Little Men: Life at Plumfield With Jo's Boys
“As I never expected to have any at Plumfield, I never did make such
a rule,” answered Mr. Bhaer, smiling in spite of himself at the boy's
excuse. Then he added gravely, “But one of the first and most important
of our few laws is the law of kindness to every dumb creature on the
place. I want everybody and everything to be happy here, to love
and trust, and serve us, as we try to love and trust and serve them
faithfully and willingly. I have often said that you were kinder to the
animals than any of the other boys, and Mrs. Bhaer liked that trait in
you very much, because she thought it showed a good heart. But you have
disappointed us in that, and we are sorry, for we hoped to make you
quite one of us. Shall we try again?”
Dan's eyes had been on the floor, and his hands nervously picking at
the bit of wood he had been whittling as Mr. Bhaer came in, but when he
heard the kind voice ask that question, he looked up quickly, and said
in a more respectful tone than he had ever used before,
“Yes, please.”
“Very well, then, we will say no more, only you will stay at home from
the walk to-morrow, as the other boys will and all of you must wait on
poor Buttercup till she is well again.”
“I will.”
“Now, go down to supper, and do your best, my boy, more for your own
sake than for ours.” Then Mr. Bhaer shook hands with him, and Dan went
down more tamed by kindness than he would have been by the good whipping
which Asia had strongly recommended.
Dan did try for a day or two, but not being used to it, he soon tired
and relapsed into his old wilful ways. Mr. Bhaer was called from home
on business one day, and the boys had no lessons. They liked this, and
played hard till bedtime, when most of them turned in and slept like
dormice. Dan, however, had a plan in his head, and when he and Nat were
alone, he unfolded it.
“Look here!” he said, taking from under his bed a bottle, a cigar, and a
pack of cards, “I'm going to have some fun, and do as I used to with
the fellows in town. Here's some beer, I got if of the old man at the
station, and this cigar; you can pay for 'em or Tommy will, he's got
heaps of money and I haven't a cent. I'm going to ask him in; no, you
go, they won't mind you.”
“The folks won't like it,” began Nat.
“They won't know. Daddy Bhaer is away, and Mrs. Bhaer's busy with Ted;
he's got croup or something, and she can't leave him. We shan't sit up
late or make any noise, so where's the harm?”
“Asia will know if we burn the lamp long, she always does.”
“No, she won't, I've got a dark lantern on purpose; it don't give much
light, and we can shut it quick if we hear anyone coming,” said Dan.
This idea struck Nat as a fine one, and lent an air of romance to the
thing. He started off to tell Tommy, but put his head in again to say,
“You want Demi, too, don't you?”
“No, I don't; the Deacon will rollup eyes and preach if you tell him. He
will be asleep, so just tip the wink to Tom and cut back again.”
Nat obeyed, and returned in a minute with Tommy half dressed, rather
tousled about the head and very sleepy, but quite ready for fun as
usual.
“Now, keep quiet, and I'll show you how to play a first-rate game called
'Poker,'” said Dan, as the three revellers gathered round the table, on
which were set forth the bottle, the cigar, and the cards. “First we'll
all have a drink, then we'll take a go at the 'weed,' and then we'll
play. That's the way men do, and it's jolly fun.”
The beer circulated in a mug, and all three smacked their lips over it,
though Nat and Tommy did not like the bitter stuff. The cigar was worse
still, but they dared not say so, and each puffed away till he was dizzy
or choked, when he passed the “weed” on to his neighbor. Dan liked
it, for it seemed like old times when he now and then had a chance
to imitate the low men who surrounded him. He drank, and smoked, and
swaggered as much like them as he could, and, getting into the spirit
of the part he assumed, he soon began to swear under his breath for
fear some one should hear him. “You mustn't; it's wicked to say 'Damn!'”
cried Tommy, who had followed his leader so far.
“Oh, hang! don't you preach, but play away; it's part of the fun to
swear.”
“I'd rather say 'thunder turtles,'” said Tommy, who had composed this
interesting exclamation and was very proud of it.
“And I'll say 'The Devil;' that sounds well,” added Nat, much impressed
by Dan's manly ways.
Dan scoffed at their “nonsense,” and swore stoutly as he tried to teach
them the new game.
But Tommy was very sleepy, and Nat's head began to ache with the beer
and the smoke, so neither of them was very quick to learn, and the game
dragged. The room was nearly dark, for the lantern burned badly; they
could not laugh loud nor move about much, for Silas slept next door in
the shed-chamber, and altogether the party was dull. In the middle of a
deal Dan stopped suddenly, and called out, “Who's that?” in a startled
tone, and at the same moment drew the slide over the light. A voice in
the darkness said tremulously, “I can't find Tommy,” and then there was
the quick patter of bare feet running away down the entry that led from
the wing to the main house.
“It's Demi! he's gone to call some one; cut into bed, Tom, and don't
tell!” cried Dan, whisking all signs of the revel out of sight, and
beginning to tear off his clothes, while Nat did the same.
Tommy flew to his room and dived into bed, where he lay, laughing
till something burned his hand, when he discovered that he was still
clutching the stump of the festive cigar, which he happened to be
smoking when the revel broke up.
It was nearly out, and he was about to extinguish it carefully when
Nursey's voice was heard, and fearing it would betray him if he hid it
in the bed, he threw it underneath, after a final pinch which he thought
finished it.
