UNCLE TEDDY
For a week Dan only moved from bed to sofa; a long week and a hard
one, for the hurt foot was very painful at times, the quiet days very
wearisome to the active lad, longing to be out enjoying the summer
weather, and especially difficult was it to be patient. But Dan did
his best, and every one helped him in their various ways; so the time
passed, and he was rewarded at last by hearing the doctor say, on
Saturday morning,--
“This foot is doing better than I expected. Give the lad the crutch
this afternoon, and let him stump about the house a little.”
“Hooray!” shouted Nat, and raced away to tell the other boys the good
news.
Everybody was very glad, and after dinner the whole flock assembled to
behold Dan crutch himself up and down the hall a few times before he
settled in the porch to hold a sort of _levée_. He was much pleased
at the interest and good-will shown him, and brightened up more and
more every minute; for the boys came to pay their respects, the little
girls fussed about him with stools and cushions, and Teddy watched over
him as if he was a frail creature unable to do any thing for himself.
They were still sitting and standing about the steps, when a carriage
stopped at the gate, a hat was waved from it, and with a shout of
“Uncle Teddy! Uncle Teddy!” Rob scampered down the avenue as fast as
his short legs would carry him. All the boys but Dan ran after him to
see who should be first to open the gate, and in a moment the carriage
drove up with boys swarming all over it, while Uncle Teddy sat laughing
in the midst, with his little daughter on his knee.
“Stop the triumphal car and let Jupiter descend,” he said, and jumping
out ran up the steps to meet Mrs. Bhaer, who stood smiling and clapping
her hands like a girl.
“How goes it, Teddy?”
“All right, Jo.”
Then they shook hands, and Mr. Laurie put Bess into her aunt’s arms,
saying, as the child hugged her tight, “Goldilocks wanted to see you so
much that I ran away with her, for I was quite pining for a sight of
you myself. We want to play with your boys for an hour or so, and to
see how ‘the old woman who lived in a shoe, and had so many children
she did not know what to do,’ is getting on.”
“I’m so glad! Play away, and don’t get into mischief,” answered Mrs.
Jo, as the lads crowded round the pretty child, admiring her long
golden hair, dainty dress, and lofty ways, for the little “Princess,”
as they called her, allowed no one to kiss her, but sat smiling down
upon them, and graciously patting their heads with her little, white
hands. They all adored her, especially Rob, who considered her a sort
of doll, and dared not touch her lest she should break, but worshipped
her at a respectful distance, made happy by an occasional mark of favor
from her little highness. As she immediately demanded to see Daisy’s
kitchen, she was borne off by Mrs. Jo, with a train of small boys
following. The others, all but Nat and Demi, ran away to the menagerie
and gardens to have all in order; for Mr. Laurie always took a general
survey, and looked disappointed if things were not flourishing.
Standing on the steps, he turned to Dan, saying like an old
acquaintance, though he had only seen him once or twice before,--
“How is the foot?”
“Better, sir.”
“Rather tired of the house, aren’t you?”
“Guess I am!” and Dan’s eyes roved away to the green hills and woods
where he longed to be.
“Suppose we take a little turn before the others come back? That big,
easy carriage will be quite safe and comfortable, and a breath of fresh
air will do you good. Get a cushion and a shawl, Demi, and let’s carry
Dan off.”
The boys thought it a capital joke, and Dan looked delighted, but
asked, with an unexpected burst of virtue,--
“Will Mrs. Bhaer like it?”
“Oh, yes; we settled all that a minute ago.”
“You didn’t say any thing about it, so I don’t see how you could,” said
Demi, inquisitively.
“We have a way of sending messages to one another, without any words.
It is a great improvement on the telegraph.”
“I know--it’s eyes; I saw you lift your eyebrows, and nod toward the
carriage, and Mrs. Bhaer laughed and nodded back again,” cried Nat, who
was quite at his ease with kind Mr. Laurie by this time.
“Right. Now then, come on,” and in a minute Dan found himself settled
in the carriage, his foot on a cushion on the seat opposite, nicely
covered with a shawl, which fell down from the upper regions in a most
mysterious manner, just when they wanted it. Demi climbed up to the
box beside Peter, the black coachman. Nat sat next Dan in the place of
honor, while Uncle Teddy would sit opposite,--to take care of the foot,
he said, but really that he might study the faces before him--both so
happy, yet so different, for Dan’s was square, and brown, and strong,
while Nat’s was long, and fair, and rather weak, but very amiable with
its mild eyes and good forehead.
