saidMolly,astheancienthandmaidemptiedherfourthcupoftea,forshedinedwiththefamily,andenjoyedherowngoodcookinginitsprime。
\"Whatareyougoingtowashnow？\"
\"Boo——I\'msureheneedsitenough\";andMollycouldnothelplaughingasthevictimaddedtohisbrilliantappearancebysmearingthecolorsalltogetherwitharuboftwogrimyhands,makingafineTurner,ofhimself。
\"Now,MariaLouisaBemis,youain\'tgoingtocutupnocaperswiththatchild！Theideaofahotbathinthemiddleoftheday,andhimfullofdinner,andcroupyintothebargain~Wetacornerofatowelatthekettle—spoutandpolishhimoffifyoulike,butyouwon\'triskhislifeinnobath—tubsthiscoldday。\"
MissBat\'swordwaslawinsomethings,soMollyhadtosubmit,andtookBooaway,saying,loftily,asshelefttheroom,\"Ishallaskfather,anddoitto—night,forIwillnothavemybrotherlooklikeapig。\"
\"Mypatience！howtheSiamesedoleavetheirthingsround,\"sheexclaimed,asshesurveyedherroomaftermakingupthefireandpolishingoffBoo。\"I\'llputthingsinorder,andthenmendupmyrags,ifIcanfindmythimble。Now,letmesee\";andshewenttoexploringhercloset,bureau,andtable,findingsuchdisordereverywherethathercouragenearlygaveout。
Shehadclothesenough,butallneededcare;evenherbestdresshadtwobuttonsoff,andherSundayhatbutonestring。Shoes,skirts,books,andtoyslayabout,andherdrawerswereaperfectchaosofsoiledruffles,oddgloves,oldribbons,bootlacings,andbitsofpaper。
\"Oh,myheart,whatamuddle！Mrs。Minotwouldn\'tthinkmuchofmeifshecouldseethat,\"saidMolly,recallinghowthatladyoncesaidshecouldjudgeagooddealofalittlegirl\'scharacterandhabitsbyapeepathertopdrawer,andwenton,withgreatsuccess,toguesshoweachoftheschool—mateskeptherdrawer。
\"Come,missionary,clearup,anddon\'tletmefindsuchagloryholeagain,orI\'llreportyoutothesociety,\"saidMolly,tippingthewholedrawer—fulloutuponthebed,andbeguilingthetiresomejobbykeepingupthenewplay。
Twilightcamebeforeitwasdone,andagreatpileofthingsloomeduponhertable,withnovisiblemeansofrepair——forMolly\'swork—basketwasfullofnuts,andherthimbledownaholeintheshed—floor,wherethecatshaddroppeditintheirplay。
\"I\'llaskBatforhooksandtape,andpapaforsomemoneytobuyscissorsandthings,forIdon\'tknowwheremineare。GladIcan\'tdoanymorenow！Beingneatissuchhardwork！\"andMollythrewherselfdownontherugbesidetheoldwoodencradleinwhichBoowasblissfullyrocking,withacargooftoysaboard。
Shewatchedhertime,andassoonasherfatherhaddonesupper,shehastenedtosay,beforehegottohisdesk,\"Please,papa,IwantadollartogetsomebrassbuttonsandthingstofixBoo\'sclotheswith。HeworeaholeinhisnewtrouserscoastingdowntheKembles\'steps。Andcan\'tIwashhim？Heneedsit,andMissBatwon\'tletmehaveatub。\"
\"Certainly,child,certainly;dowhatyoulike,onlydon\'tkeepme。I
mustbeoff,orIshallmissJackson,andhe\'sthemanIwant\";and,throwingdowntwodollarsinsteadofone,Mr。Bemishurriedaway,withavagueimpressionthatBoohadswallowedadozenbrassbuttons,andMissBathadbeencoastingsomewhereinabath—pan;butcatchingJacksonwasimportant,sohedidnotstoptoinvestigate。
