CHAPTER V. THE GAME
"For the land's sake, Miss Pollyanna, what a scare you did give me,"panted Nancy, hurrying up to the big rock, down which Pollyanna had justregretfully slid.
"Scare? Oh, I'm so sorry; but you mustn't, really, ever get scared aboutme, Nancy. Father and the Ladies' Aid used to do it, too, till theyfound I always came back all right."
"But I didn't even know you'd went," cried Nancy, tucking the littlegirl's hand under her arm and hurrying her down the hill. "I didn't seeyou go, and nobody didn't. I guess you flew right up through the roof; Ido, I do."
Pollyanna skipped gleefully.
"I did, 'most--only I flew down instead of up. I came down the tree."
Nancy stopped short.
"You did--what?"
"Came down the tree, outside my window."
"My stars and stockings!" gasped Nancy, hurrying on again. "I'd like terknow what yer aunt would say ter that!"
"Would you? Well, I'll tell her, then, so you can find out," promisedthe little girl, cheerfully.
"Mercy!" gasped Nancy. "No--no!"
"Why, you don't mean she'd CARE!" cried Pollyanna, plainly disturbed.
"No--er--yes--well, never mind. I--I ain't so very particular aboutknowin' what she'd say, truly," stammered Nancy, determined to keep onescolding from Pollyanna, if nothing more. "But, say, we better hurry.I've got ter get them dishes done, ye know."
"I'll help," promised Pollyanna, promptly.
"Oh, Miss Pollyanna!" demurred Nancy.
For a moment there was silence. The sky was darkening fast. Pollyannatook a firmer hold of her friend's arm.
"I reckon I'm glad, after all, that you DID get scared--a little, 'causethen you came after me," she shivered.
"Poor little lamb! And you must be hungry, too. I--I'm afraid you'llhave ter have bread and milk in the kitchen with me. Yer aunt didn'tlike it--because you didn't come down ter supper, ye know."
"But I couldn't. I was up here."
"Yes; but--she didn't know that, you see!" observed Nancy, dryly,stifling a chuckle. "I'm sorry about the bread and milk; I am, I am."
"Oh, I'm not. I'm glad."
"Glad! Why?"
"Why, I like bread and milk, and I'd like to eat with you. I don't seeany trouble about being glad about that."
"You don't seem ter see any trouble bein' glad about everythin',"retorted Nancy, choking a little over her remembrance of Pollyanna'sbrave attempts to like the bare little attic room.
Pollyanna laughed softly.
"Well, that's the game, you know, anyway."
"The--GAME?"
"Yes; the 'just being glad' game."
"Whatever in the world are you talkin' about?"
"Why, it's a game. Father told it to me, and it's lovely," rejoinedPollyanna. "We've played it always, ever since I was a little, littlegirl. I told the Ladies' Aid, and they played it--some of them."
"What is it? I ain't much on games, though."
Pollyanna laughed again, but she sighed, too; and in the gatheringtwilight her face looked thin and wistful.
"Why, we began it on some crutches that came in a missionary barrel."
"CRUTCHES!"
"Yes. You see I'd wanted a doll, and father had written them so; butwhen the barrel came the lady wrote that there hadn't any dolls come in,but the little crutches had. So she sent 'em along as they might come inhandy for some child, sometime. And that's when we began it."
"Well, I must say I can't see any game about that, about that," declaredNancy, almost irritably.
"Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to beglad about--no matter what 'twas," rejoined Pollyanna, earnestly. "Andwe began right then--on the crutches."
"Well, goodness me! I can't see anythin' ter be glad about--gettin' apair of crutches when you wanted a doll!"
Pollyanna clapped her hands.
"There is--there is," she crowed. "But _I_ couldn't see it, either,Nancy, at first," she added, with quick honesty. "Father had to tell itto me."
"Well, then, suppose YOU tell ME," almost snapped Nancy.
"Goosey! Why, just be glad because you don't--NEED--'EM!" exultedPollyanna, triumphantly. "You see it's just as easy--when you know how!"
"Well, of all the queer doin's!" breathed Nancy, regarding Pollyannawith almost fearful eyes.
