Peggy in Her Blue Frock | Page 9

"She's all right," the boy said heartily; "only she isn't very strong; and
she has to stay in bed a lot when she is sick, and the cat amused her.
She came and would get on the bed and would curl down by her."
"She would? Mother would never let her go into our bedrooms."
Peggy was beginning to see why Lady Jane liked to live with the
Carters. But she had a pang of jealousy when she thought of that
adorable gray striped pussy, with her soft fur and her greenish eyes,
curling down contentedly and giving her cheerful purr while she was
stroked by another little girl.

"Is she the only sister you've got?" Peggy asked.
"Yes."
"Have you only one brother?"
"That's all. He's older than me. He's some brother," he added proudly.
"He writes poetry."
"Poetry? I write it too," said Peggy; "only mine is just nursery rhymes
to amuse Alice, about bees and hens and things."
"Tom is writing a poem about you."
"About me?" Peggy was deeply interested. "Can you say any of it?"
Christopher became very red and looked confused. "I can't remember
it," he said.
"You must remember some of it."
She persisted until she wrung from him the confession that he could
remember one line, and she teased and teased him to repeat it until he
said, "All right, if you must hear it, I suppose you must: 'Peggy, Peggy,
long and leggy.' It gets nicer as it goes on, but that's all I can
remember."
Peggy looked down at her long legs thoughtfully. The poem was a
distinct shock. She had never had one written to her before.
"If he's like most boys I guess he's longer and leggier than I am," she
said.
"You are right there, he is."
"I'm glad I have long legs," said Peggy. "They are so useful when you
are climbing trees."
Christopher looked at her with new interest. "Do you like to climb

trees?" he asked.
"I just love to," said Peggy.
They were coming to the stone wall that enclosed the Thornton place.
Peggy climbed up and began to walk across it. At one end was a pine
tree, with convenient branches that she had often longed to climb. It
looked very tall and symmetrical with its spreading green branches
against the heavenly blue of the sky.
She could never quite remember whether it was she or Christopher who
first suggested climbing the tree. But they hid their baskets on the other
side of the wall, and presently she and Christopher were climbing
quickly from branch to branch. Peggy had never had a more blissful
time. She had often envied Lady Jane her power to scramble up trees
with no mother at hand to tell her to come down, or to warn her against
spoiling her frock. But now she envied nobody. It was too wonderful to
be sitting in the topmost branches of that pine tree. But the thought of
Lady Jane's furry garment made her look down at her less substantial
frock, and, to her dismay, she saw a long streak on it. She put her hand
down and it felt sticky.
"Oh, dear," she said, "I've got some of the pitch from the pine all over
my dress! Oh, dear, what will mother say? She told me to be sure not to
stop on the way, and not to talk to any strange children."
"I'm not a strange child," said Christopher. "She wouldn't mind your
talking to me."
"Yes, but I have stopped on the way. I'll have to hurry," she said. "But,
oh, dear, I'm afraid my dress is spoiled! Oh, what will mother say? I've
only worn it one other time, and she's only got one more of these blue
frocks finished."
"Only one more! How many are you going to have?"
"Four," said Peggy. She glanced up at him, and he looked as if he, too,
would be hard on his clothes and would have some sympathy for her,

so she added: "You see, it doesn't tear easily. The man in the shop said
it was as strong as nails. I am always spoiling my things."
He looked down at the long smear with genuine concern. "If I hadn't
come along it wouldn't have happened," he said. "I'll take you round to
Aunt Betsy's. She's got stuff that takes out all kinds of spots. She's got
them out for me."
"Is your Aunt Betsy the same as Clara's Aunt Betsy?" Peggy asked.
"My Aunt Betsy is father's aunt," he said. "That's the reason we came
here to live. She told us your house was going to be sold and there
wasn't any good doctor here any more."
They turned down a side street. "That's the house she lives in," he