“Davy has been pretty good since you went away.  One day he was bad and Marilla punished him by making him wear Dora’s apron all day, and then he went and cut all Dora’s aprons up.  I spanked him for that and then he went and chased my rooster to death.

“The MacPhersons have moved down to my place.  She’s a great housekeeper and very particular.  She’s rooted all my June lilies up because she says they make a garden look so untidy.  Thomas set them lilies out when we were married.  Her husband seems a nice sort of a man, but she can’t get over being an old maid, that’s what.

“Don’t study too hard, and be sure and put your winter underclothes on as soon as the weather gets cool.  Marilla worries a lot about you, but I tell her you’ve got a lot more sense than I ever thought you would have at one time, and that you’ll be all right.”

Davy’s letter plunged into a grievance at the start.

“Dear anne, please write and tell marilla not to tie me to the rale of the bridge when I go fishing the boys make fun of me when she does.  Its awful lonesome here without you but grate fun in school.  Jane andrews is crosser than you.  I scared mrs. lynde with a jacky lantern last nite.  She was offel mad and she was mad cause I chased her old rooster round the yard till he fell down ded.  I didn’t mean to make him fall down ded.  What made him die, anne, I want to know. mrs. lynde threw him into the pig pen she mite of sold him to mr. blair. mr. blair is giving 50 sense apeace for good ded roosters now.  I herd mrs. lynde asking the minister to pray for her.  What did she do that was so bad, anne, I want to know.  I’ve got a kite with a magnificent tail, anne.  Milty bolter told me a grate story in school yesterday. it is troo. old Joe Mosey and Leon were playing cards one nite last week in the woods.  The cards were on a stump and a big black man bigger than the trees come along and grabbed the cards and the stump and disapered with a noys like thunder.  Ill bet they were skared.  Milty says the black man was the old harry. was he, anne, I want to know.  Mr. kimball over at spenservale is very sick and will have to go to the hospitable. please excuse me while I ask marilla if thats spelled rite.  Marilla says its the silem he has to go to not the other place.  He thinks he has a snake inside of him. whats it like to have a snake inside of you, anne.  I want to know. mrs. lawrence bell is sick to. mrs. lynde says that all that is the matter with her is that she thinks too much about her insides.”

“I wonder,” said Anne, as she folded up her letters, “what Mrs. Lynde would think of Philippa.”

Chapter VI

In the Park

“What are you going to do with yourselves today, girls?” asked Philippa, popping into Anne’s room one Saturday afternoon.

“We are going for a walk in the park,” answered Anne.  “I ought to stay in and finish my blouse.  But I couldn’t sew on a day like this.  There’s something in the air that gets into my blood and makes a sort of glory in my soul.  My fingers would twitch and I’d sew a crooked seam.  So it’s ho for the park and the pines.”