The Louisa Alcott Reader by Louisa M. Alcott

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"What a lovely place!" cried Lily, feeling the charm of the homelike
landscape, in spite of the funny plump people moving about.

Two of these figures came running to meet her as she slowly walked down
the yellow path from the hill. One was a golden boy, with a beaming face;
the other a little girl in a shiny brown cloak, who looked as if she would
taste very nice. They each put a warm hand into Lily's, and the boy
said,--

"We are glad to see you. Muffin told us you were coming."

"Thank you. Who is Muffin?" asked Lily, feeling as if she had seen both
these little people before, and liked them.

"He was Ginger Snap once, but he's a Muffin now. We begin in that way, and
work up to the perfect loaf by degrees. My name is Johnny Cake, and she's
Sally Lunn. You know us; so come on and have a race."

Lily burst out laughing at the idea of playing with these old friends of
hers; and all three ran away as fast as they could tear, down the hill,
over a bridge, into the middle of the village, where they stopped,
panting, and sat down on some very soft rolls to rest.

"What do you all do _here_?" asked Lily, when she got her breath
again.

"We farm, we study, we bake, we brew, and are as merry as grigs all day
long. It's school-time now, and we must go; will you come?" said Sally,
jumping up as if she liked it.

"Our schools are not like yours; we only study two things,--grain and
yeast. I think you'll like it. We have yeast to-day, and the experiments
are very jolly," added Johnny, trotting off to a tall brown tower of rye
and Indian bread, where the school was kept.

Lily never liked to go to school, but she was ashamed to own it; so she
went along with Sally, and was so amused with all she saw that she was
glad she came. The brown loaf was hollow, and had no roof; and when she
asked why they used a ruin, Sally told her to wait and see why they chose
strong walls and plenty of room overhead. All round was a circle of very
small biscuits like cushions, and on these the Bread-children sat. A
square loaf in the middle was the teacher's desk, and on it lay an ear of
wheat, with several bottles of yeast well corked up. The teacher was a
pleasant, plump lady from Vienna, very wise, and so famous for her good
bread that she was a Professor of Grainology.

When all were seated, she began with the wheat ear, and told them all
about it in such an interesting way that Lily felt as if she had never
known anything about the bread she ate before. The experiments with the
yeast were quite exciting,--for Fraulein Pretzel showed them how it would
work till it blew the cork out, and go fizzing up to the sky if it was
kept too long; how it would turn sour or flat, and spoil the bread if care
was not taken to use it just at the right moment; and how too much would
cause the loaf to rise till there was no substance to it.

The children were very bright; for they were fed on the best kinds of
oatmeal and Graham bread, with very little white bread or hot cakes to
spoil their young stomachs. Hearty, happy boys and girls they were, and
their yeasty souls were very lively in them; for they danced and sung, and
seemed as bright and gay as if acidity, heaviness, and mould were quite
unknown.

Lily was very happy with them, and when school was done went home with
Sally and ate the best bread and milk for dinner that she ever tasted. In
the afternoon Johnny took her to the cornfield, and showed her how they
kept the growing ears free from mildew and worms. Then she went to the
bakehouse; and here she found her old friend Muffin hard at work making
Parker House rolls, for he was such a good cook he was set to work at once
on the lighter kinds of bread.

"Well, isn't this better than Candy-land or Saccharissa?" he asked, as he
rolled and folded his bits of dough with a dab of butter tucked inside.

"Ever so much!" cried Lily. "I feel better already, and mean to learn all
I can. Mamma will be so pleased if I can make good bread when I go home.
She is rather old-fashioned, and likes me to be a nice housekeeper. I
didn't think bread interesting then, but I do now; and Johnny's mother is
going to teach me to make Indian cakes to-morrow."

"Glad to hear it. Learn all you can, and tell other people how to make
healthy bodies and happy souls by eating good plain food. Not like this,
though these rolls are better than cake. I have to work my way up to the
perfect loaf, you know; and then, oh, then, I'm a happy thing."

"What happens then? Do you go on to some other wonderful place?" asked
Lily, as Muffin paused with a smile on his face.

"Yes; I am eaten by some wise, good human being, and become a part of him
or her. That is immortality and heaven; for I may nourish a poet and help
him sing, or feed a good woman who makes the world better for being in it,
or be crumbed into the golden porringer of a baby prince who is to rule a
kingdom. Isn't that a noble way to live, and an end worth working for?"
asked Muffin, in a tone that made Lily feel as if some sort of fine yeast
had got into her, and was setting her brain to work with new thoughts.

