ay; don't you go to bothering your head about
it now, Polly--it'll come when it's time."

"Will it?" asked Polly, doubtfully, taking up her needle again.

"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Pepper, briskly; "come fly at your sewing;
that's your learning now."

"So 'tis," said Polly, with a little laugh. "Now let's see which'll get
their seam done first, mamsie?"

And now letters flew thick and fast from the city to the little brown
house, and back again, warming Jasper's heart, and filling the tedious
months of that winter with more of jollity and fun than the lad ever
enjoyed before; and never was fun and jollity more needed than now;
for Mr. King, having nothing to do, and each year finding himself less
inclined to exercise any thoughtful energy for others, began to look at
life something in the light of a serious bore, and accordingly made it
decidedly disagreeable for all around him, and particularly for Jasper
who was his constant companion. But the boy was looking forward to
summer, and so held on bravely.

"I do verily believe, Polly," he wrote, "that Badgertown'll see the
gayest times it ever knew! Sister Marian wants to go, so that's all
right. Now, hurrah for a good time--it's surely coming!"

But alas! for Jasper! as spring advanced, his father took a decided
aversion to Hingham, Badgertown, and all other places that could be
mentioned in that vicinity.

"It's a wretched climate," he asserted, over and over; "and the
foundation of all my ill feelings this winter was laid, I'm convinced,
in Hingham last summer."

No use to urge the contrary; and all Jasper's pleadings were equally
vain. At last, sister Marian, who was kind-hearted to a fault, sorry to
see her brother's dismay and disappointment said, one day, "Why not have
one of the children come here? I should like it very much--do invite
Ben."

"I don't want Ben," said Jasper gloomily, "I want Polly." He added this
in much the same tone as Phronsie's when she had rushed up to him the
day she was lost, declaring, "I want Polly!"

"Very well, then," said sister Marian, laughing, "I'm sure I didn't mean
to dictate which one; let it be Polly then; yes, I should prefer Polly
myself, I think, as we've enough boys now," smiling to think of her own
brood of wide awake youngsters.

"If you only will, father, I'll try to be ever so good!" said Jasper,
turning suddenly to his father.

"Jasper needs some change," said sister Marian kindly, "he really has
grown v