Little Men by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781402772382
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books

CHAPTER 9

Home Again

Now that it was summer, the boys’ classes were shorter, and they spent a lot of time outside. The garden came along nicely, and they helped with the weeding. Plumfield stood open from morning until night to welcome all home at a moment’s notice.

One balmy night as Jo was putting Teddy to bed, he said in his baby voice, “Oh, my Danny!” and pointed to the window.

Jo said, “No my dear, he is not there. It’s just the moon.”

“No, no, my Danny at the window, at the window,” Teddy shouted as he bounced up and down.

Jo scooped up her little boy and raced to the front door, hoping to see Dan. She even called out to him, but there was no one there.

It was almost ten o’clock when Jo went to lock up the house for the night. As she looked around, something caught her eye—a dash of white out in the front yard. The children had been playing out there this afternoon, and Jo thought that Nan must have left her hat outside. But when she went out to retrieve it, she found Dan, fast asleep on the lawn. One of his feet was bare, and the other was tied up in an old gingham jacket.

“He must not lie here,” Jo said, and she shook him softly as she called out his name.

“Mother Jo,” Dan mumbled, “I’ve come home.”

Jo smiled and said, “We are very glad to see you.”

Dan stirred. “I had planned just to stop by and be on my way in the morning,” he said.

“Why don’t you come in? Everyone would love to see you, especially Teddy. Didn’t you hear him calling you?”

Dan hung his head. “I didn’t suppose you’d let me in.”

Jo held out her hand to help him up, for he had hurt his foot badly. As he leaned on an old stick, Dan said, “Father Bhaer will not be pleased with me. I’ve run away from Mr. Page.”

“He knows,” Jo said. “He was sorry to hear it, but he’ll still be happy you are home. Now, what happened to your foot?”

“As I was climbing over a stone wall, one large rock came loose and fell on me,” Dan replied. “It’s not that bad, and I don’t mind.”

But Jo could see that he was in an awful lot of pain. She helped him into her parlor and gave him something to eat and drink. Once he was settled in, Dan told her about all of his unhappy adventures.

When she left the room for more bandages, Jo found Father Bhaer and told him of Dan’s hard times since leaving them. Father Bhaer said at once that the boy should stay. Dan overheard everything and allowed just two tears to fall down his face. All his anger was now behind him. He had never been so happy to be home.

“But do go and tend to his foot, my dear,” Jo said. “I am afraid it is badly hurt. And be kind to him. He’s had a hard time of it.

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