Five Little Peppers at School Part 23

"I don't care--I hope I shall," cried Alexia recklessly.

"It's no use to try to stop her," said Jasper, "so let us go up to the house, Polly."

So they started dismally enough, the girls, all except Polly, going over in sorry fashion how Cathie Harrison would probably make a fuss about the little affair--she was doubtless on her way to Miss Salisbury's now--and then perhaps there wouldn't be any picnic at all on the morrow. At this, Philena stopped short. "Girls, that would be too dreadful," she gasped, "for anything!"

"Well, it would be just like her," said Silvia Horne, "and I wish we never had taken her into our set. She's an old moping thing, and can't bear a word."

"I wish so too," declared Amy Garrett positively; "she doesn't belong with us; and she's always going to make trouble. And I hope she won't go to the picnic anyway, if we do have it, so there."

"I don't think that is the way to mend the matter, Amy," said Jasper gravely.

"Hoh, hoh!" exclaimed Pickering, "how you girls can go on so, I don't see; talking forever about one thing, instead of just settling it with a few fisticuffs. That would be comfortable now."

The girls, one and all, turned a cold shoulder to him after this speech.

"Well, we sha'n't get the picnic now, I know," said Philena tragically; "and think of all our nice things ready. Dear me! our cook made me the sweetest chocolate cakes, because we were going to start so early in the morning. Now we'll have them for dinner, and eat them up ourselves. We might as well."

"You better not," advised Pickering. "Take my advice; you'll get your picnic all right; then where would you be with your cakes all eaten up?"

"You don't know Miss Salisbury," said Sally Moore gloomily; "nothing would make her so mad as to have us get up a fuss with a new scholar.

She was so pleased when Polly Pepper invited that Harrison girl to come to our bee for that poor family down South."

"And now, just think how we've initiated her into our club!" said Lucy Bennett, with a sigh. "Oh my goodness--look!"

She pointed off down the avenue. All the girls whirled around to stare.

There were Alexia and Cathie, coming toward them arm in arm.

"Jasper"--Polly turned to him with shining eyes--"see!" Then she broke away from them all, and rushed to meet the two girls.

"There isn't anybody going to say a word," announced Alexia, as the three girls came up to the group, Polly Pepper in the middle, "because, as I told you, it was all my fight, anyway. So, Pickering, you needn't get ready to be disagreeable," she flashed over at him saucily.

"I shall say just what I think," declared Pickering flatly.

"No doubt," said Alexia sweetly, "but it won't make a bit of difference.

Well, now, Polly, what shall we do? Do start us on something."

"We came, Pick and I," announced Jasper, "to ask you girls to have a game of bean-bags. There's just time before dinner--on the south lawn, Polly."

"Oh, good--good!" cried the girls, clapping their hands. "Come on, Cathie," said Philena awkwardly, determined to break the ice at once.

"Yes, Cathie, come on," said Amy and Silvia, trying to be very nice.

Cathie just got her mouth ready to say, "No, I thank you," primly, thought better of it, and before she quite realized it herself, there she was, hurrying by a short cut across the gra.s.s to the south lawn.

"I'm going to stay with Alexia," said Polly, when they all reached there, and Jasper flew over to pull out the bean-bags from their box under the piazza. "Come on, Alexia, let's you and I sit in the hammock and watch it."

"Oh Polly, come and play," begged Jasper, pausing with his arms full.

"Here, Pick, you lazy dog. Help with these bags."

"Can't," said Polly, shaking her head. So Alexia and she curled up in one of the hammocks.

"I'm just dying to tell you all about it, Polly Pepper," said Alexia, pulling Polly's cheek down to her own.

"Yes," said Polly happily, "and I can't wait to hear it; and besides, you can't play bean-bags, Alexia, with that arm. Well, do go on," and Polly was in quite a twitter for the story to begin.

"You see," said Alexia, "I knew something desperate had got to be done, Polly, for she was crying all over her best silk waist."

"Oh dear me!" exclaimed Polly, aghast.

"Yes; she had sat down on the kitchen step."

"The kitchen step," repeated Polly faintly.

"Yes. I suppose she got beyond caring whether the cook saw or not, she was feeling so very badly. Well, there she was, and she didn't hear me, so I just rushed up, or rather down upon her, and then I screamed 'Ow!'

And she jumped up, and said, 'Oh, have you hurt your arm?' And I held on to it hard, and made up an awful face, oh, as bad as I could, and doubled up; and the cook came to the door, and said could she get me anything, and she was going to call Mrs. Fisher. That would have been terrible." Alexia broke off short, and drew a long breath at her remembrance of the fright this suggestion had given her. "And Cathie fell right on my neck with, 'Oh, do forgive me,' and I said 'twas my fault, and she said, no, she oughtn't to have got mad, and I said she must hold her tongue."

"Oh Alexia!" cried Polly reprovingly.

"I had to," said Alexia serenely, "or we should have gotten into another fight. And she said she would, and I just took hold of her arm, and dragged her down here. And I'm tired to death," finished Alexia plaintively.

"Alexia," exclaimed Polly, cuddling up the long figure in a way to give perfect satisfaction, "we must make Cathie Harrison have the best time that she ever had, at the picnic to-morrow."

"I suppose so," said Alexia resignedly. "Well, but don't let's think of it now, for I've got you, Polly, and I want to rest."

XIII THE PICNIC

The four barges were to leave the "Salisbury School" at precisely half-past eight o'clock the next morning. Miss Salisbury was always very particular about being prompt, so woe be to any girl who might be late!

There was great scurrying, therefore, to and fro in the homes of the day scholars. And the girls hurried off with maids behind carrying their baskets; or, as the case might be, big family carriages filled with groups of girls collected among those of a set; or in little pony carriages. All this made the thoroughfares adjacent to the "Salisbury School" extremely busy places indeed.

Mother Fisher sent Polly's basket over to the school, at an early hour, Polly preferring to walk, several of the girls having called for her. So they all, with Jasper, who was going as far as the corner with them, set out amidst a chatter of merry nonsense.

"Oh girls, I _am_ so glad we are going to the Glen!" exclaimed Polly, for about the fiftieth time.

"So am I," cried all the others in a chorus.

"Why, you haven't ever been to any other place for your picnic, have you, Polly?" cried Jasper, with a laugh.

"No," said Polly, "we never have. But suppose Miss Salisbury had decided to try some other spot this year; oh, just suppose it, Jasper!" and her rosy color died down on her cheek. "It would have been just too dreadful for anything."

"We couldn't have had our picnic in any other place," declared Rose Harding; "it wouldn't be the same unless it was at the Glen."

"Dear old Glen!" cried Polly impulsively. "Jasper, it's too bad you boys can't all come to our picnics."

"I know it. It would be no end jolly if we only could," said Jasper regretfully, to whom it was a great grief that the picnic couldn't take in the two schools.