Armedwiththepaternalpermission,Mollycarriedherpoint,andoh,whatadreadfuleveningpoorBoospent！First,hewasdecoyedupstairsanhourtoosoon,thenputinatubbymainforceandsternlyscrubbed,inspiteofshrieksthatbroughtMissBattothelockeddoortocondolewiththesufferer,scoldthescrubber,anddepart,darklyprophesyingcroupbeforemorning。
\"Healwayshowlswhenheiswashed;butIshalldoit,sinceyouwon\'t,andhemustgetusedtoit。Iwillnothavepeopletellmehe\'sneglected,ifIcanhelpit,\"criedMolly,workingawaywithtearsinhereyes——foritwasashardforherasforBoo;butshemeanttobethoroughforonceinherlife,nomatterwhathappened。
Whentheworstwasover,shecoaxedhimwithcandyandstoriestillthelongtaskofcombingoutthecurlswassafelydone;then,inthecleannight—gownwithabluebuttonnewlysewedon,shelaidhiminbed,wornout,butsweetasarose。
\"Now,sayyourprayers,darling,andgotosleepwiththeniceredblanketalltuckedroundsoyouwon\'tgetcold,\"saidMolly,ratherdoubtfuloftheeffectofthewethead。
\"No,Iwon\'t！Goingtosleepnow！\"andBooshuthiseyeswearily,feelingthathislatetrialshadnotlefthiminaprayerfulmood。
\"Thenyou\'llbeareallittleheathen,asMrs。Pecqcalledyou,andI
don\'tknowwhatIshalldowithyou,\"saidMolly,longingtocuddleratherthanscoldthelittlefellow,whosesoulneededlookingafteraswellashisbody。
\"No,no;Iwon\'tbeaheevin！Idon\'twanttobefrowedtothetrockindiles。Iwillsaymyprayers！oh,Iwill！\"and,risinginhisbed,Boodidso,withthedevotionofaninfantSamuel,forherememberedthetalkwhenthesocietywasformed。
Mollythoughtherlaborswereoverforthatnight,andsoonwenttobed,tiredwithherfirstattempts。Buttowardmorningshewaswakenedbythehoarsebreathingoftheboy,andwasforcedtopatterawaytoMissBat\'sroom,humblyaskingforthesquills,andconfessingthattheprophecyhadcometopass。
\"Iknewit！Bringthechildtome,anddon\'tfret。I\'llseetohim,andnexttimeyoudoasIsay,\"wastheconsolingwelcomeshereceivedastheoldladypoppedupasleepybutanxiousfaceinalargeflannelcap,andshookthebottlewiththeairofageneralwhohadroutedthefoebeforeandmeanttodoitagain。
LeavingherlittleresponsibilityinMissBat\'sarms,Mollytiredtowetherpillowwithafewremorsefultears,andtofallasleep,wonderingifrealmissionarieseverkilledtheirpupilsintheprocessofconversion。
Sothegirlsallfailedinthebeginning;buttheydidnotgiveup,andsucceededbetternexttime,asweshallsee。
Chapter9TheDebatingClub\"Lookhere,oldman,weoughttohaveameeting。Holidaysareover,andwemustbraceupandattendtobusiness,\"saidFranktoGus,astheystrolledoutoftheschoolyardoneafternooninJanuary,apparentlyabsorbedinconversation,butinrealitywaitingforabluecloudandascarletfeathertoappearonthesteps。
\"Allright。When,where,andwhat？\"askedGus,whowasamanoffewwords。
\"To—night,ourhouse,subject,\'Shallgirlsgotocollegewithus？\'
Mothersaidwehadbetterbemakingupourminds,becauseeveryoneistalkingaboutit,andweshallhavetobeononesideortheother,sowemayaswellsettleitnow,\"answeredFrank,fortherewasanimpressionamongthemembersthatallvexedquestionswouldbemuchhelpedbytheunitedeloquenceandwisdomoftheclub。
