Page 226 - pollyanna

knowin’ it, anyhow. Now, since she’s hurt, ev’rybody feels so
bad—specially when they heard how bad SHE feels ‘cause
she can’t find anythin’ ter be glad about. An’ so they’ve been
comin’ ev’ry day ter tell her how glad she’s made THEM, ho-
pin’ that’ll help some. Ye see, she’s always wanted ev’rybody
ter play the game with her.’
‘Well, I know somebody who’ll play it—now,’ choked
Miss Polly, as she turned and sped through the kitchen
doorway.
Behind her, Nancy stood staring amazedly.
‘Well, I’ll believe anythin’—anythin’ now,’ she muttered
to herself. ‘Ye can’t stump me with anythin’ I wouldn’t be-
lieve, now—o’ Miss Polly!’
A little later, in Pollyanna’s room, the nurse left Miss Pol-
ly and Pollyanna alone together.
‘And you’ve had still another caller to-day, my dear,’ an-
nounced Miss Polly, in a voice she vainly tried to steady. ‘Do
you remember Mrs. Payson?’
‘Mrs. Payson? Why, I reckon I do! She lives on the way
to Mr. Pendleton’s, and she’s got the prettiest little girl baby
three years old, and a boy ‘most five. She’s awfully nice, and
so’s her husband—only they don’t seem to know how nice
each other is. Sometimes they fight—I mean, they don’t
quite agree. They’re poor, too, they say, and of course they
don’t ever have barrels, ‘cause he isn’t a missionary minister,
you know, like—well, he isn’t.’
A faint color stole into Pollyanna’s cheeks which was du-
plicated suddenly in those of her aunt.
‘But she wears real pretty clothes, sometimes, in spite