Ben Pepper Part 6

Polly shut her fingers over the half-dollar, and still holding Phronsie's hand, she leaned over the small shoulder, which now she saw was thin, and touched the rusty black coat sleeve. "That's for the woolly dog," she said softly, so n.o.body heard, and slipping the half-dollar into the red hand without any glove on.

"Oh, my!" cried the girl, staring first at her hand with the silver half-dollar shining up at her from the middle of it, and then into Polly's face, "what's that for?"

"You were so good to us," said Polly, simply, and before the girl could say a word, she had slipped back to Ben, and this time they were soon lost in the crowd down the aisle, on their way to another shop.

"You've given away a whole half-dollar," gasped Joel, staring up into Ben's face.

"Hush!" said Ben, hauling him on, as Polly flew back; "well, now, then, we must hurry, else we never will get through."

"Yes, we must get Phronsie's cat," said Polly, with a happy little thrill. "Oh, Ben, just think," she whispered, for Ben never could bear to be thanked, "she's bought that woolly dog by this time, I 'most know."

"Do hush!" begged Ben.

"Oh, now, I know you are whispering secrets," declared Joel, trying to crowd in between them.

"No, we are not," said Polly, "really and truly we are not; are we, Ben?"

"Then what are you whispering for?" demanded Joel, before Ben could answer, as they all hurried out, Phronsie announcing gleefully that she was going to buy Grandpapa's cat, and pulling Ben along, whose hand she held, so that there was no time to peer into the shop windows.

Polly and the boys brought up the rear of the little procession. And there, sure enough, up on the top shelf of the animal department of the next toy-shop, was a little yellow cat with very green eyes, and a pink ribbon around her neck, looking down on the "Five Little Peppers" as if she had expected them all the while, as they hurried up to anxiously scan the a.s.sortment. And oh, she had really-and-truly fur on! When she saw that, Phronsie screamed right out: "She's there. Oh, I want her!"

and stretched out her arms, the money-bag dangling merrily, as if its services would be wanted presently. "Oh, Polly, I want her, I do!"

And before any one would believe it, it was all done so quickly, the little yellow cat was taken down and paid for, and Phronsie had it in her hand, and was stroking its back lovingly, and telling it about dear Grandpapa, and that it was going to him on Christmas Day, and ever so much more.

"Ain't you going to have it wrapped up?" asked the saleswoman. "Here, give it to me, and the boy'll put a paper on it for you."

"Oh, no, no," said Phronsie, edging away in alarm, and cuddling the little yellow cat up in her neck, "she doesn't want to be wrapped up.

Don't, Bensie," as he tried to take it out of her arms.

"All right," said Ben, with a laugh.

"Oh, Ben, she can't carry it all the afternoon in that way," said Polly, disapprovingly.

"It won't do any harm if she does," said Ben, with a glance at her, "and I don't believe, Polly, she'll put that cat down till we get home," he added.

So out they went, Joel and David having to be dragged away from the alluring toys of every description on all sides, fairly clamoring to be purchased.

"Oh, I want that steam-engine," howled Joel. "See, Dave, see!"

"I'd rather have the express-wagon," said David, who hadn't been able to take his eyes from it, the second he spied it.

"Huh, old wagon!" Joel exclaimed in contempt; "a steam-engine'll go, like this!" He shot out his arm, regardless where it went.

"Take care!" a voice sang out, but it was too late. Over went a pile of toys, just purchased, from the arms of a cash-girl on its way to be wrapped up. Smash went something--a big doll with pink cheeks and very blue eyes; and, with an awful feeling at his heart, Joel, with everybody else who saw the accident, bent over the heap of little pieces on the floor--all that remained of the pretty face.

"You broke it!" declared the cash-girl, aghast at the mischief, and her teeth fairly chattering with fright, as she whirled around to Joel.

"I didn't mean--" he began stoutly; David looked wildly around for Ben and Polly. They were ahead with Phronsie, so he ran after them on unsteady feet.

"I didn't mean--" Joel was saying again, as they hurried up in great distress.

"Oh, Ben, don't let Phronsie see!" cried Polly, as soon as she caught sight of the broken doll, for Phronsie never could bear to think of one being hurt, and she tried to draw her away. Too late! Phronsie rushed into the very middle of the group, just as the floor-walker was protesting, "Of course you didn't do it," to Joel, for it never would do to charge the trouble to rich Mr. King's household. He knew all the children well, as they had been many times at the shop with the old gentleman, who was one of its best customers.