\"Verygood;I\'llpassthewordandbethere。Hullo,Neddy！TheD。
C。meetsto—night,atMinot\'s,sevensharp。Co—ed,&c。,\"addedGus,losingnotime,asathirdboycamebrisklyroundthecorner,withalittlebaginhishand。
\"I\'llcome。Gothomeanhourearlierto—night,andthoughtI\'dlookyouupasIwentby,\"respondedEdDevlin,ashetookpossessionofthethirdpost,withaglancetowardtheschoolhousetoseeifaseal—skincap,withalong,yellowbraiddependingtherefrom,wasanywhereinsight。
\"Verygoodofyou,I\'msure,\"saidGus,ironically,notabitdeceivedbythispoliteattention。
\"Thelongestwayroundissometimestheshortestwayhome,hey,Ed？\"andFrankgavehimaplayfulpokethatnearlysenthimoffhisperch。
Thentheyalllaughedatsomejokeoftheirown,andGusadded,\"Nogirlscomingtohearusto—night。Don\'tthinkit,myson。
\"More\'sthepity,\"andEdshookhisheadregretfullyoverthedownfallofhishopes。
\"Can\'thelpit;theotherfellowssaytheyspoilthefun,sowehavetogivein,sometimes,forthesakeofpeaceandquietness。Don\'tmindhavingthemabitmyself,\"saidFrank,insuchatoneofcheerfulresignationthattheylaughedagain,forthe\"Triangle,\"asthethreechumswerecalled,alwaysmademerrymusic。
\"Wemusthaveagamepartynextweek。Thegirlslikethat,andsodoI,\"candidlyobservedGus,whosepleasantparlorswerethesceneofmanysuchfrolics。
\"Andsodoyoursistersandyourcousinsandyouraunts,\"hummedEd,forGuswasoftencalledAdmiralbecausehereallydidpossessthreesisters,twocousins,andfouraunts,besidesmotherandgrandmother,alllivinginthebighousetogether。
Theboyspromptlyjoinedinthepopularchorus,andothervoicesallabouttheyardtookitup,forthe\"Pinafore\"epidemicragedfearfullyinHarmonyVillagethatwinter。
\"How\'sbusiness？\"askedGus,whenthesongended,forEdhadnotreturnedtoschoolintheautumn,buthadgoneintoastoreinthecity。
\"Dull;thingswilllookuptowardspring,theysay。Igetonwellenough,butImissyoufellowsdreadfully\";andEdputahandonthebroadshoulderofeachfriend,asifhelongedtobeaschool—boyagain。
\"Bettergiveitupandgotocollegewithmenextyear,\"saidFrank,whowaspreparingforBostonUniversity,whileGusfittedforHarvard。
\"No;I\'vechosenbusiness,andImeantosticktoit,sodon\'tyouunsettlemymind。HaveyoupractisedthatMarch？\"askedEd,turningtoagayersubject,forhehadhislittletroubles,butalwayslookedonthebrightsideofthings。
\"Skatingissogood,Idon\'tgetmuchtime。Comeearly,andwe\'llhaveaturnatit。\"
\"Iwill。Mustrunhomenow。\"
\"Prettycoldloafinghere。\"
\"Mailisinbythistime。\"
Andwiththeseartlessexcusesthethreeboysleapedofftheposts,asifonespringmovedthem,asagroupofgirlscamechatteringdownthepath。ThebluecloudfloatedawaybesideFrank,thescarletfeathermarchedoffwiththeAdmiral,whilethefurcapnoddedtothegrayhatastwohappyfacessmiledateachother。
Thesamethingoftenhappened,fortwicea—daythestreetswerefullofyoungcoupleswalkingtoandfromschooltogether,smiledatbytheelders,andlaughedatbythelesssusceptibleboysandgirls,whowentaloneortroopedalonginnoisygroups。Theprudentmothershadtriedtostopthisguilelesscustom,butfounditverydifficult,asthefathersusuallysympathizedwiththeirsons,anddismissedthematterwiththecomfortablephrase,\"Nevermind;boyswillbeboys。\"\"Notforever,\"returnedtheanxiousmammas,seeingthetallladsdailygrowmoremanly,andtheprettydaughtersfastlearningtolookdemurewhencertainnameswerementioned。
