But the little Pepper household soon had something else to think of more important even than Polly's eyes, for now the heartiest, the jolliest of all the little group was down-- Joel. How he fell sick, they scarcely knew, it all came so suddenly. The poor, bewildered family had hardly time to think, before delirium and, perhaps, death stared them in the face.
When Polly first heard it, by Phronsie's pattering downstairs and screaming: "Oh, Polly, Joey's dre-ad-ful sick, he is!" she jumped right up, and tore off the bandage.
"Now, I will help mother! I will, so there!" and in another minute she would have been up in the sick room. But the first thing she knew, a gentle but firm hand was laid upon hers; and she found herself back again in the old rocking-chair, and listening to the Doctor's words which were quite stern and decisive.
"Now, I tell you," he said, "you must not take off that bandage again; do you know the consequences? You will be blind! and then you will be a care to your mother all your life!""I shall be blind, anyway," said Polly, despairingly; "so 'twon't make any difference.""No; your eyes will come out of it all right, only I did hope"--and the good doctor's face fell--"that the other two boys would escape;but"--and he brightened up at sight of Polly's forlorn visage--"see you do your part by keeping still."But there came a day soon when everything was still around the once happy little brown house--when oniy whispers were heard from white lips; and thoughts were fearfully left unuttered.
On the morning of one of these days, when Mrs. Pepper felt she could not exist an hour longer without sleep, kind Mrs. Beebe came to stay until things were either better or worse.
Still the cloud hovered, dark and forbidding. At last, one afternoon, when Polly was all alone, she could endure it no longer.
She flung herself down by the side of the old bed, and buried her face in the gay patched bed-quilt.
"Dear God," she said, "make me willing to have anything"--she hesitated--"yes, anything happen; to be blind forever, and to have Joey sick, only make me good."How long she staid there she never knew; for she fell asleep--the first sleep she had had since Joey was taken sick. And little Mrs.
Beebe coming in found her thus.
"Polly," the good woman said, leaning over her, "you poor, pretty creeter, you; I'm goin' to tell you somethin'--there, there, just to think! Joel's goin' to get well!""Oh, Mrs. Beebe!" cried Polly, tumbling over in a heap on the floor, her face, as much as could be seen under the bandage, in a perfect glow, "Is he, really?""Yes, to be sure; the danger's all over now," said the little old lady, inwardly thinking--"If I hadn't a-come!""Well, then, the Lord wants him to," cried Polly, in rapture; "don't he, Mrs. Beebe?""To be sure--to be sure," repeated the kind friend, only half understanding.
"Well, I don't care about my eyes, then," cried Polly; and to Mrs.
Beebe's intense astonishment and dismay, she spun round and round in the middle of the floor.
"Oh, Polly, Polly!" the little old lady cried, running up to her, "do stop! the doctor wouldn't let you! he wouldn't really, you know! it'll all go to your eyes.""I don't care," repeated Polly, in the middle of a spin; but she stopped obediently; "seems as if I just as soon be blind as not; it's so beautiful Joey's going to get well!"
