The Adventures of Joel Pepper

by Margaret Sidney

  VII

  JOEL GOES A-FISHING

  Joel sat on the back doorstep and kicked his heelsdisconsolately. Davie was lying down on Mamsie's bed, fastasleep. He was tired out picking rocks all the forenoon, andPolly had shut the door and said he mustn't be waked up. Sothere he lay, his arm thrown up over his flushed cheeks; and thelong hot summer afternoon ahead of Joel, and he must spend italone.

  "All the birds have lots of themselves to play with," grumbledJoel, idly slinging a stone at a pack of chattering young oneswho could not contain their pride at being able to fly so finely,but kept screaming every minute, "Look at me. Chee-chee-chee.See-me-chee-chee-chee!"

  Now they cocked their little heads and stared down with theirblack beady eyes at Joel; when they saw it was he, they chirpedand twittered worse than ever. "See me. Chee-chee-chee!Look-at-me-chee-chee-chee!"

  "Stop it!" cried Joel, crossly, looking up at them; "Davie'sabed, an' I haven't any one to play with, an' you have, lots an'lots." Then a smile broke out and ran all over his chubby face,and he flung another stone he had picked off as far as he couldinto the grass.

  The little birds, glad to see him smile, fluttered their wingsand flew off, screaming proudly, "See-me-chee-chee-chee!"

  "I'm going fishing down to Cherry Brook," said Joel, left alonewith not a bird in sight. Even the squirrels seemed to havebusiness at a distance that afternoon; so he hopped off from hisstone and ran to get his old tin pail and the remnant of an ironspoon that Polly had given the boys to dig worms with; and verysoon he had a good quantity wriggling and squirming away, and hecame shouting, flushed and happy, by the window where she satsewing.

  "I'm goin' fishin', Polly," he said, slinging his birch poleover his shoulder.

  "All right," said Polly, nodding and smiling away at him. "Sh,Joel, don't make such a noise. You'll wake up Davie."

  "Then he could go with me," declared Joel, on the edge ofanother whoop.

  "No, indeed, Mister Joel," said Polly, with a decisive nod ofher brown head, "you needn't think it. Davie's legs aren't sostrong as yours, and he's all tired out."

  "My legs are dreadful strong, Polly," said Joel, well pleased atPolly's words. And he set down his pail of angleworms, and thepole carefully beside it. "See, Polly," and he flopped oversuddenly, turning two or three somersaults, to stand still onhis head.

  "Oh, Joel--Joel!" cried Polly, forgetting all about David, anddropping her work to her lap "don't. You mustn't do that. Stopit!"

  "Pooh! that's nothing," said Joel, wiggling his legs far apart,and peering at her out of his sharp black eyes.

  "Joel!" screamed Polly, "get up this minute, and don't you goupside down again! Mamsie wouldn't like it. Get up, I say!"

  "Pooh! that's nothing," again declared Joel, slowly floppingover to lie still on the grass. Then he began to slap his legsup and down. "Ain't I dreadful strong, Polly? Ain't I?"

  "And your face is dreadfully red," said Polly; "I shouldn'twonder if sometime you burst a blood vessel in you, if you dothat perfectly awful thing."

  "How could it burst?" cried Joel. "Tell me, Polly," bringing hislegs down quite still to hear the answer. "Tell me, Polly."

  "You'd know, I guess," answered Polly. "Don't, Joel, you make mefeel as if I sh'd fly to even think of it, and here I ought tobe sewing every single minute." Just then the bedroom dooropened, and out walked David, dewy-eyed, and with very pinkcheeks. "Did you call, Polly?" he asked; "I heard you say something."

  "Now you've gone and waked Davie up," exclaimed Polly, in a toneof great vexation.

  "Goody!" screamed Joel, "now you will let him go fishing, won'tyou?" And he jumped to his feet and ran to the window to thrusthis stubby head over the sill. "Dave, Dave, come out an' see thelot o' worms I've dug."

  "No," said Polly, feeling dreadfully at the sight of David'sface, as it fell at her words. "I'm sorry, Davie, but you werereal tired, an' Mamsie wouldn't like you to go off any thisafternoon."

  "It's only to Cherry Brook," cried Joel, loudly.

  "Now, Polly Pepper, I think you're real mean to keep him in, an'we'd catch a whole lot o' fish, an' maybe have some for supper."

  It was always Joel's ambition to catch a fish big enough to cook,but as the brook, a little tumbling stream over a few raggedrocks, on the edge of Deacon Brown's meadow lot, only heldminnows, with an occasional turtle and frog, this had never asyet happened.