“By the way, I’ve got a book somewhere here that you may like to see,”
said the oldest boy of the party, diving under the seat and producing a
book which made Dan exclaim,--
“Oh! by George, isn’t that a stunner?” as he turned the leaves, and saw
fine plates of butterflies, and birds, and every sort of interesting
insect, colored like life. He was so charmed that he forgot his thanks,
but Mr. Laurie did not mind, and was quite satisfied to see the boy’s
eager delight, and to hear his exclamations over certain old friends as
he came to them. Nat leaned on his shoulder to look, and Demi turned
his back to the horses, and let his feet dangle inside the carriage, so
that he might join in the conversation.
When they got among the beetles, Mr. Laurie took a curious little
object out of his vest-pocket, and laying it in the palm of his hand,
said,--
“There’s a beetle that is thousands of years old;” and then, while
the lads examined the queer stone-bug, that looked so old and gray,
he told them how it came out of the wrappings of a mummy, after lying
for ages in a famous tomb. Finding them interested, he went on to tell
about the Egyptians, and the strange and splendid ruins they have left
behind them--the Nile, and how he sailed up the mighty river, with
the handsome dark men to work his boat; how he shot alligators, saw
wonderful beasts and birds; and afterwards crossed the desert on a
camel, who pitched him about like a ship in a storm.
“Uncle Teddy tells stories ’most as well as Grandpa,” said Demi,
approvingly, when the tale was done, and the boys’ eyes asked for more.
“Thank you,” said Mr. Laurie, quite soberly, for he considered Demi’s
praise worth having, for children are good critics in such cases, and
to suit them is an accomplishment that any one may be proud of.
“Here’s another trifle or two that I tucked into my pocket as I was
turning over my traps to see if I had any thing that would amuse Dan,”
and Uncle Teddy produced a fine arrow-head and a string of wampum.
“Oh! tell about the Indians,” cried Demi, who was fond of playing
wigwam.
“Dan knows lots about them,” added Nat.
“More than I do, I dare say. Tell us something,” and Mr. Laurie looked
as interested as the other two.
“Mr. Hyde told me; he’s been among ’em, and can talk their talk,
and likes ’em,” began Dan, flattered by their attention, but rather
embarrassed by having a grown-up listener.
“What is wampum for?” asked curious Demi, from his perch.
The others asked questions likewise, and, before he knew it, Dan was
reeling off all Mr. Hyde had told him, as they sailed down the river
a few weeks before. Mr. Laurie listened well, but found the boy more
interesting than the Indians, for Mrs. Jo had told him about Dan, and
he rather took a fancy to the wild lad, who ran away as he himself
had often longed to do, and who was slowly getting tamed by pain and
patience.
“I’ve been thinking that it would be a good plan for you fellows to
have a museum of your own; a place in which to collect all the curious
and interesting things that you find, and make, and have given you.
Mrs. Jo is too kind to complain, but it is rather hard for her to have
the house littered up with all sorts of rattletraps,--half-a-pint of
dor-bugs in one of her best vases, for instance, a couple of dead bats
nailed up in the back entry, wasps’ nests tumbling down on people’s
heads, and stones lying round everywhere, enough to pave the avenue.
There are not many women who would stand that sort of thing, are there,
now?”
As Mr. Laurie spoke with a merry look in his eyes, the boys laughed and
nudged one another, for it was evident that some one told tales out of
school, else how could he know of the existence of these inconvenient
treasures.
“Where can we put them, then?” said Demi, crossing his legs and leaning
down to argue the question.
“In the old carriage-house.”
“But it leaks, and there isn’t any windows, nor any place to put
things, and it’s all dust and cobwebs,” began Nat.
“Wait till Gibbs and I have touched it up a bit, and then see how
you like it. He is to come over on Monday to get it ready; then
next Saturday I shall come out, and we will fix it up, and make the
beginning, at least, of a fine little museum. Every one can bring
his things, and have a place for them; and Dan is to be the head
man, because he knows most about such matters, and it will be quiet,
pleasant work for him now that he can’t knock about much.”
“Won’t that be jolly?” cried Nat, while Dan smiled all over his face
and had not a word to say, but hugged his book, and looked at Mr.
Laurie as if he thought him one of the greatest public benefactors that
ever blessed the world.
“Shall I go round again, sir?” asked Peter, as they came to the gate,
after two slow turns about the half-mile triangle.
“No, we must be prudent, else we can’t come again. I must go over the
premises, take a look at the carriage-house, and have a little talk
with Mrs. Jo before I go”; and, having deposited Dan on his sofa to
rest and enjoy his book, Uncle Teddy went off to have a frolic with
the lads who were raging about the place in search of him. Leaving
the little girls to mess up-stairs, Mrs. Bhaer sat down by Dan, and
listened to his eager account of the drive till the flock returned,
dusty, warm, and much excited about the new museum, which every one
considered the most brilliant idea of the age.