Itcouldnotbestoppedwithoutgreatparentalsternnessandthedangerofdeceit,forco—educationwillgoonoutsideofschoolifnotinside,andthesafestwayistoletsentimentandstudygohandinhand,withteachersandparentstodirectandexplainthegreatlessonallarethebetterforlearningsoonorlate。Sotheeldershadtogivein,acknowledgingthatthissuddenreadinesstogotoschoolwasacomfort,thatthenewsortofgentleemulationworkedwondersinlazygirlsandboys,andthatwatchingthese\"primrosefriendships\"bud,blossom,anddiepainlessdeaths,gavealittletouchofromancetotheirownwork—a—daylives。
\"OnthewholeI\'dratherhavemysonswalking,playing,andstudyingwithbright,well—manneredgirls,thanalwaysknockingaboutwithroughboys,\"saidMrs。MinotatoneoftheMothers\'
Meetings,wherethegoodladiesmettotalkovertheirchildren,andhelponeanothertodotheirdutybythem。
\"IfindthatGusismoregentlewithhissisterssinceJuliettookhiminhand,forhewantstostandwellwithher,andtheyreporthimifhetroublesthem。Ireallyseenoharminthelittlefriendship,thoughIneverhadanysuchwhenIwasagirl,\"saidMrs。Burton,whoadoredheroneboyandwashisconfidante。
\"MyMerryseemstobecontentedwithherbrotherssofar,butI
shouldn\'twonderifIhadmyhandsfullbyandby,\"addedMrs。
Grant,whoalreadyforesawthathersweetlittledaughterwouldbesoughtafterassoonassheshouldlengthenherskirtsandturnupherbonnybrownhair。
MollyLoohadnomothertosayawordforher,butshesettledmattersforherselfbyholdingfasttoMerry,anddeclaringthatshewouldhavenoescortbutfaithfulBoo。
Itisnecessarytodwellamomentuponthisnewamusement,becauseitwasnotpeculiartoHarmonyVillage,butappearseverywhereasnaturallyasthegamepartiesandcroquetwhichhavetakentheplaceofthehuskingfrolicsandapple—beesofoldentimes,anditisimpossibletododgethesubjectifoneattemptstowriteofboysandgirlsastheyreallyarenowadays。
\"Here,myhero,seehowyoulikethis。Ifitsuits,youwillbereadytomarchassoonasthedoctorgivestheword,\"saidRalph,comingintotheBirdRoomthateveningwithaneatlittlecrutchunderhisarm。
\"Ha,ha,thatlooksfine！I\'dliketotryitrightoff,butIwon\'ttillI
getleave。Didyoumakeityourself,Ral？\"askedJack,handlingitwithdelight,ashesatboltupright,withhislegonarest,forhewasgettingoncapitallynow。
\"Mostly。Ratheraneatjob,Iflattermyself。\"
\"Ishouldsayso。Whatacleverfellowyouare！Anynewinventionslately？\"askedFrank,cominguptoexamineandadmire。
Onlyananti—snoringmachineandanelbow—pad,answeredRalph,withatwinkleinhiseye,asifremindedofsomethingfunny。
\"Goon,andtellaboutthem。Ineverheardofananti—snorer。Jackbetterhaveone,\"saidFrank,interestedatonce。
\"Well,aricholdladykeptherfamilyawakewiththatlivelymusic,soshesenttoShirtmanandCodleffforsomethingtostopit。Theythoughtitwasagoodjoke,andtoldmetoseewhatIcoulddo。I