"Yes, it is. I suppose all common things are made for that purpose, if we
only knew it; and people should be glad to do anything to help the world
along, even making good bread in a kitchen," answered Lily, in a sober way
that showed that her little mind was already digesting the new food it had
got.

She stayed in Bread-land a long time, and enjoyed and learned a great deal
that she never forgot. But at last, when she had made the perfect loaf,
she wanted to go home, that her mother might see and taste it.

"I've put a good deal of myself into it, and I'd love to think I had given
her strength or pleasure by my work," she said, as she and Sally stood
looking at the handsome loaf.

"You can go whenever you like; just take the bread in your hands and wish
three times, and you'll be wherever you say. I'm sorry to have you go, but
I don't wonder you want to see your mother. Don't forget what you have
learned, and you will always be glad you came to us," said Sally, kissing
her good-by.

"Where is Muffin? I can't go without seeing him, my dear old friend,"
answered Lily, looking round for him.

"He is here," said Sally, touching the loaf. "He was ready to go, and
chose to pass into your bread rather than any other; for he said he loved
you and would be glad to help feed so good a little girl."

"How kind of him! I must be careful to grow wise and excellent, else he
will be disappointed and have died in vain," said Lily, touched by his
devotion.

Then, bidding them all farewell, she hugged her loaf close, wished three
times to be in her own home, and like a flash she was there.

Whether her friends believed the wonderful tale of her adventures I cannot
tell; but I know that she was a nice little housekeeper from that day, and
made such good bread that other girls came to learn of her. She also grew
from a sickly, fretful child into a fine, strong woman, because she ate
very little cake and candy, except at Christmas time, when the oldest and
the wisest love to make a short visit to Candy-land.

[Illustration: As soon as he was alone, Jocko ... jumped on his back.]

III.

NAUGHTY JOCKO.

"A music-man! a music-man! Run quick, and see if he has got a monkey on
his organ," cried little Neddy, running to the window in a great hurry one
day.

Yes; there was the monkey in his blue and red suit, with a funny little
cap, and the long tail trailing behind. But he didn't seem to be a lively
monkey; for he sat in a bunch, with his sad face turned anxiously to his
master, who kept pulling the chain to make him dance. The stiff collar had
made his neck sore; and when the man twitched, the poor thing moaned and
put up his little hand to hold the chain. He tried to dance, but was so
weak he could only hop a few steps, and stop panting for breath. The cruel
man wouldn't let him rest till Neddy called out,--

"Don't hurt him; let him come up here and get this cake, and rest while
you play. I've got some pennies for you."

So poor Jocko climbed slowly up the trellis, and sat on the window-ledge
trying to eat; but he was so tired he went to sleep, and when the man
pulled to wake him up, he slipped and fell, and lay as if he were dead.
Neddy and his aunt ran down to see if he was killed. The cross man scolded
and shook him; but he never moved, and the man said,--

"He is dead. I don't want him. I will sell him to some one to stuff."

"No; his heart beats a little. Leave him here a few days, and we will take
care of him; and if he gets well, perhaps we will buy him," said Aunt
Jane, who liked to nurse even a sick monkey.

The man said he was going on for a week through the towns near by, and
would call and see about it when he came back. Then he went away; and
Neddy and aunty put Jocko in a nice basket, and carried him in. The minute
the door was shut and he felt safe, the sly fellow peeped out with one
eye, and seeing only the kind little boy began to chatter and kick off the
shawl; for he was not much hurt, only tired and hungry, and dreadfully
afraid of the cruel man who beat and starved him.

Neddy was delighted, and thought it very funny, and helped his aunt take
off the stiff collar and put some salve on the sore neck. Then they got
milk and cake; and when he had eaten a good dinner, Jocko curled himself
up and slept till the next day. He was quite lively in the morning; for
when Aunt Jane went to call Neddy, Jocko was not in his basket, and
looking round the room for him, she saw the little black thing lying on
the boy's pillow, with his arm round Neddy's neck like a queer baby.

"My patience! I can't allow that," said the old lady, and went to pull
Jocko out. But he slipped away like an eel, and crept chattering and
burrowing down to the bottom of the bed, holding on to Neddy's toes, till
he waked up, howling that crabs were nipping him.

