Page 1 (1/2)

CHAPTER I NAT

"Please, sir, is this Pluate at which the omnibus left him

"Yes Who sent you?"

"Mr Laurence I have got a letter for the lady"

"All right; go up to the house, and give it to her; she'll see to you,little chap"

Therain that fell on sprouting grassand budding trees, Nat saw a large square house before hi house, with an old-fashioned porch, wide steps, andlights shining in li, Nat sawon the walls, heard the pleasant huvoices, and felt that it was hardly possible that the light and warmthand comfort within could be for a homeless "little chap" like him

"I hope the lady will see to reat bronze knocker, which was a jovial griffin's head

A rosy-faced servant-maid opened the door, and smiled as she took theletter which he silently offered She seeeboys, for she pointed to a seat in the hall, and said, with a nod:

"Sit there and drip on the mat a bit, while I take this in to missis"

Nat found plenty to amuse hi the view, yet glad to do so unobserved in the duskyrecess by the door

The house seeht with all sorts of amusements There were boys everywhere,"up-stairs and down-stairs and in the lady's charoups of big boys, little boys,andrelaxation, not to sayeffervescence Two large rooht were evidently schoolrooms,for desks, maps, blackboards, and books were scattered about An openfire burned on the hearth, and several indolent lads lay on their backsbefore it, discussing a new cricket-ground, with such animation thattheir boots waved in the air A tall youth was practising on the flutein one corner, quite undisturbed by the racket all about hi, now and then, to gettheir breath and laugh at the droll sketches of a little ascaricaturing the whole household on a blackboard

In the rooreat pitchers of new milk, piles of brown and white bread, and perfectstacks of the shiny gingerbread so dear to boyish souls A flavor oftoast was in the air, also suggestions of baked apples, very tantalizingto one hungry little nose and stomach

The hall, however, presented the oing on in the upper entry One landingwas devoted to marbles, the other to checkers, while the stairs wereoccupied by a boy reading, a girl singing a lullaby to her doll, twopuppies, a kitten, and a constant succession of sreat detrier totheir limbs

So absorbed did Nat beco race, that he venturedfarther and farther out of his corner; and when one very lively boycame down so swiftly that he could not stop himself, but fell off thebanisters, with a crash that would have broken any head but one renderednearly as hard as a cannon-ball by eleven years of constant buot hi to find himhalf-dead The boy, however, only winked rapidly for a second, then laycal up at the new face with a surprised, "Hullo!"

"Hullo!" returned Nat, not knohat else to say, and thinking thatform of reply both brief and easy

"Are you a new boy?" asked the recu

"Don't know yet"

"What's your name?"

"Nat Blake"

"Mine's Tootupon his legs like one suddenly re the duties of hospitality

"Guess I won't, till I see whether I' the desire to stay increase every moment

"I say, Demi, here's a new one Come and see to him;" and the livelyThomas returned to his sport with unabated relish

At his call, the boy reading on the stairs looked up with a pair of bigbrown eyes, and after an instant's pause, as if a little shy, he put thebook under his arreet the new-co very attractive in the pleasant face of this slender,mild-eyed boy

"Have you seen Aunt Jo?" he asked, as if that was some sort of importantceremony

"I haven't seen anybody yet but you boys; I'," answered Nat

"Did Uncle Laurie send you?" proceeded Deravely

"Mr Laurence did"

"He is Uncle Laurie; and he always sends nice boys"

Nat looked gratified at the remark, and smiled, in a way that made histhin face very pleasant He did not knohat to say next, so the twostood staring at one another in friendly silence, till the little girlcame up with her doll in her arms She was very like Demi, only not sotall, and had a rounder, rosier face, and blue eyes

"This isa rare andprecious creature

The children nodded to one another; and the little girl's face dimpledwith pleasure, as she said affably:

"I hope you'll stay We have such good times here; don't we, Demi?"

