ith two strides of his sturdy little legs he confronted Miss Polly
fearlessly.

"I ain't a beggar, marm, an' I don't want nothin' o' you. I was
cal'latin' ter work, of course, fur my board an' keep. I wouldn't have
come ter your old house, anyhow, if this 'ere girl hadn't 'a' made me,
a-tellin' me how you was so good an' kind that you'd be jest dyin' ter
take me in. So, there!" And he wheeled about and stalked from the room
with a dignity that would have been absurd had it not been so pitiful.

"Oh, Aunt Polly," choked Pollyanna. "Why, I thought you'd be GLAD to
have him here! I'm sure, I should think you'd be glad--"

Miss Polly raised her hand with a peremptory gesture of silence. Miss
Polly's nerves had snapped at last. The "good and kind" of the boy's
words were still ringing in her ears, and the old helplessness was
almost upon her, she knew. Yet she rallied her forces with the last atom
of her will power.

"Pollyanna," she cried sharply, "WILL you stop using that everlasting
word 'glad'! It's 'glad'--'glad'--'glad' from morning till night until I
think I shall grow wild!"

From sheer amazement Pollyanna's jaw dropped.

"Why, Aunt Polly," she breathed, "I should think you'd be glad to have
me gl--Oh!" she broke off, clapping her hand to her lips and hurrying
blindly from the room.

Before the boy had reached the end of the driveway, Pollyanna overtook
him.

"Boy! Boy! Jimmy Bean, I want you to know how--how sorry I am," she
panted, catching him with a detaining hand.

"Sorry nothin'! I ain't blamin' you," retorted the boy, sullenly. "But I
ain't no beggar!" he added, with sudden spirit.

"Of course you aren't! But you mustn't blame auntie," appealed
Pollyanna. "Probably I didn't do the introducing right, anyhow; and
I reckon I didn't tell her much who you were. She is good and kind,
really--she's always been; but I probably didn't explain it right. I do
wish I could find some place for you, though!"

The boy shrugged his shoulders and half turned away.

"Never mind. I guess I can find one myself. I ain't no beggar, you
know."

Pollyanna was frowning thoughtfully. Of a sudden she turned, her face
illumined.

"Say, I'll tell you what I WILL do! The Ladies' Aid meets this
afternoon. I heard Aunt Polly say so. I'll lay your case before them.
That's what father always did, when he wanted anything--educating the
heathen and new carpets, you know."

The boy turned fiercely.

"Well, I ain't a heathen