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Ben Pepper

<h2>XXIII</h2> <h3>THE SLEIGHING PARTY</h3> "Oh, yes, Pip," said Ben, "you must go." "Oh, I don't want to," cried Pip, in great alarm, and, clinging to Ben's hand, he huddled up closer than ever. "Don't make me go to that old woman's; don't," he pleaded. "Why not?" asked Ben, whirling him around to let his blue eyes search keenly the distressed little face. "She looks at me so," said Pip, squirming uncomfortably; "she's always looking at me." "Well, supposing she does, she won't bite you," said Ben, with a little laugh. Then he stopped suddenly. "Now then, Pip," and he put his hand on the small shoulder, "it's best for you to go; there's to be a jolly good time. Just think, Madam Van Ruypen is to give you all a sleigh-ride! And off you'll go into the country and have a supper and come home by moonlight. Why, everybody's going!" "Are you going?" asked Pip, suddenly, his face emerging a little from its wrinkles. "Well, no, I'm not," said Ben, "but everybody else is; I'm going to stay with Jasper." "Oh, I won't go! I won't go!" screamed Pip, wholly beside himself with distress. "I'm going to stay with you, I am." With that he wound his wiry little arms around one of Ben's, and beat his feet nervously on the floor. "See here now, Pip," Ben lifted him clear from the floor, and set him down on the window-seat, then he stood in front of him, "now just look at me," which Pip did, swinging miserable little feet and twisting his hands. "It is best for you to go on this party, and so you must go. Why, you'd have to stay with Jocko if you didn't," added Ben, "or else amuse yourself." "Oh, I don't want to stay with Jocko," replied Pip, who had good reasons, after his introduction to the monkey by Joel, for this decision. "Well, you needn't," said Ben, bursting into a laugh, "but you must go on the sleighing party, and without me. Do you understand, Pip?" Pip did, after he had carefully scanned Ben's face. At first he snivelled softly, but at last even that died away. "Very well," said Ben. "Now then, you are to go with Joel. He'll see that you have a good time, for he said so. Here he comes now," as hasty feet scampering down the back stairs proclaimed Joel's approach. "Where's Pip? I can't find him," cried Joel, rushing up with a very red face. "Oh, here he is! Well, come on, Pip," and he plunged toward the door. "Hold on!" roared Ben. "Pip has got to go up to Mamsie; she's going to put some extra things on him so he won't get cold." "Oh, bother!" said Joel, beating his feet impatiently on the floor. "Why, there isn't any need for such a tremendous hurry, Joe," said Ben. "Now then, Pip, step lively upstairs to Mamsie's room; she wants to fix you up herself." So Pip slowly got off from the window-seat, and, with many a backward glance at Ben, he crept upstairs. "Go ahead, old snail," sang out Joel beneath. "O dear me! He'll never be ready, Ben," and now he beat his woollen mittens together as he pranced up and down the hall. "Oh, yes, he will," said Ben, soothingly. "Don't rage so, Joel." "And he's such a muff," said Joel, but he said it under his breath and with one eye on Ben. "Hush up, Joe," said Ben, "there's no use in talking that way. And what are you in such a hurry to get to Madam Van Ruypen's for? Why, she doesn't expect you till three o'clock, and its only"—Ben pulled out his silver watch—"twenty-five minutes past two. What a silly thing you are, Joe!" Joel dug the toes of his shoes into the rug. "Larry'll get there first if I don't," he whined; "you know he will." "Nonsense! And what if he does; you aren't invited till three o'clock. Wait and go with Polly." "Oh, I'm not going with a lot of girls," cried Joel, in a dudgeon, and extricating his toes from the rug. "You know they're always coming for her, Ben Pepper." "Well, go with Percy and Van," said Ben. "Don't fly off in such a tangent." But this suggestion only added fresh fuel to Joel's fire to be off. "Oh, do make Pip hurry." He fairly howled it now. "Percy and Van have started already, I most know. They said they'd get ahead of me." And he rushed up and nipped Ben's arm. "Goodness me! What a crab you are, Joe!" cried Ben, shaking him off, and then feeling of his arm. "Well, do make him hurry," begged Joel. "O dear me, all the boys will get ahead of me!" "Well, let them for once," said Ben, coolly. "And Aunty Whitney won't allow the boys to go now, you may be sure. So rest easy, Joe. And one thing more, you are not to race Pip over there at lightning speed. Do you understand, Joe?" "O dear!" said Joel, wrinkling his round cheek in great disdain, "he's such a—" "Yes, yes, I know," said Ben, hastily. "Well, now, I'm off to Jasper." "Oh, Ben," Joel flew after him, "I wish you were going, I do." "Well, I'm not," said Ben, "so good-by." He pulled his jacket away from Joel's detaining hand, got around the corner of the hall, and hurried up the front stairs. Meantime, Polly was having a perfectly dreadful time in little Doctor Fisher's office. There he sat behind