Anne of the Island by L.
M.
Montgomery Read by Stephanie Poppins Chapter 30 Mrs.
Skinner's Romance Anne stepped off the train at Valley Road Station and looked about her to see if anyone had come to meet her.
She was to board with a certain Miss Janet Sweet,
But she saw no one who answered in the least to her preconception of that lady as phoned from Esther's letter.
The only person in sight was an elderly woman sitting in a wagon with mail bags piled around her.
Two hundred would have been a charitable guess at her weight.
Her face was as round and red as a harvest moon and almost as featureless.
She wore a tight black cashmere dress made in the fashion of ten years ago,
A little dusty black straw hat trimmed with bows of yellow ribbon and faded black lace mitts.
"'Ere you!
' she called,
Waving her whippet iron.
"'Are you the new Valley Road schoolma'am?
' "'Yes.
' "'Well,
I've thought so.
"'Valley Road's noted for its good-looking schoolma'ams "'just as Millersville's noted for its humbly ones.
"'Janet Sweet asked me this morning if I could bring you out.
"'I said,
Certain I can,
If she don't mind being scrunched up some.
"'This rig of mine's kinda small for the mail bags "'and I'm some heftier than Thomas.
"'Just wait this till I shift these bags a bit "'and I'll tuck you in somehow.
"'Miles to Janet's.
"'Her next-door neighbour's hired boys "'coming for your trunk tonight.
"'My name is Skinner.
"'Amelia Skinner.
'" Anne was eventually tucked in,
Exchanging amused smiles with herself during the process.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear,
' "'commanded Mrs Skinner,
"'gathering up the reins in her pudgy hands.
"'This is my first trip on the mail road.
"'Thomas wanted to hose turnips today,
"'so he asked me to come.
"'So I just sat down and took a standing-up snack "'and I started.
"'I sorta liked it,
Cos it's rather Tetris,
"'but by the time I sit and think,
"'the rest I just sits.
"'Now jog along,
Black Bear,
"'if I wanna get home early.
"'Thomas is terrible lonesome when I'm away.
"'You see,
We haven't been married very long.
'" "'Oh,
' said Anne politely,
"'just a month.
"'Thomas courted me for quite a spell,
Though.
"'It was real romantic.
'" Anne tried to picture Mrs Skinner on speaking terms with romance,
And failed.
"'Oh,
' she said again.
"'Yeah,
See,
There was another man after me.
"'I'd been a widder so long "'folks had given up expecting me to marry again.
"'But when my daughter,
"'she's a schoolma'am like you,
"'went out west to teach,
"'I felt real lonesome.
"'Then Thomas began to come up "'and so did the other fella,
"'William Seaman,
His name was.
"'For a long time I couldn't make up my mind "'which of them to take.
"'They kept coming,
Though,
And coming,
"'and I kept worrying.
"'William was rich,
"'he had a fine place "'and carried considerable style.
"'He was by far the best match.
'" "'Then why didn't you marry him?
' "'Well,
He didn't love me.
' "'Mrs Skinner looked solemn.
' "'Anne opened her eyes widely,
"'but there was not a glint of humour "'on that lady's face.
"'Evidently she saw nothing amusing "'in her own case.
"'He'd been a widder man for three years "'and his sister kept house.
"'Then she got married "'and he just wanted someone to look after him.
"'It was worth looking after too,
Mind you.
"'It's a handsome house.
' "'As for Thomas,
He was poor,
"'and if his house didn't leak in dry weather "'it was about all that could be said for it.
"'But you see,
I loved Thomas "'and I didn't care one red cent for William,
"'so I argued it out with myself.
"'Sarah Crowe,
' said I.
"'My first name is Crowe.
"'You can marry your rich man if you like,
"'but you won't be happy.
"'Folks can't get along together in this world "'without a little bit of love.
"'You'd better tie up to Thomas.
"'He loves you and you love him "'and nothing else ain't gonna do you.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
' "'So I told Thomas I'd take him.
"'All the time I was getting ready,
"'I never dared drive past William's place "'for fear the sight of that fine house "'would put me in the swithers again.
"'But now I never think of it at all "'and I'm just that comfortable "'and happy with Thomas.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
' "'How did William take it?
' "'Queried Anne.
"'Ah,
He rumpets a bit,
"'but he's gone to see a skinny old maid "'in Millersville now "'and I guess she'll take him fast enough.
"'She'll make him a better wife "'than his first did.