"Of course, we do: that's what Aunt Jo has Plumfield for"

"It see that hepersons

"It's the nicest place in the world, isn't it, Dearded her brother as authority on all subjects

"No, I think Greenland, where the icebergs and seals are, isBut I'm fond of Plumfield, and it is a very nice placeto be in," returned Demi, as interested just now in a book onGreenland He was about to offer to show Nat the pictures andexplain the with a nod toward theparlor-door:

"All right; you are to stop"

"I'lad; now come to Aunt Jo" And Daisy took hi air, which made Nat feel at home at once

Demi returned to his beloved book, while his sister led the new-co with two littleboys on the sofa, and a thin lady was just finishing the letter whichshe see

"Here he is, aunty!" cried Daisy

"So this is lad to see you,hi back thehair from his forehead with a kind hand and a motherly look, which madeNat's lonely little heart yearn toward her

She was not at all handsome, but she

had a otten certain childish ways and looks, any s, hard to describe but veryplain to see and feel, et on with, and generally "jolly," as boys would say She sawthe little tremble of Nat's lips as she srew softer, but she only drew the shabby figure nearer and said,laughing:

"I aentleman is Father Bhaer, and these are thetwo little Bhaers Come here, boys, and see Nat"

The three wrestlers obeyed at once; and the stout man, with a chubbychild on each shoulder, carinned at hi to a lowchair near the fire, said, in a cordial voice:

"There is a place all ready for thee, my son; sit down and dry thy wetfeet at once"

"Wet? So they are! My dear, off with your shoes this s ready for you in a jiffy," cried Mrs Bhaer,bustling about so energetically that Nat found himself in the cosylittle chair, with dry socks and warm slippers on his feet, before hewould have had time to say Jack Robinson, if he had wanted to try Hesaid "Thank you, ratefully that MrsBhaer's eyes grew soft again, and she said so merry, because shefelt so tender, which was a way she had

"There are Tos' slippers; but he never will remember to put the; but that'sall the better; you can't run away from us so fast as if they fitted"

"I don't want to run away, rih of satisfaction

"That's good! Now I ah How long have you had it, dear?" asked Mrs Bhaer, asshe ru basket for a strip of flannel

"All winter I got cold, and it wouldn't get better, somehow"

"No wonder, living in that da to his poordear back!" said Mrs Bhaer, in a low tone to her husband, aslooking at the boy with a skillful pair of eyes that marked the thintemples and feverish lips, as well as the hoarse voice and frequent fitsof coughing that shook the bent shoulders under the patched jacket

"Robin, h-bottle and the linirams with his wife's

Nat looked a little anxious at the preparations, but forgot his fears ina hearty laugh, when Mrs Bhaer whispered to him, with a droll look:

"Hear ive you hashoney in it; and he wants some"

Little Ted was red in the face with his exertions by the time the bottlecame, and was allowed to suck the spoon after Nat had manfully taken adose and had the bit of flannel put about his throat

These first steps toward a cure were hardly coh the hall announced supper Bashful Natquaked at the thought of e boys, but Mrs Bhaer heldout her hand to hily, "Don't be 'fraid; I'lltake care of you"

Twelve boys, six on a side, stood behind their chairs, prancing withi youth was trying tocurb their ardor But no one sat down till Mrs Bhaer was in her placebehind the teapot, with Teddy on her left, and Nat on her right

"This is our new boy, Nat Blake After supper you can say how do you do?Gently, boys, gently"

As she spoke every one stared at Nat, and then whisked into their seats,trying to be orderly and failing utterly The Bhaers did their best tohave the lads behave well at enerally succeeded prettywell, for their rules were few and sensible, and the boys, knowing thatthey tried to s easy and happy, did their best to obeyBut there are tiry boys cannot be repressed without realcruelty, and Saturday evening, after a half-holiday, was one of thosetimes

"Dear little souls, do let them have one day in which they can howl andracket and frolic to their hearts' content A holiday isn't a holidaywithout plenty of freedo oncea week," Mrs Bhaer used to say, when prihts, and all ames wereallowed under the once decorous roof of Plumfield

It did seeoff, but it never did, for a word from Father Bhaer could at any timeproduce a lull, and the lads had learned that liberty must not beabused So, in spite of many dark predictions, the school flourished,and manners andhoas done

Nat found his just around the corner, and Mrs Bhaer close by to fill up plateandas fast as he could empty them