XXVII
A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS
Polly Pepper ran down the steps of Miss Taylor's house, and set off at alively pace on the pavement. Presently she came to an abrupt stop. "Oh, howcould I forget, Mamsie wouldn't like me to run in the street," she thoughtremorsefully. And this took away some of the glad little thrills runningover her.
When she got to Mrs. Cummings' very select boarding-house on the avenue,there was Miss Rhys at the window of her room, looking up from herembroidery. When she saw Polly Pepper, she smiled.
"Oh, it's you, Polly; I'm glad to see you."
"Is Alexia there?" called Polly, looking up, and feeling her lovely bit ofnews dancing within her again, so that she could hardly control herimpatience. "Do tell her to come out, please, Miss Rhys."
"She isn't here. She went down-town."
Miss Rhys laid her precious work in her lap, and put her face close to thewindow screen. "Her candy wasn't a success, and she's gone down for moreconfectioner's sugar."
"Oh, dear me!" exclaimed Polly, quite gone in distress over the failure ofthe candy, and feeling very helpless in the fact that there was no one totell her news to, for of course Alexia must be the first one to hear it."Which way did she go, Miss Rhys?"--lifting a troubled face to the windowabove.
"I don't know," said Miss Rhys absently, her mind on her embroidery, andvery much wishing she could return to it. "She was going to your house, Iknow, for one thing, on her way down."
"Oh, she couldn't have gone there," cried Polly, "for I should have met heron the way."
"So you would," assented Alexia's aunt, wondering whether the bunch ofgrapes should be filled in solid, or worked with the mixed stitch that shehad seen in a shop. "Well, then, I think on her way back she was going tosee you, Polly."
"Then, I am going to run down and meet her," declared Polly, with a longbreath. "Was it Pennsey's where she was going for the sugar, MissRhys?"--pausing a moment.
"Yes," said Miss Rhys, turning back with a sigh of relief to her embroideryagain, while Polly hurried off, wishing that she was a boy, when it wouldbe quite proper for her to run through the streets.
"Oh, if it were only Badgertown!" she sighed to herself, thinking of themany happy runs she had enjoyed down the lane to Grandma Bascom's cottage,or over across the fields to the parsonage. "Dear me!"--when a voice,"Polly Pepper, Pol--ly Pepper!" called after her. She looked back, andthere, with the window screen up, and her face thrust well forward, wasAlexia's aunt, loudly summoning her.
When she saw that Polly heard, and had turned back, she beckoned smartlywith her long fingers, on which shone, as Alexia had once said, "all therings the Rhys family had ever owned," drew in her head, and waited tillPolly came up under the window again.
"Oh, Polly, it's just this--how fortunate you hadn't gotten far. I want youto tell Alexia to get me some more green floss at Miss Angell's."
"Yes, Miss Rhys," said Polly, with a dismayed remembrance just how far itwas to the little shop where the very latest patterns and materials forfancy work could be obtained, and the first supper of the Cooking Club tobe given to-night!
"And stay, Miss Angell may send me up some more patterns to choose from;that is, if she has had any new ones since I was there last week, and Ipresume that she has."
Polly could only utter, "Yes, Miss Rhys," so very faintly it could scarcelybe heard. Dear me! and it was three o'clock already, and all that candy tobe made over again!
She crept off on very dismal feet, till she reflected it wouldn't helpmatters any to lose heart, and so she set forward at a brisk pace again.Miss Rhys pushed down the window screen and set to work with a complacentsmile at the prospect of having her errand performed so nicely.
"That's the good of having young people around," she said; "it's soconvenient at times to get one's errands done."
Polly went the whole length of North Street to the great establishment ofPennsey's, where the avenue people traded. But search as she might, up oneaisle and down another, there was no trace of Alexia; and inquiring of aclerk at the sugar department, if she had been there, he whipped his pencilout from behind his ear, and picked up his order pad before he stopped tothink.
"She's just gone," he said. "Yes, madam"--all attention to the nextcustomer.
Polly hurried on rapid feet. It was half-past three by the big centralclock as she went down the main aisle--well, she must hurry home, forAlexia was probably on her way there, as Miss Rhys had said, when, "Dearme, Polly Pepper, wait!" struck her ear.
She turned, and there before an opposite counter was Alexia, picking up herpackage of sugar and preparing to race after her.
"I'm getting some more nuts," she said; "my candy was perfectly horrid, andeverything was spoiled."
"Yes, I know," said Polly, coming up close to comfort as much as possible,for Alexia had a very long face on, and looked as if it would take a gooddeal to cheer her up. "How can I tell her about that dreadful green flossand those patterns?" said Polly over and over to herself. "I must wait tillwe get out on the street."