Then they had a great frolic; and Jocko climbed all over the bed, up on
the tall wardrobe, and the shelf over the door, where the image of an
angel stood. He patted it, and hugged it, and looked so very funny with
his ugly black face by the pretty white one, that Neddy rolled on the
floor, and Aunt Jane laughed till her glasses flew off. By and by he came
down, and had a nice breakfast, and let them tie a red ribbon over the
bandage on his neck. He liked the gay color, and kept going to look in the
glass, and grin and chatter at his own image, which he evidently admired.

"Now, he shall go to walk with me, and all the children shall see my new
pet," said Neddy, as he marched off with Jock on his shoulder.

Every one laughed at the funny little fellow with his twinkling eyes,
brown hands, and long tail, and Neddy felt very grand till they got to the
store; then troubles began. He put Jocko on a table near the door, and
told him to stay there while he did his errands. Now, close by was the
place where the candy was kept, and Jocko loved sweeties like any girl; so
he hopped along, and began to eat whatever he liked. Some boys tried to
stop him; and then he got angry at them for pulling his tail, and threw
handfuls of sugarplums at them. That was great fun; and the more they
laughed and scrambled and poked at him, the faster he showered chocolates,
caramels, and peppermints over them, till it looked as if it had rained
candy. The man was busy with Neddy at the other end of the store; but when
he heard the noise, both ran to see what was the matter. Neither of them
could stop naughty Jocko, who liked this game, and ran up on the high
shelves among the toys. Then down came little tubs and dolls' stoves, tin
trumpets and cradles, while boxes of leaden soldiers and whole villages
flew through the air, smash, bang, rattle, bump, all over the floor. The
man scolded, Neddy cried, the boys shouted, and there was a lively time in
that shop till a good slapping with a long stick made Jock tumble into a
tub of water where some curious fishes lived, and then they caught him.

Neddy was much ashamed, and told the man his aunt would pay for all the
broken things. Then he took his naughty pet, and started to go home and
tie him up, for it was plain this monkey was not to be trusted. But as
soon as they got out, Jocko ran up a tree and dropped on to a load of hay
passing underneath. Here he danced and pranced, and had a fine time,
throwing off the man's coat and rake, and eating some of the dinner tied
up in a cloth. The crusts of bread and the bones he threw at the horse;
this new kind of whip frightened the horse, and he ran away down a steep
hill, and upset the hay and broke the cart. Oh, such a time! It was worse
than the candy scrape; for the man swore, and the horse was hurt, and
people said the monkey ought to be shot, he did so much mischief. Jocko
didn't care a bit; he sat high up in a tree, and chattered and scolded,
and swung by his tail, and was so droll that people couldn't help laughing
at him. Poor Neddy cried again, and went home to tell his troubles to Aunt
Jane, fearing that it would take all the money in his bank to pay for the
damage the bad monkey had done in one hour.

As soon as he was alone Jocko came skipping along, and jumped on his back,
and peeped at him, and patted his cheeks, and was so cunning and good
Neddy couldn't whip him; but he shut him up in a closet to punish him.

Jocko was tired; so he went to sleep, and all was quiet till dinner-time.
They were ready for the pudding, and Neddy had saved a place for a good
plateful, as he liked snow-pudding, when shrieks were heard in the
kitchen, and Mary the maid rushed in to say,--

"Oh, ma'am, that horrid beast has spoilt the pudding, and is scaring Katy
out of her life!"

They all ran; and there sat that naughty monkey on the table, throwing the
nice white snow all over poor cook, till her face looked as if she was
ready to be shaved. His own face looked the same, for he had eaten all he
wanted while the pudding stood cooling in the pantry. He had crept out of
a window in the closet, and had a fine rummage among the sugar-buckets,
butter-boxes, and milk-pans.

Kate wailed, and Mary scolded; but Aunt Jane and grandpa laughed, and
Neddy chased Jock into the garden with the broom. They had to eat bread
and jelly for dessert, and it took the girls a long time to clear up the
mess the rascal made.

"We will put his collar and chain on again, and keep him tied up all the
time till the man comes," said Aunt Jane.

"But I can't catch him," sighed Neddy, watching the little imp whisk about
in the garden among the currant-bushes, chasing hens and tossing green
apples round in high glee.

"Sit quietly down somewhere and wait till he is tired; then he will come
to you, and you can hold him fast," said Aunt Jane.

So Neddy waited; and though he was much worried at his new pet's
naughtiness, he enjoyed his pranks like a boy.

