Eight Cousins; Or, The Aunt-Hill

by Louisa May Alcott

  CHAPTER XIX.

  _BROTHER BONES._

  ROSE accepted her uncle's offer, as Aunt Myra discovered two or threedays later. Coming in for an early call, and hearing voices in thestudy, she opened the door, gave a cry and shut it quickly, looking agood deal startled. The Doctor appeared in a moment, and begged to knowwhat the matter was.

  "How _can_ you ask when that long box looks so like a coffin I thoughtit was one, and that dreadful thing stared me in the face as I openedthe door," answered Mrs. Myra, pointing to the skeleton that hung fromthe chandelier cheerfully grinning at all beholders.

  "This is a medical college where women are freely admitted, so walk in,madam, and join the class if you'll do me the honor," said the Doctor,waving her forward with his politest bow.

  "Do, auntie; it's perfectly splendid," cried Rose's voice, and Rose'sblooming face was seen behind the ribs of the skeleton, smiling andnodding in the gayest possible manner.

  "What _are_ you doing, child?" demanded Aunt Myra, dropping into a chairand staring about her.

  "Oh, I'm learning bones to-day, and I like it so much. There are twelveribs, you know, and the two lower ones are called floating ribs, becausethey are not fastened to the breast bone. That's why they go in soeasily if you lace tight and squeeze the lungs and heart in the--let mesee, what was that big word--oh, I know--thoracic cavity," and Rosebeamed with pride as she aired her little bit of knowledge.

  "Do you think that is a good sort of thing for her to be poking over?She is a nervous child, and I'm afraid it will be bad for her," saidAunt Myra, watching Rose as she counted vertebrae, and waggled ahip-joint in its socket with an inquiring expression.

  "An excellent study, for she enjoys it, and I mean to teach her how tomanage her nerves so that they won't be a curse to her, as many awoman's become through ignorance or want of thought. To make a mysteryor a terror of these things is a mistake, and I mean Rose shallunderstand and respect her body so well that she won't dare to triflewith it as most women do."

  "And she really likes it?"

  "Very much, auntie! It's all so wonderful, and so nicely planned, youcan hardly believe what you see. Just think, there are 600,000,000 aircells in one pair of lungs, and 2,000 pores to a square inch of surface;so you see what quantities of air we _must_ have, and what care weshould take of our skin so all the little doors will open and shutright. And brains, auntie, you've no idea how curious they are; Ihaven't got to them yet, but I long to, and uncle is going to show me amanikin that you can take to pieces. Just think how nice it will be tosee all the organs in their places; I only wish they could be made towork as ours do."

  It was funny to see Aunt Myra's face as Rose stood before her talkingrapidly with one hand laid in the friendliest manner on the skeleton'sshoulder. Every word both the Doctor and Rose uttered hit the good ladyin her weakest spot, and as she looked and listened a long array ofbottles and pill-boxes rose up before her, reproaching her with the"ignorance and want of thought" that made her what she was, a nervous,dyspeptic, unhappy old woman.

  "Well, I don't know but you may be right, Alec, only I wouldn't carry ittoo far. Women don't need much of this sort of knowledge, and are notfit for it. I couldn't bear to touch that ugly thing, and it gives methe creeps to hear about 'organs,'" said Aunt Myra, with a sigh and herhand on her side.

  "Wouldn't it be a comfort to know that your liver was on the right side,auntie, and not on the left?" asked Rose with a naughty laugh in hereyes, for she had lately learned that Aunt Myra's liver complaint wasnot in the proper place.

  "It's a dying world, child, and it don't much matter where the pain is,for sooner or later we all drop off and are seen no more," was AuntMyra's cheerful reply.

  "Well, I intend to know what kills me if I can, and meantime I'm goingto enjoy myself in spite of a dying world. I wish you'd do so too, andcome and study with uncle, it would do you good I'm sure," and Rose wentback to counting vertebrae with such a happy face that Aunt Myra had notthe heart to say a word to dampen her ardor.

  "Perhaps it's as well to let her do what she likes the little while sheis with us. But pray be careful of her, Alec, and not allow her tooverwork," she whispered as she went out.

  "That's exactly what I'm trying to do, ma'am, and rather a hard job Ifind it," he added, as he shut the door, for the dear aunts weredreadfully in his way sometimes.

