When aching heart was a little comforted,...
When aching heart was a little comforted, troubled mind likewise found help, for one day she went to the study, and leaning over the good gray head lifted to welcome her with a tranquil smile, she said very humbly, "Father, talk to me as you did to BethI need it more than she did, for I'm all wrong
"My dear, nothing can comfort me like this," he answered, with a falter in his voice, and both arms round her, as if he too, needed help, and did not fear to ask for it
Then, sitting in Beth's little chair close beside him, Jo told her troubles, the resentful sorrow for her loss, the fruitless efforts that discouraged her, the want of faith that made life look so dark, and all the sad bewilderment which we call despairShe gave him entire confidence, he gave her the help she needed, and both found consolation in the actFor the time had come when they could talk together not only as father and daughter, but as man and woman, able and glad to serve each other with mutual sympathy as well as mutual loveHappy, thoughtful times there in the old study which Jo called `the church of one member', and from which she came with fresh courage, recovered cheerfulness, and a more submissive spiritFor the parents who had taught one child to meet death without fear, were trying now to teach another to accept life without despondency or distrust, and to use its beautiful opportunities with gratitude and power
Other helps had Jo--humble, wholesome duties miu miu coffer and delights that would not be denied their part in serving her, and which she slowly learned to see and valueBrooms and dishcloths never could be as distasteful as they once had been, for Beth had presided over both, and something of her housewifely spirit seemed to linger around the little mop and the old brush, never thrown awayAs she used them, Jo found herself humming the songs Beth used to hum, imitating Beth's orderly ways, and giving the little touches here and there that kept everything fresh and cozy, which was the first step toward making home happy, though she didn't know it till Hannah said with an approving squeeze of the hand
"You thoughtful creeter, you're determined we shan't miss that dear lamb ef you can help itWe don't say much, but we see it, and the Lord will bless you for't, see ef He don't
As they sat sewing together, Jo discovered how much improved her sister Meg was, how well she could talk, how much she knew about good, womanly impulses, thoughts, and feelings, how happy she was in husband and children, and how much they were all doing for each other
"Marriage is an excellent thing, after allI wonder if I should blossom out half as well as you have, if I tried it?" said Jo, as she constructed a kite for Demi in the topsy-turvy nursery
"It's just what you need to bring out the tender womanly half of your nature, JoYou are like a chestnut burr, prickly outside, but silky-soft within, and a sweet kernal, if buy chanel bag one can only get at itLove will make you show your heart one day, and then the rough burr will fall off
"Frost opens chestnut burrs, ma`am, and it takes a good shake to bring them downBoys go nutting, and I don't care to be bagged by them," returned Jo, pasting away at the kite which no wind that blows would ever carry up, for Daisy had tied herself on as a bob
Meg laughed, for she was glad to see a glimmer of Jo's old spirit, but she felt it her duty to enforce her opinion by every argument in her power, and the sisterly chats were not wasted, especially as two of Meg's most effective arguments were the babies, whom Jo loved tenderlyGrief is the best opener of some hearts, and Jo's was nearly ready for the bagA little more sunshine to ripen the nut, then, not a boy's impatient shake, but a man's hand reached up to pick it gently from the burr, and find the kernal sound and sweetIf she suspected this, she would have shut up tight, and been more prickly than ever, fortunately she wasn't thinking about herself, so when the time came, down she dropped
Now, if she had been the heroine of a moral storybook, she ought at this period of her life to have become quite saintly, renounced the world, and gone about doing good in a mortified bonnet, with tracts in her pocketBut, you see, Jo wasn't a heroine, she was only a struggling human girl like hundreds of others, and she just acted out her nature, being sad, cross, listless, or energetic, vintage chanel jewelry as the mood suggestedIt's highly virtuous to say we'll be good, but we can't do it all at once, and it takes a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together before some of us even get our feet set in the right wayJo had got so far, she was learning to do her duty, and to feel unhappy if she did not, but to do it cheerfully, ah, that was another thing! She had often said she wanted to do something splendid, no matter how hard, and now she had her wish, for what could be more beautiful than to devote her life to Father and Mother, trying to make home as happy to them as they had to her? And if difficulties were necessary to increase the splendor of the effort, what could be harder for a restless, ambitious girl than to give up her own hopes, plans, and desires, and cheerfully live for others?
Providence had taken her at her wordHere was the task, not what she had expected, but better because self had no part in itNow, could she do it? She decided that she would try, and in her first attempt she found the helps I have suggestedStill another was given her, and she took it, not as a reward, but as a comfort, as Christian took the refreshment afforded by the little arbor where he rested, as he climbed the hill called Difficulty
"Why don't you write? That always used to make you happy," said her mother once, when the desponding fit over-shadowed Jo
"I've no heart to write, and if I had, nobody cares for my thingsWrite something for prada clutch us, and never mind the rest of the worldI'm sure it would do you good, and please us very much
"Don't believe I can But Jo got out her desk and began to overhaul her half-finished manuscripts
An hour afterward her mother peeped in and there she was, scratching away, with her black pinafore on, and an absorbed expression, which caused MrsMarch to smile and slip away, well pleased with the success of her suggestionJo never knew how it happened, but something got into that story that went straight to the hearts of those who read it, for when her family had laughed and cried over it, her father sent it, much against her will, to one of the popular magazines, and to her utter surprise, it was not only paid for, but others requestedLetters from several persons, whose praise was honor, followed the appearance of the little story, newspapers copied it, and strangers as well as friends, admired itFor a small thing it was a great success, and Jo was more astonished than when her novel was commended and condemned all at once
"I don't understand itWhat can there be in a simple little story like that to make people praise it so?" she said, quite bewildered
"There is truth in it, Jo, that's the secretHumor and pathos make it alive, and you have found your style at lastYou wrote with not thoughts of fame and money, and put your heart into it, my daughterYou have had the bitter, now comes the sweetDo your best, and grow as happy as we are in your black gucci bag suc