“Yes,” said Polly; “they did. And the littlest of the Nutcrackerses, Jim Nutcracker, he got home first; and he rushed in the doorway screaming out, ‘I’ve beaten—oh—dear me!’ there was the great creature lying down on the floor, ready to eat him up!”
Joel clapped his little brown hands in delight. “Make him bite him,” he begged; “do, Polly.”
“Oh, no, I can’t!” said Polly; “he was such a little Nutcracker, you know. Well, he tumbled right back against his brothers and sisters rushing up. ‘Don’t go in,’ he screamed at them. So they stopped, and all got in a round ring, and thought about it. And the dreadful creature in the house kept, oh, so still, hoping little Jim Nutcracker hadn’t seen him, or at least that he’d come back and bring his brothers and sisters with him. And pretty soon Mrs. Nutcracker got through talking with her cousin; and so she came hurrying up home, and after her, running as fast as could be, because you see it was getting late, came Mr. Nutcracker.
“‘Oh, here come mammy and pappy!’ screamed all the children, as glad as they could be; and”—
“Oh! make Mr. Nutcracker fight the dreadful man with the green eyes in his house,” cried Joel; “make him knock him down, and hit him and bang him all over and”—
“O Joey!” cried Polly.
“Yes, do,” begged Joel; “and bite him till he squealed just like the pigs. Will you, Polly?”
“Well, you’ll see,” said Polly again, nodding wisely. “Now, Mr. Nutcracker wasn’t a bit afraid; so he cried out very boldly, ‘Be quiet, my children,’ to all the little Nutcrackerses; ‘I’ll take care of the bad creature in our house.’ But Mrs. Nutcracker was awfully scared, for she thought if she had only stayed at home the dreadful thing couldn’t have got in. So when Father Nutcracker started to go and fight the bad, wicked creature, she just grasped hold of his ta—I mean, his train, and”—
“Did Father Nutcracker wear a dress?” cried Joel, in the greatest astonishment.
“He?—oh, no!” laughed Polly; then little gurgles kept running up and down her throat, while Joel persisted, “You said so; you said she grabbed hold of his train, so there.”