Mistress Pat by Lucy Maud Montgomery — Read

Pat went up to the Long House that night. She walked blithely and springily. She was not going to worry over that grey hair. She would not even pull it out. The Selbys all turned grey young. What did it matter? She would not grow old in heart, no matter what she did in head. She would always keep her banner of youth flying gallantly. Wrinkles might come on her face but there should never be any on her soul. And yet there had been a moment that day when Pat had felt as if she didn't want to be young any longer. Things hurt you too much when you were young. Surely they wouldn't hurt so much when you got old. You wouldn't care so much then. things would be settled. there wouldn't be so many changes. People you knew wouldn't always be running off to far lands. or getting married. Your hair would be ALL grey and it wouldn't matter. You wouldn't be eating your heart out longing for a lost paradise.

Altogether it had not been a pleasant day. May had had a fit of the sulks and had taken it out slamming doors. Rover had eaten a plateful of fudge Pat had set outside to cool. Judy had seemed down-hearted about something. perhaps the news about Hilary though she never referred to it but only muttered occasionally to herself about "strange going-ons." Pat decided that she felt a trifle stodgy and needed something to pep her up a bit. She would find it at the Long House. she always did. Whenever life seemed a bit grey. whenever she felt a passing pang of loneliness over the changes that had been and. worse still. would be, she went up the hill to David and Suzanne.