Anne of the Island by L.
M.
Montgomery Read by Stephanie Poppins Chapter 16 Adjusted Relationships It's the homiest spot I ever saw.
It's homier than home,
Avowed Philippa Gordon,
Looking about her delighted eyes.
They were all assembled at twilight in the big living room at Patti's place.
Anne and Priscilla,
Phil and Stella,
Aunt Jamesina,
Rusty,
Joseph,
The Sarah cat,
And Gog and Magog.
The firelight shadows were dancing over the walls,
The cats were purring,
And a huge bowl of hothouse chrysanthemums,
Sent to fill by one of the victims,
Shone through the golden gloom like creamy moons.
It was three weeks since they'd considered themselves settled,
And already they believed the experiment would be a success.
The first fortnight after their return had been a pleasantly exciting one.
They had been busy setting up their household goods,
Organising their little establishment,
And adjusting different opinions.
Anne was not over sorry to leave Avonlea when the time came.
The last few days of her vacation had not been pleasant.
Her prize story had been published in the island papers,
And Mr.
William Blair had upon the counter of his store a huge pile of pink,
Green and yellow pamphlets containing it,
One of which he gave to every customer.
He sent a complimentary bundle to Anne,
Who promptly dropped them all in the kitchen stove.
Her humiliation was the consequence of her own ideals only,
For Avonlea folks thought it quite splendid she should have won the prize.
Her many friends regarded her with honest admiration,
Her few foes with scornful envy.
Josie Pye said she believed Anne Shirley had just copied the story,
She was sure she remembered reading it in a paper years before.
The Sloanes who found out or guessed Charlie had been turned down said they didn't think it was much to be proud of,
Almost anyone could have done it if she tried.
Aunt Totsa told Anne she was very sorry to hear she'd taken to writing novels.
Nobody born and bred in Avonlea would do it,
That was what came of adopting orphans from goodness knows where,
With goodness knows what kind of parents.
Even Mrs Rachel Lynde was darkly dubious about the propriety of writing fiction,
Though she was almost reconciled to it by that $25 cheque.
It's perfectly amazing the price they pay for such lies,
That's what,
She said,
Half proudly,
Half severely.
All things considered,
It was a relief when going away time came.
And it was very jolly to be back at Redmond,
A wise,
Experienced sophomore,
With hosts of friends to greet on the merry opening day.
Priscilla and Stella and Gilbert were there,
Charlie Sloane looking more important than ever a sophomore looked before,
Phil with the Alec and Alonzo questions still unsettled and a moody Spurgeon MacPherson.
Moody Spurgeon had been teaching school ever since leaving Queen's,
But his mother had concluded it was high time he gave it up and turned his attention to learning how to be a minister.
Poor Moody Spurgeon fell on hard luck at the very beginning of his college career.
Half a dozen ruthless sophomores who were among his fellow boarders swooped down upon him one night and shaved half his head.
In this guise,
The luckless Moody had to go about until his hair grew again.
He told Anne bitterly there were times when he had his doubts as to whether he was really called to be a minister.
Aunt Jamesina,
Meanwhile,
Did not come until the girls had Patty's place ready for her.
Miss Patty sent the key to Anne with a letter in which she said Gog and Magog were packed in a box under the spare room bed,
But might be taken out when wanted.
In a postscript she added she hoped the girls would be careful about putting up pictures.
The living room had been newly papered five years before and she and Miss Maria did not want any more holes made in that new paper that was absolutely necessary.
For the rest,
She trusted everything to Anne.
How these girls enjoyed putting their nest in order!
As Phil said,
It was almost as good as getting married.
You had the fun of homemaking without the bother of a husband.
All brought something with them to adorn or make comfortable the little house.
Pris and Phil and Stella had knickknacks and pictures galore,
Which latter they proceeded to hang according to taste in reckless disregard of Miss Patty's new paper.
We'll putty the holes up when we leave,
Dear.
She'll never know,
They said to protesting Anne.
Diana had given Anne a pine needle cushion and Miss Ada had given both her and Priscilla a fearfully and wonderfully embroidered one.
Marilla had sent a big box of preserves and darkly hinted at a hamper for Thanksgiving and Mrs Linde gave Anne a patchwork quilt and loaned her five more.
You take them,
She said authoritatively.
They might as well be in use as packed away in that trunk in the garret for most and all.
No moths would ever have ventured near those quilts for they reeked of moth balls to such an extent they had to be hung in the orchard of Patty's place a full fortnight before they could be endured indoors.
Verily aristocratic Spofford Avenue had rarely beheld such a display.
The gruff old millionaire who lived next door came over and wanted to buy the gorgeous red and yellow tulip patterned one.
He said his mother used to make quilts like that and by Jove he wanted one to remind him of her.
But Anne would not sell it.
She wrote about it all to Mrs Linde though.
That highly gratified lady sent word back that she had one just like it to spare.
So the tobacco king got his quilt after all and insisted on having it spread on his bed much to the disgust of his fashionable wife.
Mrs Linde's quilt served a very useful purpose that winter.
Patty's place for all its many virtues had its faults.
It was really a rather cold house and when the frosty nights came the girls were very glad to snuggle down under Mrs Linde's quilts and hoped that the loan of them might be accounted unto her for righteousness.
Anne had the blue room she had coveted at sight.
Priscilla and Stella had the large one.
Phil was blissfully content with the little one over the kitchen and Aunt Jamesina was to have the downstairs one off the living room.
Rusty at first slept on the doorstep.
Walking home from Redmond a few days after her return,
Anne became aware the people she met surveyed her with a covert indulgent smile.
She wondered uneasily what was the matter.
Was her hat crooked or her belt loose?
Craning her head to investigate,
She for the first time saw Rusty.
Trotting along behind her close to her heels was quite the most forlorn specimen of the cat tribe she had ever beheld.
The animal was well past kittenhood.
Lank,
Thin,
Disreputable looking.
Pieces of both ears were lacking.
One eye was temporarily out of repair and one jowl ludicrously swollen.
As for colour,
If a once black cat had been well and thoroughly singed,
The result would have resembled the hue of this waif's thin,
Draggled,
Unsightly fur.
Anne tried to shoo it away,
But the cat would not shoo.
As long as she stood,
He sat back on his haunches and gazed at her reproachfully out of his one good eye.
And when she resumed her walk,
He followed.
Anne resigned herself to his company until she reached the gate of Paddy's place.
She coldly shuddered in his face,
Fondly supposing she'd seen the last of him.
But when,
Fifteen minutes later,
Phil opened the door,
There sat the rusty brown cat on the step.
And moreover,
He promptly darted in and sprang upon Anne's lap with a half-pleading,
Half-triumphant meow.
