Pollyanna

  CHAPTER XXV. A WAITING GAME

  On the day after John Pendleton's call at the Harrington homestead, MissPolly set herself to the task of preparing Pollyanna for the visit ofthe specialist.

  "Pollyanna, my dear," she began gently, "we have decided that we wantanother doctor besides Dr. Warren to see you. Another one might tell ussomething new to do--to help you get well faster, you know."

  A joyous light came to Pollyanna's face.

  "Dr. Chilton! Oh, Aunt Polly, I'd so love to have Dr. Chilton! I'vewanted him all the time, but I was afraid you didn't, on account of hisseeing you in the sun parlor that day, you know; so I didn't like to sayanything. But I'm so glad you do want him!"

  Aunt Polly's face had turned white, then red, then back to white again.But when she answered, she showed very plainly that she was trying tospeak lightly and cheerfully.

  "Oh, no, dear! It wasn't Dr. Chilton at all that I meant. It is a newdoctor--a very famous doctor from New York, who--who knows a great dealabout--about hurts like yours."

  Pollyanna's face fell.

  "I don't believe he knows half so much as Dr. Chilton."

  "Oh, yes, he does, I'm sure, dear."

  "But it was Dr. Chilton who doctored Mr. Pendleton's broken leg,Aunt Polly. If--if you don't mind VERY much, I WOULD LIKE to have Dr.Chilton--truly I would!"

  A distressed color suffused Miss Polly's face. For a moment she did notspeak at all; then she said gently--though yet with a touch of her oldstern decisiveness:

  "But I do mind, Pollyanna. I mind very much. I would do anything--almostanything for you, my dear; but I--for reasons which I do not care tospeak of now, I don't wish Dr. Chilton called in on--on this case. Andbelieve me, he can NOT know so much about--about your trouble, as thisgreat doctor does, who will come from New York to-morrow."

  Pollyanna still looked unconvinced.

  "But, Aunt Polly, if you LOVED Dr. Chilton--"

  "WHAT, Pollyanna?" Aunt Polly's voice was very sharp now. Her cheekswere very red, too.

  "I say, if you loved Dr. Chilton, and didn't love the other one," sighedPollyanna, "seems to me that would make some difference in the good hewould do; and I love Dr. Chilton."

  The nurse entered the room at that moment, and Aunt Polly rose to herfeet abruptly, a look of relief on her face.

  "I am very sorry, Pollyanna," she said, a little stiffly; "but I'mafraid you'll have to let me be the judge, this time. Besides, it'salready arranged. The New York doctor is coming to-morrow."

  As it happened, however, the New York doctor did not come "to-morrow."At the last moment a telegram told of an unavoidable delay owing tothe sudden illness of the specialist himself. This led Pollyanna into arenewed pleading for the substitution of Dr. Chilton--"which would be soeasy now, you know."

  But as before, Aunt Polly shook her head and said "no, dear," verydecisively, yet with a still more anxious assurance that she would doanything--anything but that--to please her dear Pollyanna.

  As the days of waiting passed, one by one, it did indeed, seem that AuntPolly was doing everything (but that) that she could do to please herniece.

  "I wouldn't 'a' believed it--you couldn't 'a' made me believe it," Nancysaid to Old Tom one morning. "There don't seem ter be a minute in theday that Miss Polly ain't jest hangin' 'round waitin' ter do somethin'for that blessed lamb if 'tain't more than ter let in the cat--an' herwhat wouldn't let Fluff nor Buff up-stairs for love nor money a weekago; an' now she lets 'em tumble all over the bed jest 'cause it pleasesMiss Pollyanna!

  "An' when she ain't doin' nothin' else, she's movin' them little glassdanglers 'round ter diff'rent winders in the room so the sun'll makethe 'rainbows dance,' as that blessed child calls it. She's sent Timothydown ter Cobb's greenhouse three times for fresh flowers--an' thatbesides all the posies fetched in ter her, too. An' the other day, if Ididn't find her sittin' 'fore the bed with the nurse actually doin' herhair, an' Miss Pollyanna lookin' on an' bossin' from the bed, her eyesall shinin' an' happy. An' I declare ter goodness, if Miss Polly hain'twore her hair like that every day now--jest ter please that blessedchild!"

  Old Tom chuckled.

  "Well, it strikes me Miss Polly herself ain't lookin' none theworse--for wearin' them 'ere curls 'round her forehead," he observeddryly.

  "'Course she ain't," retorted Nancy, indignantly. "She looks likeFOLKS, now. She's actually almost--"

  "Keerful, now, Nancy!" interrupted the old man, with a slow grin. "Youknow what you said when I told ye she was handsome once."

