Five Little Peppers Grown Up | Page 9

be anywhere out of the range of those great black eyes. "Do
forgive me," she begged; "I didn't mean to say anything to hurt you."
Jack Loughead got up and straightened himself. "I'm much obliged to
you, Miss Pepper," he said. "I think I'm more to blame than Amy, poor
child."
"No, no," cried Polly, getting out of her chair, "I didn't mean so, indeed
I didn't, Mr. Loughead. Oh! what have I said? I think you have done
beautifully. How could you help things when you were not here? Oh!
Mr. Loughead, I do hope you will forgive me. I have only made matters
worse, I'm afraid," and poor Polly's face drooped.
Jack Loughead turned with a sudden gesture. "Perhaps you'll believe
me when I say I've never had anything do me so much good in all my
life, as what you said."
"What are those two talking about all this unconscionable time," Joel
was now exclaiming in the library, as he glanced up at the clock. "I
could finish that Amy Loughead in the sixteenth of a minute."
Old Mr. King turned uneasily in his chair. "Who is this young
Loughead?" he asked of Jasper.
Jasper, seeing that an answer was expected of him, drew himself up,
and said quickly, "Oh! he's the brother of that girl at the Salisbury
School, father. You know Polly goes over there to help her practice."
"Ah!" said his father, "well, what is he doing here this morning, pray
tell?"
"That's what I should like to know," chimed in Joel.
"Well, last evening," said Jasper, with an effort to make things right for
Polly, "he was there when they were playing, and he seemed quite put
out at his sister."

"Don't wonder," said Joel; "everybody says she's a silly."
"And Polly tried to help Amy, and make the best of her. And the
brother asked if he might have a talk some time about his sister. Polly
couldn't help telling him 'yes,'" said Jasper, but with a pang at the
handsome stranger's delight as she said it.
"A bad business," said the old gentleman irritably. "We do not want
your Lougheads coming here and taking up our time."
"Of course not," declared Joel.
"And I suppose he is an idle creature. Polly said something about his
traveling a good deal. It's a very bad business," repeated Mr. King.
"Oh! he's all right in a business way," said Jasper, feeling angry enough
at himself that he was sorry at Jack Loughead's success. "He has to
travel; he's a member of the Bradbury and Graeme Company."
"The Sydney, Australia, house?" asked Mr. King in a surprised tone.
"So you've looked him up, have you, Jasper?"
"Oh! I happened to run across Hibbard Crane yesterday," said Jasper
carelessly, "and he gave me a few facts. That's about all I know,
father."
And in came Polly, looking like a rose; and following her a tall young
man, with large, black eyes, whom she immediately led up to Mr.
King's chair. "Grandpapa," she said, "this is Mr. Loughead, Amy's
brother, you know"--
And Jasper went forward and put out his hand, as an old acquaintance
of the evening before, and Joel was introduced, and mumbled
something about "Glad to know you," immediately retreating into the
corner, and then there was a pause, which Polly broke by crying: "O,
Grandpapa! I am going to ask Amy to play at Dunraven for Phronsie's
poor children. Why, where is Phronsie?" looking around the room.

"Oh! she went out a little while after Baby's exit," said Jasper, trying to
speak lightly.
"Mr. Loughead thinks she'd do it, if I asked her," Polly went on in her
brightest way. "Now, that will be lovely, and the children will enjoy it
so much."
"Isn't there anything I could do?" asked Jack Loughead, after the
Dunraven entertainment had been a bit discussed.
Mr. King bowed his courtly old head. "I don't believe there is anything.
You are very kind, I'm sure."
"Don't speak of kindness, sir," he said. "My time hangs heavy on my
hands just now."
"He would like to be with his sister," said Jasper, after a glance at
Polly's face, and guilty of an aside to his father.
"Oh!--yes," said Mr. King, "to be sure. Well, Mr. Loughead, and what
would you like to do for these poor children of Phronsie's Christmas
Day? We shall be very glad of your assistance."
"I could bring out a stereopticon," said Jack; "no very new idea, but I've
a few pictures of places I've seen, and maybe the children would like it
for a half-hour or so."
"Capital, capital," pronounced the old gentleman quite as if he had
proposed it. And before any one knew how it had come about, there
was Jack Loughead talking over