A long discussion followed , and everyone came out surprising , for everyone did her best . So it was an unusually lively meeting , and did not adjourn till a late hour , when it broke up with three shrill cheers for the new member . No one ever regretted the admittance of Sam Weller , for a more devoted , well-behaved , and jovial member no club could have . He certainly did add ` spirit ' to the meetings , and ' a tone ' to the paper , for his orations convulsed his hearers and his contributions were excellent , being patriotic , classical , comical , or dramatic , but never sentimental . Jo regarded them as worthy of Bacon , Milton , or Shakespeare , and remodeled her own works with good effect , she thought . The P. O. was a capital little institution , and flourished wonderfully , for nearly as many queer things passed through it as through the real post office . Tragedies and cravats , poetry and pickles , garden seeds and long letters , music and gingerbread , rubbers , invitations , scoldings , and puppies . The old gentleman liked the fun , and amused himself by sending odd bundles , mysterious messages , and funny telegrams , and his gardener , who was smitten with Hannah 's charms , actually sent a love letter to Jo 's care . How they laughed when the secret came out , never dreaming how many love letters that little post office would hold in the years to come . CHAPTER ELEVEN EXPERIMENTS `` The first of June ! The Kings are off to the seashore tomorrow , and I 'm free . Three months ' vacation -- how I shall enjoy it ! '' exclaimed Meg , coming home one warm day to find Jo laid upon the sofa in an unusual state of exhaustion , while Beth took off her dusty boots , and Amy made lemonade for the refreshment of the whole party . `` Aunt March went today , for which , oh , be joyful ! '' said Jo . `` I was mortally afraid she 'd ask me to go with her . If she had , I should have felt as if I ought to do it , but Plumfield is about as gay as a churchyard , you know , and I 'd rather be excused . We had a flurry getting the old lady off , and I had a fright every time she spoke to me , for I was in such a hurry to be through that I was uncommonly helpful and sweet , and feared she 'd find it impossible to part from me . I quaked till she was fairly in the carriage , and had a final fright , for as it drove of , she popped out her head , saying , ` Josyphine , wo n't you -- ? ' I did n't hear any more , for I basely turned and fled .
I did actually run , and whisked round the corner where I XXXXX safe . ''
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