English
Jowasverybusyinthegarret,fortheOctoberdaysbegantogrowchilly,andtheafternoonswereshort.
Fortwoorthreehoursthesunlaywarmlyinthehighwindow,showingJoseatedontheoldsofa,writingbusily,withherpapersspreadoutuponatrunkbeforeher,whileScrabble,thepetrat,promenadedthebeamsoverhead,accompaniedbyhisoldestson,afineyoungfellow,whowasevidentlyveryproudofhiswhiskers.
Quiteabsorbedinherwork,Joscribbledawaytillthelastpagewasfilled,whenshesignedhernamewithaflourishandthrewdownherpen,exclaiming...
"There,I'vedonemybest!Ifthiswon'tsuitIshallhavetowaittillIcandobetter."
Lyingbackonthesofa,shereadthemanuscriptcarefullythrough,makingdasheshereandthere,andputtinginmanyexclamationpoints,whichlookedlikelittleballoons.
Thenshetieditupwithasmartredribbon,andsataminutelookingatitwithasober,wistfulexpression,whichplainlyshowedhowearnestherworkhadbeen.
Jo'sdeskupherewasanoldtinkitchenwhichhungagainstthewall.
Initshekeptherpapers,andafewbooks,safelyshutawayfromScrabble,who,beinglikewiseofaliteraryturn,wasfondofmakingacirculatinglibraryofsuchbooksaswereleftinhiswaybyeatingtheleaves.
FromthistinreceptacleJoproducedanothermanuscript,andputtingbothinherpocket,creptquietlydownstairs,leavingherfriendstonibbleonherpensandtasteherink.
Sheputonherhatandjacketasnoiselesslyaspossible,andgoingtothebackentrywindow,gotoutupontheroofofalowporch,swungherselfdowntothegrassybank,andtookaroundaboutwaytotheroad.
Oncethere,shecomposedherself,hailedapassingomnibus,androlledawaytotown,lookingverymerryandmysterious.
Ifanyonehadbeenwatchingher,hewouldhavethoughthermovementsdecidedlypeculiar,foronalighting,shewentoffatagreatpacetillshereachedacertainnumberinacertainbusystreet.
Havingfoundtheplacewithsomedifficulty,shewentintothedoorway,lookedupthedirtystairs,andafterstandingstockstillaminute,suddenlydivedintothestreetandwalkedawayasrapidlyasshecame.
Thismaneuversherepeatedseveraltimes,tothegreatamusementofablack–eyedyounggentlemanlounginginthewindowofabuildingopposite.
Onreturningforthethirdtime,Jogaveherselfashake,pulledherhatoverhereyes,andwalkedupthestairs,lookingasifsheweregoingtohaveallherteethout.
Therewasadentist'ssign,amongothers,whichadornedtheentrance,andafterstaringamomentatthepairofartificialjawswhichslowlyopenedandshuttodrawattentiontoafinesetofteeth,theyounggentlemanputonhiscoat,tookhishat,andwentdowntoposthimselfintheoppositedoorway,sayingwithasmileandashiver,"It'slikehertocomealone,butifshehasabadtimeshe'llneedsomeonetohelpherhome."
IntenminutesJocamerunningdownstairswithaveryredfaceandthegeneralappearanceofapersonwhohadjustpassedthroughatryingordealofsomesort.
Whenshesawtheyounggentlemanshelookedanythingbutpleased,andpassedhimwithanod.
Buthefollowed,askingwithanairofsympathy,"Didyouhaveabadtime?"
"Notvery."
"Yougotthroughquickly."
"Yes,thankgoodness!"
"Whydidyougoalone?"
"Didn'twantanyonetoknow."
"You'retheoddestfellowIeversaw.Howmanydidyouhaveout?"
Jolookedatherfriendasifshedidnotunderstandhim,thenbegantolaughasifmightilyamusedatsomething.
"TherearetwowhichIwanttohavecomeout,butImustwaitaweek."
"Whatareyoulaughingat?Youareuptosomemischief,Jo,"saidLaurie,lookingmystified.