  Half an hour later came another interruption in the shape of Mac, whoannounced his arrival by the brief but elegant remark,--

  "Hullo! what new game is this?"

  Rose explained, Mac gave a long whistle of surprise, and then took apromenade round the skeleton, observing gravely,--

  "Brother Bones looks very jolly, but I can't say much for his beauty."

  "You mustn't make fun of him, for he's a good old fellow, and you'd bejust as ugly if your flesh was off," said Rose, defending her new friendwith warmth.

  "I dare say, so I'll keep my flesh on, thank you. You are so busy youcan't read to a fellow, I suppose?" asked Mac, whose eyes were better,but still too weak for books.

  "Don't you want to come and join my class? uncle explains it all to us,and you can take a look at the plates as they come along. We'll give upbones to-day and have eyes instead; that will be more interesting to_you_," added Rose, seeing no ardent thirst for physiologicalinformation in his face.

  "Rose, we must not fly about from one thing to another in this way,"began Dr. Alec; but she whispered quickly, with a nod towards Mac, whosegoggles were turned wistfully in the direction of the forbidden books,--

  "He's blue to-day, and we must amuse him; give a little lecture on eyes,and it will do him good. No matter about me, uncle."

  "Very well; the class will please be seated," and the Doctor gave asounding rap on the table.

  "Come, sit by me, dear, then we can both see the pictures; and if yourhead gets tired you can lie down," said Rose, generously opening herlittle college to a brother, and kindly providing for the weaknessesthat all humanity is subject to.

  Side by side they sat and listened to a very simple explanation of themechanism of the eye, finding it as wonderful as a fairy tale, for fineplates illustrated it, and a very willing teacher did his best to makethe lesson pleasant.

  "Jove! if I'd known what mischief I was doing to that mighty delicatemachine of mine, you wouldn't have caught me reading by fire light, orstudying with a glare of sunshine on my book," said Mac, peeringsolemnly at a magnified eyeball; then, pushing it away, he addedindignantly: "Why isn't a fellow taught all about his works, and how tomanage 'em, and not left to go blundering into all sorts of worries?Telling him after he's down isn't much use, for then he's found it outhimself and won't thank you."

  "Ah, Mac, that's just what I keep lecturing about, and people _won't_listen. You lads need that sort of knowledge so much, and fathers andmothers ought to be able to give it to you. Few of them _are_ able, andso we all go blundering, as you say. Less Greek and Latin and moreknowledge of the laws of health for _my_ boys, if I had them.Mathematics are all very well, but morals are better, and I wish, _how_I wish that I could help teachers and parents to feel it as they ought."

  "Some do; Aunt Jessie and her boys have capital talks, and I wish wecould; but mother's so busy with her housekeeping, and father with hisbusiness, there never seems to be any time for that sort of thing; evenif there was, it don't seem as if it would be easy to talk to them,because we've never got into the way of it, you know."

  Poor Mac was right there, and expressed a want that many a boy and girlfeels. Fathers and mothers _are_ too absorbed in business andhousekeeping to study their children, and cherish that sweet and naturalconfidence which is a child's surest safeguard, and a parent's subtlestpower. So the young hearts hide trouble or temptation till the harm isdone, and mutual regret comes too late. Happy the boys and girls whotell all things freely to father or mother, sure of pity, help, andpardon; and thrice happy the parents who, out of their own experience,and by their own virtues, can teach and uplift the sou
ls for which theyare responsible.

  This longing stirred in the hearts of Rose and Mac, and by a naturalimpulse both turned to Dr. Alec, for in this queer world of ours,fatherly and motherly hearts often beat warm and wise in the breasts ofbachelor uncles and maiden aunts; and it is my private opinion thatthese worthy creatures are a beautiful provision of nature for thecherishing of other people's children. They certainly get great comfortout of it, and receive much innocent affection that otherwise would belost.

  Dr. Alec was one of these, and his big heart had room for every one ofthe eight cousins, especially orphaned Rose and afflicted Mac; so, whenthe boy uttered that unconscious reproach to his parents, and Rose addedwith a sigh, "It must be beautiful to have a mother!"--the good Doctoryearned over them, and, shutting his book with a decided slam, said inthat cordial voice of his,--

  "Now, look here, children, you just come and tell _me_ all your worries,and with God's help I'll settle them for you. That is what I'm here for,I believe, and it will be a great happiness to me if you can trust me."

