Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

answered the doctor with a hopeful smile on his lips but an

anxious look in his eyes.

“She will come out all right bless her heart! so let her sow her

innocent wild oats and enjoy herself till she is ready to settle down.

I wish all our young folks were likely to have as small a crop and

get through as safely as she will,” added Uncle Mac with a shake

of the head as he glanced at some of the young men revolving

before him.

“Nothing amiss with your lads, I hope??

“No, thank heaven! So far I’ve had little trouble with either, though

Mac is an odd stick and Steve a puppy. I don’t complain, for both

will outgrow that sort of thing and are good fellows at heart,

thanks to their mother. But Clara’s boy is in a bad way, and she

will spoil him as a man as she has as a boy if his father doesn’t

interfere.?

“I told brother Stephen all about him when I was in Calcutta last

year, and he wrote to the boy, but Clara has got no end of plans in

her head and so she insisted on keeping Charlie a year longer when

his father ordered him off to India,” replied the doctor as they

walked away.

“It is too late to ‘order’ Charlie is a man now, and Stephen will find

he has been too easy with him all these years. Poor fellow, it has

been hard lines for him, and is likely to be harder, I fancy, unless

he comes home and straightens things out.?

“He won’t do that if he can help it. He has lost all his energy living

in that climate and hates worry more than ever, so you can imagine

what an effort it would be to manage a foolish woman and a

headstrong boy. We must lend a hand, Mac, and do our best for

poor old Steve.?

“The best we can do for the lad is to marry and settle him as soon

as possible.?

“My dear fellow, he is only three and twenty,” began the doctor, as

if the idea was preposterous. Then a sudden change came over him

as he added with a melancholy smile, “I forget how much one can

hope and suffer, even at twenty-three.?

“And be all the better for, if bravely outlived,” said Uncle Mac,

with his hand on his brother’s shoulder and the sincerest approval

in his voice. Then, kindly returning to the younger people, he went

on inquiringly, “You don’t incline to Clara’s view of a certain

matter, I fancy??

“Decidedly not. My girl must have the best, and Clara’s training

would spoil an angel,” answered Dr. Alec quickly.

“But we shall find it hard to let our little Rose go out of the family.

How would Archie do? He has been well brought up and is a

thoroughly excellent lad.?

The brothers had retired to the study by this time and were alone,

yet Dr. Alec lowered his voice as he said with a tender sort of

anxiety pleasant to see: “You know I do not approve of cousins

marrying, so I’m in a quandary, Mac, for I love the child as if she

were my own and feel as if I could not give her up to any man

whom I did not know and trust entirely. It is of no use for us to

plan, for she must choose for herself yet I do wish we could keep

her among us and give one of our boys a wife worth having.?

“We must, so never mind your theories but devote yourself to

testing our elder lads and making one of them a happy fellow. All

are heart-whole, I believe, and, though young still for this sort of

thing, we can be gently shaping matters for them, since no one

knows how soon the moment may come. My faith it is like living

in a powder mill to be among a lot of young folks nowadays! All

looks as calm as possible till a sudden spark produces an

explosion, and heaven only knows where we find ourselves after it

is over.?

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *