The Three of Us

144. 2nd Birthday

When Mrs. Andrews came with the rocking horse, Prissy and Jane were with her. Prissy looked kinder, somehow, than Anne had previously thought of her.

"Shall I go find Matthew, or- what is his name, Jerry?" Mrs. Andrews asked. "To carry it up to the porch? I can carry it myself, but you had asked me not to come up to the house..."

Anne felt better; Mrs. Andrews remembered the boundaries she'd set. "That's all right," she said. "You can come up just this once, to bring it."

Mrs. Andrews took one end of the box and Prissy took the other end. It was wrapped beautifully, Anne thought. She hated to think of Walter's little hands tearing the paper open.

Once it was on the porch, Mrs. Andrews sighed. "Well, thank you for allowing us to give this," she said. "Jane, I'll be back for you around four."

Jane nodded to her mother.

Mrs. Andrews and Prissy left, Anne and Jane dragged the box into the parlor. "It does four different things," Jane told Anne. "Want to open it and see?"

Anne shook her head, not wanting to ruin the wrapping paper.

"She really does think nicely of you now," Jane told Anne. "It isn't an act."

The girls spent a happy afternoon together.

Jane wished that everyone could get along. But- unlike her mother- she didn't hold out much hope that there could ever be a real relationship between the two families. She was just grateful for her mother's turnaround.

And, it seemed to her, that Prissy might be making a turnaround, too.

----

"Ice cream," Walter said.

"Yes, icecream," Anne agreed happily. This word was new. But Anne no longer wrote down every new word he had, because at this point there were so many. "Now we must churn it, Walter. Look what mama will do," and she began to crank the handle.

"Ice cream" Walter said again. "Icecream, now!"

"No, not now," Anne said. She opened the churn to show him what was inside. "It isn't icecream yet. Not until after lots and lots of churning."

Walter grabbed at the handle, wanting his turn, but he could not turn the crank, and began to cry.

"Look, I'll help you," Anne said. "You hold the crank and I'll turn it."

She guided his hands around. "Ice cream, ice cream," Walter said happily.

But when it was ready, and Anne gave him a bite, he made a face and spit it out.

----

Walter's birthday party would be held outdoors, it being August. Anne had made paper cranes and hung them from branches, and Marilla and Matthew brought chairs out and put them under the trees. The cake was enormous, though it had, of course, just two candles on it. The icecream was still being made fresh as the guests arrived, and Gilbert had brought over nuts and berries to put in the icecream, thinking maybe that would make it more interesting to Walter- Gilbert hated for Anne to have spent so much time making ice cream only to have Walter spit it out again.

Tillie and Ruby came together- along with their mothers- and were the first to arrive. Diana came with her mother, too, but Anne was pleased to realize that Mrs. Barry came out of delight in seeing Walter enjoy his birthday, rather than with any intention of inserting herself between Anne and Diana. Rachel Lynde came with her husband and two of their grown, visiting children. Emily and her husband Arnold were there, bringing Clara with them of course, and Clara was dressed beautifully for the occasion. Miss Stacy came, surprising Anne, since she'd thought Miss Stacy had already left to visit her homeplace.