by
Margaret Sidney

Chapter I
Polly Gives Music Lessons

“Miss Pepper — Miss Pepper!”

Polly turned quickly, it was such an anxious little cry.

“What? Oh, Amy Loughead.”

Amy threw herself up against Polly’s gown. “Oh, if I may,” she began,flushing painfully. “You see my brother is coming to-morrow — I’ve aletter — so if you will let me.”

“Let you what?” cried Polly, with a little laugh; “go on, Amy, don’t beafraid.”

“You see it is just this way,” Amy twisted her fingers together, drewher breath hard, and rushed on nervously; “Jack — he’s my brother, youknow — promised me — I never told you — if I would only learn to play onthe piano, he’d take me to Europe with him next time, and now he’scoming to-morrow, and — and, oh! what shall I do?”

Amy was far gone now, and she ended with a little howl of distress, thatbrought two or three of the “Salisbury girls” flying in withastonishment.

“Go back,” said Polly to them all, and they ran off as suddenly as theyhad popped in, to leave Amy and the music teacher alone.

“Now, Amy,” said Polly kindly, getting down on her knees beside the girlwhere she had thrown herself on the broad lounge, “you must justunderstand, dear, that I cannot help you unless you will haveself-control and be a little woman yourself.”

“You told me I would be sorry if I didn’t practice,” mourned Amy,dragging her wet little handkerchief between her fingers, “but I didn’tsuppose Jack was coming for six months, and I’d have time to catch up,and now — oh dear me!” and she burrowed deeper into Miss Salisbury’s bigsofa-pillow.

“Take care!” warned Polly, with a ready hand to rescue the elaboratecombination of silk and floss, “it would be a very dreadful thing ifthis should get spoiled.”

Amy Loughead brought her wet cheek off suddenly. “There isn’t a singletear on it, Miss Pepper,” she gasped.

“That’s very fortunate,” said Polly, with a relieved breath. “Well, Amychild, how can I help you?” She sat down now, and drew the girl’s hotlittle hand within her own.

“I can almost play that horrible ‘Chopin,’” said Amy irrelevantly; “thatis, I could, if — oh Miss Pepper,” she broke off suddenly and brought herflushed face very near to the one above her, “could you help me playit — just hear me, you know, and tell me things you did, over again,about it, if I practice all the afternoon? Could you?”

“This evening, do you mean?” asked Polly, a trifle sharply.