Extra Slow Book on Tape: Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 1 (Published)
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Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Published by I B. C. Publishing Chapter one. Matthew is surprised. Matthew Casper was getting old. At 60 he was not so spry as he wants Waas. He needed someone to help on his farm, Green Gables, where he lived with his sister, Maria. As they had no Children of their own, they decided to get a little boy from the orphanage. He should be about 10 or 11. That would be the best age. They plan to give him a good home and schooling their neighbor. Mrs. Spencer had arranged everything. The boy was arriving today. So Matthew cut. Burt went to Bright River to meet him. When he reached Bright River, there was no sign of a train. He thought he was too early, so he tied up his horse and buggy and went over to the station house. The long platform was almost empty, with just one little girl sitting down at the far end. Matthew was a shy man, and he was especially shy of women. He walked quickly past the girl without looking at her. If he had looked, he might have noticed her looking at him with great expectation. She was waiting for something or someone with all her might. Matthew found the stationmaster locking up the office. The train has come and gone, said the stationmaster, But there was a passenger dropped off for you, a little girl. I'm not expecting a girl, Matthew said. It's a boy I've come for. Well, there must be some mistake, but you can talk to her about it, said the stationmaster. She's got a tongue of her own, he added, and he walked away. Matthew was left to do that, which was harder for him than beer Ding a lion in its den. He had to walk up to a girl, a strange girl, an orphan girl and immune of her. Why she wasn't a boy. The girl was an. She was a child of about 11 wearing a very short, very ugly, yellowish gray dress. She wore an old brown sailor hat over her long, sick red hair. Her face was small, white and thin, with lots of freckles. Her mouth was large, and so were her green grey eyes. Her big eyes glowed as she looked up at Matthew when he walked her way and jumped to her feet. In one hand, she held an old carpet bag. The other hand, she held out to the man with the long gray hair and beard. I suppose you are Matthew Cut spurt of Green Gables, she said in a clear, sweet voice. I'm very glad to see you. I was afraid you weren't coming for me, and I was beginning to imagine what I do. If you didn't come, I thought I'd climb up and sleeping that big, wild cherry tree over there. I wouldn't be a bit afraid. Matthew held the little hand in his and decided what to do. He could not tell this child there had been a mistake. He would take her home and let Marie Ledoux that I'm sorry I was late. He said, Charlie, come along, give me your bag. Oh, I can carry it and said cheerfully, It contains everything I own, but it isn't heavy. I'm very glad you've come and continued. It seems so wonderful that I'm going to live with you and belong to you. I've never belonged to anybody, not really. Matthew looked at her and quickly looked away as he put her bag into the horse drawn buggy and talked on the asylum was the worst. I was only in there for four months, but that was enough. I don't suppose you were ever an orphan in asylum, so you can't possibly understand what it is like. It's worse than anything you can imagine, Mrs Spencer said. It was wicked of me to talk like that, but I don't mean to be wicked. It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it? At these words, Matthew gave an such a sad look that and suddenly stopped talking. Not another word, did she say, until they had left the village and were driving down a steep little hill with flowering cherry trees lining both sides of the red dirt road. Isn't that beautiful? What does that tree all white and Lacey remind you of? Mr Cost? Burt? She asked. Well, now I don't know, said Matthew. Why Ah, bride, of course. All in white with a lovely, misty veil. I don't ever expect to be a bride myself. I'm so ugly with my red hair. Nobody will ever want to marry me, but I do hope that someday I shall have a white dress I just love pretty close. Oh, look, more cherry trees. This island is the gloomiest place. I just love it already, and I'm so glad I'm going to live here. I've always heard that Prince Edward Island was the prettiest place in the world, and I used to imagine I was living here. But I never expected I would. It's delightful when your imaginings come true, isn't it? It just makes me feel glad to be alive. Oh, am I talking too much? Matthew, to his own surprise, was enjoying himself. Like most quiet folks, he liked talkative people. You can talk as much as you like. I don't mind. Oh, I'm so glad I know you and I are going to get along together. Fine. It's such a relief to talk when one wants to. I've been told a 1,000,000 times to be quiet, and people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to have big words, haven't you? Well, now that seems reasonable, said Matthew. It's always been one of my dreams to live here. Dreams don't often come true, do they? I would be so nice if they did. But now I feel pretty near perfectly happy. I can't feel exactly happy because of my red hair. Sometimes I try to imagine that red hair away, I think to myself now. My hair is a glorious black black as the Ravens wing, but all the time I know it is just playing red and it breaks my heart. It will be my lifelong sorrow, said an just. Then they pulled into the driveway of Green Gables. The yard was quite dark, but an could see the big house surrounded by trees. But this place is the first thing I ever saw that couldn't be approved upon by imagination. As soon as I saw it, I felt it was home. It seems as if I must be in a dream, but it Israel and we're nearly home will see. Matthew sounded so unsure that an turned to stare at him. He looked away. Come inside, and Barilla will tell you all about it. Yes, Mr Cuff, Bert, But first listen to the trees talking in their sleep, she whispered as he lifted her to the ground. What nice dreams they must have. Then, holding tightly of the carpet bag, she followed him into the house