  "We can, uncle, and we will!" both answered with a heartiness thatgratified him much.

  "Good! now school is dismissed, and I advise you to go and refresh your600,000,000 air cells by a brisk run in the garden. Come again wheneveryou like, Mac, and we'll teach you all we can about your 'works,' as youcall them, so you can keep them running smoothly."

  "We'll come, sir, much obliged," and the class in physiology went out towalk.

  Mac did come again, glad to find something he could study in spite ofhis weak eyes, and learned much that was of more value than any thinghis school had ever taught him.

  Of course, the other lads made great fun of the whole thing, and plaguedDr. Alec's students half out of their lives. But they kept onpersistently, and one day something happened which made the otherfellows behave themselves for ever after.

  It was a holiday, and Rose up in her room thought she heard the voicesof her cousins, so she ran down to welcome them, but found no one there.

  "Never mind, they will be here soon, and then we'll have a frolic," shesaid to herself, and thinking she had been mistaken she went into thestudy to wait. She was lounging over the table looking at a map when anodd noise caught her ear. A gentle tapping somewhere, and following thesound it seemed to come from the inside of the long case in which theskeleton lived when not professionally engaged. This case stood uprightin a niche between two book-cases at the back of the room, a darkishcorner, where Brother Bones, as the boys _would_ call him, was out ofthe way.

  As Rose stood looking in that direction, and wondering if a rat had gotshut in, the door of the case swung slowly open, and with a great startshe saw a bony arm lifted, and a bony finger beckon to her. For a minuteshe was frightened, and ran to the study door with a fluttering heart,but just as she touched the handle a queer, stifled sort of giggle madeher stop short and turn red with anger. She paused an instant to collectherself, and then went softly toward the bony beckoner. A nearer lookrevealed black threads tied to the arm and fingers, the ends of threadsdisappearing through holes bored in the back of the case. Peeping intothe deep recess, she also caught sight of the tip of an elbow coveredwith a rough gray cloth which she knew very well.

  Quick as a flash she understood the joke, her fear vanished, and with awicked smile, she whipped out her scissors, cut the threads, and thebony arm dropped with a rattle. Before she could say, "Come out,Charlie, and let my skeleton alone," a sudden irruption of boys all in ahigh state of tickle proclaimed to the hidden rogue that his joke was afailure.

  "I told him not to do it, because it might give you a start," explainedArchie, emerging from the closet.

  "I had a smelling-bottle all ready if she fainted away," added Steve,popping up from behind the great chair.

  "It's too bad of you not to squawk and run; we depended on it, it's suchfun to howl after you," said Will and Geordie, rolling out from underthe sofa in a promiscuous heap.

  "You are getting altogether too strong-minded, Rose; most girls wouldhave been in a jolly twitter to see this old fellow waggling his fingerat them," complained Charlie, squeezing out from his tight quarters,dusty and disgusted.

  "I'm used to your pranks now, so I'm always on the watch and prepared.But I won't have Brother Bones made fun of. I know uncle wouldn't likeit, so please don't," began Rose just as Dr. Alec came in, and, seeingthe state of the case at a glance, he said quietly,--

  "Hear how I got that skeleton, and then I'm sure you will treat it withrespect."

  The boys settled down at once on any article of furniture that wasnearest and listened dutifully.

  "Years ago, when I was in the hospital, a poor fellow was brought therewith a rare and very painful disease. There was no hope for him, but wedid our best, and he was so grateful that when he died he left us hisbody that we might discover the mysteries of his complaint, and so beable to help others afflicted in the same way. It did do good, and hisbrave patience made us remember him long after he was gone. He thought Ihad been kind to him, and said to a fellow-student of mine: 'Tell theDoctor I lave him me bones, for I've nothing else in the wide world, andI'll not be wanting 'em at all, at all, when the great pain has kilt meentirely.' So that is how they came to be mine, and why I've kept themcarefully; for, though only a poor, ignorant fellow, Mike Nolan did whathe could to help others, and prove his gratitude to those who tried tohelp him."

  As Dr. Alec paused, Archie closed the door of the case as respectfullyas if the mummy of an Egyptian king was inside; Will and Geordie lookedsolemnly at one another, evidently much impressed, and Charlie pensivelyremarked from the coal-hod where he sat,--

  "I've often heard of a skeleton in the house, but I think few peoplehave one as useful and as interesting as ours."