"Soareyou.Whatwereyoudoing,sir,upinthatbilliardsaloon?"
"Beggingyourpardon,ma'am,itwasn'tabilliardsaloon,butagymnasium,andIwastakingalessoninfencing."
"I'mgladofthat."
"Why?"
"Youcanteachme,andthenwhenweplayHamlet,youcanbeLaertes,andwe'llmakeafinethingofthefencingscene."
Laurieburstoutwithaheartyboy'slaugh,whichmadeseveralpassers–bysmileinspiteofthemselves.
"I'llteachyouwhetherweplayHamletornot.
It'sgrandfunandwillstraightenyouupcapitally.
ButIdon'tbelievethatwasyouronlyreasonforsaying'I'mglad'inthatdecidedway,wasitnow?"
"No,Iwasgladthatyouwerenotinthesaloon,becauseIhopeyounevergotosuchplaces.Doyou?"
"Notoften."
"Iwishyouwouldn't."
"It'snoharm,Jo.Ihavebilliardsathome,butit'snofununlessyouhavegoodplayers,so,asI'mfondofit,IcomesometimesandhaveagamewithNedMoffatorsomeoftheotherfellows."
"Oh,dear,I'msosorry,foryou'llgettolikingitbetterandbetter,andwillwastetimeandmoney,andgrowlikethosedreadfulboys.
Ididhopeyou'dstayrespectableandbeasatisfactiontoyourfriends,"saidJo,shakingherhead.
"Can'tafellowtakealittleinnocentamusementnowandthenwithoutlosinghisrespectability?"askedLaurie,lookingnettled.
"Thatdependsuponhowandwherehetakesit.
Idon'tlikeNedandhisset,andwishyou'dkeepoutofit.
Motherwon'tletushavehimatourhouse,thoughhewantstocome.
Andifyougrowlikehimshewon'tbewillingtohaveusfrolictogetheraswedonow."
"Won'tshe?"askedLaurieanxiously.
"No,shecan'tbearfashionableyoungmen,andshe'dshutusallupinbandboxesratherthanhaveusassociatewiththem."
"Well,sheneedn'tgetoutherbandboxesyet.I'mnotafashionablepartyanddon'tmeantobe,butIdolikeharmlesslarksnowandthen,don'tyou?"
"Yes,nobodymindsthem,solarkaway,butdon'tgetwild,willyou?Ortherewillbeanendofallourgoodtimes."
"I'llbeadoubledistilledsaint."
"Ican'tbearsaints.Justbeasimple,honest,respectableboy,andwe'llneverdesertyou.
Idon'tknowwhatIshoulddoifyouactedlikeMr.King'sson.
Hehadplentyofmoney,butdidn'tknowhowtospendit,andgottipsyandgambled,andranaway,andforgedhisfather'sname,Ibelieve,andwasaltogetherhorrid."
"YouthinkI'mlikelytodothesame?Muchobliged."
"No,Idon't––oh,dear,no!––butIhearpeopletalkingaboutmoneybeingsuchatemptation,andIsometimeswishyouwerepoor.Ishouldn'tworrythen."
"Doyouworryaboutme,Jo?"
"Alittle,whenyoulookmoodyanddiscontented,asyousometimesdo,foryou'vegotsuchastrongwill,ifyouoncegetstartedwrong,I'mafraiditwouldbehardtostopyou."
Lauriewalkedinsilenceafewminutes,andJowatchedhim,wishingshehadheldhertongue,forhiseyeslookedangry,thoughhislipssmiledasifatherwarnings.
"Areyougoingtodeliverlecturesallthewayhome?"heaskedpresently.
"Ofcoursenot.Why?"
"Becauseifyouare,I'lltakeabus.Ifyou'renot,I'dliketowalkwithyouandtellyousomethingveryinteresting."
"Iwon'tpreachanymore,andI'dliketohearthenewsimmensely."
"Verywell,then,comeon.It'sasecret,andifItellyou,youmusttellmeyours."
"Ihaven'tgotany,"beganJo,butstoppedsuddenly,rememberingthatshehad.
"Youknowyouhave––youcan'thideanything,soupand'fess,orIwon'ttell,"criedLaurie.