thoughtitover,andgotupthenicestlittleaffairyoueversaw。Itwentoverthemouth,andhadatubetofittheear,sowhentheladysnoredshewokeherselfupandstoppedit。Itsuitedexactly。I
thinkoftakingoutapatent,\"concludedRalph,joiningintheboys\'
laughatthedrollidea。
\"Whatwasthepad？\"askedFrank,returningtothesmallmodelofanenginehewasmaking。
\"Oh,thatwasameretrifleforamanwhohadatenderelbow—jointandwantedsomethingtoprotectit。Imadealittlepadtofiton,andhiscrazy—bonewassafe。\"
\"Iplannedtohaveyoumakemeanewlegifthisonewasspoilt,\"
saidJack,surethathisfriendcouldinventanythingunderthesun。
\"I\'ddomybestforyou。Imadeahandforafellowonce,andthatgotmemyplace,youknow,\"answeredRalph,whothoughtlittleofsuchmechanicaltrifles,andlongedtobepaintingportraitsormodellingbusts,beinganartistaswellasaninventor。
HereGus,Ed,andseveralotherboyscamein,andtheconversationbecamegeneral。Grif,Chick,andBrickbatwerethreeyounggentlemenwhoseownrespectablenameswereusuallyignored,andtheycheerfullyansweredtothesenicknames。
Astheclockstruckseven,Frank,whoruledtheclubwitharodofironwhenChairman,tookhisplacebehindthestudytable。Seatsstoodaboutit,andalarge,shabbybooklaybeforeGus,whowasSecretary,andkepttherecordswithalavishexpenditureofink,tojudgebytheblots。Thememberstooktheirseats,andnearlyalltiltedbacktheirchairsandputtheirhandsintheirpockets,tokeepthemoutofmischief;for,aseveryoneknows,itisimpossiblefortwoladstobeneareachotherandrefrainfromticklingorpinching。Frankgavethreerapswithanoldcroquet—malletsetonashorthandle,andwithmuchdignityopenedthemeeting。
\"Gentlemen,thebusinessoftheclubwillbeattendedto,andthenwewilldiscussthequestion,\'Shallgirlsgotoourcolleges？\'TheSecretarywillnowreadthereportofthelastmeeting。\"
Clearinghisthroat,Gusreadthefollowingbriefandelegantreport:
\"Clubmet,DecemberI8th,atthehouseofG。Burton,Esq。
Subject:
\'Issummerorwinterbestfun？\'Alivelypow—wow。Aboutevenlydivided。J。FlintfinedfivecentsfordisrespecttotheChair。A
collectionoffortycentstakenuptopayforbreakingapaneofglassduringafreefightofthemembersonthedoor—step。E。
DevlinwaschosenSecretaryforthecomingyear,andanewbookcontributedbytheChairman。\"
\"That\'sall。\"
\"Isthereanyotherbusinessbeforethemeeting？\"askedFrank,asthereaderclosedtheoldbookwithaslamandshovedthenewoneacrossthetable。
Edrose,andglancingabouthimwithanappealinglook,said,asifsurehispropositionwouldnotbewellreceived,\"Iwishtoproposethenameofanewmember。BobWalkerwantstojoin,and1thinkweoughttolethim。Heistryingtobehavewell,andIamsurewecouldhelphim。Can\'twe？\"
Alltheboyslookedsober,andJoe,otherwiseBrickbat,said,bluntly,\"Iwon\'t。He\'sabadlot,andwedon\'twantanysuchhere。
Lethimgowithchapsofhisownsort。\"
\"ThatisjustwhatIwanttokeephimfrom！He\'sagood—heartedboyenough,oniynoonelooksafterhim;sohegetsintoscrapes,asweshould,ifwewereinhisplace,I\'daresay。Hewantstocomehere,andwouldbesoproudifhewasletin,Iknowhe\'dbehave。Comenow,let\'sgivehimachance,\"andEdlookedatGusandFrank,surethatiftheystoodbyhimheshouldcarryhispoint。
