ED.
________
THE PUBLIC BEREAVEMENT
It is our painful duty to report the unexpected and
mysterious disappearance of our loved buddy, Mrs.
Snowball Pat Paw. This adorable and loved cat changed into the
pet of a large circle of warm and admiring pals; for
her splendor attracted all eyes, her graces and virtues
endeared her to all hearts, and her loss is deeply felt
by using the whole community.
When closing seen, she became sitting at the gate, watching
the butcher's cart, and it's miles feared that some villain,
tempted through her charms, basely stole her. Weeks have handed,
however no trace of her has been found, and we relinquish
all hope, tie a black ribbon to her basket, set apart her
dish, and weep for her as one lost to us for all time.
________
A sympathizing pal sends the subsequent gem:
A LAMENT
(FOR S. B. PAT PAW)
We mourn the loss of our little pet,
And sigh o'er her hapless fate,
For in no way more by way of the fireplace she'll sit,
Nor play by way of the vintage inexperienced gate.
The little grave in which her toddler sleeps
Is 'neath the chestnut tree.
But o'er her grave we may not weep,
We recognize now not in which it can be.
Her empty bed, her idle ball,
Will in no way see her extra;
No gentle tap, no loving purr
Is heard on the parlor door.
Another cat comes after her mice,
A cat with a grimy face,
But she does not hunt as our darling did,
Nor play along with her airy grace.
Her stealthy paws tread the very hall
Where Snowball used to play,
But she handiest spits on the puppies our pet
So gallantly drove away.
She is beneficial and slight, and does her exceptional,
But she is not honest to see,
And we can not supply her your location dear,
Nor worship her as we worship thee.
A.S.
________
ADVERTISEMENTS
MISS ORANTHY BLUGGAGE, the performed
robust-minded lecturer, will supply her
famous lecture on "WOMAN AND HER POSITION"
at Pickwick Hall, next Saturday Evening,
after the usual performances.
A WEEKLY MEETING will be held at Kitchen
Place, to teach younger girls a way to cook dinner.
Hannah Brown will preside, and all are
invited to wait.
The DUSTPAN SOCIETY will meet on Wednesday
subsequent, and parade in the upper story of the
Club House. All participants to appear in uniform
and shoulder their brooms at nine exactly.
Mrs. BETH BOUNCER will open her new
collection of Doll's Millinery next week.
The today's Paris models have arrived,
and orders are respectfully solicited.
A NEW PLAY will seem on the Barnville
Theatre, within the course of a few weeks, which
will surpass some thing ever visible on the American level.
"The Greek Slave, or Constantine the Avenger," is the name
of this thrilling drama!!!
HINTS
If S.P. Didn't use a lot soap on his fingers,
he wouldn't always be past due at breakfast. A.S.
Is asked no longer to whistle in the road. T.T.
Please bear in mind Amy's serviette. N.W. Ought to
no longer agonize because his get dressed has now not nine tucks.
WEEKLY REPORT
Meg—Good.
Jo—Bad.
Beth—Very Good.
Amy—Middling.
_________________________________________________
As the President finished reading the paper (which I beg depart to guarantee my readers is a bona fide reproduction of 1 written by means of bona fide women once upon a time), a spherical of applause observed, and then Mr. Snodgrass rose to make a proposition.
"Mr. President and gents," he began, assuming a parliamentary mindset and tone, "I desire to endorse the admission of a new member—one that highly deserves the honour, could be deeply thankful for it, and could upload immensely to the spirit of the membership, the literary price of the paper, and be no end jolly and exceptional. I endorse Mr. Theodore Laurence as an honorary member of the P. C. Come now, do have him."
Jo's surprising change of tone made the girls chortle, however all regarded alternatively worrying, and nobody said a phrase as Snodgrass took his seat.
"We'll positioned it to a vote," said the President. "All in favor of this motion please to manifest it by using announcing, 'Aye'."
A loud response from Snodgrass, observed, to everybody's surprise, by using a timid one from Beth.
"Contrary-minded say, 'No'."
Meg and Amy had been opposite-minded, and Mr. Winkle rose to say with extremely good elegance, "We do not desire any boys, they best joke and soar approximately. This is a ladies' club, and we wish to be personal and right."
"I'm afraid he's going to snort at our paper, and make amusing people afterward," found Pickwick, pulling the little curl on her brow, as she usually did while dubious.
Up rose Snodgrass, very a lot in earnest. "Sir, I provide you with my word as a gentleman, Laurie won't do anything of the sort. He loves to write, and he'll give a tone to our contributions and keep us from being sentimental, do not you spot? We can do so little for him, and he does so much for us, I suppose the least we can do is to offer him an area here, and make him welcome if he comes."
This clever allusion to benefits conferred added Tupman to his feet, searching as if he had quite made up his thoughts.
"Yes; we should do it, despite the fact that we're afraid. I say he may additionally come, and his grandpa, too, if he likes."
This lively burst from Beth electrified the membership, and Jo left her seat to shake palms approvingly. "Now then, vote once more. Everybody keep in mind it is our Laurie, and say, 'Aye!'" cried Snodgrass excitedly.