  Phronsie laid down the bit of calico she was puckering up bydrawing through it a needle to which a coarse thread was tied,and looked gravely at Joel. "You must not say so of my Polly,"she said gravely, shaking her head.

  Joel's black hair ducked beneath the window. "I didn't mean--"he mumbled. "Polly, I didn't, truly." Then he flung himself onthe grass and burst into tears, kicking over the pail. Theangleworms wriggled along till they got to the edge, thenquietly took themselves off.

  David drew a long sigh and folded his hands. "I'm not a bittired, and I should like to go, Polly," he said.

  "No, Davie dear," said Polly, kindly, "you'd be tired beforeyou'd gone halfway. And Mamsie wouldn't like it. Do go backand lie down again on the bed."

  "Oh, I can't," said little David, shrugging his shoulders, "it'sall alone in there, Polly."

  "Well, I can't leave my sewing, and you must have it dark, orelse you won't go to sleep. Do try, Davie, that's a good boy."

  But little Davie still shrugged his shoulders, and wouldn't evenlook at the bedroom door, but kept his back toward it.

  "Dear me, Phronsie," cried Polly, in despair. "Now, if you'd goin and lie down by his side and hold his hand, maybe he'd go tosleep. He's half sick, and I don't want Mamsie to come home andfind him so."

  "I've got to sew, Polly," said Phronsie, with an important air,and holding up her mangy bit of calico, where all but one cornerwas in a pucker, "so I must stay right here and finish it. Truly,I must, Polly."

  "O dear me!" exclaimed Polly, quickly, "then I don't know whatis to be done. And Mamsie will come home, and then what will shesay?" with another worried glance at David's flushed cheeks.

  Phronsie drew a long breath and set another crooked stitch."I'll go, Polly," at last she said, with a long sigh, putting thepuckered calico bit, with the needle hanging, carefully on thefloor by her side. Then she got slowly out of her little wooden chair.

  "Now, that's a good girl," cried Polly, reaching out her arms tocatch her, and nearly smothering her with kisses. "Whatevershould I do without you, Phronsie, pet? I'm sure I don't know."

  "You couldn't do without me, could you, Polly?" cried Phronsie,very much pleased as Polly let her go and flew back to hersewing again.

  "No in-_deed_!" cried Polly, warmly. "There, take Davie'shand, and both of you go into the bedroom like good children,and shut the door and go to sleep. That's nice!" and she smiledapprovingly at them as they disappeared.

  Joel cried on and on, his tears trailing off into the grass,till at last, as Polly took no notice of him, he raised his headto look in at the window at her. She didn't seem to see him, butsewed on and on quite composedly, as if Joel were not there. Sohe finally jumped up, and seeing his tin pail overturned on itsside, he hurried to investigate.

  "Oh, my worms have all run off!" he shouted. "Polly, the bad oldthings have every single one of 'em run away!" and he beat thebottom of the pail with the broken iron spoon in his vexation.

  "Joel Pepper!" cried Polly, a little red spot coming in eithercheek as she flung down her work on the floor by Phronsie'scalico bit, "that's twice you've made a most awful noise; nowyou'll wake Davie up again, you bad, naughty boy," and withoutstopping to think, she dashed out doors, and before Joel couldhardly breathe, she seized his shoulders and shook him smartly.

  "Oh, what have I done! What have I done!" she exclaimed, andthrowing herself down on the grass, she covered her face withher hands, waving back and forth in distress.

  "You shook me!" cried Joel, his black eyes sparkling in anger."Now I'll beat you, Polly Pepper," and he raised the old brokeniron spoon. There they were--t
wo little Peppers--oh, dreadful,to tell it--and Mamsie away!

  "You may, Joe," said Polly, brokenly, and rocking back and forth,while the big tears dripped down between her fingers, "for I'vebeen bad to you, and Mamsie away." She could hardly speak forher sobs. "How could I! Oh, Joey, I'm so sorry. O dear--dear--dear!"

  She went off now into such a gust of crying, that Joel forgotall about his anger. He threw away the spoon, and kneelingbeside her, he put his arms about her neck. "Don't cry, Polly,"he begged, "please don't."

  "I can't help it, Joe," said Polly, struggling with her sobs. "Odear me! I can't ever forgive myself. I don't see how I came todo it. O dear me!"

  At last Joel, in despair, jumped to his feet. "I'm going to getGrandma Bascom."

  "Oh, no, you mustn't, Joe," cried Polly, bringing a very redface suddenly to view, the tears running in little rivers downher nose and cheeks. "There, see! I'm not going to cry any more.Come back, Joe," for he was starting off at a lively pace.

  "Sure?" cried Joel, stopping a minute.