"'He never wanted to marry her,
"'he just asked her to marry him "'because his father wanted him to.
"'Mind you,
She said yes.
"'There was a predicament for you.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
' "'She was a great housekeeper,
"'but always mean.
"'She wore the same bonnet for 18 years "'then she got a new one "'and William met her on the road "'and he didn't know her.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
' "'I feel I'd had a narrow escape.
"'I might have married him "'and been most awful miserable "'like my poor cousin Jane Anne.
"'Jane Anne married a rich man "'she didn't care nothing about.
"'She hasn't the life of a dog.
"'She'd come to see me last week "'and said,
Sarah Skinner,
"'I M B U.
"'I'd rather live in a little hut "'with the man I was fond of "'than my baggy house "'with the one I've got.
"'No,
A man ain't such a bad sort "'nother,
Though it's too contrary "'that he wears his fur coat "'when the thermometer's at 90.
"'The only way to get him to do anything "'is to coax him to do the opposite,
"'but there ain't any love "'to smooth things down "'and that's a poor way of living.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
' "'I've enjoyed my drive with you very much,
' "'said Anne sincerely.
"'As they arrived at Janet's place.
"'Well,
Here we are.
"'I hope you'll get on well in this school,
Miss.
"'There's a shortcut to it "'through the back of Janet's.
"'If you take that way,
Be awful careful.
"'If you once got stuck in that black mud,
"'you'd be sucked right down "'and never seen or heard of again "'till the day of judgment.
"'Jog along,
Black Bear.
'" Chapter 31 Anne to Philippa "'Well,
Beloved,
"'it's high time I was writing you,
' "'wrote Anne to Philippa Gordon.
"'Here am I,
"'installed once more as a country schoolmum "'at Valley Road,
"'boarding at Wayside,
"'the home of Miss Janet Sweet.
"'Janet's a dear soul "'and very nice-looking.
"'Tall,
But not over-tall.
"'Stoutish,
Yet with a certain restraint "'of outline suggestive "'of a thrifty soul "'who is not going to be over-lavish "'even in the matter of avoir du poire.
"'She has a knot of soft,
"'crimpy brown hair "'with a thread of grey in it,
"'a sunny face with rosy cheeks "'and big kind eyes "'as blue as forget-me-nots.
"'Moreover,
She's one of those "'delightful old-fashioned cooks "'who doesn't care a bit "'if they ruin your digestion "'as long as they can give you feasts "'of fat things.
"'I like her and she likes me,
"'because she had a sister "'named Anne who died young.
"'I'm real glad to see you,
' "'she said briskly "'when I landed in her yard.
"'My,
You don't look a mite "'like I expected.
"'I was sure you'd be dark.
"'My sister Anne was dark "'and here you are,
Red-headed.
' "'For a few minutes I thought "'I wasn't going to like Janet "'as much as I'd expected "'at first sight.
"'Then I reminded myself "'against anyone "'simply because she called "'my hair red.
' "'Probably the word Auburn's "'not in Janet's vocabulary at all.
' "'Wayside is a dear-sorted "'little spot.
"'The house is small and white,
"'set down in a delightful "'little hollow that drops "'away from the road.
"'Between road and house "'is an orchard and flower garden "'all mixed up together.
"'The front door walks "'bordered with clamshells.
"'And there's Virginia Creeper "'over the porch "'and moss on the roof.
"'My room's a dear little spot "'just off the parlour,
"'big enough for the bed and me.
"'Janet told me I could have "'use of the parlour "'when any young men called.
"'I don't think there are "'many to call.
"'I haven't seen a young man "'in Valley Road yet "'except the next-door hired "'boy,
Sam Tolliver,
"'a very tall,
"'lank,
Toe-haired youth.
"'He came over one evening "'recently and sat for about "'an hour on the garden fence "'near the front porch.
"'Janet and I were doing "'fancy work,
And the only "'remarks he volunteered "'all that time were,
"'Have a peppermint,
Miss.
"'There is a love affair "'between us.
"'Mr.
And Mrs.
Irving "'always say I brought "'about their marriage.
"'Mrs.
Stephen,
"'Clerk of Carmody,
"'persist in being most "'grateful to me for a "'suggestion which somebody "'else would probably have "'made if I hadn't.
"'And I really do think "'that Ludovic Speed would "'never have got any further "'along than placid courtship "'I've tried once to help "'things along,
But I've "'made an awful mess of it,
"'so I'll not meddle again.
"'I'll tell you all about that "'next time we meet.
'"