"Aye! Aye! Aye!" spoke back three voices straight away.
"Good! Bless you! Now, as there's nothing like 'taking time with the aid of the fetlock', as Winkle in general observes, permit me to provide the new member." And, to the dismay of the relaxation of the club, Jo threw open the door of the closet, and displayed Laurie sitting on a rag bag, flushed and twinkling with suppressed laughter.
"You rogue! You traitor! Jo, how ought to you?" cried the three girls, as Snodgrass led her buddy triumphantly forth, and producing each a chair and a badge, set up him in a jiffy.
"The coolness of you two rascals is wonderful," began Mr. Pickwick, trying to stand up an lousy frown and handiest succeeding in generating an amiable smile. But the brand new member was equal to the occasion, and growing, with a thankful salutation to the Chair, stated within the maximum enticing way, "Mr. President and ladies—I beg pardon, gentlemen—permit me to introduce myself as Sam Weller, the very humble servant of the club."
"Good! Good!" cried Jo, pounding with the cope with of the vintage warming pan on which she leaned.
"My devoted pal and noble client," endured Laurie with a wave of the hand, "who has so flatteringly provided me, is not to be blamed for the bottom stratagem of this night. I planned it, and she simplest gave in after lots of teasing."
"Come now, don't lay all of it on yourself. You recognise I proposed the cabinet," broke in Snodgrass, who become enjoying the shaggy dog story amazingly.
"Never mind what she says. I'm the wretch that did it, sir," said the brand new member, with a Welleresque nod to Mr. Pickwick. "But on my honor, I in no way will ach
ieve this again, and henceforth dedicate myself to the interest of this immortal club."
"Hear! Hear!" cried Jo, clashing the lid of the warming pan like a cymbal.
"Go on, go on!" added Winkle and Tupman, even as the President bowed benignly.
"I merely wish to mention, that as a moderate token of my gratitude for the honor executed me, and as a method of selling pleasant family members among adjacent nations, I actually have installation a publish workplace in the hedge inside the lower corner of the garden, a quality, spacious constructing with padlocks on the doors and every comfort for the mails, additionally the girls, if I may be allowed the expression. It's the antique martin residence, however I've stopped up the door and made the roof open, so it's going to hold all forms of matters, and save our treasured time. Letters, manuscripts, books, and bundles can be exceeded in there, and as each country has a key, it is going to be uncommonly pleasant, I fancy. Allow me to give the club key, and with many thank you to your choose, take my seat."
Great applause as Mr. Weller deposited a touch key on the desk and subsided, the warming pan clashed and waved wildly, and it changed into some time earlier than order might be restored. A lengthy discussion observed, and all and sundry came out unexpected, for each person did her fine. So it become an strangely lively assembly, and did not adjourn until a overdue hour, while it broke up with 3 shrill cheers for the new member.
No one ever regretted the admittance of Sam Weller, for a more dedicated, nicely-behaved, and jovial member no membership should have. He surely did add 'spirit' to the conferences, and 'a tone' to the paper, for his orations convulsed his hearers and his contributions have been remarkable, being patriotic, classical, comical, or dramatic, but by no means sentimental. Jo seemed them as worth of William Maxwell Aitken, Milton, or Shakespeare, and revamped her personal works with desirable effect, she notion.
The P. O. Turned into a capital little group, and flourished splendidly, for nearly as many queer things handed via it as thru the real publish office. Tragedies and cravats, poetry and pickles, lawn seeds and long letters, music and gingerbread, rubbers, invitations, scoldings, and dogs. The old gentleman preferred the fun, and amused himself by means of sending strange bundles, mysterious messages, and funny telegrams, and his gardener, who turned into smitten with Hannah's charms, virtually sent a love letter to Jo's care. How they laughed when the name of the game came out, in no way dreaming how many love letters that little publish workplace would hold in the years yet to come.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EXPERIMENTS
"The first of June! The Kings are off to the seashore the following day, and I'm free. Three months' holiday—how I shall revel in it!" exclaimed Meg, coming home one warm day to locate Jo laid upon the sofa in an uncommon state of exhaustion, while Beth took off her dusty boots, and Amy made lemonade for the refreshment of the whole party.
"Aunt March went these days, for which, oh, be glad!" stated Jo. "I turned into mortally afraid she'd ask me to go together with her. If she had, I should have felt as though I must do it, however Plumfield is about as gay as a churchyard, you already know, and I'd rather be excused. We had a flurry getting the old female off, and I had a fright whenever she spoke to me, for I turned into in this sort of hurry to be via that I become uncommonly useful and sweet, and feared she'd find it not possible to element from me. I quaked till she became pretty in the carriage, and had a very last fright, for because it drove of, she popped out her head, pronouncing, 'Josyphine, might not you—?' I failed to listen any more, for I basely turned and fled. I did definitely run, and whisked next door in which I felt safe."
"Poor vintage Jo! She came in looking as if bears were after her," stated Beth, as she cuddled her sister's toes with a motherly air.
"Aunt March is a everyday samphire, is she no longer?" discovered Amy, tasting her aggregate seriously.
