Joel Pepper

“ How can you, Joe?" she added reproachfully.
"He's always younger," said Joel, gloomily, "and I never sit next to you, Polly."
"Oh!" cried Polly, "yes, you did, Joel Pepper, just the very last time I told stories."
"Well, that was just forever ago," said Joel, still holding David's arm, and showing no disposition to give up.
"Well, I think if Mamsie should come in now," warned Polly, for Mrs. Pepper had gone over to Grandma Bascom's--the old lady having been sick for a day or two--and been caught there by the sudden shower, "and should see you, you'd feel badly, Joey." ”

“ Pepper. "Mamsie, don't be sick," he screamed, now thoroughly frightened. And jumping up, he ran to throw his arms around her, and hug her tightly.
"Mother won't be sick as long as she's got such good children as she has," cried Mother Pepper, putting her arms around Joel, to draw him close to her. But her lips were very white.
"Now, boys," said Ben, "I sh'd think you were two big babies, you act so. Joel's most a man, he's so big."
"I'm big, too, Ben," said David, getting up from the floor and wiping off the tears with the back of a grimy hand. ”

“ Five Little Peppers Grown Up.
This shows the Five Little Peppers as "grown up," with all the struggles and successes of young manhood and womanhood.
Phronsie Pepper.
It is the story of Phronsie, the youngest and dearest of all the Peppers.
The Stories Polly Pepper Told.
Wherever there exists a child or a "grown-up," there will be a welcome for these charming and delightful "Stories Polly Pepper told."
The Adventures of Joel Pepper.
As bright and just as certain to be a child's favorite as the others in the famous series. Harum-scarum "Joey" is lovable. ”

“ So Joel ran in and sat on the edge of Grandma's bed, on top of the gay patched quilt, and recounted just how it all happened.
"Hey?" exclaimed Grandma, every minute.
"I can't make her hear nothin'," said Joel at last, in despair, turning to his mother. "What gets into folks' ears to make 'em deaf, Mamsie?"
"Oh, it often comes on when they're old," answered Mrs. Pepper, who had been searching all this time in all the cracked bowls and cups for the scraps of court plaster. "It will be such a piece of work to get her to tell me where it is," she said to herself. ”

“ Now the blackberry pie was really coming!
"Make it now. Make it now, Mamsie, do," begged Joel, his mouth watering.
"Goodness me!" exclaimed Polly; "why, it's before breakfast, Joe. The idea of teasing Mamsie to do it now."
"And I can't do it just after breakfast, either," said Mrs. Pepper, "for I must begin as soon as I can on the jell, and you must all help me. There is ever so much you can all be useful in, about making jell. All but Ben, he's got to go to work, you know."
"When will you make the pie, then?" cried Joel, trying to smother his disappointment, and finding it hard work to do so. ”

“ So it wasn't very long before the two boys had brought in two good basketsful of kindlings, which just filled the wood box behind the stove.
"I'm glad it's done," remarked Joel, with great satisfaction, knocking off the little splinters sticking to his fingers.
"People always are glad when their work is finished," said Mrs. Pepper, breaking off a fresh needleful of thread.
"Shall you be glad, Mamsie?" suddenly asked Joel, who never could get over the idea that it was a perfect delight to his mother to sit and sew.
"Of course she will," cried Polly, unguardedly. ”

“ I remember now; it was about Joel.”
“I was saying it was such a comfort to think that Joey could go with Grandpapa and Phronsie,” said Polly, flying over to the toilet-table to her hair again.
“I should think so,” cried Alexia, between whom and Joel there had always been a great friendship, though nothing could be farther from their thoughts than to show it to each other. “My goodness me! Joel Pepper is just the most splendid man that ever lived, except Pickering and Jasper.”
[296] CHAPTER XX.
FIRE! “MISS PEPPER,” Mrs. Livingston Bayley called sweetly but insistently as Phronsie hurried by. ”

“ Green."
"Well, anyway, we must all live and grow up so that the little brown house won't be ashamed of us," said Mrs. Pepper, "and that's what Mother is working for; so don't let me hear any more crying about it. Now remember, all of you." With that she opened her arms wide again. "Now scamper off," she said, with a bright smile, and she picked up her sewing and sent her needle cheerily in and out once more.
That evening, after the supper things were all cleared away, Joel began by drawing Davie off in a corner to whisper mysteriously. "Let him alone, Polly," said Ben, in a low voice. ”