Grandpa took naps in the afternoon on the piazza, and he was dozing
comfortably when Jocko swung down from the grape-vine by his long tail,
and tickled the old gentleman on the nose with a straw. Grandpa sneezed,
and opened one eye to brush away the fly as he supposed. Then he went to
sleep again, and Jocko dropped a caterpillar on his bald head; this made
him open the other eye to see what that soft, creepy thing could be. Neddy
couldn't help laughing, for he often wanted to do just such things, but
never dared, because grandpa was a very stern old gentleman, and no one
took liberties with him. Jocko wasn't afraid, however; and presently he
crept to the table, stole the glasses lying there, put them on, and taking
up the paper held it before him, chattering as if he were reading it, as
he had seen people do. Neddy laughed out loud at this, and clapped his
hands, Jocko looked so like a little old man, in spite of the tail curled
up behind. This time grandpa opened both eyes at once, and stared as if he
saw a hobgoblin before him; then he snatched off the spectacles, and
caught up his cane, crying angrily,--

"You rascal, how dare you!"

But Jocko tossed the paper in his face, and with one jump lighted on the
back of old Tom, the big yellow cat, who lay asleep close by. Scared half
out of his wits, Tom spit and bounced; but Jocko held fast to his collar,
and had a fine race round the garden, while the girls laughed at the funny
sight, and Neddy shouted, "It's a circus; and there's the monkey and the
pony." Even grandpa smiled, especially when puss dashed up a tree, and
Jock tumbled off. He chased him, and they had a great battle; but Tom's
claws were sharp, and the monkey got a scratch on the nose, and ran crying
to Neddy for comfort.

"Now, you naughty fellow, I'll chain you up, and stop these dreadful
tricks. But you are great fun, and I can't whip you," said the boy; for he
knew what it was to enjoy a holiday, and poor Jocko had not had one for a
long time.

Jocko ate some lunch, took a nap in the grass, and then was ready for more
frolics. Neddy had fastened him to a tree in the garden, so that he could
enjoy the sun and air, and catch grasshoppers if he liked. But Jocko
wanted something more; and presently Neddy, who was reading in his hammock
on the piazza, heard a great cackling among the hens, and looked up to see
the monkey swinging by his tail from a bough, holding the great cock-a-
doodle by his splendid tail, while all the twenty hens clucked and cackled
with wrath and fear at such a dreadful prank.

"Now, that's too bad; I _will_ slap him this time," said Neddy,
running to save his handsome bird from destruction. But before he got
there poor cocky had pulled his fine tail-feathers all out in his
struggles, and when set free was so frightened and mortified that he ran
away and hid in the bushes, and the hens went to comfort him.

Neddy gave Jocko a good whipping, and left him looking as meek as a baby,
all cuddled up in a little bunch, with his head in his hands as if crying
for his naughtiness. But he wasn't sorry. Oh, dear, no! for in half an
hour he had picked every one of the sweet peas Aunt Jane was so fond of,
thrown all the tomatoes over the fence, and let the parrot out of his
cage. The sight of Polly walking into the parlor with a polite "How are
you, ma'am?" sent Aunt Jane to see what was going on. Neddy was fast
asleep in the hammock, worn out with his cares; and Jocko, having unhooked
his chain, was sitting on the chimney-top of a neighbor's house, eating
corn.

"We shall not live to the end of the week if this sort of thing goes on. I
don't know what to do with the little beast; he's as bad as an elephant to
take care of," said the poor lady, in despair, as she saw Jocko throw his
corncob down on the minister's hat as that stately gentleman went by.

As none of them could catch him, Miss Jane let him alone till Neddy waked
up and could go and find some of the big boys to help him.

Jocko soon left the roof, and skipped in at a window that stood open. It
was little Nelly Brown's play-room, and she had left her pet doll Maud
Mabel Rose Matilda very ill in the best bed, while she went down to get a
poppy leaf to rub the darling's cheeks with, because she had a high fever.
Jocko took a fancy to the pretty bed, and after turning the play-house
topsy-turvy, he pulled poor Maud Mabel Rose Matilda out by her flaxen
hair, and stuffing her into the water-pitcher upside down, got into the
bed, drew the lace curtains, and prepared to doze deliciously under the
pink silk bed-cover.

Up came Nelly, and went at once to the dear invalid, saying in her
motherly little voice,--

"Now, my darling child, lie quite still, and I won't hurt you one bit."

But when she drew the curtain, instead of the lovely yellow-haired doll in
her ruffled nightcap, she saw an ugly little black face staring at her,
and a tiny hand holding the sheet fast. Nelly gave one scream, and flew
downstairs into the parlor where the Sewing-circle was at work,
frightening twenty-five excellent ladies by her cries, as she clung to her
mother, wailing,--

"A bogie! a bogie! I saw him, all black; and he snarled at me, and my
dolly is gone! What shall I do? oh, what shall I do?"

