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Page 7
"I'm a-wonderin' what Miss Polly will do with a child in the
house," he said.
"Humph! Well, I'm a-wonderin' what a child will do with Miss
Polly in the house!" snapped Nancy.
The old man laughed.
"I'm afraid you ain't fond of Miss Polly," he grinned.
"As if ever anybody could be fond of her!" scorned Nancy.
Old Tom smiled oddly. He stooped and began to work again.
"I guess maybe you didn't know about Miss Polly's love affair,"
he said slowly.
"Love affair--HER! No!--and I guess nobody else didn't, neither."
"Oh, yes they did," nodded the old man. "And the feller's livin'
ter-day--right in this town, too."
"Who is he?"
"I ain't a-tellin' that. It ain't fit that I should." The old man
drew himself erect. In his dim blue eyes, as he faced the house,
there was the loyal servant's honest pride in the family he has
served and loved for long years.
"But it don't seem possible--her and a lover," still maintained
Nancy.
Old Tom shook his head.
"You didn't know Miss Polly as I did," he argued. "She used ter
be real handsome--and she would be now, if she'd let herself be."
"Handsome! Miss Polly!"
"Yes. If she'd just let that tight hair of hern all out loose and
careless-like, as it used ter be, and wear the sort of bunnits
with posies in 'em, and the kind o' dresses all lace and white
things--you'd see she'd be handsome! Miss Polly ain't old,
Nancy."
"Ain't she, though? Well, then she's got an awfully good
imitation of it--she has, she has!" sniffed Nancy.
"Yes, I know. It begun then--at the time of the trouble with her
lover," nodded Old Tom; "and it seems as if she'd been feedin' on
wormwood an' thistles ever since--she's that bitter an' prickly
ter deal with."
"I should say she was," declared Nancy, indignantly. "There's no
pleasin' her, nohow, no matter how you try! I wouldn't stay if
'twa'n't for the wages and the folks at home what's needin' 'em.
But some day--some day I shall jest b'ile over; and when I do, of
course it'll be good-by Nancy for me. It will, it will."
Old Tom shook his head.
"I know. I've felt it. It's nart'ral--but 'tain't best, child;
'tain't best. Take my word for it, 'tain't best." And again he
bent his old head to the work before him.
"Nancy!" called a sharp voice.
"Y-yes, ma'am," stammered Nancy; and hurried toward the house.
CHAPTER III. THE COMING OF POLLYANNA
In due time came the telegram announcing that Pollyanna would
arrive in Beldingsville the next day, the twenty-fifth of June,
at four o'clock. Miss Polly read the telegram, frowned, then
climbed the stairs to the attic room. She still frowned as she
looked about her.
The room contained a small bed, neatly made, two straight-backed
chairs, a washstand, a bureau--without any mirror--and a small
table. There were no drapery curtains at the dormer windows, no
pictures on the wall. All day the sun had been pouring down upon
the roof, and the little room was like an oven for heat. As there
were no screens, the windows had not been raised. A big fly was
buzzing angrily at one of them now, up and down, up and down,
trying to get out.
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