e end was better than
the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a rainbow shone beautifully
over them as the good fellows stood upon the lawn singing sweetly for a
farewell. A happy omen, that bow of promise arched over the young heads,
as if Heaven smiled upon their union, and showed them that above the
muddy earth and rainy skies the blessed sun still shone for all. Three
cheers, and then away they went, leaving a pleasant recollection of
their visit to amuse the family as they scraped the mud off the carpets
with shovels and emptied the tub half-full of water.

'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my half-hour
at all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me till
tea-time,' said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for papa and
the boys had gone off with the guests, and Josie had run home to tell
her mother about the fun at Aunt Jo's.

Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came giggling
up to say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can catch a
grasshopper in the garden.'

'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the odd
requests ever made, this was the oddest.

'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she wanted,
and says she: "I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of several famous
folks, and I want one from Plumfield to add to my collection." Did you
ever?' And Mary giggled again at the idea.

'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get rid
of them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,' laughed
Mrs Jo.

Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with merriment.

'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair
of stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of
Emerson's, she says, and a pair of Mr. Holmes's trousers, and a dress of
Mrs Stowe's. She must be crazy!'

'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among the
great ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics, these
lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she doesn't
take my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo, returning to her
work after a glance from the window, which showed her a tall, thin lady
in rusty black, skipping wildly to and fro on the lawn in pursuit of the
lively insect she wanted.

No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary popped her
head in to say a gentleman wished to see M