But when the two girls were outside the shop, Polly carrying the bundle ofnuts tucked under her arm, it was just as bad, and she put it off until thecorner was reached down which they must turn to go to Miss Angell's. Andworst of all, they were hurrying on so fast the lovely bit of news must bepostponed.
"How glad I am, Aunt didn't take it into her head to send me spinning offdown there!" observed Alexia, glancing down the long thoroughfare withanything but a pleasant expression on her long face. "I just hate that MissAngell's shop. Goodness me! we never could do it, with all this candy tomake, and get our Club supper to-night."
Polly stopped short, and seized Alexia's arm. "Oh, don't feel badly!" shegasped, and then, thinking, "It's better to have the whole out at once,"she finished in one breath, "Your aunt wants some green floss, Alexia."
"Well, she shan't have it," declared Alexia, stopping short, too, andglaring at Polly over her bundle of sugar. "No, indeed!" and her pale eyesgrew very angry. "The very idea! she's always wanting green floss, everysingle minute. Come on, Polly Pepper." She set her face straight ahead andmarched on. But not hearing Polly following, she looked over her shoulder,and then ran back. "Why don't you come on? I shan't get that old greenfloss"--all in one breath.
"We can get there in a few minutes perhaps," said Polly, "Alexia, do let ushurry," and, turning down the corner, without so much as a glance backward,she went swiftly on, without trusting herself to look down the long street.
"I shan't get that old green floss," declared Alexia wrathfully, standingquite still on the corner, yet, as Polly kept steadily on, showing nointention of stopping, she pattered after. But she kept saying, every stepof the way, "I shan't get that old green floss, Polly, _wait!_"
But it was not until the door of Miss Angell's shop was reached that thetwo girls came together.
"It's a hateful mean shame," exploded Alexia, huddling up her bundle ofsugar passionately. "There, I've punched a hole with my thumb; see whatyou've made me do."
Polly turned around in dismay, to see a little trail of fine sugar driftingfrom the package down over Alexia's gown.
"Oh, dear me!" she exclaimed, in dismay. "I'll help you; stand still,Alexia, do; it's all running out."
"Well, you made me," cried Alexia, whirling around and wildly patting thebag in just the wrong places, so that the stream of sugar became now quitebig.
"Do stand still, Alexia," implored Polly; "here, I'll pinch it up," She setdown her bundle of nuts on the top step, which a lady, not seeing, came outof the shop, and promptly fell over.
"Oh, dear me!" exclaimed Polly, in terror, and running down the steps. "Didyou hurt you? Oh, I'm so sorry!"--clasping her hands and looking thepicture of distress. Then she saw it was Mrs. Patterson, a friend of AuntieWhitney's.
"No," said the lady tartly, getting up to her feet to draw a long breathand gaze up and down the street. "Why, Polly Pepper!"--bringing her gazeupon the flushed face.
"Are yo
u sure you are not hurt, Mrs. Patterson?" Polly looked at heranxiously. Oh, dear me! how could she be so careless!
"Not a bit of it," declared that lady, "but, oh, Polly, do you suppose anyone saw me?" and she gazed ruefully up and down the street again.
"I don't believe any one did," said Polly, peering this way and that.
"Polly, do come; this sugar is all running away," cried Alexia loudly.
"And do let me brush your gown," implored Polly, feeling as if everythingwere going wrong this afternoon.
"Never mind, I'm going directly home, here is the carriage," said Mrs.Patterson, as her handsome equipage drew up. "Don't you worry a bit, PollyPepper; I'm not in the least hurt," and off she drove.
"Polly, will you come?" called Alexia, dancing about impatiently on the topstep, and clutching the bag of sugar with nervous ringers that didn't helpmatters any. "Oh, dear me, do look!"--pointing tragically to the littlepile of sweetness at her feet.
"Oh, I do hope she wasn't hurt," cried Polly, stumbling up over the steps,how, she didn't know.
"Oh, that tiresome Mrs. Patterson! Well, it will do her good to tumble downonce in a while," said Alexia unsympathetically, "she's so stiff andmighty; and I should think you might pay some attention to me," she cried,in a loud, injured tone; "I'm all in a mess with this sugar, and I haven'tgot any candy, and you made me come clear down to this old shop, and----"
"Well, do come in," cried Polly, interrupting her stream of complaint, and,picking up the bag of nuts before any one else could tumble over it, shehurried Alexia into the little shop.
"And I'm glad enough to get where I can lay this old thing down," declaredAlexia, dumping the bag of sugar upon the first resting-place she saw, anaesthetic little lounge, covered with elaborately embroidered pieces. "Oh,me! my arms are almost broken," and she stretched them restfully, "andbeside, the sugar is 'most all run out."
