“Didn’t I tell you ’twas a prime story?” cried Joel, punching Van, who never could get so far away as to be beyond his fingers. “Ow! Be still!” said Van, edging off again. “So Betserilda did as she was bid, and hung up the watering-pot on the first crotch of the tree she could find underneath Lucy Ann’s Garden, and then away she ran on the tips of her toes into the wood again. And pretty soon every squirrel and bird and hop-toad and snake and chipmunk had his invitation, and”-- “You left out the woodchuck,” said Ben; “poor thing, do let him come to that wonderful party, Polly.” “Of course he came,” cried Polly gayly; “we wouldn’t let him be forgotten, and so”-- “Couldn’t the poor dear sweet little brown worms come, Polly?” asked Phronsie, leaning anxiously forward. “Dear me, yes,” cried Polly, catching sight of Phronsie’s face; “of course those nice angle-worms came. We wouldn’t leave them out for all the world. Well, and in a minute or two every one of the people, I mean the wood-creatures, were dressing up and combing their hair, and”-- “O Polly Pepper!” exclaimed Percy in distress, “now I know this story can’t be true; because squirrels don’t comb their hair, and birds, and”-- “How do you know?” cried Polly at him. “Well, hop-toads don’t, anyway,” declared Percy obstinately. “Well, my hop-toads do,” said Polly. “I shall make every one of them comb their hair, and clean their clothes, and prink up to go to that party, so there, Percy Whitney!” “And this is Polly Pepper’s story,” said Jasper. “Do keep still, Percy, or out you go from Mother Pepper’s room.” “Oh! she can have them do it if she wants to,” said Percy, shrinking back in alarm, with one eye on Jasper and another on Ben, and trying to keep himself as small as possible. “And they couldn’t hardly wait for the moon to come up, they were all so anxious to go,” Polly ran on. “You see, none of them had ever been to a party before in all their lives.” “I just hate parties!” exploded Joel, having experienced several trials in that line since coming to live at Mr. King’s; “and they were very silly to want to go.” “Now, what do you think Lucy Ann had thought out while Betserilda was away?” asked Polly suddenly. No one of the children could possibly guess, so Polly dashed on. “Well, she had it come in a flash into her head; and off she ran and did it, and got back all out of breath, running up one pair of steps to her garden, just as Betserilda came up the other pair. “‘Betserilda,’ she said, ‘what do you suppose I’ve done? Speak.’ “‘I don’t know,’ said Betserilda. “‘That’s a good girl, because if you’d said you did know, you’d be a naughty girl, because it all came out of my head. I’ve engaged the band, and we’re going to dance.’” The Whitney boys clapped their hands and shouted approval.