Pollyanna by Eleanor H.
Porter Chapter 3.
The Coming of Pollyanna In due time came the telegram announcing that Pollyanna would arrive in Buildingsville the next day,
The 25th of June,
At four o'clock.
Mrs.
Polly read the telegram,
Frowned,
And then climbed the stairs to the attic room.
She still frowned as she looked about her.
The room contained a small bed,
Neatly made,
Two straight-backed chairs,
A washstand,
A dresser without any mirror,
And a small table.
There were no drapery curtains at the dormer windows,
No pictures on the wall.
All day the sun had been pouring down upon the roof,
And the little room was like an oven for heat.
As there were no screens,
The windows had not been raised.
A big fly was buzzing angrily at one of them,
Up and down,
Up and down,
Trying to get out.
Miss Polly killed the fly,
Swept it through the window,
Raising the sash an inch for the purpose,
Straightened a chair,
Frowned again,
And left the room.
Nancy,
She said a few minutes later at the kitchen door,
I found a fly upstairs in Miss Pollyanna's room.
The window must have been raised at some time.
I have ordered screens,
But until they come I shall expect you to see that the windows remain closed.
My niece will arrive tomorrow at four o'clock.
I desire you to meet her at the station.
Timothy will take the open buggy and drive you over.
The telegram says,
Light hair,
Red-cheeked,
Gingham dress,
And straw hat.
That's all I know,
But I think it's sufficient for your purpose.
Yes,
Ma'am,
But you.
.
.
Miss Polly evidently read the pause aright,
For she frowned and said crisply,
No,
I shall not go.
It is not necessary that I should,
I think.
That is all.
And she turned away.
Miss Polly's arrangements for the comfort of her niece Pollyanna were complete.
In the kitchen,
Nancy sent her flat iron with a vicious dig across the dish towel that she was ironing.
Light hair,
Red-cheeked,
Gingham dress,
And straw hat,
All she knows indeed.
Well,
I'd be ashamed to own it up that I would,
I would,
And her my only niece that was a coming from way across the continent.
Promptly at twenty minutes to four the next afternoon,
Timothy and Nancy drove off in the open buggy to meet the expected guest.
Timothy was old Tom's son.
It was sometimes said in the town that if old Tom was Miss Polly's right-hand man,
Timothy was her left.
Timothy was a good-natured youth,
And a good-looking one as well.
Short as had been Nancy's 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,
Light hair,
Red-cheeked dress,
Straw hat.
Over and over again she was wondering just what sort of child this Pollyanna was anyways.
I hope for her sake she's quiet and sensible,
And don't drop knives nor bang doors,
She sighed to Timothy,
Who had sauntered up to her.
Well,
If she ain't,
Nobody knows what'll become of the rest of us,
Grinned Timothy.
Imagine Miss Polly and a noisy kid.
Gory.
There goes the whistle now.
Oh,
Timothy,
I think it was mean to send me,
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 her,
The 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 get her.
The little girl was standing quiet by herself when Nancy finally did approach her.
Are you Miss Pollyanna?
She faltered.
The next moment she found herself half-smothered in the clasp of two gingham-clad arms.
Oh,
I'm so glad,
Glad,
Glad to see you,
Cried an eager voice in her ear.
Of course I'm Pollyanna,
And I'm so glad you came to meet me.
I hoped you would.
You,
You did?
Stammered Nancy,
Vaguely wondering how Pollyanna could possibly have known her and wanted her.
You did?
She repeated,
Trying to straighten her hat.
Oh,
Yes,
And I've been wondering all the way here what you look like,
Cried the little girl,
Dancing on her toes and sweeping the embarrassed Nancy from head to foot with her eyes.
And now I know,
And I'm glad you look just the way you look.
Nancy was relieved just to have Timothy come up.
Pollyanna's words had been most confusing.
This is Timothy.
Maybe you have a trunk?
She stammered.
Yes,
I have,
Nodded Pollyanna importantly.
I've got a brand new one.
The lady's aide bought it for me.
And wasn't it lovely of them,
When they wanted the carpet so?
Of course,
I don't know how much red carpet a trunk could buy,
But it ought to buy something anyhow.
Much half of an aisle,
Don't you think?
I've 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 Miss Gray's husband.
They're cousins of Deacon Carr's wife.
I came east with them,
And they're lovely.
And there,
Here it is,
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 one after that speech.
Then she stole a glance at Timothy.
Timothy's eyes were studiously turned away.
The three were off at last,
With Pollyanna's trunk in behind,
And Pollyanna herself snugly ensconced between Nancy and Timothy.
During the whole process of getting started,
The little girl had kept an uninterrupted stream of comments and questions,
Until that somewhat dazed Nancy found herself quite out of breath,
Trying to keep up with her.
There,
Isn't this lovely?
Is it far?
I hope t'is.
I love to ride,
Said Pollyanna,
As the wheels began to turn.
Of course,
It isn't far.
I shan't mind,
Though,
Cause I'll be glad to get there all the sooner you know.
What a pretty street!
I knew t'was gonna be pretty,
Father told me.
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 the brave lifting of her head.
Father told me all about it,
He remembered,
And I ought to have explained before.
Miss Grey told me,
Too,
At once,
About this red gingham dress,
You know,
And why I've not in black.
She said,
You'd think t'was queer,
But there wasn't any black things in the last missionary barrel,
Only a lady's velvet bask,
Which Deacon Carr's wife said wasn't suitable for me at all.
Besides,
It had white spots,
Worn,
You know,
On both elbows,
And some other places.
Part of the lady's aide wanted to buy me a black dress and hat,
But the other part thought the money ought to go toward the red carpet they're trying to get.
