Page 187 - pollyanna

CHAPTER XXIV. JOHN

PENDLETON

ollyanna did not go to school ‘to-morrow,’ nor the ‘day
Pafter to-morrow.’ Pollyanna, however, did not realize
this, except momentarily when a brief period of full con-
sciousness sent insistent questions to her lips. Pollyanna did
not realize anything, in fact, very clearly until a week had
passed; then the fever subsided, the pain lessened some-
what, and her mind awoke to full consciousness. She had
then to be told all over again what had occurred.
‘And so it’s hurt that I am, and not sick,’ she sighed at last.
‘Well, I’m glad of that.’
‘G-glad, Pollyanna?’ asked her aunt, who was sitting by
the bed.
‘Yes. I’d so much rather have broken legs like Mr. Pend-
leton’s than life-long-invalids like Mrs. Snow, you know.
Broken legs get well, and lifelong-invalids don’t.’
Miss Polly—who had said nothing whatever about bro-
ken legs—got suddenly to her feet and walked to the little
dressing table across the room. She was picking up one ob-
ject after another now, and putting each down, in an aimless
fashion quite unlike her usual decisiveness. Her face was not
aimless-looking at all, however; it was white and drawn.
On the bed Pollyanna lay blinking at the dancing band

1 Pollyanna