“ Joel ran down the next day to see Mrs. Beebe, Mother Pepper giving the long-desired permission. Davie had a little sore throat, and he much preferred to stay near Mamsie's chair.
"Now, Joe, remember to be good," warned Mother Pepper, the last thing, when he had been washed and dressed and brushed and declared quite prepared.
"I'm going to be always good," declared Joel. "I ain't ever going to be like Ab'm," he added in disgust.
"Joel," reproved Mrs. Pepper, sternly, "don't judge other folks; it's enough for you to do to look out for yourself." ”

“ Pepper, firmly. "I really think it's best. You're all tired out, and to-morrow I guess you'll wake up as bright as a cricket."
"Then I'll go if you want me to," said David, with a sigh, and sliding out of her lap he went slowly out and up to the loft.
"I haven't got to go for ten minutes," sang Joel after him. "Goody, ain't I glad!"
"It's too bad Davie had to go," mourned Polly; "but I suppose it's best."
"Yes," said Ben, "he'd be sick if he didn't. It's most too bad he has to go alone, though," and his blue eyes rested on Joel's face. ”

“ Pepper. “Ben can’t carry it around until it is time to eat.”
[387] “Let’s eat the things now, Mamsie,” begged Joel, tearing off his gaze from the beautiful red carts and other entrancing equipment of the show scattered over the big field.
“Why, Joel Pepper!” exclaimed Polly, with a little laugh, “we haven’t hardly begun the day. The idea of eating!”
“I can eat,” said Joel in an injured tone. “I’m awful hungry.”
Just then up came Simmons. He even touched his hat to Mrs. Pepper, a courtesy he was just beginning to observe, for little-brown-house people didn’t at all appeal to him. ”

“ Joel Pepper hopped out of his chair, upsetting the mucilage bottle, seeing which, Gibson left her mistress to reach the table in time to save a disaster.
"Will you—will you?" he cried, running over to the sofa. "Will you give our things, if we make them, to some poor sick boys who are hurt, Mrs. Sterling?" ”

“ Tisbett doesn't," said Joel, gloomily regarding the bunch of white cloth that covered his right hand. "He always drives with this one," sticking it out, "'cept when he takes both."
"Well, you can play there's been an accident, and you got hurt, and so you had to drive with that hand," said Polly.
"So I can," cried Joel, bounding away from the window, "so I can, Polly Pepper. I'll have it right now, and it's to be a perfectly awful one. Come on, Dave, let's fix up the coach, and you get inside, and I'll upset you, and most smash everything to death." ”

“ And wiping off the tears on the back of her fat little hand, she set to work, humming away again to herself.
"Now, whatever keeps David!" cried Polly, dishing out Joel's mush from the kettle on the stove, and setting the bowl on the table.
"He's coming," said Joel, hastily. "O dear me, I wish we ever had anything, Polly Pepper, but mush and molasses for breakfast!"
"Some people don't have anything half as good," said Polly, starting for the stairs. ”

“ XIII PASSENGERS FOR THE BOXFORD STAGE
"I declare, that's fine!" said Ben, the next day. It was dull and cloudy, and he squinted up at the sky. "There isn't a bit of wind. Now Mr. Blodgett'll have that bonfire, I guess; that'll suit you, Joe, as you can't have much fun with that hand."
Joel squealed right out. "That's prime! And I can pile in the sticks and straw just as well with my other hand."
"You aren't goin' to touch that bonfire, once it's lighted," declared Ben, in his most decided way. "Now you remember that, Joe Pepper!" ”

“ Joel flung his black head higher, but he didn't take his eyes from Miss Jerusha's face.
"I'm sure I don't know nor care whether he did or not," retorted Miss Jerusha, shrilly. "And you're very pert, Polly Pepper, to set yourself up against your elders. When I was a little girl I never contradicted folks. Never in all the world! What is your mother thinking of, to bring you up in this way?" And she held up her black gloves again.
"Polly," called little Davie, where he had been crouching timidly in the middle of the big sled, "can't we go home?" ”

“ Pepper, a fresh alarm gathering on her face.
"P'r'aps he's gone with the engine," piped up the boy who had discovered the fire, and who seemed to think it his duty to watch that it didn't break out again.
"Oh, no, Joel wouldn't do that," said Mrs. Pepper.
"I'll find him," said little Dr. Fisher, who had his own views about Joel, after closely regarding his singed eyebrows and black face; "lucky enough if he doesn't need considerable patching up," he muttered to himself, as he strode off to reconnoitre.
"There's no use in your hiding," he said aloud, as if talking to some one. ”