"Oh, Alexia!" cried Polly, quite aghast, as she saw where Alexia haddeposited the sugar, just as the proprietor of the shop hurried up withdismay written all over her countenance.
"Oh, my beautiful centerpieces!" she exclaimed, raising both hands indismay, "I am sure they are quite, quite ruined."
"It's nothing but sugar," grumbled Alexia, as she huddled up her bundleagain.
"And I'll brush it all off," said Polly anxiously, bestowing little patsover the various specimens of fancy work. "See, Miss Angell, I don'tbelieve it's hurt," she said, lifting her flushed face.
"Well, I don't wish them," declared two ladies together, coming back fromthe small table Where they had gone to examine more work.
"They are quite mussed and tumbled now," added one, "and not at all what wewant. Come, Sister," and she walked to the door, viewing with disfavorAlexia and her bundle, and Polly Pepper as well.
Miss Angell's face dropped to such a length that Polly couldn't bear tolook at it.
"Oh, please don't go," cried Polly, flying after the irate customer; "Idon't really believe the pretty things are hurt. Do just come back and see,please."
The other lady was standing irresolutely by the lounge, but she wouldn'teven look at the centerpieces that Miss Angell was smoothing out with adespairing hand, preparing to put them into their boxes again.
"It was clean sugar," Polly ran on, feeling quite sure if she stoppedtalking, that all hope was lost.
"But they are mussed," began the lady by the door, very decidedly.
Alexia was huddling up her bundle quite gone in despair, and lost to allthe distress of having no candy to take to the Cooking Club supper. Ifthose two ladies would only buy the centerpieces they had selected, it wasall she hoped for in this world.
"No, indeed! Come, Sister!" and she opened the door. "Why, Mrs. Alexander!"
Mrs. Alexander, a portly person, with a great deal of black jet and lace,that seemed to be always catching in the apparel of those who passed her,worked her way into the small shop, and up past the knot of people, givingfriendly nods of recognition on her way.
"How d'ye do, Miss Ellicott, Miss Juliana. How are you, Polly? And, Alexia,how is your aunt?" And without waiting for a reply, she sprang, if such aponderous body could be said to spring, at the box of centerpieces MissAngell was packing away. "Oh, oh! how beautiful! Stop"--laying her largehand on one. "Just what I want. How much is it?"
"Fifteen dollars," said Miss Angell, whipping it neatly out of the box, herdismal frown becoming an expansive smile. "Yes, it is a beauty--one of thevery latest things," and she spread it forth on the lounge with anexperienced little nourish.
Miss Ellicott deserted the door and hurried over to the lounge."I'll--I'll"--as she tried to work herself in between. But the portly Mrs.Alexander had no idea of being interrupted at such an important crisis inlife when centerpieces were to be decided upon, so she loudly kept on inher bargaining. "I'll take it," she said, in her most decided fashion. "Andthe next one, too, I fancy; let me see that."
"But that is," gasped Miss Juliana, threading her way into the group, "thevery one that I liked."
"Eh?" said Mrs. Alexander, looking up with the acute eyes of abargain-hunter. "Oh, I don't wonder you like it; it's a beauty. Yes, I'lltake it also. How much did you say it was, Miss Angell?"
Miss Angell, who hadn't said, saw no reason why she shouldn't now make itany price that appealed to her better judgment.
"Twenty dollars," she answered, clapping on a cool third of its price, andMrs. Alexander, who cared very little what she paid for it, beamed at her,and said:
"Put them in a box and send it out to my carriage; they are the handsomestthings I've seen for a long time, and so wonderfully cheap! You are quiteright; they are beauties."
"If you'd done as I wanted you to," cried Miss Juliana, the tears ofvexation gathering in her eyes, as she saw the now incomparable bits offancy work borne off before their very faces, "you wouldn't have stoppedfor such a trifle as a few crumbs of sugar, Sister."
Miss Ellicott's face was very red, but she knew better than to show thechagrin she felt, to add to the delight of the purchaser over her bargain,so she contented herself with saying, as she stalked to the door:
"You said you didn't want them, Juliana, the same as I did."
"But I wasn't so set about it," said Miss Juliana, with a regretful glanceat the box, now gayly tied up by the jubilant Miss Angell and deliveredinto the hands of the little errand-girl to be given to the Alexanderfootman, "and I'm sure if you hadn't insisted, I should have seen that theyweren't hurt."
"Well, do come on now, Juliana," said her sister sharply, in all theanguish of having the whole blame deposited upon her person. "Since thethings are gone, what is the use of talking about the matter?"--as theydisappeared out of the shop.
