3 The Laurence Boy

CHAPTER 3 The Laurence Boy As Jo read, tears streamed down her slim cheeks. With her pet rat Scrabble nearby, she sat on an old couch in the attic. It was her favorite place in the house; she often went there to eat apples and lose herself in a book. Hearing Meg's call, she yelled, "I'm up here!" Meg was very excited because they had been invited to a New Year's Eve dance at Sallie Gardiner's house.

"Oh Jo! Marmee said we could go," she cried. "What should we wear?" "You know we'll wear our old poplin dresses. That's all we have." "If I only had a silk dress!" Meg sighed. "Mother says I have to wait until I'm eighteen— two whole years away." "Our poplin dresses are fine. Yours looks just like new. But mine has that burn and tear. What am I going to do?" Her sister advised, "You'll sit as much as you can with your back to the wall so no one will see the burn." "And what about my gloves? I spilled lemonade on them and they're ruined, too," Jo thought about the cost for new ones, and said, "I just won't wear any." "You must have gloves, or I won't go," cried Meg. She always wanted to be proper. They decided each would wear one of

Meg's good gloves, and hold one of Jo's spoiled ones. Meg made Jo promise to behave like a lady, and never say things like "Christopher Columbus!" Jo agreed and sent an acceptance to the invitation as soon as she finished her book. On New Year's Eve, the two older March girls spent a long time getting ready for the party. After one mishap (Jo burned Meg's hair while trying to curl it), both girls were happy with the results. They looked smart and pretty, even if Meg's high-heeled shoes were too tight and Jo's hairpins stuck straight into her scalp. Their mother told them to have a good time. The girls arrived at Sallie's house and spent a few minutes inspecting themselves in Mrs. Gardiner's dressing-room mirror. Meg worried about her burned hair, and Jo worried about doing something wrong. They developed a system: Meg would lift her

eyebrows if Jo acted improperly. Once downstairs, Meg found a group of girls her age to talk to and was soon dancing, even though her new shoes hurt her feet. Jo desperately wanted to join a group of boys who were talking about skating, which she loved, but Meg's eyebrows went right up—so none of that! Jo tried not to feel so alone and out of place, but when a big redheaded boy came toward her, she disappeared into a curtained closet. Only she wasn't alone: she was face to face with the Laurence boy! "I'm sorry," Jo blurted out. "I didn't realize anyone was here." She started to back out of the closet when he laughed and said, "Don't mind me. Stay if you like." "Wouldn't I bother you?" "Not at all. I came here because I don't know many people and felt a little strange by myself."

"So did I." Their conversation started awkwardly, for they were both shy. Then Jo thanked him for the Christmas dinner, and he explained it was his grandfather's idea.

"How is your cat, Miss March?" "Very well, thank you, Mr. Laurence; but my name is just Jo, not Miss March." He smiled and replied, "Well then, I'm Laurie, not Mr. Laurence." "Laurie Laurence, what a funny name." "My name is Theodore, but I don't like it because the boys called me Dora. I made them say Laurie instead." "And I wish every one would call me Jo instead of Josephine." Soon, the two talked like old friends. Jo was excited to learn Laurie had been to school in France. He said that he wasn't that interested in going to college, and Jo said she'd love to live in Italy. They even managed to dance down a long hallway so that Jo could keep her burned dress hidden. They had a wonderful time until Meg called Jo into a side room. Meg sat on a couch