THE COMPLETE WORKS OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT: Novels, Short Stories, Plays & Poems (Illustrated Edition). Louisa May Alcott

poor Dan! I never can quite forgive myself for letting him go," sighed Mrs. Bhaer.

      At the sound of the name, little Teddy, who had never forgotten his friend, struggled down from his father's arms, and trotted to the door, looked out over the sunny lawn with a wistful face, and then trotted back again, saying, as he always did when disappointed of the longed-for sight,

      "My Danny's tummin' soon."

      "I really think we ought to have kept him, if only for Teddy's sake, he was so fond of him, and perhaps baby's love would have done for him what we failed to do."

      "I've sometimes felt that myself; but after keeping the boys in a ferment, and nearly burning up the whole family, I thought it safer to remove the firebrand, for a time at least," said Mr. Bhaer.

      "Dinner's ready, let me ring the bell," and Rob began a solo upon that instrument which made it impossible to hear one's self speak.

      "Then I may have Nan, may I?" asked Mrs. Jo.

      "A dozen Nans if you want them, my dear," answered Mr. Bhaer, who had room in his fatherly heart for all the naughty neglected children in the world.

      When Mrs. Bhaer returned from her drive that afternoon, before she could unpack the load of little boys, without whom she seldom moved, a small girl of ten skipped out at the back of the carry-all and ran into the house, shouting,

      "Hi, Daisy! where are you?"

      Daisy came, and looked pleased to see her guest, but also a trifle alarmed, when Nan said, still prancing, as if it was impossible to keep still,

      "I'm going to stay here always, papa says I may, and my box is coming tomorrow, all my things had to be washed and mended, and your aunt came and carried me off. Isn't it great fun?"

      "Why, yes. Did you bring your big doll?" asked Daisy, hoping she had, for on the last visit Nan had ravaged the baby house, and insisted on washing Blanche Matilda's plaster face, which spoilt the poor dear's complexion for ever.

      "Yes, she's somewhere round," returned Nan, with most unmaternal carelessness. "I made you a ring coming along, and pulled the hairs out of Dobbin's tail. Don't you want it?" and Nan presented a horse-hair ring in token of friendship, as they had both vowed they would never speak to one another again when they last parted.

      Won by the beauty of the offering, Daisy grew more cordial, and proposed retiring to the nursery, but Nan said, "No, I want to see the boys, and the barn," and ran off, swinging her hat by one string till it broke, when she left it to its fate on the grass.

      "Hullo! Nan!" cried the boys as she bounced in among them with the announcement,

      "I'm going to stay."

      "Hooray!" bawled Tommy from the wall on which he was perched, for Nan was a kindred spirit, and he foresaw "larks" in the future.

      "I can bat; let me play," said Nan, who could turn her hand to any thing, and did not mind hard knocks.

      "We ain't playing now, and our side beat without you."

      "I can beat you in running, any way," returned Nan, falling back on her strong point.

      "Can she?" asked Nat of Jack.

      "She runs very well for a girl," answered Jack, who looked down upon Nan with condescending approval.

      "Will you try?" said Nan, longing to display her powers.

      "It's too hot," and Tommy languished against the wall as if quite exhausted.

      "What's the matter with Stuffy?" asked Nan, whose quick eyes were roving from face to face.

      "Ball hurt his hand; he howls at every thing," answered Jack scornfully.

      "I don't, I never cry, no matter how I'm hurt; it's babyish," said Nan, loftily.

      "Pooh! I could make you cry in two minutes," returned Stuffy, rousing up.

      "See if you can."

      "Go and pick that bunch of nettles, then," and Stuffy pointed to a sturdy specimen of that prickly plant growing by the wall.

      Nan instantly "grasped the nettle," pulled it up, and held it with a defiant gesture, in spite of the almost unbearable sting.

      "Good for you," cried the boys, quick to acknowledge courage even in one of the weaker sex.

      More nettled than she was, Stuffy determined to get a cry out of her somehow, and he said tauntingly, "You are used to poking your hands into every thing, so that isn't fair. Now go and bump your head real hard against the barn, and see if you don't howl then."

      "Don't do it," said Nat, who hated cruelty.

      But Nan was off, and running straight at the barn, she gave her head a blow that knocked her flat, and sounded like a battering-ram. Dizzy, but undaunted, she staggered up, saying stoutly, though her face was drawn with pain,

      "That hurt, but I don't cry."

      "Do it again," said Stuffy angrily; and Nan would have done it, but Nat held her; and Tommy, forgetting the heat, flew at Stuffy like a little game-cock, roaring out,

      "Stop it, or I'll throw you over the barn!" and so shook and hustled poor Stuffy that for a minute he did not know whether he was on his head or his heels.

      "She told me to," was all he could say, when Tommy let him alone.

      "Never mind if she did; it is awfully mean to hurt a little girl," said Demi, reproachfully.

      "Ho! I don't mind; I ain't a little girl, I'm older than you and Daisy; so now," cried Nan, ungratefully.

      "Don't preach, Deacon, you bully Posy every day of your life," called out the Commodore, who just then hove in sight.

      "I don't hurt her; do I, Daisy?" and Demi turned to his sister, who was "pooring" Nan's tingling hands, and recommending water for the purple lump rapidly developing itself on her forehead.

      "You are the best boy in the world," promptly answered Daisy; adding, as truth compelled her to do, "You hurt me sometimes, but you don't mean to."

      "Put away the bats and things, and mind what you are about, my hearties. No fighting allowed aboard this ship," said Emil, who rather lorded it over the others.

      "How do you do, Madge Wildfire?" said Mr. Bhaer, as Nan came in with the rest to supper. "Give the right hand, little daughter, and mind thy manners," he added, as Nan offered him her left.

      "The other hurts me."

      "The poor little hand! what has it been doing to get those blisters?" he asked, drawing it from behind her back, where she had put it with a look which made him think she had been in mischief.

      Before Nan could think of any excuse, Daisy burst out with the whole story, during which Stuffy tried to hide his face in a bowl of bread and milk. When the tale was finished, Mr. Bhaer looked down the long table towards his wife, and said with a laugh in his eyes,

      "This rather belongs to your side of the house, so I won't meddle with it, my dear."

      Mrs. Jo knew what he meant, but she liked her little black sheep all the better for her pluck, though she only said in her soberest way,

      "Do you know why I asked Nan to come here?"

      "To plague me," muttered Stuffy, with his mouth full.

      "To help make little gentlemen of you, and I think you have shown that some of you need it."

      Here Stuffy retired into his bowl again, and did not emerge till Demi made them all laugh by saying, in his slow wondering way,

      "How can she, when she's such a tomboy?"

      "That's just it, she needs help as much as you, and I expect you set her an example of good manners."

      "Is she going to be a little gentleman too?" asked Rob.

      "She'd like it; wouldn't you, Nan?" added Tommy.

      "No, I shouldn't; I hate boys!"