through the wonderful little glass; the skin on their own fingers,
looking like queer hills and valleys; a cobweb like a bit of coarse
sewing silk, and the sting of a bee.
“It’s like the fairy spectacles in my story-book, only more curious,”
said Demi, enchanted with the wonders he saw.
“Dan is a magician now, and he can show you many miracles
going on all round you; for he has two things needful patience and
a love of nature. We live in a beautiful and wonderful world,
Demi, and the more you know about it the wiser and the better you
will be. This little glass will give you a new set of teachers, and
you may learn fine lessons from them if you will,” said Mr. Bhaer,
glad to see how interested the boys were in the matter.
“Could I see anybody’s soul with this microscope if I looked hard?”
asked Demi, who was much impressed with the power of the bit of
glass.
“No, dear; it’s not powerful enough for that, and never can be made
so. You must wait a long while before your eyes are clear enough
to see the most invisible of God’s wonders. But looking at the
lovely things you can see will help you to understand the lovelier
things you can not see,” answered Uncle Fritz, with his hand on the
boy’s head.
“Well, Daisy and I both think that if there are any angels, their
wings look like that butterfly’s as we see it through the glass, only
more soft and gold.”
“Believe it if you like, and keep your own little wings as bright and
beautiful, only don’t fly away for a long time yet.”
“No, I won’t,” and Demi kept his word.
“Good-by, my boys; I must go now, but I leave you with our new
Professor of Natural History;” and Mrs. Jo went away well pleased
with that composition day.
CHAPTER XVIII CROPS
The gardens did well that summer, and in September the little
crops were gathered in with much rejoicing. Jack and Ned joined
their farms and raised potatoes, those being a good salable article.
They got twelve bushels, counting little ones and all, and sold
them to Mr. Bhaer at a fair price, for potatoes went fast in that
house. Emil and Franz devoted themselves to corn, and had a jolly
little husking in the barn, after which they took their corn to the
mill, and came proudly home with meal enough to supply the
family with hasty-pudding and Johnny-cake for a lone time. They
would not take money for their crop; because, as Franz said, “We
never can pay Uncle for all he has done for us if we raised corn for
the rest of our days.”
Nat had beans in such abundance that he despaired of ever shelling
them, till Mrs. Jo proposed a new way, which succeeded
admirably. The dry pods were spread upon the barn-floor, Nat
fiddled, and the boys danced quadrilles on them, till they were
thrashed out with much merriment and very little labor.
Tommy’s six weeks’ beans were a failure; for a dry spell early in
the season hurt them, because he gave them no water; and after
that he was so sure that they could take care of themselves, he let
the poor things struggle with bugs and weeds till they were
exhausted and died a lingering death. So Tommy had to dig his
farm over again, and plant peas. But they were late; the birds ate
many; the bushes, not being firmly planted, blew down, and when
the poor peas came at last, no one cared for them, as their day was
over, and spring-lamb had grown into mutton. Tommy consoled
himself with a charitable effort; for he transplanted all the thistles
he could find, and tended them carefully for Toby, who was fond
of the prickly delicacy, and had eaten all he could find on the
place. The boys had great fun over Tom’s thistle bed; but he
insisted that it was better to care for poor Toby than for himself,
and declared that he would devote his entire farm next year to
thistles, worms, and snails, that Demi’s turtles and Nat’s pet owl