She had boys enough now , and did not tire of them , though they were not angels , by any means , and some of them caused both Professor and Professorin much trouble and anxiety . But her faith in the good spot which exists in the heart of the naughtiest , sauciest , most tantalizing little ragamuffin gave her patience , skill , and in time success , for no mortal boy could hold out long with Father Bhaer shining on him as benevolently as the sun , and Mother Bhaer forgiving him seventy times seven . Very precious to Jo was the friendship of the lads , their penitent sniffs and whispers after wrongdoing , their droll or touching little confidences , their pleasant enthusiasms , hopes , and plans , even their misfortunes , for they only endeared them to her all the more . There were slow boys and bashful boys , feeble boys and riotous boys , boys that lisped and boys that stuttered , one or two lame ones , and a merry little quadroon , who could not be taken in elsewhere , but who was welcome to the ` Bhaer-garten ' , though some people predicted that his admission would ruin the school . Yes , Jo was a very happy woman there , in spite of hard work , much anxiety , and a perpetual racket . She enjoyed it heartily and found the applause of her boys more satisfying than any praise of the world , for now she told no stories except to her flock of enthusiastic believers and admirers . As the years went on , two little lads of her own came to increase her happiness -- Rob , named for Grandpa , and Teddy , a happy-go-lucky baby , who seemed to have inherited his papa 's sunshiny temper as well as his mother 's lively spirit . How they ever grew up alive in that whirlpool of boys was a mystery to their grandma and aunts , but they flourished like dandelions in spring , and their rough nurses loved and served them well . There were a great many holidays at Plumfield , and one of the most delightful was the yearly apple-picking . For then the Marches , Laurences , Brookes and Bhaers turned out in full force and made a day of it . Five years after Jo 's wedding , one of these fruitful festivals occurred , a mellow October day , when the air was full of an exhilarating freshness which made the spirits rise and the blood dance healthily in the veins . The old orchard wore its holiday attire . Goldenrod and asters fringed the mossy walls . Grasshoppers skipped briskly in the sere grass , and crickets chirped like fairy pipers at a feast . Squirrels were busy with their small harvesting . Birds twittered their adieux from the alders in the lane , and every tree stood ready to send down its shower of red or yellow apples at the first shake . Everybody was there . Everybody laughed and sang , climbed up and tumbled down . Everybody declared that there never had been such a perfect day or such a jolly set to enjoy it , and everyone gave themselves up to the simple pleasures of the hour as freely as if there were no such things as care or sorrow in the world . Mr. March strolled placidly about , quoting Tusser , Cowley , and Columella to Mr. Laurence , while enjoying ... The gentle apple 's winey juice .
The Professor charged up and down the green aisles like a stout Teutonic knight , with a pole for a lance , leading on the boys , who XXXXX a hook and ladder company of themselves , and performed wonders in the way of ground and lofty tumbling .
chirped exists fringed gave made sang served taken told wore