Polly and the Princess | Page 7

now."
There was very evident curiosity mingled with the smiles of greeting.
"I happened to think," Polly began at once, "that maybe you could do
something to help out matters. I've been up to see Miss Sterling, and
she is feeling pretty bad because she can't curl her hair to go to her
cousin's wedding, and I didn't know but you would fix things so she
can."
"'Fix things'?" scowled the lady at the head of the table. "You mean, put
on an electric attachment?"
"Oh, no!" Polly came near disgracing herself by a laugh. "But it's
against the rule, you know, to curl your hair, and Miss Sterling asked if
she couldn't, just for the evening, and Miss Sniffen said no."
The ladies gazed at one another, plain surprise on their faces. Then they
looked questioningly at their presiding officer.
"The Board never interferes with the superintendent's rules--" began
Mrs. Beers.
"Unless it is something we especially don't like," put in the member
with a conscience.
The president sent a severe glance down the table.
"I thought, maybe, just for this once, you'd fix it so she could--she
would wet it all out before breakfast." Polly was very much in earnest.
"There's altogether too much complaint among the inmates," spoke up a
fat woman on Mrs. Beers's left. "They should be made to realize how

fortunate they are to have such a beautiful Home to live in, instead of
finding fault with every little thing and sending people to try to
wheedle us into giving them something different from what they have."
"Oh, Mrs. Puddicombe!" burst out Polly, "Miss Sterling didn't send me
at all! She doesn't know a thing about it! I never thought of coming in
until I passed the door--then it occurred to me that maybe you would
like to help her out. It's pretty hard to have to go to a wedding with
your hair all flat, just as they do it at a hospital--I don't believe you'd
like it yourself, Mrs. Puddicombe."
Several smiles were visible. A titter escaped the youngest member.
Mrs. Puddicombe's broad face reddened under her amazing labyrinth of
screwlike curls.
"These charity people," she resumed irrelevantly, "never know when
they're well off. Why, this Home is the very gate of heaven! Just look at
that new rug in the library--it cost three hundred dollars! But who
appreciates it?"
"Well, I should rather walk over a thirty-cent rug than every time I
turned round have to have a rule to turn by!" Polly tossed out the words
impetuously.
"You're a saucy girl!" returned Mrs. Puddicombe. "You'd better go
home and tell your father to teach you good manners." The president
rapped for order.
"I beg your pardon, if I was saucy," Polly hastened to say. "I didn't
mean to be. I was only thinking--"
"That will do," interrupted Mrs. Beers. "There has been too much time
given to a very trivial matter."
Polly walked away from the June Holiday Home in the company of
uneasy thoughts. She feared she had made matters worse for her dear
Miss Nita.

CHAPTER IV
A JUNE HOLIDAY
The wedding night brought no recall of the negative answer which
Miss Sniffen had given to Juanita Sterling, although the little woman
hoped until the last moment for some sign of relenting.
But Polly was on hand to braid the thick, soft hair into a becoming
coronet, and to assert that she knew the bride wouldn't look half so
pretty.
Several days after, Polly danced in, her face full of the morning.
"You feel pretty well, don't you?" she began in her most coaxing way.
"A little better than usual," Miss Sterling laughed. "What do you want
me to do?"
"You know David and Leonora and I went down to Fern Brook last
week," Polly began deliberately, seating herself in the rocker which
Miss Sterling did not like, "and ever since then I've been wishing it
would come a lovely day for you and me to have a little picnic all by
ourselves. Or we might ask one or two others, if you like. Will you,
Miss Nita? You'll break my heart if you say no--I see it coming! Just
say, 'I should be de-e-lighted to go!'"
"Oh, I'd love to, but--"
"No, there isn't a 'but' or an 'if' or anything! We're going! Who else do
you want?"
"You crazy child! I'm afraid it will use me up. I don't dare risk it. We'll
have to take the trolley--and the walk across lots--oh, I can't, Polly!"
"Yes, you're going! I've made up my mind! The trolley ride won't hurt
you; you'll have nothing to do but to sit still, and the walk isn't long."

"Remember, I haven't been off the grounds, except for the wedding, in
months."
"I don't forget,