eadfully when I used to drum on
the table in the little brown house," she confessed.

"I know--I know, child." Grandpapa's face fell badly, and he held her
very close. It always broke him up to hear the Peppers tell of the hard
times in the little brown house, and Polly hastened to add brightly,
"And then you came, Grandpapa dear, and you made it all just
beautiful--oh Grandpapa!" and she clung to him, unable to say more.

"Yes, yes, so I did--so I did," cried the old gentleman delightedly,
quite happy again, and stroking the brown hair. "Well, Polly, my girl,
it isn't anything to the good times we are always going to have. And
to-morrow, you and I must go down to see after poor Jim's family."

"And Jasper?" cried Polly, poking up her head from old Mr. King's
protecting arm; "he must go too, Grandpapa."

"And Jasper? Why, we couldn't do anything without him, Polly," said the
old gentleman in such a tone that Jasper threw back his head very
proudly; "of course my boy must go too."

And the next day, Pickering Dodge, who thought he had some sort of a
claim on Jasper for the afternoon, came running up the steps, two at a
time. And he looked so horribly disappointed, that old Mr. King said,
"Why don't you take him, Jasper, along with us?"

Jasper, who would have much preferred to go alone with his father and
Polly, swallowed his vexation, and said, "All right;" and when he saw
Pickering's delight, he brightened up, and was glad it all happened in
just that way after all.

"Now see here," said old Mr. King suddenly. They were turning out of
Willow Court, after their visit, and Thomas had a sorry time of it,
managing his horses successfully about the old tin cans and rubbish, to
say nothing of the children who were congregated in the narrow,
ill-smelling court. "Why don't you boys do something for those lads in
there?" pointing backward to the little run-down-at-the-heel house they
had just left.

"We boys?" cried Pickering faintly. "Oh dear me! Mr. King, we can't do
anything."

"'Can't' is a bad word to use," said the old gentleman gravely, "and I
didn't mean that you all alone should do the work. But get the other
boys interested. I'm sure you can do that. Phew! Where are the health
authorities, I should like to know, to let such abominations exist?
Thomas, drive as fast as you can, and get us out of this hole;" and he
buried his aristocratic old face in his handkerchief.

Pickering looked over at Jasper in grea