“Suppose you learn plain cooking. That’s
a useful accomplishment, which no woman should be
without,” said Mrs. March, laughing inaudibly
at the recollection of Jo’s dinner party, for
she had met Miss Crocker and heard her account of
it.
“Mother, did you go away and let everything
be, just to see how we’d get on?” cried
Meg, who had had suspicions all day.
“Yes, I wanted you to see how the comfort of
all depends on each doing her share faithfully.
While Hannah and I did your work, you got on pretty
well, though I don’t think you were very happy
or amiable. So I thought, as a little lesson,
I would show you what happens when everyone thinks
only of herself. Don’t you feel that it
is pleasanter to help one another, to have daily duties
which make leisure sweet when it comes, and to bear
and forbear, that home may be comfortable and lovely
to us all?”
“We do, Mother, we do!” cried the girls.
“Then let me advise you to take up your little
burdens again, for though they seem heavy sometimes,
they are good for us, and lighten as we learn to carry
them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty
for everyone. It keeps us from ennui and mischief,
is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense
of power and independence better than money or fashion.”
“We’ll work like bees, and love it too,
see if we don’t,” said Jo. “I’ll
learn plain cooking for my holiday task, and the next
dinner party I have shall be a success.”
“I’ll make the set of shirts for father,
instead of letting you do it, Marmee. I can
and I will, though I’m not fond of sewing.
That will be better than fussing over my own things,
which are plenty nice enough as they are.” said
Meg.
“I’ll do my lessons every day, and not
spend so much time with my music and dolls.
I am a stupid thing, and ought to be studying, not
playing,” was Beth’s resolution, while
Amy followed their example by heroically declaring,
“I shall learn to make buttonholes, and attend
to my parts of speech.”
“Very good! Then I am quite satisfied
with the experiment, and fancy that we shall not have
to repeat it, only don’t go to the other extreme
and delve like slaves. Have regular hours for
work and play, make each day both useful and pleasant,
and prove that you understand the worth of time by
employing it well. Then youth will be delightful,
old age will bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful
success, in spite of poverty.”
“We’ll remember, Mother!” and they
did.
CAMP LAURENCE
Beth was postmistress, for, being most at home, she
could attend to it regularly, and dearly liked the
daily task of unlocking the little door and distributing
the mail. One July day she came in with her
hands full, and went about the house leaving letters
and parcels like the penny post.
“Here’s your posy, Mother! Laurie
never forgets that,” she said, putting the fresh
nosegay in the vase that stood in ’Marmee’s
corner’, and was kept supplied by the affectionate
boy.