"Isyoursecretaniceone?"
"Oh,isn'tit!Allaboutpeopleyouknow,andsuchfun!Yououghttohearit,andI'vebeenachingtotellitthislongtime.Come,youbegin."
"You'llnotsayanythingaboutitathome,willyou?"
"Notaword."
"Andyouwon'tteasemeinprivate?"
"Inevertease."
"Yes,youdo.Yougeteverythingyouwantoutofpeople.Idon'tknowhowyoudoit,butyouareabornwheedler."
"Thankyou.Fireaway."
"Well,I'velefttwostorieswithanewspaperman,andhe'stogivehisanswernextweek,"whisperedJo,inherconfidant'sear.
"HurrahforMissMarch,thecelebratedAmericanauthoress!"
criedLaurie,throwinguphishatandcatchingitagain,tothegreatdelightoftwoducks,fourcats,fivehens,andhalfadozenIrishchildren,fortheywereoutofthecitynow.
"Hush!Itwon'tcometoanything,Idaresay,butIcouldn'tresttillIhadtried,andIsaidnothingaboutitbecauseIdidn'twantanyoneelsetobedisappointed."
"Itwon'tfail.Why,Jo,yourstoriesareworksofShakespearecomparedtohalftherubbishthatispublishedeveryday.
Won'titbefuntoseetheminprint,andshan'twefeelproudofourauthoress?"
Jo'seyessparkled,foritisalwayspleasanttobebelievedin,andafriend'spraiseisalwayssweeterthanadozennewspaperpuffs.
"Where'syoursecret?Playfair,Teddy,orI'llneverbelieveyouagain,"shesaid,tryingtoextinguishthebrillianthopesthatblazedupatawordofencouragement.
"Imaygetintoascrapefortelling,butIdidn'tpromisenotto,soIwill,forIneverfeeleasyinmymindtillI'vetoldyouanyplummybitofnewsIget.IknowwhereMeg'sgloveis."
"Isthatall?"saidJo,lookingdisappointed,asLaurienoddedandtwinkledwithafacefullofmysteriousintelligence.
"It'squiteenoughforthepresent,asyou'llagreewhenItellyouwhereitis."
"Tell,then."
Lauriebent,andwhisperedthreewordsinJo'sear,whichproducedacomicalchange.
Shestoodandstaredathimforaminute,lookingbothsurprisedanddispleased,thenwalkedon,sayingsharply,"Howdoyouknow?"
"Sawit."
"Where?"
"Pocket."
"Allthistime?"
"Yes,isn'tthatromantic?"
"No,it'shorrid."
"Don'tyoulikeit?"
"OfcourseIdon't.It'sridiculous,itwon'tbeallowed.Mypatience!WhatwouldMegsay?"
"Youarenottotellanyone.Mindthat."
"Ididn'tpromise."
"Thatwasunderstood,andItrustedyou."
"Well,Iwon'tforthepresent,anyway,butI'mdisgusted,andwishyouhadn'ttoldme."
"Ithoughtyou'dbepleased."
"AttheideaofanybodycomingtotakeMegaway?No,thankyou."
"You'llfeelbetteraboutitwhensomebodycomestotakeyouaway."
"I'dliketoseeanyonetryit,"criedJofiercely.
"SoshouldI!"andLauriechuckledattheidea.
"Idon'tthinksecretsagreewithme,Ifeelrumpledupinmymindsinceyoutoldmethat,"saidJoratherungratefully.
"Racedownthishillwithme,andyou'llbeallright,"suggestedLaurie.
Noonewasinsight,thesmoothroadslopedinvitinglybeforeher,andfindingthetemptationirresistible,Jodartedaway,soonleavinghatandcombbehindherandscatteringhairpinsassheran.
Lauriereachedthegoalfirstandwasquitesatisfiedwiththesuccessofhistreatment,forhisAtlantacamepantingupwithflyinghair,brighteyes,ruddycheeks,andnosignsofdissatisfactioninherface.
"IwishIwasahorse,thenIcouldrunformilesinthissplendidair,andnotlosemybreath.