“ Tell him I've made some doughnuts special for him.'"
"O dear!" exclaimed Polly, clasping her hands, "whatever can we do, Mamsie, to find him?"
"You must not wait any longer," said Mrs. Pepper, remembering how, the day before, Joel, had run down to the brook, and been gone for hours, following along its course, never coming home till dinner-time. "Get Phronsie ready, and Davie and yourself. But I'm sorry for Joey to lose the treat," she said sadly.
"So'm I," said Abram's mother, "an' Mis' Beebe'll feel dreadful bad. ”

“ Pepper, "and so shall every one of you who's glad to work, and be useful."
"We'll be useful and work," cried Joel, tumbling out into the woodshed to wash up. "Come on, Dave; then we'll get our pie when it's baked."
XXIV HOW JOEL STARTED THE FIRE
"Now," said Polly, to the old stove, "just remember how you acted that day when Mamsie made Mrs. Brown's jelly!" She was standing in front of it, and she drew herself up very straight. "You ought to be ashamed, you naughty thing, you! to make such trouble. ”

“ And Joel, knowing there was no use in protesting, had borne it as well as he could, making Davie wait on him, and driving Polly almost to despair in her efforts to amuse him, while she did up the morning work, Mother Pepper being away. "Why don't you play stage-coach, Joel?" proposed Polly now, as Joel couldn't vent his disappointment loudly enough.
"That's no fun, with one hand," said Joel, disconsolately, drumming on the window pane.
"Some folks always drive with their left hand," said Polly. ”

“ Oh, Mammy, let us all go after him," she begged with flashing eyes. "We can catch the bad wicked man."
"No," said Mrs. Pepper, firmly, "not a single one of you must stir out of this house unless I tell you. And as for bread, why, we can do without it so long as Joel is safe."
"Phooh!" said Joel, "he didn't hurt me any," just as Polly got the last knot out that tied his arms. Then he set to work to help her get his legs free. And in a trice he jumped to his feet and ran to the window.
"Oh, Mamsie," he teased, craning his neck to look up and down the road, "do let me go. ”

“ Joel threw back his head and squinted critically. "I wish I could go sailing up there on that cloud," he said.
"I don't," said Polly, merrily, swinging her tin pail. "I'd rather be down here and going blackberrying with you children. Well, come on, we ought to hurry, 'cause we want to take home as many as we can."
"You're always hurrying us, Polly Pepper," grumbled Joel, lagging behind. "What for, if we can't have any pie?"
"Well, we can carry home the berries to Mamsie, anyway," said Polly, moving on very fast. Phronsie trotted after her with a very happy face. ”

“ Then she told it all over--his part--dilating at great length upon it, until Joel got down on the floor and rolled and kicked in dismay, because he couldn't stop her.
"Make her stop, Mamsie," he howled.
"And oh, when Ben comes home, won't I have a splendid story to tell him!" finished Polly. "How I wish he'd come now," and the queerest thing was, the door opened, and in he walked.
"I got through earlier than I expected," he said. "Why, what makes you all look so queer?"
"We've had enough to make us look queer," answered Mrs. Pepper. Her eyes shone too! "Polly will tell you," she added. ”

“ Joel sprawled a moment on the floor; then he sprang up, hanging to his book, and faced them. “I'm not going. Clear out.” And in a moment the room was as still as if an invasion had never taken place. In their astonishment they forgot to utter a word.
And in ten minutes the news was all over the playground and in all the corridors, “Joe Pepper isn't going to Moose Island.”
If they had said that the corner stone of the dormitory was shaky, the amazement would not have been so great in some quarters; and the story was not believed until they had it from Joe himself. ”

“ Pepper, putting aside her work and drawing Joel on her lap, "what mischief a few words can do. There, there, Joel, don't cry," and she patted his black hair. "Mother's glad to work for her children, and she gets rested when they're good." But Joel sobbed on, and she had to repeat it many times before he would wipe his tears, and be comforted. Little Davie drew near silently, to hear what she said.
Phronsie, in the bedroom, saw Joel in Mamsie's lap, and Davie hanging over her chair, and she pattered across the kitchen floor. "Take me, too, do Mamsie," holding out her arms. ”