And they scampered hurriedly to Mrs. Pepper, who to their extreme astonishment, after all, said “yes,” and smiled encouragingly on the plan.
“Isn't mammy good?” said Polly, with loving gratitude, as they seated themselves again.
“Now we're all right,” exclaimed Ben, “and I tell you we can make the tree look perfectly splendid, Polly Pepper!”
“And I'll tell you another thing, Ben,” Polly said, “oh! something elegant! You must get ever so many hickory nuts; and you know those bits of bright paper I've got in the bureau drawer? Well, we can paste them on to the nuts and hang 'em on for the balls Jappy tells of.”
“Polly,” cried Ben, “it'll be such a tree as never was, won't it?”
“Yes; but dear me,” cried Polly, springing up, “the children are coming! Wasn't it good, grandma wanted 'em to come over this afternoon, so's we could talk! Now hush!” as the door opened to admit the noisy little troop.
“If you think of any new plan,” whispered Ben, behind his hand, while Mrs. Pepper engaged their attention, “you'll have to come out into the wood-shed to talk after this.”
“I know it,” whispered Polly back again; “oh! we've got just heaps of things to think of, Bensie!”
Such a contriving and racking of brains as Polly and Ben set up after this! They would bob over at each other, and smile with significant gesture as a new idea would strike one of them, in the most mysterious way that, if observed, would drive the others almost wild. And then, frightened lest in some hilarious moment the secret should pop out, the two conspirators would betake themselves to the wood-shed as before agreed on. But Joel, finding this out, followed them one day—or, as Polly said, tagged—so that was no good.
“Let's go behind the wood-pile,” she said to Ben, in desperation; “he can't hear there, if we whisper real soft.”