There was great confusion, for all the ladies talked at once; and it so
happened that none of them knew anything about the monkey, therefore they
all agreed that Nelly was a foolish child, and had made a fuss about
nothing. She cried dismally, and kept saying to her mother,--

"Go and see; it's in my dolly's bed,--I found it there, and darling Maudie
is gone."

"We _will_ go and see," said Mrs. Moses Merryweather,--a stout old
lady, who kept her six girls in such good order that _they_ would
never have dared to cry if ten monkeys had popped out at them.

Miss Hetty Bumpus, a tall thin maiden lady, with a sharp eye and pointed
nose, went with her; but at the door that led to the dining-room both
stopped short, and after one look came flying back, calling out together,--

"Mrs. Brown, your supper is spoilt! a dreadful beast has ruined it all!"

Then twenty-five excited ladies flew across the hall to behold Jocko
sitting on the great cake in the middle of the table, his feet bathed in
cream from the overturned pitcher, while all around lay the ruins of
custards, tarts, biscuits, and sauce, not to mention nice napkins made
into hay-cocks, spoons, knives, and forks, on the floor, and the best
silver teapot in the fireplace.

While Nelly told her tale and the ladies questioned and comforted her,
this bad monkey had skipped downstairs and had a delightful party all by
himself. He was just scraping the jelly out of a tart when they disturbed
him; and knowing that more slaps were in store for him if he stayed, he at
once walked calmly down the ravaged table, and vanished out of the window
carrying the silver tea-strainer with him to play with.

The ladies had no supper that night; and poor Mrs. Brown sent a note to
Aunt Jane, telling her the sad story, and adding that Nelly was quite ill
with the fright and the loss of dear Maud Mabel Rose Matilda, drowned in
the water-pitcher and forever spoilt.

"John shall go after that man to-morrow, and bring him back to carry this
terrible monkey away. I can't live with him a week; he will cost me a
fortune, and wear us all out," said Aunt Jane, when Jocko was safely shut
up in the cellar, after six boys had chased him all over the neighborhood
before they caught him.

Neddy was quite willing to let him go; but John was saved his journey, for
in the morning poor Jocko was found dead in a trap, where his inquisitive
head had been poked to see what the cheese tasted like.

So he was buried by the river, and every one felt much relieved; for the
man never came back, thinking Jocko dead when he left him. But he had not
lived in vain; for after this day of trial, mischievous Neddy behaved much
better, and Aunt Jane could always calm his prankish spirit by saying, as
her finger pointed to a little collar and chain hanging on the wall,--

"If you want to act like naughty Jocko, say so, and I'll tie you up. One
monkey is enough for this family."

[Illustration: Kitty laughed, and began to dance.... Such twirlings and
skippings as she made.]

IV.

THE SKIPPING SHOES.

Once there was a little girl, named Kitty, who never wanted to do what
people asked her. She said "I won't" and "I can't," and did not run at
once pleasantly, as obliging children do.

One day her mother gave her a pair of new shoes; and after a fuss about
putting them on, Kitty said, as she lay kicking on the floor,--

"I wish these were seven-leagued boots, like Jack the Giant Killer's, then
it would be easy to run errands all the time. Now, I hate to keep
trotting, and I don't like new shoes, and I won't stir a step."

Just as she said that, the shoes gave a skip, and set her on her feet so
suddenly that it scared all the naughtiness out of her. She stood looking
at these curious shoes; and the bright buttons on them seemed to wink at
her like eyes, while the heels tapped on the floor a sort of tune. Before
she dared to stir, her mother called from the next room,--

"Kitty, run and tell the cook to make a pie for dinner; I forgot it."

"I don't want to," began Kitty, with a whine as usual.

But the words were hardly out of her mouth when the shoes gave one jump,
and took her downstairs, through the hall, and landed her at the kitchen
door. Her breath was nearly gone; but she gave the message, and turned
round, trying to see if the shoes would let her walk at all. They went
nicely till she wanted to turn into the china-closet where the cake was.
She was forbidden to touch it, but loved to take a bit when she could. Now
she found that her feet were fixed fast to the floor, and could not be
moved till her father said, as he passed the window close by,--

"You will have time to go to the post-office before school and get my
letters."

"I can't," began Kitty; but she found she could, for away went the shoes,
out of the house at one bound, and trotted down the street so fast that
the maid who ran after her with her hat could not catch her.

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