his big table, rolling up some powders in tiny papers, and looking at her over his spectacles. "Oh, please, papa Doctor," begged Polly, clasping her hands, "do let me stay at home." "That wouldn't ever do in all this world." Doctor Fisher shook his head gravely, and the big spectacles seemed to blink so much displeasure at her, that Polly felt very wicked indeed. "It would stop the party at once, Polly." "Well, it's no fun at all," said Polly, mournfully, "without Jasper and Ben." She could hardly keep the tears from streaming down her cheeks. "I don't suppose there'll be so much fun in it as if Jasper and Ben could go," said the little Doctor, quietly, "but that isn't the question just at present. It seems to be the best thing that this sleighing party should be carried out. Think of those poor children, Polly." Polly twisted uneasily on her feet. "And how they've never in all their lives had any pleasure like this," the little doctor proceeded artfully. "O dear me!" said Polly. "And what such a thing in Badgertown would have meant to you children, Polly," said the little man, softly. He laid down his powder papers and looked at her. "Oh, I'll go, I'll go!" exclaimed Polly, perfectly overwhelmed, and running around the big table to throw both arms around his neck. "I knew you would, Polly my girl. There—there." Doctor Fisher patted her gently. "Now that's right, and your mother will be so pleased. She told Madam Van Ruypen she was sure you would help the thing along. So bundle up and start—that's right!" He set his spectacles straight and fairly beamed at her, as she ran out of the room. <hr style="width: 45%;" /> "Dear me, you were so long in coming, Ben," Jasper was exclaiming from his big easy-chair. "I've been watching that door as a cat does a mouse for the last hour." "Hulloa!" said Ben, advancing to the chair. "And nonsense! You've only just about finished your luncheon, I'll be bound." "Well, it seems ages ago," said Jasper, with a little laugh. "I tell you, Ben, it's awfully dull to be kept in bed all the morning," and he made a grimace at his canopied resting-place. "Well, you sat up so late last night; and just think of all that fun!" said Ben. "Oh, I know I'm an ungrateful wretch," said Jasper, bursting into a laugh. "Well, I don't care now, as long as Doctor Fisher allows me to have you. Where are all the others, Ben?" he asked suddenly, as Ben hurried to draw up a chair. "Oh, they are going to be with Madam Van Ruypen," said Ben, carelessly, making a great deal of unnecessary noise over getting the chair in place. "Oh!" said Jasper. "You know those mountain children," said Ben, feeling something else was expected. "Yes," said Jasper, "I know. Is Polly going?" "Oh, yes, of course," said Ben, with wide eyes. "Why, they couldn't do without Polly, you know." "Of course not," said Jasper, then he twisted uneasily in his big chair. "It's an awful nuisance to Polly," he broke out. Ben said nothing, not thinking of anything that seemed just the right thing to say. "And that girl—that Elvira. O dear me!" Jasper pulled himself up quickly. "So you'll just have to put up with this person this afternoon," said Ben. "And I'm sure I'll be glad to," cried Jasper, affectionately. "Oh, Ben!" He leaned over so that both of his pillows immediately tumbled out. "And I was going to give you a regular bear hug," he said ruefully, as Ben hopped up to put them in place again. "I'll be willing to put it off till you get well," said Ben, laughing. "Now, then, see that you don't knock those out again," and he drew a long breath. "Well, what do you want to do now?" "Oh, I tell you," said Jasper, and his dark eyes sparkled, "let us play chess. And do get the new ones that Father gave me last night at our Christmas. We'll christen the set this afternoon." "We shall go twisted all the year, shan't we," said Ben, as he hurried over to the table for a box of chessmen, in the midst of the overflow of gifts, "because we had such a belated Christmas? Aren't these just fine?" coming back with it in his hand. "Aren't they so?" cried Jasper, seizing the box eagerly. "And isn't Father good to give me a new set? And such beauties!" He emptied the box on the sofa blanket across his knees, while Ben went to draw up a small table to set them on. "Oh, not that one," cried Jasper, looking up from his delighted examination of his new treasure. "Do you suppose for an instant that I'm going to play on that old table when I have a brand-new one that Sister Marian gave me last night? Why, Ben Pepper, what are you thinking of? No-sir-ee! Not by a long shot!" "Excuse me, your high mightiness," said Ben, pushing back the old table and hurrying over to get the new gift. "Will that suit your Majesty?" he asked, setting it down in front of Jasper's chair. "Perfectly," said Jasper, setting a good handful of the chessmen on the table, and Ben, bunching the others up from the little hollow in the sofa blanket, they were soon all there in a heap. "Now which do you choose?" asked Jasper, putting a red and a white piece in