Page 57 - pollyanna
P. 57

quick!’
              Some  time  later,  Pollyanna,  just  dropping  off  to  sleep,
           was startled by a lantern flash, and a trio of amazed ejacu-
            lations. She opened her eyes to find Timothy at the top of a
            ladder near her, Old Tom just getting through the window,
            and her aunt peering out at her from behind him.
              ‘Pollyanna, what does this mean?’ cried Aunt Polly then.
              Pollyanna blinked sleepy eyes and sat up.
              ‘Why,  Mr.  Tom—Aunt  Polly!’  she  stammered.  ‘Don’t
            look so scared! It isn’t that I’ve got the consumption, you
            know, like Joel Hartley. It’s only that I was so hot—in there.
           But I shut the window, Aunt Polly, so the flies couldn’t carry
           those germ-things in.’
              Timothy  disappeared  suddenly  down  the  ladder.  Old
           Tom, with almost equal precipitation, handed his lantern
           to Miss Polly, and followed his son. Miss Polly bit her lip
           hard—until the men were gone; then she said sternly:
              ‘Pollyanna, hand those things to me at once and come
           in here. Of all the extraordinary children!’ she ejaculated a
            little later, as, with Pollyanna by her side, and the lantern in
           her hand, she turned back into the attic.
              To Pollyanna the air was all the more stifling after that
            cool breath of the out of doors; but she did not complain.
           She only drew a long quivering sigh.
              At the top of the stairs Miss Polly jerked out crisply:
              ‘For the rest of the night, Pollyanna, you are to sleep in
           my bed with me. The screens will be here to-morrow, but
           until then I consider it my duty to keep you where I know
           where you are.’

                                                    Pollyanna
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