  Nancy shrugged her shoulders.

  "Oh, she ain't handsome, of course; but I will own up she don't looklike the same woman, what with the ribbons an' lace jiggers MissPollyanna makes her wear 'round her neck."

  "I told ye so," nodded the man. "I told ye she wa'n't--old."

  Nancy laughed.

  "Well, I'll own up she HAIN'T got quite so good an imitation of it--asshe did have, 'fore Miss Pollyanna come. Say, Mr. Tom, who WAS her Alover? I hain't found that out, yet; I hain't, I hain't!"

  "Hain't ye?" asked the old man, with an odd look on his face. "Well, Iguess ye won't then from me."

  "Oh, Mr. Tom, come on, now," wheedled the girl. "Ye see, there ain'tmany folks here that I CAN ask."

  "Maybe not. But there's one, anyhow, that ain't answerin'," grinnedOld Tom. Then, abruptly, the light died from his eyes. "How is she,ter-day--the little gal?"

  Nancy shook her head. Her face, too, had sobered.

  "Just the same, Mr. Tom. There ain't no special diff'rence, as I cansee--or anybody, I guess. She jest lays there an' sleeps an' talks some,an' tries ter smile an' be 'glad' 'cause the sun sets or the moon rises,or some other such thing, till it's enough ter make yer heart break withachin'."

  "I know; it's the 'game'--bless her sweet heart!" nodded Old Tom,blinking a little.

  "She told YOU, then, too, about that 'ere--game?"

  "Oh, yes. She told me long ago." The old man hesitated, then went on,his lips twitching a little. "I was growlin' one day 'cause I was sobent up and crooked; an' what do ye s'pose the little thing said?"

  "I couldn't guess. I wouldn't think she could find ANYTHIN' about THATter be glad about!"

  "She did. She said I could be glad, anyhow, that I didn't have ter STOOPSO FAR TER DO MY WEEDIN' 'cause I was already bent part way over."

  Nancy gave a wistful laugh.

  "Well, I ain't surprised, after all. You might know she'd findsomethin'. We've been playin' it--that game--since almost the first,'cause there wa'n't no one else she could play it with--though she didspeak of--her aunt."

  "MISS POLLY!"

  Nancy chuckled.

  "I guess you hain't got such an awful diff'rent opinion o' the mistressthan I have," she bridled.

  Old Tom stiffened.

  "I was only thinkin' 'twould be--some of a surprise--to her," heexplained with dignity.

  "Well, yes, I guess 'twould be--THEN," retorted Nancy. "I ain't sayin'what 'twould be NOW. I'd believe anythin' o' the mistress now--even thatshe'd take ter playin' it herself!"

  "But hain't the little gal told her--ever? She's told ev'ry one else,I guess. I'm hearin' of it ev'rywhere, now, since she was hurted," saidTom.

  "Well, she didn't tell Miss Polly," rejoined Nancy. "Miss Pollyanna toldme long ago that she couldn't tell her, 'cause her aunt didn't like terhave her talk about her father; an' 'twas her father's game, an' she'dhave ter talk about him if she did tell it. So she never told her."

  "Oh, I see, I see." The old man nodded his head slowly. "They was alwaysbitter against the minister chap--all of 'em, 'cause he took Miss Jennieaway from 'em. An' Miss Polly--young as she was--couldn't never forgivehim; she was that fond of Miss Jennie--in them days. I see, I see. 'Twasa bad mess," he sighed, as he turned away.

  "Yes, 'twas--all 'round, all 'round," sighed Nancy in her turn, as shewent back to her kitchen.

  For no one were those days of waiting easy. The nurse tried to lookcheerful, but her eyes were troubled. The doctor was open
ly nervous andimpatient. Miss Polly said little; but even the softening waves of hairabout her face, and the becoming laces at her throat, could not hidethe fact that she was growing thin and pale. As to Pollyanna--Pollyannapetted the dog, smoothed the cat's sleek head, admired the flowersand ate the fruits and jellies that were sent in to her; and returnedinnumerable cheery answers to the many messages of love and inquiry thatwere brought to her bedside. But she, too, grew pale and thin; and thenervous activity of the poor little hands and arms only emphasized thepitiful motionlessness of the once active little feet and legs now lyingso woefully quiet under the blankets.

  As to the game--Pollyanna told Nancy these days how glad she was goingto be when she could go to school again, go to see Mrs. Snow, go to callon Mr. Pendleton, and go to ride with Dr. Chilton nor did she seem torealize that all this "gladness" was in the future, not the present.Nancy, however, did realize it--and cry about it, when she was alone.