ButGusshookhishead,asifdoubtfulofthewisdomoftheplan,andFranksaidgravely:\"Youknowwemadetherulethatthenumbershouldneverbeovereight,andwecannotbreakit。\"
\"Youneedn\'t。Ican\'theherehalfthetime,soIwillresignandletBobhavemyplace,\"beganEd,buthewassilencedbyshoutsof\"No,no,youshan\'t！\"\"Wewon\'tletyouoff！\"\"Clubwouldgotosmash,ifyoubackout！\"
\"Lethimhavemyplace;I\'mtheyoungest,andyouwon\'tmissme,\"
criedJack,boundtostandbyEdatallcosts。
\"Wemightdothat,\"saidFrank,whodidobjecttosmallboys,thoughwillingtoadmitthisparticularone。
\"Bettermakeanewruletohavetenmembers,andadmitbothBobandTomGrant,\"saidRalph,whereatGrifgrinnedandJoescowled,foroneladlikedMerry\'sbigbrotherandtheotherdidnot。
\"That\'sagoodidea！Putittovote,\"saidGus,tookind—heartedtoshutthedooronanyone。
\"FirstIwanttoaskifallyoufellowsarereadytostandbyBob,outoftheclubaswellasin,foritwon\'tdomuchgoodtobekindtohimhereandcuthimatschoolandinthestreet,\"saidEd,heartilyinearnestaboutthematter。
\"Iwill！\"criedJack,readytofollowwherehisbelovedfriendled,andtheothersnodded,unwillingtobeoutdonebytheyoungestmember。
\"Good！Withallofustolendahand,wecandoagreatdeal;andI
tellyou,boys,itistime,ifwewanttokeeppoorBobstraight。Weallturnourbacksonhim,soheloafsroundthetavern,andgoeswithfellowswedon\'tcaretoknow。Butheisn\'tbadyet,andwecankeephimup,I\'msure,ifwejusttry。IhopetogethimintotheLodge,andthatwillbehalfthebattle,won\'tit,Frank？\"addedEd,surethatthissuggestionwouldhaveweightwiththehonorableChairman。
\"Bringhimalong;I\'mwithyou！\"answeredFrank,makinguphismindatonce,forhehadjoinedtheTemperanceLodgefouryearsago,andalreadysixboyshadfollowedhisexample。
\"Heislearningtosmoke,butwe\'llmakehimdropitbeforeitleadstoworse。Youcanhelphimthere,Admiral,ifyouonlywill,\"
addedEd,givingagratefullookatonefriend,andturningtotheother。
\"I\'myourman\";andGuslookedasifheknewwhathepromised,forhehadgivenupsmokingtoobligehisfather,andkepthiswordlikeahero。
\"Youotherfellowscandoagooddealbyjustbeingkindandnottwittinghimwitholdscrapes,andI\'lldoanythingIcanforyoualltopayforthis\";andEdsatdownwithabeamingsmile,feelingthathiscausewaswon。
Thevotewastaken,andallhandswentup,forevensurlyJoegavein;soBobandTomweredulyelected,andprovedtheirgratitudeforthehonordonethembybecomingworthymembersoftheclub。
Itwasonlyboys\'playnow,butthekindheartandpureinstinctsofoneladshowedtheothershowtolendahelpinghandtoacomradeindanger,andwinhimawayfromtemptationtothesaferpastimesoftheirmoreguardedlives。
Wellpleasedwiththemselves——foreverygenuineactorword,nomatterhowtriflingitseems,leavesasweetandstrengtheninginfluencebehind——thememberssettleddowntothedebate,whichwasneververylong,andoftenonlyanexcuseforfunofallsorts。
\"Ralph,Gus,andEdarefor,andBrickbat,Grif,andChickagainst,Isuppose？\"saidFrank,surveyinghiscompanylikeageneralpreparingforbattle。
\"No,sir！Ibelieveinco—everything！\"criedChick,amildyouth,wholoyallyescortedachosendamselhomefromschooleveryday。
