Part 42

"Well, it would be just like her," said Silvia Horne, "and I wish we never had taken her into our set. She's an old moping thing, and can't bear a word."

"I wish so too," declared Amy Garrett positively; "she doesn't belong with us; and she's always going to make trouble. And I hope she won't go to the picnic anyway, if we do have it, so there."

"I don't think that is the way to mend the matter, Amy," said Jasper gravely.

"Hoh, hoh!" exclaimed Pickering, "how you girls can go on so, I don't see; talking forever about one thing, instead of just settling it with a few fisticuffs. That would be comfortable now."

The girls, one and all, turned a cold shoulder to him after this speech.

"Well, we sha'n't get the picnic now, I know," said Philena tragically; "and think of all our nice things ready. Dear me! our cook made me the sweetest chocolate cakes, because we were going to start so early in the morning. Now we'll have them for dinner, and eat them up ourselves. We might as well."

"You better not," advised Pickering. "Take my advice; you'll get your picnic all right; then where would you be with your cakes all eaten up?"

"You don't know Miss Salisbury," said Sally Moore gloomily; "nothing would make her so mad as to have us get up a fuss with a new scholar. She was so pleased when Polly Pepper invited that Harrison girl to come to our bee for that poor family down South."

"And now, just think how we've initiated her into our club!" said Lucy Bennett, with a sigh. "Oh my goodness--look!"

She pointed off down the avenue. All the girls whirled around to stare. There were Alexia and Cathie, coming toward them arm in arm.

"Jasper"--Polly turned to him with shining eyes--"see!" Then she broke away from them all, and rushed to meet the two girls.

"There isn't anybody going to say a word," announced Alexia, as the three girls came up to the group, Polly Pepper in the middle, "because, as I told you, it was all my fight, anyway. So, Pickering, you needn't get ready to be disagreeable," she flashed over at him saucily.

"I shall say just what I think," declared Pickering flatly.

"No doubt," said Alexia sweetly, "but it won't make a bit of difference. Well, now, Polly, what shall we do? Do start us on something."

"We came, Pick and I," announced Jasper, "to ask you girls to have a game of bean-bags. There's just time before dinner--on the south lawn, Polly."

"Oh, good--good!" cried the girls, clapping their hands. "Come on, Cathie," said Philena awkwardly, determined to break the ice at once.

"Yes, Cathie, come on," said Amy and Silvia, trying to be very nice.

Cathie just got her mouth ready to say, "No, I thank you," primly, thought better of it, and before she quite realized it herself, there she was, hurrying by a short cut across the grass to the south lawn.

"I'm going to stay with Alexia," said Polly, when they all reached there, and Jasper flew over to pull out the bean-bags from their box under the piazza. "Come on, Alexia, let's you and I sit in the hammock and watch it."

"Oh Polly, come and play," begged Jasper, pausing with his arms full. "Here, Pick, you lazy dog. Help with these bags."

"Can't," said Polly, shaking her head. So Alexia and she curled up in one of the hammocks.

"I'm just dying to tell you all about it, Polly Pepper," said Alexia, pulling Polly's cheek down to her own.

"Yes," said Polly happily, "and I can't wait to hear it; and besides, you can't play bean-bags, Alexia, with that arm. Well, do go on," and Polly was in quite a twitter for the story to begin.

"You see," said Alexia, "I knew something desperate had got to be done, Polly, for she was crying all over her best silk waist."

"Oh dear me!" exclaimed Polly, aghast.

"Yes; she had sat down on the kitchen step."

"The kitchen step," repeated Polly faintly.

"Yes. I suppose she got beyond caring whether the cook saw or not, she was feeling so very badly. Well, there she was, and she didn't hear me, so I just rushed up, or rather down upon her, and then I screamed 'Ow!' And she jumped up, and said, 'Oh, have you hurt your arm?' And I held on to it hard, and made up an awful face, oh, as bad as I could, and doubled up; and the cook came to the door, and said could she get me anything, and she was going to call Mrs. Fisher. That would have been terrible." Alexia broke off short, and drew a long breath at her remembrance of the fright this suggestion had given her. "And Cathie fell right on my neck with, 'Oh, do forgive me,' and I said 'twas my fault, and she said, no, she oughtn't to have got mad, and I said she must hold her tongue."