"She method vampire, no longer seaweed, but it does not remember. It's too heat to be precise about one's components of speech," murmured Jo.
"What shall you do all your holiday?" requested Amy, converting the situation with tact.
"I shall lie abed overdue, and do nothing," replied Meg, from the depths of the rocking chair. "I've been routed up early all iciness and needed to spend my days operating for other humans, so now I'm going to rest and revel to my coronary heart's content material."
"No," stated Jo, "that dozy way wouldn't fit me. I've laid in a heap of books, and I'm going to improve my shining hours reading on my perch inside the vintage apple tree, once I'm no longer having l——"
"Don't say 'larks!'" implored Amy, as a return snub for the 'samphire' correction.
"I'll say 'nightingales' then, with Laurie. That's proper and appropriate, on account that he is a warbler."
"Don't let us do any instructions, Beth, for some time, however play all the time and relaxation, as the girls mean to," proposed Amy.
"Well, I will, if Mother doesn't thoughts. I want to study a few new songs, and my children want becoming up for the summer. They are dreadfully out of order and absolutely struggling for clothes."
"May we, Mother?" requested Meg, turning to Mrs. March, who sat sewing in what they referred to as 'Marmee's corner'.
"You may additionally attempt your test for every week and spot how you want it. I think through Saturday night you will locate that each one play and no paintings is as awful as all paintings and no play."
"Oh, dear, no! It might be delicious, I'm positive," stated Meg complacently.
"I now endorse a toast, as my 'friend and pardner, Sairy Gamp', says. Fun forever, and no grubbing!" cried Jo, rising, glass in hand, as the lemonade went spherical.
They all drank it merrily, and commenced the test by using lounging for the rest of the day. Next morning, Meg did now not appear until ten o'clock. Her solitary breakfast did not flavor appropriate, and the room appeared lonely and untidy, for Jo had not filled the vases, Beth had now not dusted, and Amy's books lay scattered approximately. Nothing became neat and satisfactory however 'Marmee's nook', which appeared as standard. And there Meg sat, to 'rest and study', which meant to yawn and believe what quite summer clothes she would get with her salary. Jo spent the morning at the river with Laurie and the afternoon reading and crying over The Wide, Wide World, up inside the apple tree. Beth started out by means of rummaging the whole lot out of the big closet wherein her own family resided, but getting tired earlier than 1/2 completed, she left her establishment topsy-turvy and went to her music, rejoicing that she had no dishes to scrub. Amy arranged her bower, put on her excellent white frock, smoothed her curls, and sat down to draw underneath the honeysuckle, hoping a person could see and inquire who the younger artist changed into. As no one appeared but an inquisitive daddy-longlegs, who examined her paintings with hobby, she went to walk, were given caught in a bath, and got here domestic dripping.
At teatime they compared notes, and all agreed that it were a delightful, though surprisingly lengthy day. Meg, who went shopping in the afternoon and were given a 'sweet blue muslin', had found, after she had cut the breadths off, that it wouldn't wash, which mishap made her slightly pass. Jo had burned the skin off her nostril boating, and got a raging headache by way of analyzing too long. Beth changed into worried by using the confusion of her closet and the issue of getting to know three or 4 songs immediately, and Amy deeply regretted the harm completed her frock, for Katy Brown's birthday party become to be the next day and now like Flora McFlimsey, she had 'nothing to wear'. But these have been mere trifles, and that they confident their mom that the test changed into running finely. She smiled, stated nothing, and with Hannah's help did their ignored work, retaining home exceptional and the home equipment running easily. It become superb what a unusual and uncomfortable country of factors turned into produced by the 'resting and reveling' process. The days kept getting longer and longer, the weather became surprisingly variable and so were tempers; an unsettled feeling possessed every person, and Satan observed mass
es of mischief for the idle hands to do. As the height of luxurious, Meg placed out some of her sewing, after which discovered time dangle so heavily, that she fell to snipping and spoiling her clothes in her tries to furbish them up a la Moffat. Jo study until her eyes gave out and she or he become unwell of books, were given so fidgety that even correct-natured Laurie had a quarrel together with her, and so decreased in spirits that she desperately wished she had gone with Aunt March. Beth were given on pretty nicely, for she was continuously forgetting that it changed into to be all play and no paintings, and fell lower back into her antique approaches now after which. But some thing inside the air affected her, and more than once her tranquility became a great deal disturbed, a lot so that on one occasion she in reality shook negative dear Joanna and advised her she turned into 'a fright'. Amy fared worst of all, for her resources were small, and whilst her sisters left her to amuse herself, she quickly located that performed and crucial little self a super burden. She did not like dolls, fairy stories had been infantile, and one couldn't draw all the time. Tea events did not quantity to a lot, neither did picnics, until very well performed. "If one may want to have a great house, full of fine women, or move travelling, the summer time would be pleasant, but to live at home with three selfish sisters and a grown-up boy changed into sufficient to attempt the staying power of a Boaz," complained Miss Malaprop, after numerous days devoted to pride, fretting, and ennui.
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