Five Little Peppers and their Friends

e slowly, "that you'd

ron railings, pressing her nose quite flat, to giv

e, coming up quite close; "

e girl on the outsid

much puzzled and beginn

ailings enough to accomplish that ceremony. Then she plastered her nose

chased away her fright, "there isn't any big

s the perliceman's," contradicted the girl,

e, softly but very dec

the big policeman ca

laugh, covering both hands over her mouth to smother the sound. "The perlice can

o concentrate all her gaze up toward the sky, in wide-eyed amaze

" the girl on the outside said at last, to bring back the blue eyes to eart

n in their heavenly work to the eyes staring at her. And she clasped her hands together tigh

he whispered softly. "I'll take hold of your ha

e doll lying on the grass where it fell from Phronsie's hand. "

bobbing her head till her yellow

mostly all legs and arms, dashed through, picking up the doll to squ

frighten her. I'll tell her how

e girl, with savage thrusts at t

d it fiercely in her scrawny neck, her ta

ill, "she's my child, and she's dreadfully fri

hild." The girl raised her black head to look sternly

ree tears trailing off her round cheeks to drop in the grass, and s

r girl decidedly, "an' I'm a-goin' to ho

long breath, and

" she sai

n the other, and twitching down the dainty pink gown, gone awry during the hugging process, and alternately scolding and patting the little figur

a lady," sh

or-stricken, and running over on distre

I ain't through pretendin' yet," said the girl.

ale face, and her blue eyes flashed very

hirled around an

as you're licked when you're b

me with curiosity, yet keeping her eyes o

girl, "just the same as

drew a lo

en whipped," s

g up suddenly to sit straight, wipe her tangled black hair out of her eyes, and s

back on her child to give all her attention to this abs

sie, who had drawn closer, unable to miss a bit of this very strange proceeding. "Now I'm through pretending an' I haven't got any child, an' yo

ith gentle hand, and smoothed down her curls. A curious sound broke in upon her work, and she looked up and listened. "I mus

sly, and she whirled off, pulling

id Phronsie in a troubled voice

ngers in derision, and spinning around

be the cat, because she doesn't hardly ever cry, and besides she

ird," said the girl, poin

een, not to t

ly, and peering up anxiously, "and he doesn't cry a

wait long enough," sa

little trills, and shaking them out so fast his sm

nsie, in a burst of delight; "you see, littl

an' he'll cry next, like

and drawing nearer. "Oh, I see some tears," and she looked soberl

ou could see on me; 'twas the cat or the bird. Ain't you green, though! You're green a

te still and regar

l, dashing up to her, to snap her fingers in

hold my child again, if you only won't cry any more," and she clasped her ha

and ran to overtake the flying feet. "Pl

rt her throat, then leaned her face against the

" She wriggled off from Phronsie's finge

t of the way of the flapping shoes all down at the heel, "and you may h

defiant sweep of her grimy hands she brushed both ch

e effect of her invitation, "I do mean it, little

walk up and down a bit

moving off slowly backward over the grass

y. "You wouldn't let me touch that nasty old doll of you

und and hurried over the grass to pick Clorinda off from her resting-place and run back. "There, see, little

hed the doll and sped wild

h pink cheeks and outstretched arms, "g

trians used the path; in fact, there were none on it this afternoon, so the children had it all to themselves. And on they went, Phronsie, wit

d suddenly, flung herself up against

t it?" she cried defiantly, clut

, sank panting down to the curbs

ok nothin' but what you give me. I want to play with her to my

ery red, and she wiped her hot face on her white apron. "You must gi

her child, stumbled on after her, scarcely seeing one step before her for the

g basket, she caught her foot and fell, a tired little hea

lifting her up. "Here, you girl

irled suddenly and came running back

you!" she exclaimed; the

ow you

ay the tears with her muddy hands, regardle

ars from the muddy little cheeks with a not ungentle hand. "You've got to be my sister," she said, in a gush, "else the hoodlums will tear you from neck to heels." And seizing Phronsie's hand again, she bore her off, dodging between rows of dwellings, that, if her companion could have seen, would have certainly p

o get here, though!" and she drew a long breath, releasing Phronsie's hand, who immediately s

reply, tried very hard to answe

e it enough," and she broke out into a hard, sarcastic laugh, which shrilled its w

shing across the room, she dragged up a broken chair, and jammed it

Phronsie faintly, and h

child; I m

ully, and tossing her head. "I'm going to have five-o'clock tea 'for

he doll on a bed, over which were tossed the clothes in a di

g her sharp, black eyes on the small figure hudd

ox out here and there from a cupboard

and battered knife. These she placed, also the cracked cups, with great gusto, on the rickety table, propped

gging up from another corner a big box, first unceremoniously dumping out the various articles, such as dirty clothes, a tin pan or two, a skillet, an empty bottle-last of all, a nightcap, which she held aloft. "Gran's," she shouted; "it's been lost a mighty long time. Now I'm goin' to wear it to my five-o'clock

ith great delight, her hands on her hips. "Now, says I, fo

y spools in between. "Them's the flowers," she explained, as she put the last-mentioned articles in their places. "Now it's all ready, except the choc'late." And waving an old tin coffeepot, whose nose was a thing of the past, she filled it at the faucet over

ion: Five

uch a wail, as she sat, a frozen little heap,

e of that name, minus its back, away from the door; then helping Phronsie up from the floor, she wiped off the tears on her pinafore, no longer white, and soon had her installed on it. "Now you're comp'ny." Thereupon she ran and fetched the doll from the bed, and put her on a small, old barrel, from which the articles were dumped out, and, with a box

" protested Phronsie, th

hen she'll be yours, an' I'll take you home. Will you have choc'late?-you must, Lady-what

ammer it out for the tea

Well, you can be Lady Funsie-Fornsie-whatever you call it. No

milk," said Phronsie f

eepot with an elegant air, she inverted it over a cracked cup, which, when generously full of water, she passed to he

t half of it, which ran off the table-edge and down her little brown gown, the Dukess greeting this mishap with a

ome," she said. "You should

ured Phronsie, viewing

hink, Dukess, you have

avely, and she turned serious eye

, 'An' all them perfectly beyewtiful flowers, I never see any s

n't flowers,"

r was thrown open, and an old, stout, sodden woman, in a dirty, green shawl and battered bonnet stood transfixed with amazement in the entrance. S

thin' you eat me out o' house an' home with brats you bring in"; for she hadn't see

by itself, and put herself over by Phronsie, covering her from view. In passing, she had grasped the

while the old woman swayed across the room, for she wasn't quite free from the effects of a taste from a bottle under her a

he nightcap. Involuntarily Rag paused, through sheer force of habi

l, you ain't acted so badly after all; maybe the pretty little la

, "let her go; only let her go, an' I'll-I'll do anythin' you wa

of time-but Rag, knowing quite well what could be done in it, seized Phronsie, rushed outside, slammed the door, and was down over the rickety stairs in a twinkling, through the dirty courtyard an

ed, "but wasn't that a