Five Little Peppers Grown Up Read online

  Produced by Naomi Parkhurst, Juliet Sutherland, CharlesFranks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

  "WELL, AMY, CHILD, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?"]

  FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS GROWN UP

  BY

  MARGARET SIDNEY

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER I. POLLY GIVES MUSIC LESSONS CHAPTER II. GETTING READY FOB CHRISTMAS CHAPTER III. CHRISTMAS AT DUNRAVEN CHAPTER IV. THE FESTIVITIES CHAPTER V. BAD NEWS CHAPTER VI. OF MANY THINGS CHAPTER VII. PHRONSIE CHAPTER VIII. POLLY LOOKS OUT FOR CHARLOTTE CHAPTER IX. POLLY'S RECITAL CHAPTER X. PHRONSIE HAS A PLAN CHAPTER XI. THINGS ARE GETTING MIXED CHAPTER XII. POLLY TRIES TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT CHAPTER XIII. THE ACCIDENT CHAPTER XIV. JOEL CHAPTER XV. THE FARMHOUSE HOSPITAL CHAPTER XVI. ON THE BORDERLAND CHAPTER XVII. JASPER CHAPTER XVIII. MR. KING ATTENDS TO MATTERS CHAPTER XIX. MOTHER FISHER AND CHARLOTTE CHAPTER XX. STRAIGHTENING OUT AFFAIRS CHAPTER XXI. POLLY TRIES TO HELP JASPER CHAPTER XXII. MR. KING AND POLLY CHAPTER XXIII. THAT SETTLES MANY THINGS CHAPTER XXIV. HOME!

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  "Well, Amy child, how can I help you?"

  "Why, Polly Pepper, what do you mean?"

  "Baby ought to have a Christmas tree," said Phronsie slowly

  "Oh!" said Jack Loughead. Then he tapped his boot with his walking stick

  "Joel's gone," panted Phronsie, flying back

  Joel swinging a big box, rushed into Dunraven Hall

  "And did we," cried Phronsie, "find it out, Polly, and spoil it all?"

  "Will you?" asked Phronsie, looking down into their faces

  "We don't know how to tell it, Grandpapa"

  "Now do set us to work, Joel"

  "Oh, you don't know how I miss those boys!"

  "And please make dear papa give her the right things"

  Charlotte, standing composedly in one corner of the hall

  Alexia coolly read on, one arm around Polly

  "My dear Alexia," cried Miss Salisbury, quite softened, "don't feel so"

  "I'll not sing a note!"

  "For shame, Polly, if the Little Brown House teachings are forgottenlike this"

  Polly turned and waved her music-roll at them

  "I'm not going to lecture you"

  "Don't stop me," cried Pickering crossly

  "I'm going home," declared Charlotte

  "What do you say?" cried Polly

  "Oh, Polly, are you hurt?"

  Old Mr. King drew up his chair to oversee it all

  "You come along yourself, Dobbs," said Joel pleasantly

  "I'll help you; I'm strong," said Charlotte.

  "It's so nice, everybody is getting on so well," said Polly

  Then Phronsie glanced back again, and softly jogged the cradle

  "Why do you put your apron up there?" asked Phronsie in gentle reproach

  "An old gentleman in my room," repeated Jasper, turning on the stairs

  "Good-morning," said Mr. Marlowe; "business all right?"

  "How you can sit there and laugh when Joe is in danger, I don't see,"exclaimed Percy irritably.

  "Well, now I have two babies," said Mother Fisher

  "I've always found," said Dr. Fisher, "that all you had to do to start athing, was to begin"

  "Phronsie, get a glass of water; be quick, child!"

  "I think it was a mean shame!" began Dick wrathfully

  "Oh, why did I speak?" cried Polly over and over

  "Are you sick, Polly?" cried Phronsie anxiously

  "Polly hasn't had all the milk," said Phronsie

  Amy

  "Nothing can be too good for Polly Pepper!" cried Alexia, startingforward

  He walked off, leaving Polly alone in the lane

  "My! what a sight of fish!" exclaimed Mrs. Higby, dropping to her kneesbeside the basket

  "Now, Jasper, you begin," cried Polly, "and we'll tell Mamsie all aboutit, as we always do when we get home"

  "Polly, do come with us!"

  "And you will be my own brother, Jasper," said Phronsie