CHAPTERPAGE
I.[The Little White Chicken]9
II.[The Princess Esmeralda’s Ball]25
III.[The Story of the Circus]43
IV.[The Little Tin Soldiers]61
V.[Christmas at the Big House]72
VI.[Mr. Father Kangaroo and the Fat Little Bird]86
VII.[The Mince-pie Boy and the Beasts]99
VIII.[The Cunning Little Duck]116
IX.[The Old Tea-kettle]129
X.[The Pink and White Sticks]146
XI.[The Old Stage-coach]160
XII.[Mr. Nutcracker; the Story that wasn’t a Story]176
XIII.[Mr. Nutcracker]196
XIV.[The Runaway Pumpkin]214
XV.[The Robbers and their Bags]229
XVI.[Polly Pepper’s Chicken-pie]254
XVII.[Phronsie Pepper’s New Shoes]272
XVIII.[The Old Gray Goose]295
XIX.[The Green Umbrella]309
XX.[The Green Umbrella and the Queer Little Man]331
XXI.[The Little Snow-house]358
XXII.[Lucy Ann’s Garden]381
XXIII.[The China Mug]405
XXIV.[Brown Betty]419
XXV.[The Silly Little Brook]437
XXVI.[Down in the Orchard]451

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE
[Polly telling her stories.]Frontispiece.
[“Take me, Polly,” implored Phronsie.]12
[“And—he—saw—the—bear.”]22
[Polly threw her arms around Ben.]31
[“In came the Princess Esmeralda.”]35
[“The circus story,” said Polly, “is about so many best and splendid things that you must keep quite still.”]45
[“Where’s the Circus-man?” asked the great big man.]57
[Ben was mending Mother Pepper’s washboard.]63
[The little tin soldiers.]66
[Grandpapa had taken out all the papers.]74
[Joel laid his head in Polly’s lap and burst out crying.]82
[“I want my Mamsie!” cried poor Phronsie.]87
[“What’s the matter down there?” asked Mr. Kangaroo.]93
[The two pulled out the kitchen table.]101
[The mince-pie boy and the beasts.]109
[“O Polly!” she cried, scuttling over to her.]112
[Joel came racing back.]119
[The cunning little duck.]122
[“Dear me, yes,” said Mrs. Pepper.]130
[“Mind the house, now,” she said to the cat.]141
[She crept into Polly’s lap, and put her little hand up on her neck.]152
[The pink and white sticks.]157
[“Take care, Joe,” she warned.]161
[The old stage-coach.]165
[So Polly smoothed and patted his stubby head in a way that Joel liked.]179
[“You are scaring that poor old man most to death,” said Polly.]186
[Polly began to parade up and down the old kitchen floor.]201
[And the pigs wouldn’t go the way he wanted ’em to.]205
[“I guess I’ll tell you of the Runaway Pumpkin,” said Polly.]216
[“Pumpkin! say, Pumpkin, don’t you hear me?”]225
[Mrs. Whitney heard the noise, and ran in to see what the fun was.]243
[The robbers and their bags.]247
[Ben grasped it tightly under one arm and flew home.]255
[The old gray goose holds a conversation with the black chicken.]262
[“Oh! I am so hungry, Polly.”]275
[“Phronsie Pepper’s new shoes.”]282
[And there was the shoe tumbled right over her nose.]292
[“You said so, Polly Pepper,” cried little Dick with big eyes.]298
[Sally Brown and the old gray goose.]305
[“Polly,” said Mrs. Pepper, “you needn’t tell any story just now.”]311
[“Go right away! my daughter makes all the music I want.”]318
[“Look within!” screamed the old woman.]323
[“Here she is!” cried Van, throwing open the door of Jasper’s den.]337
[Phronsie smoothed down her white apron in satisfaction.]344
[The umbrella runs away with the queer little man.]353
[The boys bringing home the meal and potatoes.]368
[The little snow-house.]373
[Lucy Ann’s garden.]391
[She put her head in her hands, like this.]394
[Little Dick plucked off the big bit of wet brown paper from his eye.]407
[The beautiful man and the lovely lady on the china mug.]410
[“O Polly, a hundred ants!” cried little Dick with an absorbed face.]424
[Brown Betty and the ants.]429
[Phronsie shook her yellow head mournfully.]442
[The birds and the silly little brook.]446
[“’Twas as big as this!”]459
[The Little White Rabbit and Mister Fox.]464


THE
Stories Polly Pepper Told
TO THE FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS.

[I.]
THE LITTLE WHITE CHICKEN.