"Oh, but it isn't queer--it's lovely," maintained Pollyannaenthusiastically. "And we've played it ever since. And the harder 'tis,the more fun 'tis to get 'em out; only--only sometimes it's almost toohard--like when your father goes to Heaven, and there isn't anybody buta Ladies' Aid left."
"Yes, or when you're put in a snippy little room 'way at the top of thehouse with nothin' in it," growled Nancy.
Pollyanna sighed.
"That was a hard one, at first," she admitted, "specially when I was sokind of lonesome. I just didn't feel like playing the game, anyway, andI HAD been wanting pretty things, so! Then I happened to think how Ihated to see my freckles in the looking-glass, and I saw that lovelypicture out the window, too; so then I knew I'd found the things to beglad about. You see, when you're hunting for the glad things, you sortof forget the other kind--like the doll you wanted, you know."
"Humph!" choked Nancy, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
"Most generally it doesn't take so long," sighed Pollyanna; "and lots oftimes now I just think of them WITHOUT thinking, you know. I've got soused to playing it. It's a lovely game. F-father and I used to like itso much," she faltered. "I suppose, though, it--it'll be a little hardernow, as long as I haven't anybody to play it with. Maybe Aunt Polly willplay it, though," she added, as an after-thought.
"My stars and stockings!--HER!" breathed Nancy, behind her teeth. Then,aloud, she said doggedly: "See here, Miss Pollyanna, I ain't sayin' thatI'll play it very well, and I ain't sayin' that I know how, anyway; butI'll play it with ye, after a fashion--I just will, I will!"
"Oh, Nancy!" exulted Pollyanna, giving her a rapturous hug. "That'll besplendid! Won't we have fun?"
"Er--maybe," conceded Nancy, in open doubt. "But you mustn't count toomuch on me, ye know. I never was no case fur games, but I'm a-goin' termake a most awful old try on this one. You're goin' ter have some oneter play it with, anyhow," she finished, as they entered the kitchentogether.
Pollyanna ate her bread and milk with good appetite; then, at Nancy'ssuggestion, she went into the sitting room, where her aunt sat reading.Miss Polly looked up coldly.
"Have you had your supper, Pollyanna?"
"Yes, Aunt Polly."
"I'm very sorry, Pollyanna, to have been obliged so soon to send youinto the kitchen to eat bread and milk."
"But I was real glad you did it, Aunt Polly. I like bread and milk, andNancy, too. You mustn't feel bad about that one bit."
Aunt Polly sat suddenly a little more erect in her chair.
"Pollyanna, it's quite time you were in bed. You have had a hard day,and to-morrow we must plan your hours and go over your clothing to seewhat it is necessary to get for you. Nancy will give you a candle. Becareful how you handle it. Breakfast will be at half-past seven. Seethat you are down to that. Good-night."
Quite as a matter of course, Pollyanna came straight to her aunt's sideand gave her an affectionate hug.
"I've had such a beautiful time, so far," she sighed happily. "I knowI'm going to just love living with you but then, I knew I should beforeI came. Good-night," she called cheerfully, as she ran from the room.
"Well, upon my soul!" ejaculated Miss Polly, half aloud. "What a mostextraordinary child!" Then she frowned. "She's 'glad' I punished her,and I 'mustn't feel bad one bit,' and she's going to 'love to live' withme! Well, upon my soul!" ejaculated Miss Polly again, as she took up herbook.
Fifteen minutes later, in the attic room, a lonely little girl sobbedinto the tightly-clutched sheet:
"I know, father-among-the-angels, I'm not playing the game one bitnow--not one bit; but I don't believe even you could find anything to beglad
about sleeping all alone 'way off up here in the dark--like this.If only I was near Nancy or Aunt Polly, or even a Ladies' Aider, itwould be easier!"
Down-stairs in the kitchen, Nancy, hurrying with her belated work,jabbed her dish-mop into the milk pitcher, and muttered jerkily:
"If playin' a silly-fool game--about bein' glad you've got crutcheswhen you want dolls--is got ter be--my way--o' bein' that rock o'refuge--why, I'm a-goin' ter play it--I am, I am!"