The Adventures of Joel Pepper

on,

p her ears. "'Tisn't going to hurt you.

to speak stoutly; "I'm coming, Joel," and his little r

, thinking it quite t

and several smothered grunts proclaim

eclared Polly, "so you just come into the

o, Dave," in a loud whisper. Thereupon ensued a

little Davie; "

" declared Joel. "You sta

y's voice, not to have

avie, wriggling to get free from

d voice, dragging himself away from the charms of

the back door, with her hands folded in her lap. Little Dav

u've been up to, Joey Pepper?" sai

thing," mumbled Joel, h

n; "now tell me what it is, and right straight off, Joel. Begin." Sh

of ground before the flat doorstone, and

bigger holes in 'em. Oh, Joel, to thin

fists into his eyes, he plunged forward and thrust his black head on the folded hands in h

y you are not naughty," said Polly, dreadfully frig

-" mumbled Joel, trying to burrow past he

?" demanded Polly

ing to--" said Joel

oing to," commanded Pol

you," said Joel. "O d

what were you going to do

in. "O dear me! I was going to--"

to wipe off, the rest of them trailing over his round nose. "O dear me! Now you must go into the 'provision room' and stay. Don't you rememb

lutching Polly's arm. "I'll tell you, Polly; I'll tell." And

d it, and you must go; for Mamsi

his ears. "Oh, Polly, don't make him," he was saying, when heavy steps came around

brown hands, and shot a sharp look a

ggs. There was a bagful Mamsie said I

. "What's the matter with him?" pointing a

rse than that. Please go away, Mr

ogether; "then I can't take him with me. But t'other one might go, if you say so, mar

lly, while David took away his

tingill, up to th'East Quarte

said

e lives in a nice yellow house, and there's a duck-pond, and che

ms to be better now, so I'll take him and t'other one along of me, marm, if you say so. Ye see, Mis' Pettingill told me to come up there

Oh, won't we have fun! I'm going to sit in the middle. Let me

fectly still and clasp

OUTED JOEL, THE

of her cheek. "You can't go, Joe," she said slowly.

stared wildly at her a moment. Then he f

stress. "I guess he wants pep'mint. My mother

"He can't go, Mr. Biggs,"

of joy, and took three steps down t

f. It's a good piece down to Mis' Pettingill's. And she always wan

back to the red rag-wagon waiting out in the road. He twisted his finger

him; "only you must remember, Mr. Biggs won't go aga

e Joel roared harder still, if that were possible. So Polly had to run down the grassy slope to overtake Mr. Biggs, wh

e rosy color all over her cheek, "

ne," cried Mr. Biggs, turning around with o

ress, "but he won't go unless Joel goes. Oh, I d

t, and his big face wrinkled perplexedly. "Beats all, how suddint they'

o drive off, which he did, staring hard at them; and every little while he turned back, to gaze in aston

ng such a noise, and go right into the provision room, an

unishments that Mrs. Pepper inflicted; and Polly's cheek got quite white. Little Davie, on seeing this, untwisted h

, and looked up at h

I know Joel will be good now, and go at onc

up to his feet, wiping his cheeks

Polly; "now go right

ent slowly off. They could hear the provision room door shut. Then Polly t

to do for Mamsie before she gets home," she cried in a ch

h another glance at his pale little face. "Let

y, standing quite still in the middle of the

id Polly, wrinkling her forehead worse than ever. "Dear me, w

, "try to write some letters, Polly.

ismay, "I suppose it would, Davie.

ay, 'How nice,'" said li

presently the two had the old table against the wall pulled out into the middle of the kitchen floor, and Polly ran and got the big piece of foolscap paper

And he clambered up, and got out a carefully folded piece laid away after it had come

the white paper, Polly?" he cried, as he ran back

long the top of the white foo

e for them. "Mamsie won't ever let us try until we can make 'em good and straight. O dear me, I don't s'pose I'll ever get a chance." S

ing down the brown paper, and smoothing out the creases. "Now where's the ink-bo

lly in alarm, "you'll spill it.

ink-horn that had been Father Pepper's. "Isn't it nice that Mrs. Henderson filled it up for us s

ttle china mug given to Phronsie when she was a baby, lay the p

she'd want to write," he said, "wouldn

e, and sighing. "Well, dear me, I'd ever so much rather hold her hand

self," said little Davie, wisely,

ght, I ought not to laugh when Joel's in there all alone in the provision room. "Well, no

le steps to look through the big crack

e clapped her hands over her mouth. "It never'd do to scare him," she said. And she opened the provision

storekeeper had given the boys to make things out of, and that were kept as great treasures. "O dear me, what shall I do? I must tell Davie n

opped around on the ground, his back toward her, his b

at is it?" cried Pol

ever, and squeezing his brown hands together

in great alarm. "O dear me, let me see w

d close to his side. Just then out

to turn his back on both of them. But Polly caught sig

gave one scream,

k again; "it's an ugly mean old adder, Polly

irled back, the long body of the snake flopping from one side to the other. "If he'd kee

, and giving a final wrench. "There, I've deaded him; see,

on the grass. "O dear me, it's a snake, Polly!" an

winging the long dangling bod

idn't bite you anywhere? Do throw him down and let me see," she begged anxiously. But Joel swung the snake back and fo

n, Joel," she begged, "and le

ened out his tail; then he commenced to run all around hi

s. "Mamsie wouldn't like you to say that word," she

n't he big! You couldn't a-killed him, Dave," he cried a

ear me, he may be aliv

ing. See!" and he twitched up the long gray snake

o burrowed into them as far as he could. "Do put him down, and come and tell

, stopping the swing in mid-air to pat the a

d and turned

Polly, decisively. "If you do, you

t I'll have him close to me," and he laid the snake by the

his head and looked f

ne. "Put him off on the grass in the orchard," as the one scraggy apple tree was c

el, and picking up his snake he dragged him through

aid Polly, firmly. So Joel laid the snake down and r

in," sai

face getting very red, "when I heard a scrunchin' an' a swis

a little shiver, "it

swished, and it didn't stop

around Joel, and drawing him to her. Little D

looking at me just like this." Joel flew off the doorste

exclaimed Polly, tumbling off from the doorstep to th

" cried Joel, who alwa

as I can be," Polly ran on w

over with delight

d Polly, hanging to his brown hand. "Go on, J

Squish!' and he bobbed down his head, just a minute, and I jumped and I gra

ave, brave Joel," she cried. "Mamsie'll be so proud