Polly and Alexia, therefore, had to wait for all this confusion andexcitement to clear away, before the green floss could be bought and themessage from Miss Rhys as to the patterns could be given. Meanwhile, Pollywas tying up the package of sugar, and patting the shrunken paper bag intoshape over the hole.
"You tell your aunt," said Miss Angell, her cheeks quite flushed withelation over her good bargain, "that I haven't any more patterns come insince she was here. Yes, Mrs. Alexander"--to that lady, with her head overa drawer, deep in a hunt for more bargains-"there are some exquisitedesigns among those. There's the floss"--bunching it up hurriedly into awad, and speaking all in one breath. "Would you mind, Miss Alexia, doingthis up yourself?"--pointing to the white tissue paper on the table.
Alexia, who didn't mind anything so long as she could get out of the shop,twisted up the floss into a wad of the paper.
"Do hurry, Polly," she cried, and scampered out to the street, Pollyfollowing with her bag of nuts.
"Oh, dear! I've forgotten that tiresome old bundle of sugar after all," shecried, prancing back.
"I'll carry it, and you take the nuts," said Polly, cramming her bundleinto the long arms and getting anxious fingers on the bag of sugar, asAlexia came running up with it.
"I'm sure I wish you would." said Al
exia, seizing the nuts delightedly. "Ijust hate that old--Polly Pepper, it's four o'clock!"--as the church bellon St. Stephen's tower pealed out.
So Polly didn't have a chance, after all, to tell her glad piece of news,until they were at the Club supper, which was to be given at Larry Keep'sto celebrate his getting well.
"Oh, Alexia," she was guilty of whispering, "it's the most splendid thing."
"Isn't it!" cried Alexia, in the greatest satisfaction. "To think I got itdone after all our fright! And it's the best candy I ever made"--glancingover the room, where the dish was being passed about eagerly.
"Yes, I know," said Polly carelessly, "but this is much better than candy,Alexia, that I mean."
"Much better than candy!" echoed Alexia, laying clown the slice of spongecake that Clem had made, on her plate, and peering around into Polly'sface. "What do you mean, Polly Pepper? There can't anything possibly bebetter than candy."
"Yes, there can," contradicted Polly, twisting in delight on her chair,"and you'll say so when you hear it. It's the most beautiful thing thatcould possibly have happened, Alexia Rhys. It's"--and just then the dooropened and in walked Miss Mary Taylor and Mr. Hamilton Dyce, and the firstglance that Alexia took of their faces, she guessed the whole thing.
"Polly!" she gasped, seizing Polly's arm, "you don't mean that our MissMary is going to marry Mr. Dyce?"
"Yes, I do," said Polly happily, "mean just that very thing, Alexia."
"I don't believe it," declared Alexia, while all the time she knew it wastrue by their radiant faces.
"Well, it is true, as true can be," said Polly, "for she told me so thisvery afternoon at her house."
"And you've known it all this time," cried Alexia, for the first time Inher life in a passion at Polly, "and never told me at all!"
"Oh, Alexia, how could I?" cried Polly, in an aggrieved little voice; "forwe were in such a perfectly dreadful scrape over getting ready for thesupper! How could I, Alexia?" She turned such a miserable face that Alexiamade haste to say:
"You couldn't, you sweet thing, you!" and gave her a reassuring hug.
"Well, just look at Mr. Dyce, and hear him laugh!"
And Mr. Hamilton Dyce being unable to keep his delight within bounds, andseeming to think it incumbent upon himself to take the young people intohis confidence, just coolly announced it. And then there was no more payingattention to the cakes, and the little biscuits, the custards, and thewhipped cream; and even Alexia's nut candy went begging.
And Miss Mary had to sit in the center of each group of boys and girls, afew minutes at a time, for the supper was passed around on trays, till Mr.Dyce said he wished he hadn't told the news until the feast was ended. Andafter that, when they all finished up the evening festivities with a dance,why, every one there, tried to get her for first partner. But it was Alexiawho swept them all one side.
"She's my Sunday-school teacher," she declared, "and I shall have herfirst."
"Well, so she is our Sunday-school teacher," cried half a dozen of thegirls at once, as they crowded up.
"Well, she's my very dearest friend--that is, except Polly Pepper," saidAlexia positively. "Come, Miss Mary"--hanging obstinately to her hand, onwhich shone a new ring with a big, bright gem in it.
"Well, you said Miss Salisbury was," Pickering Dodge, on the fringe of thecircle of girls, couldn't help saying.
"Oh, well, I mean Miss Mary is my very dearest friend after that," saidAlexia coolly, tossing him a saucy glance, as she bore off her belovedSunday-school teacher down the whole length of Mrs. Keep's drawing-roomfloor.