"Oh, let me take her," begged Phronsie, eagerly. "Polly, can't I? Oh, please give her to me!"

"And it was all your own carelessness," went on the floor-walker, sternly, fastening his gaze on the cash-girl and quite delighted to blame somebody. "And I shall report you to the office. Now go ahead with those other things, and then come here and pick up these pieces, and take the doll back." With that he turned off from everybody who had stopped to look at the accident, and marched off with his best manner on, and his head well in the air.

"O dear me!" the cash-girl took two or three steps off toward the wrapping counter, and began to cry all over the rest of the purchases piled in her arms, as she staggered on.

Meantime Phronsie had sat right down on the floor, and was cuddling up the doll without any face, against the little yellow cat.

Joel stumbled off after the girl. "Don't cry," and he twitched her arm.

"You be still, and go right away," cried the girl, turning on him as well as she could for the pile of bundles, and she stamped her foot in rage; "you've made me smash that doll, and they'll take it out of my pay, and now I can't get my mother any Christmas present at all." The tears were rolling down her cheeks, and her face worked dreadfully.

"They shan't!" declared Joel, his black eyes flashing.

"An' now you'll make me smash these, I s'pose," said the cash-girl. "You go right away, you bad boy, you. Boo-hoo-hoo!"

"I'll tell 'em I did it," said Joel, bounding off to overtake the floor-walker. "Say, oh, do stop!" for he had almost reached the office door. "Mister, _please_," and he seized the end of the departing coat, Polly and Ben both calling, astonished as they saw him fly past, to stop.

"Hey? Oh, is that you?" The floor-walker smoothed out his face when he saw who it was.

"Yes," said Joel, "it is, and you mustn't make that girl pay for that doll."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," said the floor-walker, easily, with a smile, "she's a careless thing and I must make an example of her, or she'll break something else. It's all right, my boy," and he put his hand, where the big diamond ring shone up from the little finger, familiarly on the st.u.r.dy shoulder.

"It isn't all right," declared Joel, hotly, "and she didn't do it. I knocked her with my arm and that old doll fell off;" he swallowed hard.

What an awful hole that would make in his pocket-book! Perhaps he wouldn't be able to buy only half as many things for his Christmas presents as he had scrawled on the list within it, and the blood surged all over his round cheeks to his stubby black hair. "How much did it cost?" he asked faintly.

"Oh, you won't have to pay for it," said the floor-walker, smiling pleasantly, till he showed his white teeth. "Mr. Persons wouldn't ever charge you a cent for it."

"Thank you!" bobbed Joel, in intense relief, "that's awfully good!" and he laughed, too, and gleefully slapped his pocket till, encountering the big pin again, he thought better of that, and said once more, "Thank you, mister," in the exuberance of his delight, and was moving off.

"Oh, no, indeed," repeated the floor-walker, decidedly, "he wouldn't ever think of it; the girl's got to pay," and he turned off, too.

"Hey!" cried Joel, whirling around. Then he ran back to the tall man's side. "Has that girl got to pay?" he demanded, his black eyes flashing and his eyes working dreadfully; "say, tell me, has she?"

"Why, of course," said the man, "don't you worry, he won't touch a cent of your money; and you keep still, I shan't tell him, so he won't know, anyway."

"Well, I shall tell him myself," said Joel, in a burst, and dashing up to the first door he saw, he opened it and plunged in before the floor-walker could stop him.

So Ben and Polly, staring in the direction he had run, of course lost track of him and had nothing to do but to wait there till he came back.

Joel pranced up to the first desk he saw, of which the room appeared to be full, and found himself by the side of a young man, with a very large head of tow-colored hair, who was doing his best to find the bottom of a long column of figures. As he paid no attention to Joel's sudden appearance, the floor-walker had time to add himself to their company.

At this the young man deserted his figures, thrust his pencil in the thicket of tow hair, and said, "Hey, that you, McKenzie?"

But Mr. McKenzie paid small heed. "Here, you don't want to come in here," he said to Joel, "I'll fix that up for you." But Joel, not caring to wait for attentions that didn't appear to be forthcoming, dashed off to the next door. "Where's the big man?" he demanded.