Lesson:

1. One would have said that modest John Brooke, in his busy, quiet, humble life, had had little time to make friends; but now they seemed to start up everywhere,—old and young, rich and poor, high and low; for all unconsciously his influence had made itself widely felt, his virtues were remembered, and his hidden charities rose up to bless him.


2. The group about his coffin was a far more eloquent eulogy than any that man could utter. There were the rich men whom he had served faithfully for years; the poor old women whom he cherished with his little store, in memory of his mother; the wife to whom he had given such happiness that death could not mar it utterly; the brothers and sisters in whose hearts he had made a place forever; the little son and daughter who already felt the loss of his strong arm and tender voice; the young children, sobbing for their kindest playmate, and the tall lads, watching with softened faces a scene which they never could forget.


3. That evening, as the Plumfield boys sat on the steps, as usual, in the mild September moonlight, they naturally fell to talking of the event of the day. Emil began by breaking out in his impetuous way, 'Uncle Fritz is the wisest, and Uncle Laurie the jolliest, but Uncle John was the best; and I'd rather be like him than any man I ever saw.'


4. 'So would I. Did you hear what those gentlemen said to Grandpa today? I would like to have that said of me when I was dead;' and Franz felt with regret that he had not appreciated Uncle John enough. 'What did they say?' asked Jack, who had been much impressed by the scenes of the day.


5. 'Why, one of the partners of Mr. Laurence, where Uncle John has been ever so long, was saying that he was conscientious almost to a fault as a business man, and above reproach in all things. Another gentleman said no money could repay the fidelity and honesty with which Uncle John had served him, and then Grandpa told them the best of all.


6. 'Uncle John once had a place in the office of a man who cheated, and when this man wanted uncle to help him do it, uncle wouldn't, though he was offered a big salary. The man was angry, and said, 'You will never get on in business with such strict principles;' and uncle answered back, 'I never will try to get on without them and left the place for a much harder and poorer one.'


7. 'Good!' cried several of the boys warmly, for they were in the mood to understand and value the little story as never before. 'He wasn't rich, was he?' asked Jack. 'No.' 'He never did anything to make a stir in the world, did he?' 'No.' 'He was only good?' 'That's all;' and Franz found himself wishing that Uncle John had done something to boast of, for it was evident that Jack was disappointed by his replies.


8. 'Only good. That is all and everything,' said Uncle Fritz, who had overheard the last few words, and guessed what was going on in the minds of the lads. 'Let me tell you a little about John Brooke, and you will see why men honor him, and why he was satisfied to be good rather than rich or famous. He simply did his duty in all things, and did it so cheerfully, so faithfully, that it kept him patient, brave, and happy, through poverty and loneliness and years of hard work.


9. 'He was a good son, and gave up his own plans to stay and live with his mother while she needed him. He was a good friend, and taught your Uncle Laurie much beside his Greek and Latin, did it unconsciously, perhaps, by showing him an example of an upright man.


10. 'He was a faithful servant, and made himself so valuable to those who employed him that they will find it hard to fill his place. He was a good husband and father, so tender, wise, and thoughtful, that Laurie and I learned much of him, and only knew how well he loved his family when wTe discovered all he had done for them, unsuspected and unassisted.'


11. Uncle Fritz stopped a minute, and the boys sat like statues in the moonlight until he went on again, in a subdued and earnest voice: 'As he lay dying, I said to him, 'Have no care for your wife and the little ones; I will see that they never want.' Then he smiled and pressed my hand, and answered, in his cheerful way, 'No need of that; I have cared for them.'


12. 'And so he had, for when we looked among his papers, all was in order,—not a debt remained; and safely put away was enough to keep his wife comfortable and independent. Then we knew why he had lived so plainly, denied himself so many pleasures, except that of charity, and worked so hard that I fear he shortened his good life.


13. 'He never asked help for himself, though often for others, but bore his own burden and worked out his own task bravely and quietly. No one can say a word of complaint against him, so just and generous and kind was he; and now, when he is gone, all find so much to love and praise and honor, that I am proud to have been his friend, and would rather leave my children the legacy he leaves his than the largest fortune ever made.


14. 'Yes! simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us. Remember that, my boys; and, if you want to earn respect and confidence and love, follow in the footsteps of John Brooke.'





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Louisa May Alcott was born at Germantown, Pa., in 2833, and, among other works, wrote many beautiful stories for children.


During the Civil War she was a hospital nurse at Washington.


The following selection is adapted from 'Little Men.'


She died in 1888.





DEFINITIONS


2. Eulogy: A speech or writing in praise of the character of a person.


2. Cherished: Supported, nurtured with care.


4. Appreciated: Valued justly.


5. Conscientious: Governed by a strict regard to the rules of right and wrong.


7. Mood: State of mind, disposition.


11. Subdued: Reduced to tenderness, softened.


12. Independent: Not relying on others.


13. Legacy: A gift by will, a bequest.


14. Capital: Stock employed in any business.