Anne of Green Gables

Matthew Cuthbert lived with his sister Marilla on a quiet farm called Green Gables.Matthew was growing old, and the farm work was becoming too much for him alone.So he and Marilla decided to adopt a boy from an orphanage to help them.

One June afternoon, Matthew drove his horse and buggy to the little station to meet the boy.But the stationmaster told him that no boy had come on the train.Instead, a girl of about eleven sat alone on the platform, waiting.

She had red hair in two long braids, a thin freckled face, and big eager eyes.Someone had made a mistake, but Matthew was too shy to explain it to her there.He decided to take her home and let Marilla sort everything out.

The girl jumped up and shook his hand, her face bright with happiness.She said that if no one had come, she had planned to climb the big cherry tree by the road and sleep there all night.

On the drive home, the girl talked without stopping.She was so happy, because at last she was going to have a real home.When they passed a road lined with apple trees in white bloom, she went quiet for the first time.Then she said, "A place this pretty needs a prettier name. I will call it the White Way of Delight."

Matthew was a shy man, and he usually felt uncomfortable around girls.But to his surprise, he liked this one, and he hoped Marilla would let her stay.