me, too, do Mamsie," holding out her arms.