Chapter 12
Beth gets the mail from Laurie's mailbox every day. On this particular day in the mailbox is one of Meg's missing gloves, a note of appreciation from their mother to Jo about controlling her temper, a flower for mother, and an invitation from Laurie to Camp Laurence with some English friends who are visiting him, the Vaughns. There four Vaughns: Kate is the oldest, Fred and Frank are twins about Jo's age, and Grace is nine or ten.
The girls each prepare for the adventure. Beth takes her doll Joanna to bed with her, because they will be apart. Amy sleeps with a clothespin on her nose to try to fix its shape. Jo decides to wear an old-fashioned large, broad-brimmed hat.
The March sisters, Laurie, Mr. Brooke, and the Vaughns row to Longmeadow, where the pitch tents. They spend the day eating, playing (and cheating at) croquet, telling stories, playing games like "truth," where each one asks questions which must be answered truthfully. They discuss the differences between the English and the Americans. Beth talks to Frank a little, and her sisters think this is amazing because she is afraid of boys.
Topic Tracking: Gender 4
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