Alaughgreetedthisbolddeclaration,andChicksatdown,redbutfirm。
\"I\'llspeakfortwosincetheChairmancan\'t,andJackwon\'tgoagainstthosewhopethimmosttodeath,\"saidJoe,who,notbeingafavoritewiththegirls,consideredthemanuisanceandlostnoopportunityoftellingthemso。
Fireaway,then,sinceyouareup;commandedFrank。
\"Well,\"beganJoe,feelingtoolatehowmuchhehadundertaken,\"Idon\'tknowagreatdealaboutit,andIdon\'tcare,butIdonotbelieveinhavinggirlsatcollege。They\'don\'tbelongthere,nobodywants\'em,andthey\'dbetterbeathomedarningtheirstockings。\"
\"Yours,too,\"putinRalph,whohadheardthatargumentsooftenhewastiredofit。
\"Ofcourse;that\'swhatgirlsarefor。Idon\'tmind\'ematschool,butI\'djustassoontheyhadaroomtothemselves。Weshouldgetonbetter。\"
\"YouwouldifMabelwasn\'tinyourclassandalwaysaheadofyou,\"observedEd,whosefriendwasafinescholar,andheveryproudofthefact。
\"Lookhere,ifyoufellowskeepinterrupting,Iwon\'tsitdownforhalfanhour,\"saidJoe,wellknowingthateloquencewasnothisgift,butboundtohavehissayout。
Deepsilencereigned,forthatthreatquelledthemostimpatientmember,andJoeprosedon,usingalltheargumentshehadeverheard,andpayingoffseveraloldscoresbysiyhitsofapersonalnature,asolderoratorsoftendo。
\"Itiscleartomymindthatboyswouldgetonbetterwithoutanygirlsfoolinground。Asfortheirbeingassmartasweare,itisallnonsense,forsomeof\'emcryovertheirlessonseveryday,orgohomewithheadaches,orgetmadandscoldallrecess,becausesomething\'isn\'tfair。\'No,sir;girlsain\'tmeanttoknowmuch,andtheycan\'t。WisefolkssaysoandIbelieve\'em。Haven\'tgotanysistersmyself,andIdon\'twantany,forthey\'don\'tseemtoamounttomuch,accordingtothosewhodohave\'em。\"
GroansfromGusandEdgreetedtheclosingremarksoftheungallantJoe,whosatdown,feelingthathehadmadesomebodysquirm。UpjumpedGrif,thedelightofwhoselifewaspracticaljokes,whichamiableweaknessmadehimtheterrorofthegirls,thoughtheyhadnootherfaulttofindwiththemerrylad。
\"Mr。Chairman,thegroundItakeisthis:girlshavenotthestrengthtogotocollegewithus。Theycouldn\'trowarace,goonalark,ortakecareofthemselves,aswedo。Theyareallwellenoughathome,andIlikethematparties,butforrealfunandgoIwouldn\'tgiveacentforthem,\"beganGrif,whoseviewsofacollegiatelifewereconfinedtotheenjoymentsratherthanthestudiesofthatfestiveperiod。\"Ihavetriedthem,andtheycan\'tstandanything。
Theyscreamifyoutellthemthereisamouseintheroom,andruniftheyseeabigdog。IjustputacockroachinMolly\'sdeskoneday,andwhensheopeneditshejumpedasifshewasshot。\"
Sodidthegentlemenoftheclub,foratthatmomenthalf—a—dozenfire—crackersexplodedunderthechairGrifhadleft,andflewwildlyabouttheroom。Orderwaswithdifficultyrestored,themischievouspartysummarilychastisedandcommandedtoholdhistongue,underpenaltyofejectmentfromtheroomifhespokeagain。Firmlygraspingthatredandunrulymember,Grifcomposedhimselftolisten,withhisnoseintheairandhiseyesshininglikeblackbeads。