For the church,
You know.
Miss White said maybe it was just as well anyway,
For she didn't like children in black.
That is,
I mean,
She liked the children,
Of course,
But not the black part.
Pollyanna paused for a breath,
And Nancy managed to stammer.
Well,
I'm sure it'll be all right.
I'm glad you feel that way,
I do,
Too,
Nodded Pollyanna,
Again,
With that little choking breath.
Of course,
T'would have been a good deal harder to be glad and black.
Glad,
Gasped Nancy,
Surprised,
Into an interruption.
Yes,
The Father's gone to heaven to be with Mother and the rest of us,
You know.
He said I must be glad,
But it's been pretty hard to,
To do it,
Even in the Red Gingham,
Because I,
I wanted him so,
And I couldn't help feeling I ought to have him,
Especially as Mother and the rest have God and all the angels,
While I don't have anybody but the lady's aid.
But now I'm sure it'll be easier because I've got you,
Aunt Polly.
I'm so glad I've got you.
Nancy's aching sympathy for the poor little forlornness beside her turned suddenly into shock terror.
Oh,
But,
But you've made an awful mistake,
Dear,
She faltered.
I'm only Nancy.
I ain't your Aunt Polly at all.
You,
You aren't?
Stammered the little girl in plain dismay.
No,
I'm only Nancy.
I never thought of your taking me for her.
We,
We ain't a bit alike.
We ain't,
We ain't.
Nancy chuckled softly,
But Nancy was too disturbed to answer the merry flash from his eyes.
But who are you?
Questioned Pollyanna.
You don't look a bit like a lady's aider.
Timothy laughed outright this time.
I'm Nancy,
The hired girl.
I do all the work except the washing and hard ironing.
Miss Durgin does that.
But there is an Aunt Polly,
Demanded the child anxiously.
You bet your life there is,
Cut in Timothy.
Pollyanna relaxed visibly.
Oh,
That's all right then.
There was a moment's silence,
Then she went on brightly.
And do you know,
I'm glad after all that she didn't come to meet me,
Because now I've got her still coming,
And I've got you besides.
Nancy flushed.
Timothy turned to her with a quizzical smile.
I call that a pretty slick compliment,
He said.
Why don't you think,
The little lady?
I was thinking about it,
Miss Polly faltered Nancy.
Pollyanna sighed contentedly.
I was too.
I'm so interested in her.
You know,
She's all the aunt I've got,
And I didn't know I had her for ever so long.
Grandfather told me,
And said she lived in a lovely great big house way on top of a hill.
She does.
You can see it now,
Said Nancy.
It's that big white one with the green blinds way ahead.
Oh,
How pretty.
And what a lot of trees and grass all around it.
I never saw such a lot of green grass,
Seems so all at once.
Is my Aunt Polly rich,
Nancy?
Yes,
Miss.
I'm so glad.
It must be perfectly lovely to have lots of money.
I never knew anyone that did have only the whites.
They're so rich.
They have carpets in every room,
And ice cream sundaes.
Does Aunt Polly have ice cream sundaes?
Nancy shook her head.
Her lips twitched.
She threw a merry look into Timothy's eyes.
No,
Miss.
Your aunt don't like ice cream.
I guess least ways I've never saw it on her table.
Pollyanna's face fell.
Oh,
Doesn't she?
I'm so sorry.
I don't see how she can help liking ice cream.
But anyhow,
I can be kinder glad about it,
Cause the ice cream you don't eat can't make your stomach ache like Miss White's did.
That is,
I ate hers,
You know lots of it.
Maybe Aunt Polly has got the carpets,
Though.
Yes,
She has the carpets.
In every room?
Well,
In almost every room,
Answered Nancy,
Frowning subtly at the thought of that bare little attic room where there was no carpet.
Oh,
I'm so glad,
Exulted Pollyanna.
I love carpets.
We didn't have any.
Only two little rugs that came in a missionary barrel,
And one of those had ink spots on it.
Miss White had pictures,
Too,
Perfectly beautiful ones of roses,
And little girls kneeling,
And a kitty,
And some lambs,
And a lion.
Not together,
You know.
The lambs and the lion.
Of course,
The Bible says they will sometime,
But they haven't yet.
That is,
I mean to Mrs.
White's haven't.
Don't you just love pictures?
I don't know,
Answered Nancy in a half-stifled voice.
I do.
We didn't have any pictures.
They don't come in the barrels much,
You know.
Two came once,
Though,
But one was so good Father sold it to get money to buy me some shoes with,
And the other was so bad it fell to pieces just as soon as we hung it up.
Glass.
It broke,
You know.
And I cried.
But I'm glad now we didn't have any of those nice things,
Because I shall like Aunt Polly's all the better.
Not being used to them,
You see.
Just as it is when the pretty red ribbons came in the barrels after a lot of faded brown ones.
My,
But isn't this a beautifully perfect house?
She broke off fervently as she turned into the wide driveway.
It was when Timothy was unloading the trunk that Nancy found an opportunity to mutter low in her ear.
Don't you never say nothing to me about leaving,
Timothy Durgin.
You couldn't hire me to leave.
Leave?
I should say not,
Grinned the youth.
You couldn't drag me away.
It'll be more fun here now with that kid round than moving picture shows every day.
Fun,
Fun,
Repeated Nancy indignantly.
I guess it'll be something more than fun for that blessed child,
When them two tries to live together.
And I'll guess she'll be needing a rock for refuge.
Well I'm gonna be that rock,
Timothy.
I am,
I am.
She vowed as she turned and led Pollyanna up the broad steps.
And that is the end of our story this evening.
Until next time,
Sweet dreams.
