Pollyanna Eleanor H. Porter (classic english novels txt) đ
- Author: Eleanor H. Porter
Book online «Pollyanna Eleanor H. Porter (classic english novels txt) đ». Author Eleanor H. Porter
Timothy was a good-natured youth, and a good-looking one, as well. Short as had been Nancyâs stay at the house, the two were already good friends. Today, however, Nancy was too full of her mission to be her usual talkative self; and almost in silence she took the drive to the station and alighted to wait for the train.
Over and over in her mind she was saying it âlight hair, red-checked dress, straw hat.â Over and over again she was wondering just what sort of child this Pollyanna was, anyway.
âI hope for her sake sheâs quiet and sensible, and donât drop knives nor bang doors,â she sighed to Timothy, who had sauntered up to her.
âWell, if she ainât, nobody knows whatâll become of the rest of us,â grinned Timothy. âImagine Miss Polly and a noisy kid! Gorry! there goes the whistle now!â
âOh, Timothy, Iâ âI think it was mean ter send me,â chattered the suddenly frightened Nancy, as she turned and hurried to a point where she could best watch the passengers alight at the little station.
It was not long before Nancy saw herâ âthe slender little girl in the red-checked gingham with two fat braids of flaxen hair hanging down her back. Beneath the straw hat, an eager, freckled little face turned to the right and to the left, plainly searching for someone.
Nancy knew the child at once, but not for some time could she control her shaking knees sufficiently to go to her. The little girl was standing quite by herself when Nancy finally did approach her.
âAre you Missâ âPollyanna?â she faltered. The next moment she found herself half smothered in the clasp of two gingham-clad arms.
âOh, Iâm so glad, glad, glad to see you,â cried an eager voice in her ear. âOf course Iâm Pollyanna, and Iâm so glad you came to meet me! I hoped you would.â
âYouâ âyou did?â stammered Nancy, vaguely wondering how Pollyanna could possibly have known herâ âand wanted her. âYouâ âyou did?â she repeated, trying to straighten her hat.
âOh, yes; and Iâve been wondering all the way here what you looked like,â cried the little girl, dancing on her toes, and sweeping the embarrassed Nancy from head to foot, with her eyes. âAnd now I know, and Iâm glad you look just like you do look.â
Nancy was relieved just then to have Timothy come up. Pollyannaâs words had been most confusing.
âThis is Timothy. Maybe you have a trunk,â she stammered.
âYes, I have,â nodded Pollyanna, importantly. âIâve got a brand-new one. The Ladiesâ Aid bought it for meâ âand wasnât it lovely of them, when they wanted the carpet so? Of course I donât know how much red carpet a trunk could buy, but it ought to buy some, anyhowâ âmuch as half an aisle, donât you think? Iâve got a little thing here in my bag that Mr. Gray said was a check, and that I must give it to you before I could get my trunk. Mr. Gray is Mrs. Grayâs husband. Theyâre cousins of Deacon Carrâs wife. I came East with them, and theyâre lovely! Andâ âthere, here âtis,â she finished, producing the check after much fumbling in the bag she carried.
Nancy drew a long breath. Instinctively she felt that someone had to draw oneâ âafter that speech. Then she stole a glance at Timothy. Timothyâs eyes were studiously turned away.
The three were off at last, with Pollyannaâs trunk in behind, and Pollyanna herself snugly ensconced between Nancy and Timothy. During the whole process of getting started, the little girl had kept up an uninterrupted stream of comments and questions, until the somewhat dazed Nancy found herself quite out of breath trying to keep up with her.
âThere! Isnât this lovely? Is it far? I hope âtisâ âI love to ride,â sighed Pollyanna, as the wheels began to turn. âOf course, if âtisnât far, I shanât mind, though, âcause Iâll be glad to get there all the sooner, you know. What a pretty street! I knew âtwas going to be pretty; father told meâ ââ
She stopped with a little choking breath. Nancy, looking at her apprehensively, saw that her small chin was quivering, and that her eyes were full of tears. In a moment, however, she hurried on, with a brave lifting of her head.
âFather told me all about it. He remembered. Andâ âand I ought to have explained before. Mrs. Gray told me to, at onceâ âabout this red gingham dress, you know, and why Iâm not in black. She said youâd think âtwas queer. But there werenât any black things in the last missionary barrel, only a ladyâs velvet basque which Deacon Carrâs wife said wasnât suitable for me at all; besides, it had white spotsâ âworn, you knowâ âon both elbows, and some other places. Part of the Ladiesâ Aid wanted to buy me a black dress and hat, but the other part thought the money ought to go toward the red carpet theyâre trying to getâ âfor the church, you know. Mrs. White said maybe it was just as well, anyway, for she didnât like children in blackâ âthat is, I mean, she liked the children, of course, but not the black part.â
Pollyanna paused for breath, and Nancy managed to stammer:
âWell, Iâm sure itâ âitâll be all right.â
âIâm glad you feel that way. I do, too,â nodded Pollyanna, again with that choking little breath. âOf course, âtwould have been a good deal harder to be glad in blackâ ââ
âGlad!â gasped Nancy, surprised into an interruption.
âYesâ âthat fatherâs gone to Heaven to be with mother and the rest of us, you know. He said I must be glad. But itâs been pretty hard toâ âto do it, even in red gingham, because Iâ âI wanted him, so; and I couldnât help feeling I ought to have him, specially as mother and the rest have God and all the angels, while I didnât have anybody but the Ladiesâ Aid. But now Iâm sure itâll be easier because Iâve got you, Aunt Polly. Iâm so glad Iâve got you!â
Nancyâs aching sympathy for the poor little forlornness beside her turned suddenly into
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