The Adventures of Joel Pepper | Page 5

off.
"Hoh! you needn't," cried Joel after her, in great dudgeon, and giving a
final wrench. "There, I've deaded him; see, Polly--see, Dave!" and he
held the snake up triumphantly.
"A snake!" screamed Davie, tumbling over backward on the grass. "O
dear me, it's a snake, Polly!" and he huddled up his feet and tucked
them under him.
"Ain't he big?" cried Joel, swinging the long dangling body at Davie as
Polly ran back.
"Don't scare him, Joel," she cried. "O goodness me! What a big one,
and a gray adder, too. Oh, Joel, are you sure he didn't bite you
anywhere? Do throw him down and let me see," she begged anxiously.
But Joel swung the snake back and forth. "Hoh, I guess not!" he said
scornfully, "not a single snip, Polly. Ain't he big! I killed him all alone
by myself."
"Yes--yes, but do put him down, Joel," she begged, "and let me see if
you're all right."
So Joel at last set his snake on the ground, and straightened out his tail;
then he commenced to run all around him. "Ain't he a buster, Polly!" he
cried, his eyes shining.
Polly looked at him reprovingly out of her brown eyes. "Mamsie
wouldn't like you to say that word," she began. "But you won't again, I
know," seeing his face.
"No," said Joel, brightening up, "I won't, Polly. But ain't he big! You
couldn't a-killed him, Dave," he cried at little Davie tucking up his toes
under him on the grass.
"No," said Davie. "O dear me, he may be alive and bite us all now."
"Hoh!" exclaimed Joel, "he's just as dead as anything. See!" and he

twitched up the long gray snake by the tip of the tail and swung it over
his head.
"Oh, don't, Joe!" begged Polly, running over to put her arms around
David, who burrowed into them as far as he could. "Do put him down,
and come and tell us how you killed him. There, let's all sit down on
the doorstep. Come, boys."
"I'm going to hold my snake," announced Joel, stopping the swing in
mid-air to pat the adder's head lovingly. "Ain't he sweet, Polly?"
Davie shivered and turned his eyes away.
"No, you must not hold him," said Polly, decisively. "If you do, you
can't sit on the step beside us."
"Then I won't hold him," said Joel, running up to them, "but I'll have
him close to me," and he laid the snake by the side of the doorstep. "I'm
going to sit here by you, Polly."
Little Davie thrust up his head and looked fearfully around Polly.
"You can't have that snake here, Joel," announced Polly, in her most
determined tone. "Put him off on the grass in the orchard," as the one
scraggy apple tree was called. "Now hurry, like a good boy, and then
come and tell us how you killed him."
"I can't see him good, 'way off there," grumbled Joel, and picking up
his snake he dragged him through the grass. "Just a little bit nearer," he
pleaded.
"Not a single bit of an inch nearer, Joel Pepper," said Polly, firmly. So
Joel laid the snake down and ran back and sat down on the end of the
step by Polly.
"Now begin," said Polly.
"Well, I was sittin' on the old stool," said Joel, his chubby face getting
very red, "when I heard a scrunchin' an' a swishin', an' I thought 'twas
you, Polly, so I didn't look round."
"No," said Polly, with a little shiver, "it wasn't me. Go on, Joey."
"Well, it scrunched an' it swished, and it didn't stop, so then I looked
around."
"O dear me!" exclaimed Polly, throwing one arm around Joel, and
drawing him to her. Little Davie sat up quite straight and folded his
hands.
"And he was sticking up his head behind the potato bag, looking at me
just like this." Joel flew off the doorstep and stood up as tall as possible

and ran out his tongue.
Little Davie gave a loud scream. "Oh, you brave Joel!" exclaimed Polly,
tumbling off from the doorstep to throw her arms around him, and kiss
his stubby black hair.
"Phoo! that's nothing!" cried Joel, who always hated to be praised.
"And I'm just as proud of you as I can be," Polly ran on with kindling
eyes. "Oh, Joel!"
Joel wriggled all over with delight at that "Oh, Joel!"
"And now come back and tell us the rest," said Polly, hanging to his
brown hand. "Go on, Joel," as they sat down again on the doorstep.
"Well, he looked at me, and I looked at him," said Joel, "and then I said
'Squish!' and he bobbed down his head, just a minute, and I jumped and
I