14 A Surprise for Polly and Phronsie

CHAPTER 14 A Surprise for Polly and Phronsie That night, Phronsie refused to sleep anywhere but with Polly. The next morning, while Polly and Phronsie slept through breakfast, there was a lot of activity in the King residence. Mr. King had a special surprise for the two little Pepper girls. Marian, Jasper, and the nephews could barely contain

their excitement. After breakfast, Mr. King and Marian rode off in their coach. "We'll be back soon," they told the boys. "Remember, Jasper, don't tell Polly or Phronsie a thing, or you'll spoil the surprise," Mr. King warned. Many hours passed. The boys could not sit still. "Is it time yet?" asked Van, the oldest of Jasper's nephews. "Are they back yet?" asked Percy, squirming in his seat with anticipation. "Will Polly still play with us and tell us stories?" asked Dick with a worried expression. "Everything will be exactly the same, only better!" Jasper assured them. Suddenly, all four boys heard the sound of a coach approaching. Van, Percy, and Dick ran to Jasper's side. "Is it them?" the boys cried in unison. But, the coach passed the King home and kept

on going down the street. Polly and Phronsie appeared hand-in-hand, their faces still flushed with sleep. "Is it who?" Polly asked with a yawn. "Where's Grandpa?" Phronsie wanted to know. Just then, a coach drove through the brick gateway and right up to the house. "They're here!" Jasper cried. All four boys raced to the door, each one wanting to be the first to open it. Polly and Phronsie followed, confused by all the fuss. Then, the front door opened. Mr. King and Marian stood on either side of the doorway. "Here we are!" Mr. King said with a sweep of his hand. Much to Polly's and Phronsie's surprise, there, at their very door, stood Mamsie, Ben, Joel, and Davie! Polly rubbed her eyes as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Mamsie!" Phronsie shrieked and flung herself into Mamsie's waiting arms. At the same time, Ben, Joel, and Davie cried out, "Polly!" They rushed to put their arms around her as though it had been a hundred years since they had seen her last. It almost felt like it had. From that day on, all of the Peppers lived at the King home. To show her thanks for all Mr. King had done for them, Mrs. Pepper offered to help Mr. King by taking care of the household duties. Mr. King happily agreed. In this way, Ben and Polly and Jasper would all have their lessons together everyday. Ben would have special art lessons, for he was quite talented in both painting and drawing. Polly would continue with her music lessons, and the three littlest Peppers would go to school with Van, Percy, and Dick. Polly and Ben told stories every night, and laughter filled the King home, just as it had for

so many years in the Little Brown House.