  "Yes, I won't cry any more," cried poor Polly, swallowing veryhard--"there, see, Joey dear," and she wiped off the last tear."Now I'll help you dig some more worms," she said, racking herbrains to think of something by which to make up to Joel for theshaking.

  "Will you?" cried Joel, in delight. "Oh, Polly, how nice! Here'sthe spoon--here's the spoon," and he ran and picked it out ofthe long grass.

  "Yes, I will," promised Polly, stifling a sigh as she thought ofthe work to be made up in some way on the coat seams.

  "And I'll sit here and see you," remarked Joel, doubling up inan easy position on the grass, "'cause you see there isn't butone spoon, Polly. Now dig a good lot," he said with a restfulstretch.

  So Polly dug and dug away, being careful to select long, fatworms. And presently there was a good number all wriggling awayin the bottom of the pail. And at last Joel hopped up and peeredin. "Oh, Polly, what a lot! An' they're juicy ones, and a greatdeal better'n mine. Now I guess I'll catch some fish, an' youshall fry 'em for supper." He seized the pail, and slung thepole over his shoulder again, and trudged off.

  "All right," said Polly, with a loving little pat, "and oh, Joey,I'm so sorry I was cross and shook you."

  "I don't care," said Joel, pleasantly, "'cause you dug my wormsfor me, Polly," and he raced off.

  But Polly went into the little brown house with a very soberface. And it wasn't till all the children, Ben and all, wereabed that night, and she crept into Mamsie's arms and sobbed itall out on her breast, that she felt better and like being Pollyagain.

  Joel rushed through the undergrowth and tangle of berry bushes,breaking through the wild grape vines that slapped him in theface and caught his pole; and, creeping and ducking under them,at last he struck the little path to the Cherry Brook, thatgurgled its way along Farmer Brown's meadow. Underneath the cooltrees it was dank and mossy, and he flung himself down to rest,first carefully setting his precious pail up against a big stone.

  "I'm just goin' to catch the biggest fish you ever saw, JoelPepper," he exclaimed to himself, for want of company. "Yessir-_ree_," untwisting the string which, for want of a fishingline, he had tied to his pole. "Then I guess, when Polly sees it,she'll be glad. Now I'll get the very juiciest worm in the pail."So he went to the pail, and was just leaning over to investigateits depths, when he heard voices.

  Joel knew in a minute whose they were, and he tried to scrabblehis things together and run and hide them in the thick bushes,when the boys to whom the voices belonged broke through theundergrowth on the other side of the brook.

  "It's the Pepper boy," said one of them in an awful whisper.Then they stood still a minute, all three staring at each other.At last Joel picked up his pole and started to march away.

  "Hold on," called one of the boys, the biggest and dirtiest, andhe jumped across the brook. Joel went steadily along as well ashe could for the vines and stubby trees, determined not to turnback for anybody's call, at any rate that dirty Jim Belden.

  But Jim gave him no chance to think, and the first thing he knew,Joel was seized roughly by the shoulder. "Gimme them worms," andJim tugged at the handle of the pail.

  "I won't; they're my worms," screamed Joel, hanging on for dearlife; "so there, now! you go right away. Polly dug 'em, Pollydug 'em," he kept saying. But the scuffle was short, as the otherboy raced up, and pulled too, so that pretty soon Joel was tumbledheels over head, into the brook, and the pail was in the hands ofthe biggest boy, who cried out joyfully, "Oh, see what a lot! nowwe'll go up to th' 'Pool.'" This was a deep spot a half mile orso away, where the stream widened. Mrs. Pepper never allowed thetwo boys to go there, unless Ben could go too, which was seldomindeed, and only looked upon as a very great treat.

  Joel burst out in a great passion, as soon as he could scrambleout of the brook, "Give me back my pail!" and he looked so veryfierce, although he was so small, that without another word theother two ran away as fast as they could. Joel plunged after them,angrier every minute, and instead of turning off to the "Pool,"Jim and the other boy ran straight across Deacon Brown's field.

  "Oh, now he'll catch 'em," thought Joel, joyfully, without athought of giving up the race. There was a man off in thefurther corner of the field. "Mr. Br-own," screamed Joel,shrilly. "Mr. Br-own!"

  Jim and the other boy, seeing their mistake, turned off to theundergrowth. "Hold on there!" commanded Deacon Brown, in a dreadfulvoice. So there was nothing to do but stop.

  "'GIVE ME BACK MY PAIL!'"]

  But when he got to the spot where they stood rooted to theground, there were no worms in the pail, they having beenjiggled out in the chase. So Joel had to go back, and pick uphis pole with the string hanging to it, and carry that home andhis empty pail. "But that Jim Belden didn't have the worms,anyway," he said, with great satisfaction.