26 Pollyanna - Read By Stephanie Poppins

Pollyanna Whittier, an eleven-year-old orphan, goes to live in the fictional town of Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern and cold spinster Aunt Polly Harrington, who does not want to take her in but feels it is her duty to her late sister Jennie.

Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game". This is an optimistic game she learned from her father. The game involves finding something to be glad about in every situation, regardless of how bleak it may seem.

In this episode, Pollyanna receives some happy news.

Transcript

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to podcast that offers you a calm and relaxing transition into a great night's sleep.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Close your eyes and feel yourself sink into the support beneath you and let all the worries of the day drift away.

This is your time and your space.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Chapter 26 A Door Ajar Just a week from the time Dr Mead,

The specialist,

Was first expected to come,

He came.

He was a tall,

Broad-shouldered man with a kind grey set of eyes and a cheerful smile.

Pollyanna liked him at once and told him so.

You look quite a look like my doctor,

You see,

She told him engagingly.

Your doctor?

Dr Mead glanced in evident surprise at Dr Warren,

Talking with a nurse a few feet away.

Dr Warren was a small,

Brown-eyed man with a pointed brown beard.

That isn't my doctor,

Smiled Pollyanna,

Divining his thought.

Dr Warren's auntie Polly's doctor.

My doctor's Dr Chilton.

Oh,

Said Dr Mead a little oddly,

His eyes resting on Miss Polly,

Who with a vivid blush had turned hastily away.

Yes,

Pollyanna hesitated.

You see,

I wanted Dr Chilton all the time,

But Aunt Polly wanted you.

She said you knew more than Dr Chilton anyway about breaking eggs like mine and of course if you do,

I can be glad for that.

So do you?

A swift something crossed the doctor's face that Pollyanna could not quite translate.

Only time can tell that,

Little girl,

He said gently.

Then he turned a grave face toward Dr Warren,

Who'd just come to the bedside.

Everyone said afterwards it was the cat that did it.

Certainly if Fluffy had not poked an insistent paw and nose against Pollyanna's unlatched door,

The door would not have swung noiselessly open on its hinges.

And if the door had not been open,

Pollyanna would not have heard her aunt's words.

In the hall,

The two doctors,

The nurse and Miss Polly,

Stood talking.

Fluffy jumped to the bed with a little meow of joy.

And through the open door,

Aunt Polly's agonised exclamation could be heard.

Not that,

Doctor,

Not that!

You don't mean.

.

.

The child will never walk again?

It was all confusion then.

First from the bedroom came Pollyanna's terrified Aunt Polly.

Then Miss Polly,

Seeing the open door and realising her words had been heard,

Gave a low little moan and for the first time in her life fainted dead away.

The nurse,

With a shocking she heard,

Stumbled toward the open door.

The two doctors stayed with Miss Polly.

Dr Mead had to stay.

He caught Miss Polly as she fell.

And Dr Warren stood by helplessly.

It was not until Pollyanna cried out again sharply and the nurse closed the door that the two men,

With a despairing glance into each other's eyes,

Awoke to the immediate duty of bringing the woman in Dr Mead's arms back to unhappy consciousness.

In Pollyanna's room,

The nurse had found a purring grey cat on the bed,

Vainly trying to attract the attention of a white-faced,

Wide-eyed little girl.

Miss Hunt,

Please,

I want Aunt Polly.

I want her right away.

Quick,

Please.

The nurse closed the door and came forward hurriedly.

Her face was very pale.

She can't come this minute,

Dear.

She will a little later.

Now what is it?

Can't I get it?

Pollyanna shook her head.

But I want to know what she said.

Just now.

Did you hear her?

I want Aunt Polly.

She said something.

I want her to tell me what she said.

It isn't true.

It can't be true.

The nurse tried to speak,

But no words came out.

Something in her face sent an added terror to Pollyanna's eyes.

Miss Hunt,

You heard it,

Didn't you?

There now,

Girl.

Don't,

Don't,

Choked the nurse.

It isn't true.

You don't mean I can't ever walk again?

Perhaps he didn't know.

Perhaps he was mistaken.

There's lots of things that could happen,

You know.

But Aunt Polly said he did know.

She said he knew more than anybody else about broken legs like mine.