“I always wanted to endow some sort of an institution, and I am going
to begin with this,” said Mr. Laurie, sitting down on a stool at Mrs.
Jo’s feet.
“You have endowed one already. What do you call this?” and Mrs. Jo
pointed to the happy-faced lads, who had camped upon the floor about
them.
“I call it a very promising Bhaer-garden, and I’m proud to be a member
of it. Did you know I was the head boy in this school?” he asked,
turning to Dan, and changing the subject skilfully, for he hated to be
thanked for the generous things he did.
“I thought Franz was!” answered Dan, wondering what the man meant.
“Oh, dear no! I’m the first boy Mrs. Jo ever had to take care of, and
I was such a bad one that she isn’t done with me yet, though she has
been working at me for years and years.”
“How old she must be!” said Nat, innocently.
“She began early, you see. Poor thing! she was only fifteen when she
took me, and I led her such a life, it’s a wonder she isn’t wrinkled
and gray, and quite worn out,” and Mr. Laurie looked up at her laughing.
“Don’t, Teddy; I won’t have you abuse yourself so;” and Mrs. Jo stroked
the curly black head at her knee as affectionately as ever, for, in
spite of every thing, Teddy was her boy still.
“If it hadn’t been for you, there never would have been a Plumfield. It
was my success with you, sir, that gave me courage to try my pet plan.
So the boys may thank you for it, and name the new institution ‘The
Laurence Museum,’ in honor of its founder,--won’t we, boys?” she added,
looking very like the lively Jo of old times.
“We will! we will!” shouted the boys, throwing up their hats, for
though they had taken them off on entering the house, according to
rule, they had been in too much of a hurry to hang them up.
“I’m as hungry as a bear, can’t I have a cookie?” asked Mr. Laurie,
when the shout subsided and he had expressed his thanks by a splendid
bow.
“Trot out and ask Asia for the gingerbread-box, Demi. It isn’t in order
to eat between meals, but, on this joyful occasion, we won’t mind,
and have a cookie all round,” said Mrs. Jo; and when the box came she
dealt them out with a liberal hand, every one munching away in a social
circle.
Suddenly, in the midst of a bite, Mr. Laurie cried out, “Bless my
heart, I forgot grandma’s bundle!” and running out to the carriage,
returned with an interesting white parcel, which, being opened,
disclosed a choice collection of beasts, birds, and pretty things cut
out of crisp sugary cake, and baked a lovely brown.
“There’s one for each, and a letter to tell which is whose. Grandma and
Hannah made them, and I tremble to think what would have happened to me
if I had forgotten to leave them.”
Then, amid much laughing and fun, the cakes were distributed. A fish
for Dan, a fiddle for Nat, a book for Demi, a monkey for Tommy, a
flower for Daisy, a hoop for Nan, who had driven twice round the
triangle without stopping, a star for Emil, who put on airs because he
studied astronomy, and, best of all, an omnibus for Franz, whose great
delight was to drive the family bus. Stuffy got a fat pig, and the
little folks had birds, and cats, and rabbits, with black currant eyes.
“Now I must go. Where is my Goldilocks? Mamma will come flying out to
get her if I’m not back early,” said Uncle Teddy, when the last crumb
had vanished, which it speedily did, you may be sure.
The young ladies had gone into the garden, and while they waited till
Franz looked them up, Jo and Laurie stood at the door talking together.
“How does little Giddy-gaddy come on?” he asked, for Nan’s pranks
amused him very much, and he was never tired of teasing Jo about her.
“Nicely; she is getting quite mannerly, and begins to see the error of
her wild ways.”
“Don’t the boys encourage her in them?”
“Yes; but I keep talking, and lately she has improved much. You saw how
prettily she shook hands with you, and how gentle she was with Bess.
Daisy’s example has its effect upon her, and I’m quite sure that a few
months will work wonders.”
Here Mrs. Jo’s remarks were cut short by the appearance of Nan tearing
round the corner at a break-neck pace, driving a mettlesome team of
four boys, and followed by Daisy trundling Bess in a wheelbarrow. Hats
off, hair flying, whip cracking, and barrow bumping, up they came in
a cloud of dust, looking as wild a set of little hoydens as one would
wish to see.
“So these are the model children, are they? It’s lucky I didn’t bring
Mrs. Curtis out to see your school for the cultivation of morals
and manners; she would never have recovered from the shock of this
spectacle,” said Mr. Laurie, laughing at Mrs. Jo’s premature rejoicing
over Nan’s improvement.
