BEN PEPPER

BY MARGARET SIDNEY

AUTHOR OF "FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND THEIR FRIENDS," "A LITTLE MAID OF CONCORD TOWN," "OLD CONCORD," "HESTER, AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND STORIES," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY
EUGENIE M. WIREMAN

BOSTON:
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.

PEPPER
TRADE MARK
Registered in U. S. Patent Office.

Copyright, 1905,
BY Harriett M. Lothrop.

Published, August, 1905.

Twentieth Thousand

Norwood Press:
Berwick & Smith Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.

Then she hopped away from Polly and made a little cheese right on the sidewalk.

PREFACE

It was quite impossible that the detailed records presented through the later Pepper books, of the doings and sayings of the "Little Brown House" family, should omit Ben. He, the eldest-born of Mother Pepper's brood, and her mainstay after the father died, the quiet, "steady-as-a-rock boy," as the Badgertown people all called him, with lots of fun in him too, because he could not help it, being a Pepper, was worthy of a book to himself.

So the hosts of readers of the Pepper Series decided, and many of them accordingly be-sought the author to give Ben a chance to be better known. He was always so ready to efface himself, that it was Margaret Sidney's responsibility, after all, to bring him more to the front, to be understood by all who loved his life in the earlier records.

So Margaret Sidney, despite Ben's wishes, has written this latest volume. To do it, Polly and Joel and David and Phronsie have told her most lovingly the facts with which it is strewn. Most of all, Mother Pepper-Fisher contributed to the new book, out of a heart full of gratitude and love for her Ben.

MARGARET SIDNEY.

CONTENTS

PREFACE
I. The Christmas Shopping Expedition
II. Ben's Plan
III. Haps and Mishaps
IV. "It's Joel's Old Lady"
V. "The Presents All go from Santa Claus"
VI. Ben goes shopping with Madam Van Ruypen
VII. "Where's Pip?" And Jasper turned Back
VIII. "Any One who wants to please Jasper," said Ben, "had better take up this Chap"
IX. What a Home-coming
X. "I'll love her just Forever!"
XI. An Afternoon Call
XII. Van
XIII. The Big Box
XIV. The Children in the Mountain Cabin
XV. The Minister looks after his Parishioners
XVI. Who will Help?
XVII. "Now we can have Our Christmas!"
XVIII. Telling All the News
XIX. Jocko
XX. Repairing Damages
XXI. The Postponed Christmas Morning
XXII. Around the Christmas Tree
XXIII. The Sleighing Party
XXIV. Jasper and Ben
XXV. It was Polly who heard it First
XXVI. "Could you take him, Ben?"
XXVII. "Mr. King, who is that Pip you have