Yes,

I know,

Dear.

But all doctors make mistakes sometimes.

Just don't think any more about it now.

Please,

Don't,

Dear.

Pollyanna flung out her arms wildly.

But I can't help but think about it,

She sobbed.

It's all there is to think about.

Why,

Miss Hunt,

How am I ever going to school?

Or going to see Mr Pendleton or Mrs Snow or anybody?

She caught her breath and sobbed wildly for a moment.

Then suddenly she stopped and looked up,

A new terror in her eyes.

Why,

Miss Hunt,

If I can't walk,

How am I ever going to be glad for anything?

Miss Hunt did not know about the glad game.

But she did know her patient must be quieted and that this must happen at once.

In spite of her own perturbation and heartache,

Her hands had not been idle.

And she stood now at the bedside with a quieting pout ready.

There,

There,

Dear,

Just take this now,

She soothed.

And by and by we'll be more rested and we'll see what can be done then.

Things aren't half as bad as they seem,

Dear.

Lots of times,

You know.

Immediately Pollyanna took the medicine and sipped the water from the glass in Miss Hunt's hand.

I know,

That sounds like things fathers used to say,

Faltered Pollyanna,

Blinking off the tears.

He said there was always something about everything that might be worse.

But I reckon he'd never just heard he could never walk again.

I don't see how there can be anything about that that could be worse.

Do you,

Miss Hunt?

But Miss Hunt could not reply.

She could not trust herself to speak just then.

Chapter 27 Two Visits It was Nancy who was sent to tell Mr John Pendleton of Dr Mead's verdict.

Miss Polly had remembered her promise to let him have direct information from the house.

To go herself or to write a letter she felt to be almost equally out of the question.

It occurred to her then to send Nancy.

There had been a time when Nancy would have rejoiced greatly at this extraordinary opportunity to see something of the house of mystery and its master.

But today her heart was too heavy to rejoice at anything.

She scarcely even looked about her at all,

Indeed,

During the few minutes she waited for Mr John Pendleton to appear.

I'm Nancy,

Sir,

She said respectfully in response to the surprised questioning of his eyes.

Miss Harrington sent me to tell you about Miss Pollyanna.

Well?

In spite of the cursed terseness of the word,

Nancy quite understood the anxiety that lay behind that short word.

It ain't well,

Mr Pendleton.

You don't mean.

.

.

Yes,

Sir.

He says she can't walk again.

Never.

For a moment there was absolute silence in the room.

Then the man spoke in a voice shaken with emotion.

Poor little girl.

Nancy glanced at him but dropped her eyes at once.

She had not supposed that sour,

Cross,

Stern John Pendleton could look like that.

In a moment he spoke again,

Still in the low,

Unsteady voice.

It seems cruel never to dance in the sunshine again,

My little prism girl.

Then there was another silence.

Then abruptly he asked,

She herself doesn't know yet,

Of course,

Does she?

But she does,

Sir,

Sobbed Nancy,

And that's what makes it all the harder.

She found out.

Trap that cat.

I beg your pardon.

It's only that the cat pushed open the door when Miss Pollyanna overheard him talking.

She found out that way.

Poor little girl,

Sighed the man again.

Yes,

Sir,

You'd say so if you could see her.

No,

I ain't seen her but twice since she knew about it,

And it done me up both times.

You see,

It's so fresh and new.

She keeps thinking of all the times,

Things she can't do.

It worries her too,

Because she can't seem to be glad.

Maybe you don't know about her game,

Though.

The glad game,

Asked the man.

She told me of that.

Oh,

She did?

Well,

I guess she's told it generally to more folks than I know.

But now she can't play it herself.

It worries her.

She said she can't think of a thing,

Not a thing,

About this not walking again to be glad about.

Well,

Why should she?

That's the way I felt too.

Till I happened to think it would be easier if she could find something,

You know.

So I tried to remind her.

To remind her of what?

Of how she told others to play it.

Miss Snow and the rest.

What she said for them to do.

But the poor little lamb just cries and said it don't seem to be the same somehow.

She said it's easy to tell lifelong invalids how to be glad,

But it ain't the same thing when you're a lifelong invalid yourself.

Nancy paused,

But the man did not speak.

He sat with his hand over his eyes.

