Pollyanna Crows up / Поллианна вырастает. Книга для чтения на английском языке

“But you’ve just come,” he reproached Pollyanna, in the tone of voice a small boy is apt to use when he wants to hide the fact that he has a heart.

“Why, I’ve been here ever since the last of March. Besides, it isn’t as if I was going to stay. It’s only for this winter.”

“I don’t care. You’ve just been away for a whole year, ’most, and if I’d s’posed you was going away again right off, the first thing, I wouldn’t have helped one mite to meet you with flags and bands and things, that day you come from the Sanatorium.

”

“Why, Jimmy Bean!” ejaculated Pollyanna, in amazed disapproval. Then, with a touch of superiority born of hurt pride, she observed: “I’m sure I didn’t ASK you to meet me with bands and things – and you made two mistakes in that sentence. You shouldn’t say �you was’; and I think �you come’ is wrong. It doesn’t sound right, anyway.”

“Well, who cares if I did?”

Pollyanna’s eyes grew still more disapproving.

“You SAID you did – when you asked me this summer to tell you when you said things wrong, because Mr. Pendleton was trying to make you talk right.”

“Well, if you’d been brought up in a ’sylum without any folks that cared, instead of by a whole lot of old women who didn’t have anything to do but tell you how to talk right, maybe you’d say �you was,’ and a whole lot more worse things, Pollyanna Whittier!”

“Why, Jimmy Bean!” flared Pollyanna. “My Ladies’ Aiders weren’t old women – that is, not many of them, so very old,” she corrected hastily, her usual proclivity for truth and literalness superseding her anger; “and —”

“Well, I’m not Jimmy Bean, either,” interrupted the boy, uptilting his chin.

“You’re – not – Why, Jimmy Be – — What do you mean?” demanded the little girl.

“I’ve been adopted, LEGALLY. He’s been intending to do it, all along, he says, only he didn’t get to it.

Now he’s done it. I’m to be called �Jimmy Pendleton’ and I’m to call him Uncle John, only I ain’t – are not – I mean, I AM not used to it yet, so I hain’t – haven’t begun to call him that, much.”

The boy still spoke crossly, aggrievedly, but every trace of displeasure had fled from the little girl’s face at his words. She clapped her hands joyfully.

“Oh, how splendid! Now you’ve really got FOLKS – folks that care, you know.