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

“Always, before, there have been BAD things for folks to play the game on, and the badder they are the more fun ’tis to get them out – find the things to be glad for, I mean. But where there AREN’t any bad things, I shouldn’t know how to play the game myself.”

There was no answer for a time. Mrs. Carew sat with her eyes out the window. Gradually the angry rebellion on her face changed to a look of hopeless sadness. Very slowly then she turned and said:

“Pollyanna, I had thought I wouldn’t tell you this; but I’ve decided that I will.

I’m going to tell you why nothing that I have can make me – glad.” And she began the story of Jamie, the little four-year-old boy who, eight long years before, had stepped as into another world, leaving the door fast shut between.

“And you’ve never seen him since – anywhere?” faltered Pollyanna, with tear-wet eyes, when the story was done.

“Never.”

“But we’ll find him, Mrs. Carew – I’m sure we’ll find him.

”

Mrs. Carew shook her head sadly.

“But I can’t. I’ve looked everywhere, even in foreign lands.”

“But he must be somewhere.”

“He may be – dead, Pollyanna.”

Pollyanna gave a quick cry.

“Oh, no, Mrs. Carew. Please don’t say that! Let’s imagine he’s alive. We CAN do that, and that’ll help; and when we get him IMAGINED alive we can just as well imagine we’re going to find him. And that’ll help a whole lot more.”

“But I’m afraid he’s – dead, Pollyanna,” choked Mrs.

Carew.

“You don’t know it for sure, do you?” besought the little girl, anxiously.

“N-no.”

“Well, then, you’re just imagining it,” maintained Pollyanna, in triumph. “And if you can imagine him dead, you can just as well imagine him alive, and it’ll be a whole lot nicer while you’re doing it. Don’t you see? And some day, I’m just sure you’ll find him. Why, Mrs. Carew, you CAN play the game now! You can play it on Jamie.

You can be glad every day, for every day brings you just one day nearer to the time when you’re going to find him. See?”

But Mrs. Carew did not “see.” She rose drearily to her feet and said:

“No, no, child! You don’t understand – you don’t understand. Now run away, please, and read, or do anything you like. My head aches. I’m going to lie down.”

And Pollyanna, with a troubled, sober face, slowly left the room.