Part 15

"Well, I got her here, and that is half of the battle," said Alexia, in an injured way; "and my goodness me! Polly won't hardly speak to me now; and you may go yourself after her next time, Sally Moore."

"There, girls, don't fight," said Clem sweetly. "Polly, we are going out to Silvia Horne's. Mrs. Horne has just telephoned to see if we'll come out to supper. Come, hurry up; we want to catch the next car. She says she'll send somebody home with us."

"Yes, yes, do hurry," begged the girls, hopping up and down on anxious feet.

"I must ask Mamsie," said Polly. "Oh, how perfectly splendid!" running off with a glad remembrance of lessons all ready for the next day. "Now how nice it is that Mamsie always made me get them the first thing," she reflected as she sped along.

Mamsie said "yes," for she well knew that Mrs. Horne was a careful person, and when she promised anything it was always well done. "But brush your hair, Polly," she said, "it looks very untidy flying all over your head."

So Polly rushed off to her own room; Alexia, who didn't dare to trust her out of her sight, at her heels, to get in the way, and hinder dreadfully by teasing Polly every minute to "hurry--we'll lose the train."

"Where are you going, Polly?" asked Phronsie, hearing Alexia's voice; and laying down her doll, she went into the blue and white room that was Polly's very own. "Oh, may I go too?" as Polly ran to the closet to get out her second-best hat.

"Oh dear me!" began Alexia.

"No, Pet," said Polly, her head in the closet. "Oh my goodness! where is that hat?"

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Alexia, wringing her hands, "we'll be late and miss the train. Do hurry, Polly Pepper."

"I'll find it, Polly," said Phronsie, going to the closet and getting down on her knees, to peer around.

"Oh, it wouldn't be on the floor, Phronsie," began Polly. "Oh dear me! where can it be?"

"Here it is," cried Alexia, "behind the bed." And running off, she picked it up, and swung it over to Polly.

"Goodness me!" said Polly with a little laugh, "I remember now, I tossed it on the bed, I thought. Well, I'm ready now, thank fortune," pinning on her hat. "Good-bye, Pet."

"I am so very glad it is found, Polly," said Phronsie, getting up on tiptoe to pull Polly's hat straight and get another kiss.

"Come on, Polly," called Alexia, flying over the stairs. "Yes, yes, girls, she's coming! Oh dear me, Polly, we'll be late!"

V AT SILVIA HORNE'S

But they weren't--not a bit of it--and had ten minutes to spare as they came rushing up to the station platform.

"Oh, look--look, girls." Polly Pepper pointed up to the clock, pushing back the damp rings of hair from her forehead. "Oh dear me--I'm so hot!"

"And so am I," panted the other girls, dashing up. One of them sank down on the upper step, and fanned herself in angry little puffs with her hat, which she twitched off for that purpose.

"Just like you, Alexia," cried one when she could get her breath, "you're always scaring us to death."

"Well, I'm sure I was scared myself, Clem," retorted Alexia, propping herself against the wall. "Oh dear! I can't breathe; I guess I'm going to die--whew, whew!"

As Alexia made this statement quite often on similar occasions, the girls heard it with the air of an old acquaintance, and straightened their coats and hats, and pulled themselves into shape generally.

"Oh my goodness, how you look, Sally! Your hat is all over your left eye." Alexia deserted her wall, and ran over to pull it straight.

"You let me be," cried Sally crossly, and twitching away. "If it hadn't been for you, my hat would have staid where I put it. I'll fix it myself." She pulled out the long pin.

"Oh dear me! now the head has come off," she mourned.

"Oh my goodness! Your face looks the worst--isn't it sweet!" cried Alexia coolly, who hadn't heard this last.

"Don't, Alexia," cried Polly, "she's lost her pin."