“That’ssolikemyBeth!“saidJo，wavingherhat，withagratefulface。“Goodbye，Meggy，IhopetheKingswon’tstraintoday。Don’tfretaboutFather，dear，“sheadded，astheyparted。
“AndIhopeAuntMarchwon’tcroak。Yourhairisbecoming，anditlooksveryboyishandnice，“returnedMeg，tryingnottosmileatthecurlyhead，whichlookedcomicallysmallonhertallsister’sshoulders。
“That’smyonlycomfort。“And，touchingherhata`laLaurie，awaywentJo，feelinglikeashornsheeponawintryday。
Newsfromtheirfathercomfortedthegirlsverymuch，forthoughdangerouslyill，thepresenceofthebestandtenderestofnurseshadalreadydonehimgood。Mr。Brookesentabulletineveryday，andastheheadofthefamily，Meginsistedonreadingthedispatches，whichgrewmorecheerfulastheweekpassed。Atfirst，everyonewaseagertowrite，andplumpenvelopeswerecarefullypokedintotheletterboxbyoneorotherofthesisters，whofeltratherimportantwiththeirWashingtoncorrespondence。Asoneofthesepacketscontainedcharacteristicnotesfromtheparty，wewillrobanimaginarymail，andreadthem。
MydearestMother：