I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole Bull , ' said Nan to her friend . A pretty colour came into Daisy 's cheek , and the folds of muslin on her breast rose and fell with a quick breath ; but she answered placidly : ` Uncle Laurie says he has real talent , and after the training he will get abroad he can command a good living here , though he may never be famous . ' ` Young people seldom turn out as one predicts , so it is of little use to expect anything , ' said Mrs Meg with a sigh . ` If our children are good and useful men and women , we should be satisfied ; yet it 's very natural to wish them to be brilliant and successful . ' ` They are like my chickens , mighty uncertain . Now , that fine-looking cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot , and the ugly , long-legged chap is the king of the yard , he 's so smart ; crows loud enough to wake the Seven Sleepers ; but the handsome one croaks , and is no end of a coward . I get snubbed ; but you wait till I grow up , and then see ' ; and Ted looked so like his own long-legged pet that everyone laughed at his modest prediction . ' I want to see Dan settled somewhere . `` A rolling stone gathers no moss '' , and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world without a tie to hold him , except this ' ; and Mrs Meg nodded towards her sister . ` Dan will find his place at last , and experience is his best teacher . He is rough still , but each time he comes home I see a change for the better , and never lose my faith in him . He may never do anything great , or get rich ; but if the wild boy makes an honest man , I 'm satisfied , ' said Mrs Jo , who always defended the black sheep of her flock . ` That 's right , mother , stand by Dan ! He 's worth a dozen Jacks and Neds bragging about money and trying to be swells . You see if he does n't do something to be proud of and take the wind out of their sails , ' added Ted , whose love for his ` Danny ' was now strengthened by a boy 's admiration for the bold , adventurous man . ` Hope so , I 'm sure . He 's just the fellow to do rash things and come to glory -- climbing the Matterhorn , taking a `` header '' into Niagara , or finding a big nugget . That 's his way of sowing wild oats , and perhaps it 's better than ours , ' said Tom thoughtfully ; for he had gained a good deal of experience in that sort of agriculture since he became a medical student . ` Much better ! ' said Mrs Jo emphatically .
` I 'd rather send my boys off to XXXXX the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full of temptations , with nothing to do but waste time , money , and health , as so many are left .
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