Part 36 (1/2)
”Yes,” said Joel, ”pins, an' good ones, too, not crooked, bent old things”
”Pins costup from her work-basket ”I suppose you know that, Joel?”
”Well, we can't let folks in without paying,” said Joel, in deep anxiety ”'Twouldn't be a circus if we did”
”I tell you,” said Polly, seeing his forehead all puckered up in wrinkles; ”why don't you have some tickets, Joel, made out of paper, you know, and marked on 'eet the paper, Polly?” asked Ben, as very practical ”Better not propose anything you can't carry out
Look at Joe's face,” he whispered, under cover of the shouts fro back, ”we never have anything!
It's perfectly dreadful, Ben; and we must help Joe And you know yourself there aren't any pins hardly in the house, and Maive us one of those”
”Youelse besides paper, for that's just as bad as pins,” said Ben, with perfect faith that Polly would contrive a good way out of the difficulty
Polly put her head into her two hands, while Joel was vociferating, ”Oh, tickets! Goody! Polly's going toto make 'em!” in a way to fill her with dismay, while she racked her brains to think ould satisfy Joel as entrance money to his circus
”Now, children,” she said briskly, lifting her head, her hands falling to her lap, ”Ben says we can't e the tickets very well, because we haven't any paper” She hurried on, ”Be still, Joe!” as she saw signs of a howl ”But I'll tell you soot plenty of 'em, and they're round, and oh, so nice!” By this tiayly, that little Davie cried out, ”I know it's nice, Polly,” and even Joel looked enthusiastic
”It's just as nice,” declared Polly, clasping her hands ”Oh, you can't think! And I'll help you gather some”
”What is it?” screamed Joel; ”do tell, Polly”
”It's cheeses,” said Polly; ”don't you know, Joe, out in the yard?” They were the little, round, green things, so called by the children, that grew on a little plant in the grass, and they used to pick and eat the back, horribly disappointed
”Neither are tickets money,” said Polly, airily; ”they only mean money; and the cheeses can mean it just as well Besides, they're round”
”And I think the cheeses are a great deal better than anything, to pay with,” said Ben, coe as much as you want to, you know, Joe, 'cause they're plenty”
”So I can,” cried Joel, quite delighted at this ”Well, you et in, Ben”
”Oh, I guess I shall spendseventy-five cheeses!” cried Ben; ”you must let me in cheaper'n that, Joel”
”Youjuet in And as for having the circus without him--why, that would be dreadful!
”You do think up such perfectly beautiful things, Polly,” cried David, huddling up close to her, and lifting his flushed cheeks
”Dear ht of theht Mother Pepper's eye
”I know it,” said Mrs Pepper, the troubled look co back
She laid down her work ”Coot up fro on the floor, and ran over to his mother, and cli hiot a spoon and looked down his throat ”It isn't red,”
she declared, ”and I don't believe it's sore”