Still the little woman hesitated; then she spoke.
Will you tell her, please, that that Ive put on THIS, she said, just touching the blue bow at her throat. Then, at Miss Pollys ill-concealed look of surprise, she added: The little girl has been trying for so long to make me wear some color, that I thought shed be glad to know Id begun. She said that Freddy would be so glad to see it, if I would. You know Freddys ALL I have now. The others have all Mrs. Benton shook her head and turned away. If youll just tell Pollyanna SHELL understand. And the door closed after her.
A little later, that same day, there was the other widow at least, she wore widows garments. Miss Polly did not know her at all. She wondered vaguely how Pollyanna could have known her. The lady gave her name as Mrs. Tarbell.
Im a stranger to you, of course, she began at once. But Im not a stranger to your little niece, Pollyanna. Ive been at the hotel all summer, and every day Ive had to take long walks for my health. It was on these walks that Ive met your niece shes such a dear little girl! I wish I could make you understand what shes been to me. I was very sad when I came up here; and her bright face and cheery ways reminded me of my own little girl that I lost years ago. I was so shocked to hear of the accident; and then when I learned that the poor child would never walk again, and that she was so unhappy because she couldnt be glad any longer the dear child! I just had to come to you.
You are very kind, murmured Miss Polly.
But it is you who are to be kind, demurred the other. I I want you to give her a message from me. Will you?
Certainly.
Will you just tell her, then, that Mrs. Tarbell is glad now. Yes, I know it sounds odd, and you dont understand. But if youll pardon me Id rather not explain. Sad lines came to the ladys mouth, and the smile left her eyes. Your niece will know just what I mean; and I felt that I must tell her. Thank you; and pardon me, please, for any seeming rudeness in my call, she begged, as she took her leave.
Thoroughly mystified now, Miss Polly hurried upstairs to Pollyannas room.
Pollyanna, do you know a Mrs. Tarbell?
Oh, yes. I love Mrs. Tarbell. Shes sick, and awfully sad; and shes at the hotel, and takes long walks. We go together. I mean we used to. Pollyannas voice broke, and two big tears rolled down her cheeks.
Miss Polly cleared her throat hurriedly.
Well, shes just been here, dear. She left a message for you but she wouldnt tell me what it meant. She said to tell you that Mrs. Tarbell is glad now.
Pollyanna clapped her hands softly.
Did she say that really? Oh, Im so glad!
But, Pollyanna, what did she mean?
Why, its the game, and Pollyanna stopped short, her fingers to her lips.
What game?
N-nothing much, Aunt Polly; that is I cant tell it unless I tell other things that that Im not to speak of[182].
It was on Miss Pollys tongue to question her niece further; but the obvious distress on the little girls face stayed the words before they were uttered[183].
Not long after Mrs. Tarbells visit, the climax came. It came in the shape of a call from a certain young woman with unnaturally pink cheeks and abnormally yellow hair; a young woman who wore high heels and cheap jewelry; a young woman whom Miss Polly knew very well by reputation but whom she was angrily amazed to meet beneath the roof of the Harrington homestead.
Miss Polly did not offer her hand. She drew back, indeed, as she entered the room.
The woman rose at once. Her eyes were very red, as if she had been crying. Half defiantly she asked if she might, for a moment, see the little girl, Pollyanna.
Miss Polly said no. She began to say it very sternly; but something in the womans pleading eyes made her add the civil explanation that no one was allowed yet to see Pollyanna.
The woman hesitated; then a little brusquely she spoke. Her chin was still at a slightly defiant tilt.
My name is Mrs. Payson Mrs. Tom Payson. I presume youve heard of me most of the good people in the town have and maybe some of the things youve heard aint true. But never mind that. Its about the little girl I came. I heard about the accident, and and it broke me all up. Last week I heard how she couldnt ever walk again, and and I wished I could give up my two uselessly well legs for hers. Shed do more good trotting around on em one hour than I could in a hundred years. But never mind that. Legs aint always given to the one who can make the best use of em, I notice.
She paused, and cleared her throat; but when she resumed her voice was still husky.
Maybe you dont know it, but Ive seen a good deal of that little girl of yours. We live on the Pendleton Hill road, and she used to go by often only she didnt always GO BY. She came in and played with the kids and talked to me and my man, when he was home. She seemed to like it, and to like us. She didnt know, I suspect, that her kind of folks dont generally call on my kind. Maybe if they DID call more, Miss Harrington, there wouldnt be so many of my kind, she added, with sudden bitterness.
Be that as it may[184], she came; and she didnt do herself no harm, and she did do us good a lot o good. How much she wont know nor cant know, I hope; cause if she did, shed know other things that I dont want her to know.