Edwasalwaysthepeace—maker,andnow,whenherosewithhisengagingsmile,hisvoicefelllikeoiluponthetroubledwaters,andhisbrightfacewasfullofthebecomingbashfulnesswhichafflictsyouthsofseventeenwhentouchinguponsuchsubjectsofnewlyacquiredinterestasgirlsandtheirpleasantbutperplexingways。
\"Itseemstomewehavehardlyconsideredthematterenoughtobeabletosaymuch。ButIthinkthatschoolwouldbeawfullydryanddismalwithout——ahem！——anyyoungladiestomakeitnice。I
wouldn\'tgiveapintogoiftherewasonlyacrowdoffellows,thoughIlikeagoodgameaswellasanyman。Ipityanyboywhohasnosisters,\"continuedEd,warmingupashethoughtofhisown,wholovedhimdearly,aswelltheymight,forabetterbrotherneverlived。\"Homewouldn\'tbeworthhavingwithoutthemtolookafterafellow,tokeephimoutofscrapes,helphimwithhislessons,andmakethingsjollyforhisfriends。Itellyouwecan\'tdowithoutgirls,andI\'mnotashamedtosaythatIthinkthemoreweseeofthem,andtrytobeliketheminmanyways,thebettermenweshallbebyandby。\"
\"Hear！hear！\"criedFrank,inhisdeepesttone,forheheartilyagreedtothat,havingtalkedthematteroverwithhismother,andreceivedmuchlightuponthingswhichshouldalwaysbesetrightinyoungheadsandhearts。Andwhocandothissowiselyandwellasmothers,iftheyonlywill？
Feelingthathissentimentshadbeenapproved,andheneednotbeashamedofthehonestcolorinhischeeks,Edsatdownamidtheapplauseofhisside,especiallyofJack,whopoundedsovigorouslywithhiscrutchthatMrs。Pecqpoppedinherheadtoseeifanythingwaswanted。
\"No,thankyou,ma\'am,wewereonlycheeringEd,\"saidGus,nowuponhislegs,andratheratalosswhattosaytillMrs。Pecq\'sappearancesuggestedanidea,andheseizeduponit。
\"MyhonoredfriendhasspokensowellthatIhavelittletoadd。I
agreewithhim,andifyouwantanexampleofwhatgirlscando,why,lookatJill。She\'syoung,Iknow,butafirst—ratescholarforherage。Asforpluck,sheisasbraveasaboy,andalmostassmartatrunning,rowing,andsoon。Ofcourse,shecan\'tplayball——nogirlcan;theirarmsarenotmaderighttothrow——butshecancatchremarkablywell。I\'llsaythatforher。Now,ifsheandMabel——and——
and——someothersIcouldname,aresocleverandstrongatthebeginning,Idon\'tseewhytheyshouldn\'tkeepupandgoalongwithusallthrough。I\'mwilling,andwilldowhatIcantohelpotherfellows\'sistersasI\'dliketohavethemhelpmine。AndI\'llpunchtheirheadsifthey\'don\'t\";andGussubsided,assured,byaburstofapplause,thathismanlywayofstatingthecasemetwithgeneralapproval。
\"Weshallbehappytohearfromourseniormemberifhewillhonoruswithafewremarks,\"saidFrank,withabowtoRalph。
Nooneeverknewwhomhewouldchoosetopersonate,forheneverspokeinhisowncharacter。Nowheroseslowly,putonehandinhisbosom,andfixinghiseyesternlyonCrif,whowasdoingsomethingsuspiciouswithapin,gavethematouchofSergeantBuzfuz,fromthePickwicktrial,thinkingthatthedebatewasnotlikelytothrowmuchlightonthesubjectunderdiscussion。
Inthemidstofthisappealto\"Meludandgentlemenofthejury,\"
hesuddenlypaused,smoothedhishairdownuponhisforehead,rolleduphiseyes,andfoldinghishands,dronedoutMr。
Chadband\'ssermononPeace,deliveredoverpoorJo,andendingwiththefamouslines:
\"Oh,runningstreamofsparklingjoy,Tobeaglorioushumanboy！\"