either hand, and thrusting them behind him. "O dear me!" said Ben. "It won't make any difference, for you'll beat me all to death, just as usual." "Nonsense," laughed Jasper, "you know as much about the game as I do, Ben Pepper!" "Indeed I don't," said Ben, stoutly contradicting. "Why, you knock the life out of me every time we play. Just think of that last score, Jasper King!" "Oh, well, a beat doesn't always signify who's the cleverest," said Jasper, quickly. "Doesn't it?" said Ben, with a little laugh. "Well, I always thought it did." "Well, which do you choose?" said Jasper, impatiently. "We never shall get to playing if you don't make haste." "Oh, the right hand," said Ben. So the red queen was placed in Ben's hand, and the two boys fell to work to set the pieces. And the game began. "The same old story," said Ben, at its close. "There you go checkmating me, and I haven't even begun to move half my men." "Oh, well, you'll have better luck next time," said Jasper, beginning to set his men again. "I'm going to get a paper and pencil for the score," said Ben, hurrying over to the desk in the corner. "There now, game number one, 'J' beats. I might as well mark ditto down for game number two and all the rest." "Nonsense!" exclaimed Jasper, who was now setting Ben's men. "You'll probably beat me out of sight next time." "Probably," said Ben, sarcastically. And they fell to work again. And it was ditto, and number three also. But on game number four the luck turned, and Jasper's men, after a long fight, were routed. "What did I tell you?" cried Jasper, who, although he had put up as good a game as he could, was greatly pleased at Ben's success. "Oh, well, once," said Ben, leaning back in his chair. His round face was very red and he mopped it with his handkerchief. "I worked harder than I used to chopping wood," he said. "Well, we won't play any more," said Jasper, yet he looked longingly at the men he was setting. "Oh, yes, we will; that is, when I've rested a minute," said Ben, getting out of his chair to walk up and down the big room and swing his arms. "You set my men, and I'll be ready then." "Oh, walk away and swing all you want to," said Jasper, "I'll set your men. Oh, I say, Ben!" "What?" answered Ben, from the other end of the room. "Wouldn't it be good fun to go up to the mountains, where those poor children came from, next summer?" said Jasper. "That minister says there is a capital camp up there." "Wouldn't it!" cried Ben, flying around. Then he came up to Jasper's chair, "And he's an awfully good sort of man," he declared, bringing his hand down on the chess-table so that all the red and white men danced. "Take care," warned Jasper, putting up both hands to the table-edge, "you'll have them all off. Yes, he is a splendid chap." "And the camp is a big one," Ben went on, his blue eyes alight, and raising his hand again. "Ow! Look out!" cried Jasper. But too late; down came Ben's hand, and away flew half the chessmen, running off to all quarters. "O dear me!" exclaimed Ben, ruefully. "Now I have done it! Whatever did you speak of that mountain camp for now, Jasper King?" "Well, I didn't suppose you'd think it necessary to knock over the whole thing into flinders," said Jasper, and lying back against the pillows. "You'll have a perfectly sweet time, now, Ben Pepper, picking all those up." "I rather guess I shall," said Ben, getting down on his hands and knees. When at last he placed the last one on the table he was quite ready to sit down and rest by beginning a new game. "And Father and Sister Marian could stay at the hotel, if they couldn't stand camp life," Jasper was saying, as he set his men. "And—" "But I don't believe Grandpapa will want to," Ben was guilty of interrupting. "Mr. St. John says its splendid up at that camp. Oh, Jasper, don't you suppose we can go?" Ben was quite carried away now, and he got the king and queen all mixed up, while his knight and bishop had concluded to change places. "Oh, what a chap you are!" chaffed Jasper, pointing to them. "See what a mess you've made!" "Well, I tell you, you mustn't talk about that camp, if you want me to play," said Ben, desperately. "Oh, well, let's drop the camp," said Jasper, turning his dark eyes on the chess-table, and revolving his plan, for it was his move. "But I can't. I've just got to talk camp," said Ben, stubbornly. "Well, you can't. We mustn't either of us talk," said Jasper, "when we are playing. Dear me, what a game that would be!" "Well, I've got to think camp, then," said Ben. "All right," said Jasper, "go ahead and think camp, if you must. Then I will beat you all around Robin Hood's barn." Which he did. And then, as so many things occurred to both of them that had to be uttered about that mountain camp, the chessmen were shut up in their box, the new Christmas game table set back carefully in the corner, and the two boys gave themselves up without reserve to the grand plan for next summer. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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