Itwascapital,butseewhataguyit'smademe.
Go,pickupmythings,likeacherub,asyouare,"saidJo,droppingdownunderamapletree,whichwascarpetingthebankwithcrimsonleaves.
Laurieleisurelydepartedtorecoverthelostproperty,andJobundledupherbraids,hopingnoonewouldpassbytillshewastidyagain.
Butsomeonedidpass,andwhoshoulditbebutMeg,lookingparticularlyladylikeinherstateandfestivalsuit,forshehadbeenmakingcalls.
"Whatintheworldareyoudoinghere?"sheasked,regardingherdisheveledsisterwithwell–bredsurprise.
"Gettingleaves,"meeklyansweredJo,sortingtherosyhandfulshehadjustsweptup.
"Andhairpins,"addedLaurie,throwinghalfadozenintoJo'slap."Theygrowonthisroad,Meg,sodocombsandbrownstrawhats."
"Youhavebeenrunning,Jo.Howcouldyou?Whenwillyoustopsuchrompingways?"saidMegreprovingly,asshesettledhercuffsandsmoothedherhair,withwhichthewindhadtakenliberties.
"NevertillI'mstiffandoldandhavetouseacrutch.
Don'ttrytomakemegrowupbeforemytime,Meg.
It'shardenoughtohaveyouchangeallofasudden.
LetmebealittlegirlaslongasIcan."
Asshespoke,Jobentovertheleavestohidethetremblingofherlips,forlatelyshehadfeltthatMargaretwasfastgettingtobeawoman,andLaurie'ssecretmadeherdreadtheseparationwhichmustsurelycomesometimeandnowseemedverynear.
HesawthetroubleinherfaceanddrewMeg'sattentionfromitbyaskingquickly,"Wherehaveyoubeencalling,allsofine?"
"AttheGardiners',andSalliehasbeentellingmeallaboutBelleMoffat'swedding.Itwasverysplendid,andtheyhavegonetospendthewinterinParis.Justthinkhowdelightfulthatmustbe!"
"Doyouenvyher,Meg?"saidLaurie.
"I'mafraidIdo."
"I'mgladofit!"mutteredJo,tyingonherhatwithajerk.
"Why?"askedMeg,lookingsurprised.
"Becauseifyoucaremuchaboutriches,youwillnevergoandmarryapoorman,"saidJo,frowningatLaurie,whowasmutelywarninghertomindwhatshesaid.
"Ishallnever'goandmarry'anyone,"observedMeg,walkingonwithgreatdignitywhiletheothersfollowed,laughing,whispering,skippingstones,and'behavinglikechildren',asMegsaidtoherself,thoughshemighthavebeentemptedtojointhemifshehadnothadherbestdresson.
Foraweekortwo,Jobehavedsoqueerlythathersisterswerequitebewildered.
Sherushedtothedoorwhenthepostmanrang,wasrudetoMr.Brookewhenevertheymet,wouldsitlookingatMegwithawoe–begoneface,occasionallyjumpinguptoshakeandthenkissherinaverymysteriousmanner.
Laurieandshewerealwaysmakingsignstooneanother,andtalkingabout'SpreadEagles'tillthegirlsdeclaredtheyhadbothlosttheirwits.
OnthesecondSaturdayafterJogotoutofthewindow,Meg,asshesatsewingatherwindow,wasscandalizedbythesightofLauriechasingJoalloverthegardenandfinallycapturingherinAmy'sbower.
Whatwentonthere,Megcouldnotsee,butshrieksoflaughterwereheard,followedbythemurmurofvoicesandagreatflappingofnewspapers.
"Whatshallwedowiththatgirl?Sheneverwillbehavelikeayounglady,"sighedMeg,asshewatchedtheracewithadisapprovingface.
"Ihopeshewon't.Sheissofunnyanddearassheis,"saidBeth,whohadneverbetrayedthatshewasalittlehurtatJo'shavingsecretswithanyonebuther.
