Five Little Peppers at School Part 22

"No--I don't think so," panted Polly. "Philena got there just about as soon."

"No, you were first," said the girl who plunged up next; "I saw it distinctly."

"Well, it was so near that we ought to have another race to decide it,"

declared Polly, with a little laugh, pushing back the damp rings of hair from her forehead. "Girls, isn't it lovely that we have this splendid place where we can run, and n.o.body see us?"

"Yes," said Alexia, throwing herself down on the gra.s.s; which example was immediately followed by all the other girls. "I just love this avenue down to the wicket gate, Polly Pepper."

"So do I," chimed in the others.

"Oh dear me! I'm just toasted and fried," declared Alexia. "I never _was_ so hot in all my life."

"You shouldn' have run so, Alexia," said Polly reproachfully, patting the arm still in its sling. "Oh, how could you!"

"Well, did you suppose I was going to see you all sprinting off and having such fun, and not try it too? No, indeed; that's asking too much, Polly."

Then she threw herself at full length on the gra.s.s, and gazed at her meditatively.

"Well, we mustn't have the second race, Philena," said Polly; "because if Alexia runs again, it surely will hurt her."

"_Ow!_" exclaimed Alexia, flouncing up so suddenly that she nearly overthrew Amy Garrett, who was sitting next, and who violently protested against such treatment, "now I won't keep you back, Polly. Oh dear me!

it can't hurt me a single bit. I'm all ready to take off this horrible old thing, you know I am, only Dr. Fisher thought--"

"He thought it would be safer to keep it on till after the picnic,"

Polly was guilty of interrupting. "You know he said so, Alexia. No, we won't run again, girls," Polly brought up quite decidedly.

"Polly, you shall; I won't run--I really won't; I'll shut my eyes," and Alexia squinted up her pale eyes till her face was drawn up in a knot.

"I'll turn my back, I'll do anything if you'll only race; _please_ try it again, Polly."

So Polly, seeing that Alexia really wished it, dropped a kiss on each of the closed eyes. "Put your hand over them, and untwist your face from that funny knot," she laughed. "Come on, girls," and the race began.

Alexia twisted and wriggled, as the pattering feet and quick breath of the girls when they neared her resting place, plunged her in dreadful distress not to look. "Oh dear--um! if I could just see once; um--_um_!

I know Polly will win; oh dear! She _must_."

But she didn't. It was Cathie Harrison, the new girl; that is, new to them, as they hadn't drawn her into their set, but a few weeks. She was a tall, thin girl, who got over the ground amazingly, to touch the green wicket gate certainly three seconds before Polly Pepper came flying up.

"You did that just splendidly, Cathie," cried Polly breathlessly. "Oh dear me, that _was_ a race!"

"Goodness me!" cried Alexia, her eyes flying open, "my face never'll get out of that knot in all this world. My! I feel as if my jaws were all tied up. Well, Polly, this time you beat for sure," she added confidently, as the girls came running up to throw themselves on the gra.s.s again.

"But I didn't," said Polly merrily. "Oh dear! I _am_ so hot."

"Yes, you did," declared Alexia stubbornly.

"Why, Alexia Rhys! I didn't beat, any such a thing," corrected Polly--"not a single bit of it."

"Well, who did, then?" demanded Alexia, quite angry to have Polly defeated.

"Why, Cathie did," said Polly, smiling over at her.

"What, that old--" then Alexia pulled herself up; but it was too late.

A dull red mounted to Cathie's sallow cheek, that hadn't changed color during all the two races. She drew a long breath, then got up slowly to her feet.

"I'm going to play bean-bags," announced Polly briskly. "Come on, girls.

See who'll get to the house first."

"I'm going home," said Cathie, hurrying up to wedge herself into the group, and speaking to Polly. "Good-bye."

"No," said Polly, "we're going to play bean-bags. Come on, Cathie." She tried to draw Cathie's hand within her arm, but the girl pulled herself away. "I must go home--" and she started off.

"Cathie--_Cathie_, wait," but again Cathie beat her on a swift run down the avenue.

Alexia stuffed her fingers, regardless of arm in the sling, or anything, into her mouth, and rolled over in dreadful distress, face downward on the gra.s.s. The other girls stood in a frightened little knot, just where they were, without moving, as Polly came slowly back down the avenue. She was quite white now. "Oh dear!" groaned Philena, "look at Polly!"

Alexia heard it, and stuffed her fingers worse than ever into her mouth to keep herself from screaming outright, and wriggled dreadfully. But no one paid any attention to her. She knew that Polly had joined the girls now; she could hear them talking, and Polly was saying, in a sad little voice, "Yes, I'm afraid she won't ever come with us again."

"She must, she shall!" howled Alexia, rolling over, and sitting up straight. "Oh Polly, she shall!" and she wrung her long hands as well as she could for the arm in the sling.

"Oh, no, I am afraid not, Alexia," and her head drooped; no one would have thought for a moment that it was Polly Pepper speaking.

And then Amy Garrett said the very worst thing possible: "And just think of that picnic!" And after that remark, the whole knot of girls was plunged into the depths of gloom.

Jasper, running down the avenue with Pickering Dodge at his heels, found them so, and was transfixed with astonishment. "Well, I declare!" He burst into a merry laugh.

"You look like a lot of wax figures," said Pickering pleasantly; "just about as interesting." Then they saw Polly Pepper's face.

"Oh, what is it?" cried Jasper, starting forward.

Polly tried to speak cheerfully, but the lump in her throat wouldn't let her say a word.

"If you boys must know," said Alexia, flouncing up to her feet, "I've been bad and perfectly horrid to that Harrison girl; and I've upset everything; and--and--do go right straight away, both of you, and not stand there staring. I don't think it's very polite."

"Oh Polly," cried Jasper, gaining her side, "can't we help?" He was dreadfully distressed. "Do let us."

Polly shook her head. "No, Jasper, there isn't anything you can do," she said brokenly.

Pickering thrust his hands in his pockets, and whistled softly. "Girls always get into such rows," he observed.

"Well, I guess we don't get into worse ones than you boys do, nor half as bad," cried Alexia crossly, perfectly wild to quarrel with somebody.

"And, besides, this isn't the other girls' fault. It's all my fight from beginning to end."

"Then you ought to be perfectly ashamed of yourself, Alexia," declared Pickering, not intending to mince matters in the slightest.

"Well, I am," said Alexia, "just as ashamed as I can be. Oh dear me! I wish I could cry. But I'm too bad to cry. Polly Pepper, I'm going to run after that horrible Harrison girl. Oh misery! I wish she never had come to the Salisbury School." Alexia made a mad rush down the avenue.

"Don't, Alexia, you'll hurt your arm," warned Polly.