"Ma," said David, coming softly into the bedroom, where poor Polly lay on the bed with Phronsie, her eyes bandaged with a soft old handkerchief, "I'll set the table.""There isn't any table to set," said Mrs. Pepper, sadly; "there isn't anybody to eat anything, Davie; you and Joel can get something out of the cupboard.""Can we get whatever we've a mind to, ma?" cried Joel, who followed Davie, rubbing his face with a towel after his morning ablutions.
"Yes," replied his mother, absently.
"Come on, Dave!" cried Joel; "we'll have a breakfast!""We mustn't," said little Davie, doubtfully, "eat the whole, Joey."But that individual already had his head in the cupboard, which soon engrossed them both.
Dr. Fisher was called in the middle of the morning to see what was the matter with Polly's eyes. The little man looked at her keenly over his spectacles; then he said, "When were you taken?""This morning," answered Polly, her eyes smarting.
"Didn't you feel badly before?" questioned the doctor. Polly thought back; and then she remembered that she had felt very badly; that when she was baking over the old stove the day before her back had ached dreadfully; and that, somehow, when she sat down to sew, it didn't stop; only her eyes had bothered her so; she didn't mind her back so much.
"I thought so," said the doctor, when Polly answered. "And those eyes of yours have been used too much; what has she been doing, ma'am?" He turned around sharply on Mrs. Pepper as he asked this.
"Sewing," said Mrs. Pepper, "and everything; Polly does everything, sir.""Humphl" said the doctor; "well, she won't again in one spell; her eyes are very bad."At this a whoop, small but terrible to hear, came from the middle of the bed; and Phronsie sat bolt upright. Everybody started; while Phronsie broke out, "Don't make my Polly sick! oh! please don't!""Hey!" said the doctor; and he looked kindly at the small object with a very red face in the middle of the bed. Then he added, gently, "We're going to make Polly well, little girl; so that she can see splendidly.""Will you, really?" asked the child, doubtfully.
"Yes," said the doctor; "we'll try hard; and you mustn't cry; 'cause then Polly'll cry, and that will make her eyes very bad; very bad indeed," he repeated, impressively.
"I won't cry," said Phronsie; "no, not one bit." And she wiped off the last tear with her fat little hand, and watched to see what next was to be done.
And Polly was left, very rebellious indeed, in the big bed, with a cooling lotion on the poor eyes, that somehow didn't cool them one bit.
"If 'twas anythin' but my eyes, mammy, I could stand it," she bewailed, flouncing over and over in her impatience; "and who'll do all the work now?""Don't think of the work, Polly," said Mrs. Pepper.
"I can't do anything but think," said poor Polly.
Just at that moment a queer noise out in the kitchen was heard.
"Do go out, mother, and see what 'tis," said Polly.
"I've come," said a cracked voice, close up by the bedroom door, followed by a big black cap, which could belong to no other than Grandma Bascom, "to set by you a spell; what's the matter?" she asked, and stopped, amazed to see Polly in bed.
"Oh, Polly's taken," screamed Mrs. Pepper in her ear.
"Taken!" repeated the old lady, "what is it--a fit?""No," said Mrs. Pepper; "the same as Ben's got; and Phronsie; the measles.""The measles, has she?" said grandma; "well, that's bad; and Ben's away, you say.""No, he isn't either," screamed Mrs. Pepper, "he's got them, too!""Got two what?" asked grandma.
"Measles! he's got the measles too," repeated Mrs. Pepper, loud as she could; so loud that the old lady's cap trembled at the noise.
"Oh! the dreadful!" said grandma; "and this girl too?" laying her hand on Phronsie's head.
"Yes," said Mrs. Pepper, feeling it a little relief to tell over her miseries; "all three of them!""I haven't," said Joel, coming in in hopes that grandma had a stray peppermint or two in her pocket, as she sometimes did; "and I'm not going to, either.""Oh, dear," groaned his mother; "that's what Polly said; and she's got 'em bad. It's her eyes," she screamed to grandma, who looked inquiringly.
"Her eyes, is it?" asked Mrs. Bascom; "well, I've got a receet that cousin Samanthy's folks had when John's children had 'em; and I'll run right along home and get it," and she started to go.
"No, you needn't," screamed Mrs. Pepper; "thank you, Mrs.
Bascom; but Dr. Fisher's been here; and he put something on Polly's eyes; and he said it mustn't be touched.""Hey?" said the old lady; so Mrs. Pepper had to go all over it again, till at last she made her understand that Polly's eyes were taken care of, and they must wait for time to do the rest.
"You come along of me," whispered grandma, when at last her call was done, to Joel who stood by the door. "I've got some peppermints to home; I forgot to bring 'em.""Yes'm," said Joel, brightening up.
"Where you going, Joe?" asked Mrs. Pepper, seeing him move off with Mrs. Bascom; "I may want you.""Oh, I've got to go over to grandma's," said Joel briskly; "she wants me.""Well, don't be gone long then," replied his mother.
"There," said grandma, going into her "keeping-room" to an old-fashioned chest of drawers; opening one, she took therefrom a paper, from which she shook out before Joe's delighted eyes some red and white peppermint drops. "There now, you take these home;you may have some, but be sure you give the most to the sick ones;and Polly--let Polly have the biggest."
"She won't take 'em," said Joel, wishing he had the measles. "Well, you try her," said grandma; "run along now." But it was useless to tell Joel that, for he was half-way home already. He carried out grandma's wishes, and distributed conscientiously the precious drops. But when he came to Polly, she didn't answer; and looking at her in surprise he saw two big tears rolling out under the bandage and wetting the pillow.
