Five Little Peppers And How They Grew | Page 3

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Prepared by David Reed [email protected] or [email protected]

Five Little Peppers And How They Grew
by Margaret Sidney

To the Memory of MY MOTHER; wise in counsel--tender in judgment, and in all charity--strengthful in Christian faith and purpose--I dedicate, with reverence, this simple book.

CONTENTS
A HOME VIEW MAKING HAPPINESS FOR MAMSIE MAMSIE'S BIRTHDAY TROUBLE FOR THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE MORE TROUBLE HARD DAYS FOR POLLY THE CLOUD OVER THE L1TI'LE BROWN HOUSE JOEL'S TURN SUNSHINE AGAIN A THREATENED BLOW SAFE NEW FRIENDS PHRONSIE PAYS A DEBT OF GRATITUDE A LETTER TO JASPER JOLLY DAYS GETTING A CHRISTMAS FOR THE LITTLE ONES CHRISTMAS BELLS! EDUCATION AHEAD BRAVE WORK AND THE REWARD POLLY IS COMFORTED PHRONSIE GETTING READY FOR MAMSIE AND THE BOYS WHICH TREATS OF A GOOD MANY MATTERS POLLY'S DISMAL MORNING POLLY'S BIG BUNDLE

FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS

A HOME VIEW
The little old kitchen had quieted down from the bustle and confusion of mid-day; and now, with its afternoon manners on, presented a holiday aspect, that as the principal room in the brown house, it was eminently proper it should have. It was just on the edge of the twilight; and the little Peppers, all except Ben, the oldest of the flock, were enjoying a "breathing spell," as their mother called it, which meant some quiet work suitable for the hour. All the "breathing spell" they could remember however, poor things; for times were always hard with them nowadays; and since the father died, when Phronsie was a baby, Mrs. Pepper had had hard work to scrape together money enough to put bread into her children's mouths, and to pay the rent of the little brown house.
But she had met life too bravely to be beaten down now. So with a stout heart and a cheery face, she had worked away day after day at making coats, and tailoring and mending of all descriptions; and she had seen with pride that couldn't be concealed, her noisy, happy brood growing up around her, and filling her heart with comfort, and making the little brown house fairly ring with jollity and fun.
"Poor things!" she would say to herself, "they haven't had any bringing up; they've just scrambled up!" And then she would set her lips together tightly, and fly at her work faster than ever. "I must get schooling for them some way, but I don't see how!"
Once or twice she had thought, "Now the time is coming!" but it never did: for winter shut in very cold, and it took so much more to feed and warm them, that the money went faster than ever. And then, when the way seemed clear again, the store changed hands, so that for a long time she failed to get her usual supply of sacks and coats to make; and that made sad havoc in the quarters and half-dollars laid up as her nest egg. But---- "Well, it'll come some time," she would say to herself; "because it must!"