“It won’t now you are here, Phronsie,” said old Mr. King, holding her close. “Now, then, Polly, my girl, let us hear that wonderful story.”
So Polly began again. “Well, you see, it’s all about some robbers, and”—
“Make ’em be big, and ever so many of them,” cried Joel.
“Oh, Joe, be quiet!” warned Jasper. “Polly can’t get on at all if you are going to interrupt every minute.”
“Joel’s always breaking in,” cried Percy wrathfully. “Do stop him, Grandpapa.”
“I’ll stick a pin in him,” said Van pleasantly, who sat next.
“O Van!” exclaimed Polly.
“Here, you two boys,” cried the old gentleman, “you mind what you’re about, both of you. Joe, don’t you let me hear of your stopping Polly; and do you, master Van, keep your pins to yourself. Now, then, Polly, begin again.”
So Polly, with a nod and a reassuring smile for him, rushed on. “Well, you see, these robbers lived in a cave dark and big; it was against a mountain, around which ran a lonely road. Nobody ever went that way who could help it, because for years and years robbers had been there, and scared all the travellers away. So, you see, the robbers had it pretty much to themselves. Well, at the end of the long and lonely road was a little village. It was about as big as Badgertown, but not nearly so pretty,” said Polly, with a light in her brown eyes.
“Bad—ger”—began Joel.