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The Stories Polly Pepper Told to the Five Little Peppers in the Little Brown House cover

The Stories Polly Pepper Told to the Five Little Peppers in the Little Brown House

Chapter 2: PREFATORY NOTE.
By Margaret Sidney
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Children & Young Adult ReadingShort Stories

About This Book

A framed collection of short, whimsical tales relayed by an older sister named Polly to her younger Pepper siblings in the family’s little brown house. Each chapter presents a standalone episode—ranging from a little white chicken and tin soldiers to circus adventures, holiday scenes, and playful household mishaps—that blends imaginative incident with homely detail. The stories accentuate familial care, practical resourcefulness, and gentle moral lessons, and the domestic framing plus illustrations produces a comforting, intimate portrait of childhood and sibling bonds.

PREFATORY NOTE.

The author has received from mothers and other persons interested in the Pepper Family, so many requests for the Stories told by Polly Pepper (to which frequent allusion has been made in the Series called the “Five Little Peppers’” Books), that this initial volume of Polly’s earlier stories has been prepared in obedience to these requests.

Wayside, Concord, Mass.
March, 1899.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. The Little White Chicken 9
II. The Princess Esmeralda’s Ball 25
III. The Story of the Circus 43
IV. The Little Tin Soldiers 61
V. Christmas at the Big House 72
VI. Mr. Father Kangaroo and the Fat Little Bird 86
VII. The Mince-pie Boy and the Beasts 99
VIII. The Cunning Little Duck 116
IX. The Old Tea-kettle 129
X. The Pink and White Sticks 146
XI. The Old Stage-coach 160
XII. Mr. Nutcracker; the Story that wasn’t a Story 176
XIII. Mr. Nutcracker 196
XIV. The Runaway Pumpkin 214
XV. The Robbers and their Bags 229
XVI. Polly Pepper’s Chicken-pie 254
XVII. Phronsie Pepper’s New Shoes 272
XVIII. The Old Gray Goose 295
XIX. The Green Umbrella 309
XX. The Green Umbrella and the Queer Little Man 331
XXI. The Little Snow-house 358
XXII. Lucy Ann’s Garden 381
XXIII. The China Mug 405
XXIV. Brown Betty 419
XXV. The Silly Little Brook 437
XXVI. Down in the Orchard 451

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

  PAGE
Polly telling her stories. Frontispiece.
“Take me, Polly,” implored Phronsie. 12
“And—he—saw—the—bear.” 22
Polly threw her arms around Ben. 31
“In came the Princess Esmeralda.” 35
“The circus story,” said Polly, “is about so many best and splendid things that you must keep quite still.” 45
“Where’s the Circus-man?” asked the great big man. 57
Ben was mending Mother Pepper’s washboard. 63
The little tin soldiers. 66
Grandpapa had taken out all the papers. 74
Joel laid his head in Polly’s lap and burst out crying. 82
“I want my Mamsie!” cried poor Phronsie. 87
“What’s the matter down there?” asked Mr. Kangaroo. 93
The two pulled out the kitchen table. 101
The mince-pie boy and the beasts. 109
“O Polly!” she cried, scuttling over to her. 112
Joel came racing back. 119
The cunning little duck. 122
“Dear me, yes,” said Mrs. Pepper. 130
“Mind the house, now,” she said to the cat. 141
She crept into Polly’s lap, and put her little hand up on her neck. 152
The pink and white sticks. 157
“Take care, Joe,” she warned. 161
The old stage-coach. 165
So Polly smoothed and patted his stubby head in a way that Joel liked. 179
“You are scaring that poor old man most to death,” said Polly. 186
Polly began to parade up and down the old kitchen floor. 201
And the pigs wouldn’t go the way he wanted ’em to. 205
“I guess I’ll tell you of the Runaway Pumpkin,” said Polly. 216
“Pumpkin! say, Pumpkin, don’t you hear me?” 225
Mrs. Whitney heard the noise, and ran in to see what the fun was. 243
The robbers and their bags. 247
Ben grasped it tightly under one arm and flew home. 255
The old gray goose holds a conversation with the black chicken. 262
“Oh! I am so hungry, Polly.” 275
“Phronsie Pepper’s new shoes.” 282
And there was the shoe tumbled right over her nose. 292
“You said so, Polly Pepper,” cried little Dick with big eyes. 298
Sally Brown and the old gray goose. 305
“Polly,” said Mrs. Pepper, “you needn’t tell any story just now.” 311
“Go right away! my daughter makes all the music I want.” 318
“Look within!” screamed the old woman. 323
“Here she is!” cried Van, throwing open the door of Jasper’s den. 337
Phronsie smoothed down her white apron in satisfaction. 344
The umbrella runs away with the queer little man. 353
The boys bringing home the meal and potatoes. 368
The little snow-house. 373
Lucy Ann’s garden. 391
She put her head in her hands, like this. 394
Little Dick plucked off the big bit of wet brown paper from his eye. 407
The beautiful man and the lovely lady on the china mug. 410
“O Polly, a hundred ants!” cried little Dick with an absorbed face. 424
Brown Betty and the ants. 429
Phronsie shook her yellow head mournfully. 442
The birds and the silly little brook. 446
“’Twas as big as this!” 459
The Little White Rabbit and Mister Fox. 464