"It'sverytrying,butwenevercanmakehercommelafo,"addedAmy,whosatmakingsomenewfrillsforherself,withhercurlstiedupinaverybecomingway,twoagreeablethingsthatmadeherfeelunusuallyelegantandladylike.
InafewminutesJobouncedin,laidherselfonthesofa,andaffectedtoread.
"Haveyouanythinginterestingthere?"askedMeg,withcondescension.
"Nothingbutastory,won'tamounttomuch,Iguess,"returnedJo,carefullykeepingthenameofthepaperoutofsight.
"You'dbetterreaditaloud.Thatwillamuseusandkeepyououtofmischief,"saidAmyinhermostgrown–uptone.
"What'sthename?"askedBeth,wonderingwhyJokeptherfacebehindthesheet.
"TheRivalPainters."
"Thatsoundswell.Readit,"saidMeg.
Withaloud"Hem!"andalongbreath,Jobegantoreadveryfast.
Thegirlslistenedwithinterest,forthetalewasromantic,andsomewhatpathetic,asmostofthecharactersdiedintheend.
"Ilikethataboutthesplendidpicture,"wasAmy'sapprovingremark,asJopaused.
"Iprefertheloveringpart.ViolaandAngeloaretwoofourfavoritenames,isn'tthatqueer?"saidMeg,wipinghereyes,fortheloveringpartwastragical.
"Whowroteit?"askedBeth,whohadcaughtaglimpseofJo'sface.
Thereadersuddenlysatup,castawaythepaper,displayingaflushedcountenance,andwithafunnymixtureofsolemnityandexcitementrepliedinaloudvoice,"Yoursister."
"You?"criedMeg,droppingherwork.
"It'sverygood,"saidAmycritically.
"Iknewit!Iknewit!Oh,myJo,Iamsoproud!"andBethrantohughersisterandexultoverthissplendidsuccess.
Dearme,howdelightedtheyallwere,tobesure!
HowMegwouldn'tbelieveittillshesawthewords.
"MissJosephineMarch,"actuallyprintedinthepaper.
HowgraciouslyAmycritisizedtheartisticpartsofthestory,andofferedhintsforasequel,whichunfortunatelycouldn'tbecarriedout,astheheroandheroineweredead.
HowBethgotexcited,andskippedandsangwithjoy.
HowHannahcameintoexclaim,"Sakesalive,wellInever!"
ingreatastonishmentat'thatJo'sdoin's'.
HowproudMrs.Marchwaswhensheknewit.
HowJolaughed,withtearsinhereyes,asshedeclaredshemightaswellbeapeacockanddonewithit,andhowthe'SpreadEagle'mightbesaidtoflaphiswingstriumphantlyovertheHouseofMarch,asthepaperpassedfromhandtohand.
"Tellusaboutit.""Whendiditcome?""Howmuchdidyougetforit?""WhatwillFathersay?""Won'tLaurielaugh?"
criedthefamily,allinonebreathastheyclusteredaboutJo,forthesefoolish,affectionatepeoplemadeajubileeofeverylittlehouseholdjoy.
"Stopjabbering,girls,andI'lltellyoueverything,"saidJo,wonderingifMissBurneyfeltanygranderoverherEvelinathanshedidoverher'RivalPainters'.
Havingtoldhowshedisposedofhertales,Joadded,"AndwhenIwenttogetmyanswer,themansaidhelikedthemboth,butdidn'tpaybeginners,onlyletthemprintinhispaper,andnoticedthestories.
Itwasgoodpractice,hesaid,andwhenthebeginnersimproved,anyonewouldpay.
SoIlethimhavethetwostories,andtodaythiswassenttome,andLauriecaughtmewithitandinsistedonseeingit,soIlethim.
Andhesaiditwasgood,andIshallwritemore,andhe'sgoingtogetthenextpaidfor,andIamsohappy,forintimeImaybeabletosupportmyselfandhelpthegirls."
Jo'sbreathgaveouthere,andwrappingherheadinthepaper,shebedewedherlittlestorywithafewnaturaltears,fortobeindependentandearnthepraiseofthoseshelovedwerethedearestwishesofherheart,andthisseemedtobethefirststeptowardthathappyend.
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