The Adventures of Joel Pepper | Page 6

grabbed him by the neck, and that's all, Polly." And Joel gave a long
stretch.
But Polly had her arms around his neck. "Oh, you brave, brave Joel,"
she cried. "Mamsie'll be so proud of you! Think what she'll say when
she comes home!"

II
WHAT DAVE HEARD
"Dave," said Joel, in a whisper. It was the middle of the night, and the
loft was very still, save for Ben's breathing over in his bed in the
corner.
"Don't say a word!" Joel laid his mouth close to the ear on the straw
pillow; "if you do, I'll nip you and snip you."
"Ow!" said little Davie, huddling down under the scanty blanket and
dragging it over his head.
"Sh--, be still!" cried Joel, with a wrathful pinch. "Ben'll hear
you,--there now, just see!"
"What's the matter, boys?" asked Ben, sleepily.
Down flew Joel in a heap under his end of the blanket, where he
bestowed a kick from one set of toes on David in a little heap against
the wall.
The loft was as still as a mouse, so Ben turned over again. "I guess Joel
wanted a drink of water, and he's gone to sleep and forgot all about it.
Now, that's good," and off he went again.
Joel's black stubby head popped up, and he peered into the darkness.

"Now, I've got to wait ever'n ever so long," he grumbled softly to
himself. "No, there he goes!" he added joyfully, as Ben breathed hard.
"Now, Dave," he rolled over and ducked under the blanket-end, "if you
scream again, I'll snip, and snip, and snip you, most dreadful."
"I won't," declared little David, fearfully. "Oh, I won't, Joe," huddling
off from the little brown fingers.
"Promise, now, you'll never tell,--black and blue,--hope to die if I do."
"We must tell Mamsie," said David.
Joel gave an impatient wriggle. "Mamsie won't care, and she's too busy.
Now say it, 'black and--"'
"And we must tell Polly," cried little Davie, in a smothered voice. "Oh,
Joel, we must tell Polly."
"_Sh!_" cried Joel, with a warning pinch on the small arm that sent
David into a worse heap than before. "Now, you've gone and waked
Ben up again," and he pricked up one ear from under the bedclothes.
"Oh!" exclaimed little David, thinking of Mamsie and Polly whom he
was not to tell.
Joel drew a long breath, as Ben did not stir.
"Well, say 'black and blue--hope to die if I do,'" commanded Joel,
sliding back again under the blanket. "Hurry up, Dave."
"'Black and--blue--hope--to die if I do,'" mumbled poor little David,
stuffing the end of the blanket into his mouth, trying not to cry as he
thought of Mamsie and Polly.
"Now, you know I've found a cave, and I'm goin' up there to live some
day," announced Joel in a smothered whisper, his mouth close to
David's ear.
"Where?" cried David, fearfully.
"_Sh!_ don't speak so loud. Over in 'Bandy Leg Mountain.'"
"Ooh,--dear me!" cried David, stopping himself in the middle of a
scream. "Won't old 'Bandy Leg' catch you, Joel?"
"Hoh--no, I ain't afraid!" declared Joel. "He's been dead a hundred
years, I guess. An' beside, I could knock him flat, yes, sir-ree!" He
doubled up his little brown fist, and bounced up in the middle of the old
shake-down.
"What's the matter, Joe?" called Ben, sleepily; "turn over and go to
sleep, and you'll forget again about the drink of water."
Joel flung himself flat, and burrowed along the whole length of the bed,

knocking Davie's shins all the way.
"You're pullin' all the blanket off me," said Davie, clutching his end
from Joel's frantic grasp.
"Go to sleep, boys," said Ben, sharply. "And Joe, stop grumbling for a
drink of water. Now you've waked up David."
Joel gripped Davie fast and clapped one hand over his mouth.
"Dear me, I think Ben might stay asleep a minute," he muttered in an
injured voice. "Now, don't you speak a single word and I'll tell you all
about it," after a long pause, in which they heard nothing but a rat
nibbling away in the corner.
"I'm goin' up there to-morrow, an' I'm goin' to take my gun, an' some
things to eat, an'--"
"Oh, Joel!" interrupted little David, "you can't ever in all this world.
Polly won't let you."
"Polly'll let us go an' play some to-morrow," said Joel, sturdily, "'cause
there ain't any work to do. So there now! An' maybe I'll see a bear.
An'----"
"O dear me!" exclaimed little Davie, quite overcome, and trembling in
every limb. "He'll eat you. Joel, I'm going to tell Polly."
"You can't," said Joel, coolly; "you said 'Black-an-blue-hope-
to-die-if-I-do,' and I'm goin' to take you."
"Oh, I can't go," declared Davie, bouncing up in terror.