Page 55 - pollyanna

anna drew a quick breath and pattered straight into that
silvery path, and on to the window.
She had hoped, vaguely, that this window might have a
screen, but it did not. Outside, however, there was a wide
world of fairy-like beauty, and there was, too, she knew,
fresh, sweet air that would feel so good to hot cheeks and
hands!
As she stepped nearer and peered longingly out, she saw
something else: she saw, only a little way below the window,
the wide, flat tin roof of Miss Polly’s sun parlor built over
the porte-cochere. The sight filled her with longing. If only,
now, she were out there!
Fearfully she looked behind her. Back there, somewhere,
were her hot little room and her still hotter bed; but be-
tween her and them lay a horrid desert of blackness across
which one must feel one’s way with outstretched, shrinking
arms; while before her, out on the sun-parlor roof, were the
moonlight and the cool, sweet night air.
If only her bed were out there! And folks did sleep out of
doors. Joel Hartley at home, who was so sick with the con-
sumption, HAD to sleep out of doors.
Suddenly Pollyanna remembered that she had seen
near this attic window a row of long white bags hanging
from nails. Nancy had said that they contained the winter
clothing, put away for the summer. A little fearfully now,
Pollyanna felt her way to these bags, selected a nice fat soft
one (it contained Miss Polly’s sealskin coat) for a bed; and
a thinner one to be doubled up for a pillow, and still an-
other (which was so thin it seemed almost empty) for a

Pollyanna