Five Little Peppers and their Friends

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Little Peppers and their Friends, by Margaret Sidney

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Title: Five Little Peppers and their Friends
Author: Margaret Sidney
Release Date: September, 2004 [EBook #6418] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on December 8, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND THEIR FRIENDS
By MARGARET SIDNEY
AUTHOR OF "FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS ABROAD," "A LITTLE MAID OF CONCORD TOWN," "SALLY, MRS. TUBBS," ETC.
Illustrated by Eugenie M. Wireman
[Illustration: "What are you doing, Phronsie, sitting down in the middle of the stairs?"--(See page 46.)]

To my daughter Margaret, who to her friends embodies "Polly Pepper" in her girlhood, I dedicate most lovingly this book.

PREFACE.
There were so many interesting friends of the Five Little Peppers, whose lives were only the faintest of outlines in the series ending when Phronsie was grown up, that a volume devoted to this outer circle has been written to meet the persistent demand.
Herein the author records many happenings that long ago Ben and Polly, Joel and David told her. And even Phronsie whispered some of it confidentially into the listening ear. "Tell about Rachel, please," she begged; and Margaret Sidney promised to write it all down some day.
And that day seems to have arrived in which it all should be recorded and the promise fulfilled. For the Five Little Peppers loved their friends very dearly, and were loyal and true to them. And hand in hand, the circle widening ever, they lived and loved as this history records.
MARGARET SIDNEY.

CONTENTS
I. A FIVE-O'CLOCK TEA
II. PHRONSIE
III. CLEM FORSYTHE
IV. MISS TAYLOR'S WORKING BEE
V. "SHE'S MY LITTLE GIRL"
VI. GRANDMA BASCOM
VII. THE DISAPPOINTMENT
VIII. THE GARDEN PARTY
IX. THE TEN-DOLLAR BILL
X. TROUBLE FOR JOEL
XI. RACHEL
XII. DOINGS AT THE PARSONAGE
XIII. "SHE'S GOING TO STAY HERE FOREVER"
XIV. "CAN'T GO," SAID JOEL
XV. UP IN ALEXIA'S PRETTY ROOM
XVI. THE ACCIDENT
XVII. JOEL'S ADVENTURE
XVIII. THE COMFORT COMMITTEE
XIX. JOEL'S NEW FRIEND
XX. THE COOKING CLUB
XXI. OF MANY THINGS IN GENERAL
XXII. RACHEL'S VISIT TO MISS PARROTT
XXIII. THE OLD PARROTT HOMESTEAD
XXIV. RACHEL'S FUTURE
XXV. JACK PARISH
XXVI. MR. HAMILTON DYCE A TRUE FRIEND
XXVII. A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS
XXVIII. THE LITTLE STONE CUPBOARD
ILLUSTRATIONS
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PHRONSIE, SITTING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAIRS?"
FIVE-O'CLOCK TEA
"BUT THIS IS TEN DOLLARS," SAID JOEL
"ON, LARRY," SAID MISS TAYLOR GENTLY, BENDING OVER HIM
"YES, SIR," CALLED JOEL BACK, FROM THE ALCOVE
THE UNLUCKY OAR WAS SEIZED BY THE TRIUMPHANT CREW
"I USED TO PLAY WITH IT," SHE SAID SOFTLY
HE STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LITTLE SHOP

I
A FIVE-O'CLOCK TEA
"I wish," said Phronsie slowly, "that you'd come in, little girl."
"Can't." The girl at the gate peered through the iron railings, pressing her nose quite flat, to give the sharp, restless, black eyes the best chance.
"Please do," begged Phronsie, coming up quite close; "I very much wish you would."
"Can't," repeated the girl on the outside. "Cop won't let me."
"Who?" asked Phronsie, much puzzled and beginning to look frightened.
"Perlice." The girl nodded briefly, taking her face away from the iron railings enough to accomplish that ceremony. Then she plastered her nose up against its support again, and stared at Phronsie with all her might.
"Oh," said Phronsie, with a little laugh that chased away her fright," there isn't any big policeman here. This is Grandpapa's garden."
"'Tain't, it's the perliceman's; everything's the perliceman's," contradicted the girl, snapping one set of grimy fingers defiantly.
"Oh, no," said Phronsie, softly but very decidedly, "this is my dear Grandpapa's home, and the big policeman can't get in here, ever."
"Oh, you ninny!" The girl staring at her through the railings stopped a minute to laugh, covering both hands over her mouth to smother the sound. "The perlice can go everywheres they want to. I guess some of 'em's in heaven now, spyin' round."
Phronsie dropped the doll she was carrying close to her bosom, to concentrate all her gaze up toward the sky, in wide-eyed amazement that allowed