Then I tried to remind her how she used to say the game was all the nicer to play when things was hard,

But she said that too is really different when it's really hard.

I must be going now anyway,

Sir.

Nancy broke off abruptly.

At the door she hesitated and asked timidly,

I couldn't be telling Miss Pollyanna that you'd seen Jimmy Bean again,

I suppose,

Could I?

I don't see how you could,

As I haven't seen him.

Why?

Nothing,

Sir.

Only.

.

.

Well,

You see,

That's one of the things she was feeling bad about,

That she couldn't take him to see you now.

She said she'd taken him once,

But she didn't think he showed very well that day,

And that she was afraid you didn't think he'd make a very nice child's presence after all,

If you know what she means.

I know what she means.

It didn't take very long for the entire town of Beldingsville to learn the great New York doctor had said Pollyanna Whittier would never walk again.

Everyone knew by sight now the pecan little freckled face that had always had a smile of greeting,

And everybody knew of the game that Pollyanna was playing.

To think that now never again would that smiling face be seen on their streets.

It seemed unbelievable.

In kitchens and sitting rooms and over backyard fences,

Women talked of it and wept openly.

On street corners and in stall lounging places,

The men talked too and wept,

Though not so openly.

And neither the talking nor the weeping grew less when fast on the heels of the news itself came Nancy's pitiful story that Pollyanna,

Face to face with what had come to her,

Was bemoaning most of all the fact she could not play the glad game.

It was then that the same thought must have in some way come to Pollyanna's friends.

Miss Polly suddenly began to receive calls from people she knew and people she did not know,

Men,

Women and children,

Many of whom she had not supposed her niece knew at all.

Some came in and sat for five or ten minutes,

Some stood awkwardly on the porch steps,

And some blew their noses furiously and turned their backs.

But all inquired very anxiously for the little injured girl and all sent to her some message or another.

First came Mr John Pendleton's.

I don't need to tell you how shocked I am,

He began,

But can nothing be done?

Miss Polly gave a gesture of despair.

John Pendleton rose abruptly,

Though he had just come.

His face was white and his mouth was set into stern lines.

At the door he turned.

I have a message for Pollyanna,

He said.

I've seen Jimmy Bean and he's going to be my boy hereafter.

Tell her I thought she'd be glad to know.

I shall adopt him probably.

Adopt Jimmy Bean?

With a somewhat dazed face Miss Polly went on upstairs to Pollyanna's room.

Pollyanna,

I have a message for you from Mr John Pendleton.

He's just been here and says he's taken Jimmy Bean for his little boy.

He said he thought you would be glad to know.

Pollyanna's wistful little face flamed into sudden joy.

Glad?

Well I reckon I am glad.

Oh Aunt Polly,

I so wanted to find a place for Jimmy.

And that's such a lovely place.

And I'm glad for Mr Pendleton too.

Now he'll have the child's presence.

Pollyanna coloured then painfully.

She'd forgotten she'd never told her aunt of Mr Pendleton's desire to adopt her.

The child's presence?

She stammered hastily.

Mr Pendleton told me you see only a woman's hand in a heart or a child's presence could make a home.

And now he's got it,

The child's presence.

Oh I see,

Said Miss Polly very gently.

And she did see more than Pollyanna realised.

Dr Chilton says so too,

That it takes a woman's hand and heart or a child's presence to make a home,

You know,

Added Pollyanna.

Dr Chilton,

How do you know that?

He told me so when he said he lived in just rooms,

You know,

Not a home.

Miss Polly did not answer.

Her eyes were out of the window.

So I asked him why he didn't get a woman's hand and heart and have a home.

And he looked so sorrowful.

What did he say?

Miss Polly asked the question as if in spite of some force which inside her was urging her not to ask it.

He didn't say anything for a minute.

Then he said very low,

You couldn't always get them for the asking.

There was a brief silence.

He wants one anyhow and I wish he could have one.

Pollyanna!

He said something else.

He said that low too,

But I heard him.

He said he'd give all the world if he did have one woman's hand and heart.

What's the matter Aunt Polly?

But Aunt Polly had risen hurriedly and gone to the window.

Nothing dear,

I was changing the position of this prism,

She said.

Whose whole face was now aflame.