Pollyanna Grows Up Eleanor H. Porter (booksvooks .TXT) đ
- Author: Eleanor H. Porter
Book online «Pollyanna Grows Up Eleanor H. Porter (booksvooks .TXT) đ». Author Eleanor H. Porter
âWell, I shanâtâ ânot this morning,â frowned Aunt Polly, perversely. âNobody could be glad this morning. Look at it rain! That makes the third rainy day this week.â
âThatâs soâ âbut you know the sun never seems quite so perfectly lovely as it does after a lot of rain like this,â smiled Pollyanna, deftly arranging a bit of lace and ribbon at her auntâs throat. âNow come. Breakfastâs all ready. Just you wait till you see what Iâve got for you.â
Aunt Polly, however, was not to be diverted, even by corn muffins, this morning. Nothing was right, nothing was even endurable, as she felt; and Pollyannaâs patience was sorely taxed before the meal was over. To make matters worse, the roof over the east attic window was found to be leaking, and an unpleasant letter came in the mail. Pollyanna, true to her creed, laughingly declared that, for her part, she was glad they had a roofâ âto leak; and that, as for the letter, sheâd been expecting it for a week, anyway, and she was actually glad she wouldnât have to worry any more for fear it would come. It couldnât come now, because it had come; and âtwas over with.
All this, together with sundry other hindrances and annoyances, delayed the usual morning work until far into the afternoonâ âsomething that was always particularly displeasing to methodical Aunt Polly, who ordered her own life, preferably, by the tick of the clock.
âBut itâs half-past three, Pollyanna, already! Did you know it?â she fretted at last. âAnd you havenât made the beds yet.â
âNo, dearie, but I will. Donât worry.â
âBut, did you hear what I said? Look at the clock, child. Itâs after three oâclock!â
âSo âtis, but never mind, Aunt Polly. We can be glad âtisnât after four.â
Aunt Polly sniffed her disdain.
âI suppose you can,â she observed tartly.
Pollyanna laughed.
âWell, you see, auntie, clocks are accommodating things, when you stop to think about it. I found that out long ago at the Sanatorium. When I was doing something that I liked, and I didnât want the time to go fast, Iâd just look at the hour hand, and Iâd feel as if I had lots of timeâ âit went so slow. Then, other days, when I had to keep something that hurt on for an hour, maybe, Iâd watch the little second hand; and you see then I felt as if Old Time was just humping himself to help me out by going as fast as ever he could. Now Iâm watching the hour hand today, âcause I donât want Time to go fast. See?â she twinkled mischievously, as she hurried from the room, before Aunt Polly had time to answer.
It was certainly a hard day, and by night Pollyanna looked pale and worn out. This, too, was a source of worriment to Aunt Polly.
âDear me, child, you look tired to death!â she fumed. âWhat weâre going to do I donât know. I suppose youâll be sick next!â
âNonsense, auntie! Iâm not sick a bit,â declared Pollyanna, dropping herself with a sigh on to the couch. âBut I am tired. My! how good this couch feels! Iâm glad Iâm tired, after allâ âitâs so nice to rest.â
Aunt Polly turned with an impatient gesture.
âGladâ âgladâ âglad! Of course youâre glad, Pollyanna. Youâre always glad for everything. I never saw such a girl. Oh, yes, I know itâs the game,â she went on, in answer to the look that came to Pollyannaâs face. âAnd itâs a very good game, too; but I think you carry it altogether too far. This eternal doctrine of âit might be worseâ has got on my nerves, Pollyanna. Honestly, it would be a real relief if you wouldnât be glad for something, sometime!â
âWhy, auntie!â Pollyanna pulled herself half erect.
âWell, it would. You just try it sometime, and see.â
âBut, auntie, Iâ ââ Pollyanna stopped and eyed her aunt reflectively. An odd look came to her eyes; a slow smile curved her lips. Mrs. Chilton, who had turned back to her work, paid no heed; and, after a minute, Pollyanna lay back on the couch without finishing her sentence, the curious smile still on her lips.
It was raining again when Pollyanna got up the next morning, and a northeast wind was still whistling down the chimney. Pollyanna at the window drew an involuntary sigh; but almost at once her face changed.
âOh, well, Iâm gladâ ââ She clapped her hands to her lips. âDear me,â she chuckled softly, her eyes dancing, âI shall forgetâ âI know I shall; and thatâll spoil it all! I must just remember not to be glad for anythingâ ânot anything today.â
Pollyanna did not make corn muffins that morning. She started the breakfast, then went to her auntâs room.
Mrs. Chilton was still in bed.
âI see it rains, as usual,â she observed, by way of greeting.
âYes, itâs horridâ âperfectly horrid,â scolded Pollyanna. âItâs rained âmost every day this week, too. I hate such weather.â
Aunt Polly turned with a faint surprise in her eyes; but Pollyanna was looking the other way.
âAre you going to get up now?â she asked a little wearily.
âWhy, y-yes,â murmured Aunt Polly, still with that faint surprise in her eyes. âWhatâs the matter, Pollyanna? Are you especially tired?â
âYes, I am tired this morning. I didnât sleep well, either. I hate not to sleep. Things always plague so in the night, when you wake up.â
âI guess I know that,â fretted Aunt Polly. âI didnât sleep a wink after two oâclock myself. And thereâs that roof! How are we going to have it fixed, pray, if it never stops raining? Have you been up to empty the pans?â
âOh, yesâ âand took up some more. Thereâs a new leak now, further over.â
âA new one! Why, itâll all be leaking yet!â
Pollyanna opened her lips. She had almost said, âWell, we can be glad to have it fixed all at once, then,â when she suddenly remembered, and substituted, in a tired voice:
âVery likely it will, auntie. It looks like it now, fast enough. Anyway,
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