ed a doll, and father had written them so; but
when the barrel came the lady wrote that there hadn't any dolls come in,
but the little crutches had. So she sent 'em along as they might come in
handy for some child, sometime. And that's when we began it."

"Well, I must say I can't see any game about that, about that," declared
Nancy, almost irritably.

"Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to be
glad about--no matter what 'twas," rejoined Pollyanna, earnestly. "And
we began right then--on the crutches."

"Well, goodness me! I can't see anythin' ter be glad about--gettin' a
pair of crutches when you wanted a doll!"

Pollyanna clapped her hands.

"There is--there is," she crowed. "But _I_ couldn't see it, either,
Nancy, at first," she added, with quick honesty. "Father had to tell it
to me."

"Well, then, suppose YOU tell ME," almost snapped Nancy.

"Goosey! Why, just be glad because you don't--NEED--'EM!" exulted
Pollyanna, triumphantly. "You see it's just as easy--when you know how!"

"Well, of all the queer doin's!" breathed Nancy, regarding Pollyanna
with almost fearful eyes.

"Oh, but it isn't queer--it's lovely," maintained Pollyanna
enthusiastically. "And we've played it ever since. And the harder 'tis,
the more fun 'tis to get 'em out; only--only sometimes it's almost too
hard--like when your father goes to Heaven, and there isn't anybody but
a Ladies' Aid left."

"Yes, or when you're put in a snippy little room 'way at the top of the
house with nothin' in it," growled Nancy.

Pollyanna sighed.

"That was a hard one, at first," she admitted, "specially when I was so
kind of lonesome. I just didn't feel like playing the game, anyway, and
I HAD been wanting pretty things, so! Then I happened to think how I
hated to see my freckles in the looking-glass, and I saw that lovely
picture out the window, too; so then I knew I'd found the things to be
glad about. You see, when you're hunting for the glad things, you sort
of forget the other kind--like the doll you wanted, you know."

"Humph!" choked Nancy, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Most generally it doesn't take so long," sighed Pollyanna; "and lots of
times now I just think of them WITHOUT thinking, you know. I've got so
used to playing it. It's a lovely game. F-father and I used to like it
so much," she faltered. "I suppose, though, it--it'll be a little harder
now, as long as I haven't anybody to play it with. M