“Laugh away; I’ll succeed yet. As you used to say at College, quoting
some professor, ‘Though the experiment has failed, the principle
remains the same,’” said Mrs. Bhaer, joining in the merriment.
“I’m afraid Nan’s example is taking effect upon Daisy, instead of
the other way. Look at my little princess! she has utterly forgotten
her dignity, and is screaming like the rest. Young ladies, what does
this mean?” and Mr. Laurie rescued his small daughter from impending
destruction, for the four horses were champing their bits and
curvetting madly all about her, as she sat brandishing a great whip in
both hands.
“We’re having a race, and I beat,” shouted Nan.
“I could have run faster, only I was afraid of spilling Bess,” screamed
Daisy.
“Hi! go long!” cried the princess, giving such a flourish with her whip
that the horses ran away, and were seen no more.
“My precious child! come away from this ill-mannered crew before you
are quite spoilt. Good-by, Jo! Next time I come, I shall expect to find
the boys making patchwork.”
“It wouldn’t hurt them a bit. I don’t give in, mind you; for my
experiments always fail a few times before they succeed. Love to Amy
and my blessed Marmee,” called Mrs. Jo, as the carriage drove away; and
the last Mr. Laurie saw of her, she was consoling Daisy for her failure
by a ride in the wheelbarrow, and looking as if she liked it.
Great was the excitement all the week about the repairs in the
carriage-house, which went briskly on in spite of the incessant
questions, advice, and meddling of the boys. Old Gibbs was nearly
driven wild with it all, but managed to do his work nevertheless; and
by Friday night the place was all in order--roof mended, shelves up,
walls whitewashed, a great window cut at the back, which let in a flood
of sunshine, and gave them a fine view of the brook, the meadows, and
the distant hills; and over the great door, painted in red letters, was
“The Laurence Museum.”
All Saturday morning the boys were planning how it should be furnished
with their spoils, and when Mr. Laurie arrived, bringing an aquarium
which Mrs. Amy said she was tired of, their rapture was great.
The afternoon was spent in arranging things, and when the running and
lugging and hammering was over, the ladies were invited to behold the
institution.
It certainly was a pleasant place, airy, clean, and bright. A hop-vine
shook its green bells round the open window, the pretty aquarium stood
in the middle of the room, with some delicate water plants rising above
the water, and gold-fish showing their brightness as they floated to
and fro below. On either side of the window were rows of shelves ready
to receive the curiosities yet to be found. Dan’s tall cabinet stood
before the great door which was fastened up, while the small door was
to be used. On the cabinet stood a queer Indian idol, very ugly, but
very interesting; old Mr. Laurence sent it, as well as a fine Chinese
junk in full sail, which had a conspicuous place on the long table
in the middle of the room. Above, swinging in a loop, and looking as
if she was alive, hung Polly, who died at an advanced age, had been
carefully stuffed, and was now presented by Mrs. Jo. The walls were
decorated with all sorts of things. A snake’s skin, a big wasp’s nest,
a birch-bark canoe, a string of birds’ eggs, wreaths of gray moss from
the South, and a bunch of cotton-pods. The dead bats had a place, also
a large turtle-shell, and an ostrich-egg proudly presented by Demi, who
volunteered to explain these rare curiosities to guests whenever they
liked. There were so many stones that it was impossible to accept them
all, so only a few of the best were arranged among the shells on the
shelves, the rest were piled up in corners, to be examined by Dan at
his leisure.
Every one was eager to give something, even Silas, who sent home for
a stuffed wild-cat killed in his youth. It was rather moth-eaten and
shabby, but on a high bracket and best side foremost the effect was
fine, for the yellow glass eyes glared, and the mouth snarled so
naturally, that Teddy shook in his little shoes at sight of it, when he
came bringing his most cherished treasure, one cocoon, to lay upon the
shrine of science.
“Isn’t it beautiful? I’d no idea we had so many curious things. I gave
that; don’t it look well? We might make a lot by charging something for
letting folks see it.”
Jack added that last suggestion to the general chatter that went on as
the family viewed the room.
“This is a free museum and if there is any speculating on it I’ll paint
out the name over the door,” said Mr. Laurie, turning so quickly that
Jack wished he had held his tongue.
“Hear! hear!” cried Mr. Bhaer.
“Speech! speech!” added Mrs. Jo.
“Can’t, I’m too bashful. You give them a lecture yourself--you are used
to it,” Mr. Laurie answered, retreating towards the window, meaning to
escape. But she held him fast, and said, laughing as she looked at the
dozen pairs of dirty hands about her,--
“If I did lecture, it would be on the chemical and cleansing properties
of soap. Come now, as the founder of the institution, you really ought
to give us a few moral remarks, and we will applaud tremendously.”
