Part 33

"Well, now, come back." Alexia seized her hand, and dragged her up the stairs. "Now I'm just going to stay up here with you, if you'll let me, Phronsie, and try not to do bad things. I do so want to be good like Polly. You can't think how I want to," she cried in a gust, as she threw herself down on the floor again.

"Oh Alexia, you never could be good like Polly," said Phronsie, standing quite still in astonishment.

"Of course not," said Alexia with a little laugh, "but I mean--oh, you know what I mean, Phronsie. I want to be good so that Polly will say she likes it. Well, come on now, get your horrible old--I mean, your dolls, and--"

"I wish very much you wouldn't call them dolls, Alexia," said Phronsie, not offering to sit down; "they are my children, and I don't think they like to be called anything else."

"Well, they sha'n't hear it, then," declared Alexia decidedly, "so get some of them, and brush their hair, just as you were doing when I came in, and I'm going to read aloud to you out of one of your books, Phronsie."

"Oh--oh!" Phronsie clapped her hands in glee. Next to Polly's stories, which of course she couldn't have now as Polly was at school, Phronsie dearly loved to be read to. But she suddenly grew very sober again.

"Are you sure you will like it, Alexia?" she asked, coming up to peer into Alexia's face.

"Yes, yes, Pet, to be sure I will," cried Alexia, seizing her to half smother her with kisses. "Why, Phronsie, it will make me very happy indeed."

"Well, if it will really make you happy, Alexia," said Phronsie, smoothing down her pinafore in great satisfaction, "I will get my children." And she ran over to the sofa, and came back with an armful.

"Now what book?" asked Alexia, forgetting whether her arm ached or not, and flying to her feet. "I'm going down to your bookshelf to get it."

"Oh Alexia," cried Phronsie in great excitement, "will you--could you get 'The Little Yellow Duck'?"

As this was the book Phronsie invariably chose when asked what she wanted read, Alexia laughed and spun off, perfectly astonished to find that the world was not all as blue as an indigo bag. And when she came back two steps at a time up the stairs, Phronsie was smiling away, and humming softly to herself, while the hair-brushing was going on.

"She had a blue ribbon on yesterday--Almira did," said Phronsie, reflecting. "Now, wouldn't you put on a pink one to-day, Alexia?"

"I surely should," decided Alexia--"that pretty pale pink one that Polly gave you last, Phronsie."

"I am so very glad you said that one," said Phronsie, running over on happy feet for her ribbon-basket, "because I do love that ribbon very much, Alexia."

"Well, now then," said Alexia, as Phronsie began to tie up the pink bow laboriously, "we must hurry and begin, or we never shall see what happened to this 'Little Yellow Duck.'"

"Oh, do hurry, Alexia," begged Phronsie, as if she hadn't heard the story on an average of half a dozen times a week. So Alexia propped herself up against the wall, and began, and presently it was so still that all any one could hear was the turning of the leaves and the ticking of the little French clock on the mantel.

"Well, dear me, how funny!" and Polly rushed in; then burst into a merry laugh.

"Polly Pepper--you home!" Alexia tossed "The Little Yellow Duck" half across the room, flew to her feet again, and spun Polly round and round with her well hand.

"Yes," said Polly, "I am, and I've been searching for you two all over this house."

"Take me, Polly, do." Phronsie laid down Almira carefully on the carpet, and hurried over to Polly.

"I guess I will. Now then, all together!" and the three spun off until out of breath.

"Oh dear me!" Polly stopped suddenly. "I never thought of your arm, Alexia. Oh, do you suppose we've hurt it?" It was so very dreadful to think of, that all the color deserted her cheek.

"Nonsense, no!" declared Alexia, "that spin put new life into me, Polly."

"Well, I don't know," said Polly critically; "at any rate, we mustn't do it any more. And we must tell Papa-Doctor about it as soon as he gets home."

"Oh, what good is it to worry him?" cried Alexia carelessly. "Well, Polly, tell all the news about school," as they hurried downstairs to get ready for luncheon.

"We must tell Papa-Doctor everything about it, Alexia," said Polly in her most decided fashion, putting her arm carefully around Alexia's waist; and with Phronsie hanging to the other hand, down they went, Polly retailing the last bit of school news fresh that day.

"And, oh, Alexia, Miss Salisbury said we are not to have the picnic until you get quite well; she said so in the big schoolroom, before us all."