But its just this. Its been hard times with us this year, in more ways than one. Weve been blue and discouraged my man and me, and ready for most anything. We was reckoning on getting a divorce about now, and letting the kids well, we didnt know what we would do with the kids. Then came the accident, and what we heard about the little girls never walking again. And we got to thinking how she used to come and sit on our doorstep and train with the kids, and laugh, and and just be glad. She was always being glad about something; and then, one day, she told us why, and about the game, you know; and tried to coax us to play it.
Well, weve heard now that shes fretting her poor little life out of her, because she cant play it no more that theres nothing to be glad about. And thats what I came to tell her to-day that maybe she can be a little glad for us, cause weve decided to stick to each other[185], and play the game ourselves. I knew she would be glad, because she used to feel kind of bad at things we said, sometimes. Just how the game is going to help us, I cant say that I exactly see, yet; but maybe twill. Anyhow, were going to try cause she wanted us to. Will you tell her?
Yes, I will tell her, promised Miss Polly, a little faintly. Then, with sudden impulse, she stepped forward and held out her hand. And thank you for coming, Mrs. Payson, she said simply.
The defiant chin fell. The lips above it trembled visibly. With an incoherently mumbled something, Mrs. Payson blindly clutched at the outstretched hand, turned, and fled.
The door had scarcely closed behind her before Miss Polly was confronting Nancy in the kitchen.
Nancy!
Miss Polly spoke sharply. The series of puzzling, disconcerting visits of the last few days, culminating as they had in the extraordinary experience of the afternoon, had strained her nerves to the snapping point[186]. Not since Miss Pollyannas accident had Nancy heard her mistress speak so sternly.
Nancy, WILL you tell me what this absurd game is that the whole town seems to be babbling about? And what, please, has my niece to do with it? WHY does everybody, from Milly Snow to Mrs. Tom Payson, send word to her that theyre playing it? As near as I can judge, half the town are putting on blue ribbons[187], or stopping family quarrels, or learning to like something they never liked before, and all because of Pollyanna. I tried to ask the child herself about it, but I cant seem to make much headway, and of course I dont like to worry her now. But from something I heard her say to you last night, I should judge you were one of them, too. Now WILL you tell me what it all means?
To Miss Pollys surprise and dismay, Nancy burst into tears.
It means that ever since last June that blessed child has jest been makin the whole town glad, an now theyre turnin round an tryin ter make her a little glad, too.
Glad of what?
Just glad! Thats the game.
Miss Polly actually stamped her foot.
There you go like all the rest[188], Nancy. What game?
Nancy lifted her chin. She faced her mistress and looked her squarely in the eye.
Ill tell ye, maam. Its a game Miss Pollyannas father learned her ter play. She got a pair of crutches once in a missionary barrel when she was wantin a doll; an she cried, of course, like any child would. It seems twas then her father told her that there wasnt ever anythin but what there was somethin about it that you could be glad about; an that she could be glad about them crutches.
Glad for CRUTCHES! Miss Polly choked back a sob she was thinking of the helpless little legs on the bed up-stairs.
Yesm. Thats what I said, an Miss Pollyanna said thats what she said, too. But he told her she COULD be glad cause she DIDNt NEED em.
Oh-h! cried Miss Polly.
And after that she said he made a regular game of it findin somethin in everythin ter be glad about. An she said ye could do it, too, and that ye didnt seem ter mind not havin the doll so much, cause ye was so glad ye DIDNt need the crutches. An they called it the jest bein glad game. Thats the game, maam. Shes played it ever since.
But, how how Miss Polly came to a helpless pause.
An youd be surprised ter find how cute it works, maam, too, maintained Nancy, with almost the eagerness of Pollyanna herself. I wish I could tell ye what a lot shes done for mother an the folks out home. Shes been ter see em, ye know, twice, with me. Shes made me glad, too, on such a lot o things little things, an big things; an its made em so much easier. For instance, I dont mind Nancy for a name half as much since she told me I could be glad twant Hephzibah. An theres Monday mornins, too, that I used ter hate so. Shes actually made me glad for Monday mornins.
Glad for Monday mornings!
Nancy laughed.
I know it does sound nutty, maam. But let me tell ye. That blessed lamb found out I hated Monday morn-ins somethin awful[189]; an what does she up an tell me one day but this: Well, anyhow, Nancy, I should think you could be gladder on Monday mornin than on any other day in the week, because twould be a whole WEEK before youd have another one! An Im blest if I haint thought of it evry Monday mornin since an it HAS helped, maam. It made me laugh, anyhow, evry time I thought of it; an laughin helps, ye know it does, it does!