Seeing that there was no way of escaping, Mr. Laurie looked up at Polly
hanging overhead, seemed to find inspiration in the brilliant old bird,
and sitting down upon the table, said, in his pleasant way,--
“There _is_ one thing I’d like to suggest, boys, and that is, I want
you to get some good as well as much pleasure out of this. Just putting
curious or pretty things here won’t do it; so suppose you read up about
them, so that when anybody asks questions you can answer them, and
understand the matter. I used to like these things myself, and should
enjoy hearing about them now, for I’ve forgotten all I once knew. It
wasn’t much, was it, Jo? Here’s Dan now, full of stories about birds,
and bugs, and so on; let him take care of the museum, and once a week
the rest of you take turns to read a composition, or tell about some
animal, mineral, or vegetable. We should all like that, and I think
it would put considerable useful knowledge into our heads. What do you
say, Professor?”
“I’d like it much, and will give the lads all the help I can. But they
will need books to read up these new subjects, and we have not many, I
fear,” began Mr. Bhaer, looking much pleased, and planning many fine
lectures on geology, which he liked. “We should have a library for the
special purpose.”
“Is that a useful sort of book, Dan?” asked Mr. Laurie, pointing to the
volume that lay open by the cabinet.
“Oh, yes! it tells all I want to know about insects. I had it here to
see how to fix the butterflies right. I covered it, so it is not hurt;”
and Dan caught it up, fearing the lender might think him careless.
“Give it here a minute;” and, pulling out his pencil, Mr. Laurie
wrote Dan’s name in it, saying, as he set the book up on one of the
corner shelves, where nothing stood but a stuffed bird without a tail,
“There, that is the beginning of the museum library. I’ll hunt up some
more books, and Demi shall keep them in order. Where are those jolly
little books we used to read, Jo? ‘Insect Architecture’ or some such
name,--all about ants having battles, and bees having queens, and
crickets eating holes in our clothes and stealing milk, and larks of
that sort.”
“In the garret at home. I’ll have them sent out, and we will plunge
into Natural History with a will,” said Mrs. Jo, ready for any thing.
“Won’t it be hard to write about such things?” asked Nat, who hated
compositions.
“At first, perhaps; but you will soon like it. If you think that hard,
how would you like to have this subject given to you, as it was to a
girl of thirteen:--A conversation between Themistocles, Aristides, and
Pericles on the proposed appropriation of the funds of the confederacy
of Delos for the ornamentation of Athens?” said Mrs. Jo.
The boys groaned at the mere sound of the long names, and the gentlemen
laughed at the absurdity of the lesson.
“Did she write it?” asked Demi, in an awe-stricken tone.
“Yes, but you can imagine what a piece of work she made of it, though
she was rather a bright child.”
“I’d like to have seen it,” said Mr. Bhaer.
“Perhaps I can find it for you; I went to school with her,” and Mrs. Jo
looked so wicked that every one knew who the little girl was.
Hearing of this fearful subject for a composition quite reconciled
the boys to the thought of writing about familiar things. Wednesday
afternoon was appointed for the lectures, as they preferred to call
them, for some chose to talk instead of write. Mr. Bhaer promised a
portfolio in which the written productions should be kept, and Mrs.
Bhaer said she would attend the course with great pleasure.
Then the dirty-handed society went off to wash, followed by the
Professor, trying to calm the anxiety of Rob, who had been told by
Tommy that all water was full of invisible pollywogs.
“I like your plan very much, only don’t be too generous, Teddy,” said
Mrs. Bhaer, when they were left alone. “You know most of the boys have
got to paddle their own canoes when they leave us, and too much sitting
in the lap of luxury will unfit them for it.”
“I’ll be moderate, but do let me amuse myself. I get desperately tired
of business sometimes, and nothing freshens me up like a good frolic
with your boys. I like that Dan very much, Jo. He isn’t demonstrative;
but he has the eye of a hawk, and when you have tamed him a little he
will do you credit.”
“I’m so glad you think so. Thank you very much for your kindness to
him, especially for this museum affair; it will keep him happy while
he is lame, give me a chance to soften and smooth this poor, rough
lad, and make him love us. What did inspire you with such a beautiful,
helpful idea, Teddy?” asked Mrs. Bhaer, glancing back at the pleasant
room, as she turned to leave it.
Laurie took both her hands in his, and answered, with a look that made
her eyes fill with happy tears,--
“Dear Jo! I have known what it is to be a motherless boy, and I never
can forget how much you and yours have done for me all these years.”