JOEL'S TURN
"Well," Mrs. Pepper's tone was unusually blithe as she stepped into thekitchen--"you've had a nice time, I suppose--what in the world!" and shestopped at the bedroom door.
"Oh, mammy, if you'd been here!" said Joel, while Polly sat still, onlyholding on to her eyes as if they were going to fly out; "there's beena big woman here; she came right in--and she talked awfully! and Polly'sbeen a-cryin', and her eyes ache dreadfully--and--"
"Been crying!" repeated Mrs. Pepper, coming up to poor Polly. "Pollybeen crying!" she still repeated.
"Oh, mammy, I couldn't help it," said Polly; "she said--" and in spiteof all she could do, the rain of tears began again, which bade fair tobe as uncontrolled as before. But Mrs. Pepper took her up firmly in herarms, as if she were Phronsie, and sat down in the old rocking-chair andjust patted her back.
"There, there," she whispered, soothingly, "don't think of it, Polly;mother's got home."
"Oh, mammy," said Polly, crawling up to the comfortable neck forprotection, "I ought not to mind; but 'twas Miss Jerusha Henderson; andshe said--"
"What did she say?" asked Mrs. Pepper, thinking perhaps it to be thewiser thing to let Polly free her mind.
"Oh, she said that we ought to be doing something; and I ought to knit,and--"
"Go on," said her mother.
"And then Joel got naughty; oh, mammy, he never did so before; and Icouldn't stop him," cried Polly, in great distress; "I really couldn't,mammy--and he talked to her; and he told her she wasn't ever coming hereagain."
"Joel shouldn't have said that," said Mrs. Pepper, and under her breathsomething was added that Polly even failed to hear--"but no more sheisn't!"
"And, mammy," cried Polly--and she flung her arms around her mother'sneck and gave her a grasp that nearly choked Mrs. Pepper, "ain't Ihelpin' you some, mammy? Oh! I wish I could do something big for you?Ain't you happy, mammy?"
"For the land's sakes!" cried Mrs. Pepper, straining Polly to her heart,"whatever has that woman--whatever could she have said to you? Such agirl as you are, too!" cried Mrs. Pepper, hugging Polly, and coveringher with kisses so tender, that Polly, warmed and cuddled up to herheart's content, was comforted to the full.
"Well," said Mrs. Pepper, when at last she thought she had formedbetween Polly and Joel about the right idea of the visit, "well, now wewon't think of it, ever any more; 'tisn't worth it, Polly, you know."
But poor Polly! and poor mother! They both were obliged to think of it.Nothing could avert the suffering of the next few days, caused by thatlong flow of burning tears.
"Nothing feels good on 'em, mammy," said Polly, at last, twisting herhands in the vain attempt to keep from rubbing the aching, inflamed eyesthat drove her nearly wild with their itching, "there isn't any use intrying anything."
"There will be use," energetically protested Mrs. Pepper, bringinganother cool bandage, "as long as you've got an eye in your head, PollyPepper!"
Dr. Fisher's face, when he first saw the change that the fateful visithad wrought, and heard the accounts, was very grave indeed. Everythinghad been so encouraging on his last visit, that he had come very nearpromising Polly speedy freedom from the hateful bandage.
But the little Pepper household soon had something else to think of moreimportant even than Polly's eyes, for now the heartiest, the jolliestof all the little group was down--Joel. How he fell sick, they scarcelyknew, it all came so suddenly. The poor, bewildered family had hardlytime to think, before delirium and, perhaps, death stared them in theface.
When Polly first heard it, by Phronsie's pattering downstairs andscreaming: "Oh, Polly, Joey's dre-ad-ful sick, he is!" she jumped rightup, and tore off the bandage.
"Now, I will help mother! I will, so there!" and in another minute shewould have been up in the sick room. But the first thing she knew, agentle but firm hand was laid upon hers; and she found herself backagain in the old rocking-chair, and listening to the Doctor's wordswhich were quite stern and decisive.
"Now, I tell you," he said, "you must not take off that bandage again;do you know the consequences? You will be blind! and then you will be acare to your mother all your life!"
"I shall be blind, anyway," said Polly, despairingly; "so 'twon't makeany difference."
"No; your eyes will come out of it all right, only I did hope," and thegood doctor's face fell--"that the other two boys would escape; but,"and he brightened up at sight of Polly's forlorn visage--"see you doyour part by keeping still."
But there came a day soon when everything was still around the oncehappy little brown house--when only whispers were heard from white lips;and thoughts were fearfully left unuttered.
On the morning of one of these days, when Mrs. Pepper felt she could notexist an hour longer without sleep, kind Mrs. Beebe came to stay untilthings were either better or worse.
Still the cloud hovered, dark and forbidding. At last, one afternoon,when Polly was all alone, she could endure it no longer. She flungherself down by the side of the old bed, and buried her face in the gaypatched bed-quilt.
"Dear God," she said, "make me willing to have anything," shehesitated--"yes, anything happen; to be blind forever, and to have Joeysick, only make me good."
How long she staid there she never knew; for she fell asleep--the firstsleep she had had since Joey was taken sick. And little Mrs. Beebecoming in found her thus.
"Polly," the good woman said, leaning over her, "you poor, prettycreeter, you; I'm goin' to tell you somethin'--there, there, just tothink! Joel's goin' to get well!"
"Oh, Mrs. Beebe!" cried Polly, tumbling over in a heap on the floor, herface, as much as could be seen under the bandage, in a perfect glow, "Ishe, really?"
"Yes, to be sure; the danger's all over now," said the little old lady,inwardly thinking--"If I hadn't a-come!"
"Well, then, the Lord wants him to," cried Polly, in rapture; "don't he,Mrs. Beebe?"
"To be sure--to be sure," repeated the kind friend, only halfunderstanding.
"Well, I don't care about my eyes, then," cried Polly; and to Mrs.Beebe's intense astonishment and dismay, she spun round and round in themiddle of the floor.
"Oh, Polly, Polly!" the little old lady cried, running up to her, "dostop! the doctor wouldn't let you! he wouldn't really, you know! it'llall go to your eyes."
"I don't care," repeated Polly, in the middle of a spin; but shestopped obediently; "seems as if I just as soon be blind as not; it's sobeautiful Joey's going to get well!"
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Page 8