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Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923

"A Summer in a Canyon"



All this time Polly was lying in the tent, quite exhausted with
crying, and made more wretched by every sound of voices wafted
towards her. Presently Gin appeared with her night-wrapper and
various things for comfort sent her by the girls; and as she wearily
undressed herself and prepared for the night, she found three little
messages of comfort pinned on the neck and sleeves of her flannel
gown, written in such colossal letters that she could easily read
them by the moonlight.
On the right sleeve:-

Cheer up! 'I will never desert Mr. Micawber!' BELL

On the left sleeve:-

Darling Polly,--Get well soon, or we shall all be sick in order to
stay with you. Lovingly, MEG.
PS.--Jack said you were the LIFE OF THE CAMP! What do you think of
that?? M.

On the neck:-

Dearest,--You have always called me the Fairy Godmother, and
pretended I could see things that other people couldn't.
The boys (great stupids!) think you have the headache. We girls can
all see that you are in trouble, but only the Fairy Godmother KNOWS
WHY; and though she can't make a beautiful gold coach out of this
pumpkin, because there's something wrong about the pumpkin, yet she
will do her best for Cinderella, and pull her out of the ashes
somehow.
ELSIE.

Polly's tears fell fast on the dear little notes, which she kissed
again and again, and tucked under her pillow to bring her sleep.
'Elsie knows something,' she thought, 'but how? she knows that I'm in
trouble and that I've done wrong, or she wouldn't have said that
about not being able to turn a bad pumpkin into a beautiful gold
coach; but perhaps she can get Aunt Truth to forgive me and try me
again.


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