Nursey came in with Demi, who looked much amazed to see the red face of
Tommy reposing peacefully upon his pillow.
“He wasn't there just now, because I woke up and could not find him
anywhere,” said Demi, pouncing on him.
“What mischief are you at now, bad child?” asked Nursey, with a
good-natured shake, which made the sleeper open his eyes to say meekly,
“I only ran into Nat's room to see him about something. Go away, and let
me alone; I'm awful sleepy.”
Nursey tucked Demi in, and went off to reconnoitre, but only found two
boys slumbering peacefully in Dan's room. “Some little frolic,” she
thought, and as there was no harm done she said nothing to Mrs. Bhaer,
who was busy and worried over little Teddy.
Tommy was sleepy, and telling Demi to mind his own business and not ask
questions, he was snoring in ten minutes, little dreaming what was going
on under his bed. The cigar did not go out, but smouldered away on the
straw carpet till it was nicely on fire, and a hungry little flame went
creeping along till the dimity bedcover caught, then the sheets, and
then the bed itself. The beer made Tommy sleep heavily, and the smoke
stupified Demi, so they slept on till the fire began to scorch them, and
they were in danger of being burned to death.
Franz was sitting up to study, and as he left the school-room he smelt
the smoke, dashed up-stairs and saw it coming in a cloud from the left
wing of the house. Without stopping to call any one, he ran into the
room, dragged the boys from the blazing bed, and splashed all the water
he could find at hand on to the flames. It checked but did not quench
the fire, and the children wakened on being tumbled topsy-turvy into
a cold hall, began to roar at the top of their voices. Mrs. Bhaer
instantly appeared, and a minute after Silas burst out of his room
shouting, “Fire!” in a tone that raised the whole house. A flock of
white goblins with scared faces crowded into the hall, and for a minute
every one was panic-stricken.
Then Mrs. Bhaer found her wits, bade Nursey see to the burnt boys, and
sent Franz and Silas down-stairs for some tubs of wet clothes which
she flung on the bed, over the carpet, and up against the curtains, now
burning finely, and threatening to kindle the walls.
Most of the boys stood dumbly looking on, but Dan and Emil worked
bravely, running to and fro with water from the bath-room, and helping
to pull down the dangerous curtains.
The peril was soon over, and ordering the boys all back to bed, and
leaving Silas to watch lest the fire broke out again, Mrs. Bhaer and
Franz went to see how the poor boys got on. Demi had escaped with one
burn and a grand scare, but Tommy had not only most of his hair scorched
off his head, but a great burn on his arm, that made him half crazy with
the pain. Demi was soon made cosy, and Franz took him away to his own
bed, where the kind lad soothed his fright and hummed him to sleep as
cosily as a woman. Nursey watched over poor Tommy all night, trying to
ease his misery, and Mrs. Bhaer vibrated between him and little Teddy
with oil and cotton, paregoric and squills, saying to herself from time
to time, as if she found great amusement in the thought, “I always knew
Tommy would set the house on fire, and now he has done it!”
When Mr. Bhaer got home next morning he found a nice state of things.
Tommy in bed, Teddy wheezing like a little grampus, Mrs. Jo quite used
up, and the whole flock of boys so excited that they all talked at once,
and almost dragged him by main force to view the ruins. Under his quiet
management things soon fell into order, for every one felt that he was
equal to a dozen conflagrations, and worked with a will at whatever task
he gave them.
There was no school that morning, but by afternoon the damaged room was
put to rights, the invalids were better, and there was time to hear and
judge the little culprits quietly. Nat and Tommy told their parts in the
mischief, and were honestly sorry for the danger they had brought to the
dear old house and all in it. But Dan put on his devil-may-care look,
and would not own that there was much harm done.
Now, of all things, Mr. Bhaer hated drinking, gambling, and swearing;
smoking he had given up that the lads might not be tempted to try it,
and it grieved and angered him deeply to find that the boy, with whom he
had tried to be most forbearing, should take advantage of his absence to
introduce these forbidden vices, and teach his innocent little lads
to think it manly and pleasant to indulge in them. He talked long and
earnestly to the assembled boys, and ended by saying, with an air of
mingled firmness and regret,
“I think Tommy is punished enough, and that scar on his arm will remind
him for a long time to let these things alone. Nat's fright will do for
him, for he is really sorry, and does try to obey me. But you, Dan, have
been many times forgiven, and yet it does no good. I cannot have my boys
hurt by your bad example, nor my time wasted in talking to deaf ears, so
you can say good-bye to them all, and tell Nursey to put up your things
in my little black bag.”
“Oh! sir, where is he going?” cried Nat.
“To a pleasant place up in the country, where I sometimes send boys when
they don't do well here. Mr. Page is a kind man, and Dan will be happy
there if he chooses to do his best.”
“Will he ever come back?” asked Demi.
“That will depend on himself; I hope so.”
As he spoke, Mr. Bhaer left the room to write his letter to Mr. Page,
and the boys crowded round Dan very much as people do about a man who is
going on a long and perilous journey to unknown regions.
“I wonder if you'll like it,” began Jack.
“Shan't stay if I don't,” said Dan coolly.
“Where will you go?” asked Nat.
“I may go to sea, or out west, or take a look at California,” answered
Dan, with a reckless air that quite took away the breath of the little
boys.