Part 19 (1/2)
December 25, 1854
DEAR MOTHER:
Into your Christ that you will accept it with all its faults (for grandmothers are always kind) and look upon it merely as an earnest of what I may yet do; for with so much to cheer me on, I hope to pass in time from fairies and fables to men and realities Whatever beauty or poetry is to be found in ement of, my efforts fro to be proud of, reatest happiness will be that I can thank you for that, as I ood there is in ives you pleasure
Jo is fussing about, My la out
To dear mother, with many kind wishes for a Happy New Year and Merry Christhter,
LOUY
Reco hter understanding syift always remained one of her most precious possessions
Six hundred copies of the little ”Flower Fables” were published, and the book sold very well, although their author only received the sum of 32 for them, which was in sharp contrast, she says in her journal, ”to the receipts of six ht thousand dollars_ for the sale of books and no new one; but” she adds, ”I was prouder over the thirty-two dollars than the eight thousand”
Louisa Alcott was now headed toward her destiny, although she was still a long way frooal of literary success, and had many weary hills yet to clian to plan for a new volume of fairy tales, and as she was invited to spend the next sue of Walpole, she thankfully accepted the invitation, and decided to write the new book there in the bracing air of the hill town In Walpole, she htful people, ere all attracted to the versatile, areat demand when there was any entertainave a burlesque lecture on ”Woe,” which created such a gale of merriment that she was asked to repeat it for money, which she did; and so there was added to her store of accomplishments another, fro years
Her enjoyreat that her family decided to try its fine air, as they were tired of city life and needed a change of scene A friend offered them a house there, rent free, and in their usual improe, bag and baggage Mr Alcott was overjoyed to have a garden in which to work, and Mrs Alcott was glad to be near her niece, whose guest Louisa had been up to that time
Louisa's comment on their arrival in her diary was:
”Busy and happy times as we settle in the little house in the lane, near by hbors” Despite the good times, it is evident that she was not idle, for she says, ”Finished fairy book in September Better than _Flower Fables_ Now, I must try to sell it”
In Septereat idiot asylum in Syracuse Her sensitive nature shrank from the work, but with real self-sacrifice she accepted it for the sake of the family, and went off in October Meanwhile Louisa had been thinking deeply about her future, and her diary tells the story of a decision she made, quite the most important one of her life She writes:
”November; decided to seek my fortune, so with my little trunk of home-made clothes, 40 earned by stories sent to the _Gazette_, andone rainy day in the dullest ht to Boston, where she writes:
”Found it too late to do anything with the book (the new one she had written at Walpole) so put it away and tried for teaching, sewing, or any honest work Won't go home to sit idle while I have a head and a pair of hands”
Good for you, Louisa--you are the stuff that success is e had its reward is shown by the fact that her cousins, the Sewalls, generously offered her a horatefully accepted, but insisted on paying for her board by doing a great deal of sewing for them She says in her diary: ”I sew for Mollie and others and write stories C gave me books to notice Heard Thackeray Anxious times; Anna very home-sick Walpole very cold and dull, now the suone Got 5 for a tale and 12 for sewing; sent home a Christmas box to cheer the dear souls in the snow-banks”
In January she writes: ”C paid 6 for _A Sister's Trial_, gave me more books to notice, and wants ive a vivid picture of her pluck and perseverance in that first winter of fortune-seeking, and no record of deeds could beentries:
”Sewed for L W Sewall and others Mr Field tookout; Mr Barry of the Boston Theater has the play Heard Curtis lecture Began a book for summer, _Beach Bubbles_ Mr F of the _Courier_ printed a poereat yellow placards stuck up announcing it Acted at the W's March; got 10 for 'Genevieve' Prices go up as people like the tales and ask rote theot very tired; one job for Mr G of a dozen pillow-cases, one dozen sheets, six fine cambric neck-ties, and two dozen handkerchiefs, at which I had to work all one night to get the fortune-seeker adds sensibly, ”Seon't make my fortune, but I can plan my stories while I work”
In May she had a welcome visit from Anna on her way home from Syracuse, as the work there was too hard for her, and the sisters spent soo home, as dear little Beth was very sick with scarlet-fever which she caught fro Both Beth and May had the dangerous disease, and Beth never recovered froh she lived for two years, a serene, patient invalid, who shed a benediction on the sorrowing household That summer was an anxious ti into housework and nursing, and when night came she would scribble one of the stories which the papers were now glad to accept whenever she could send the, the wearyand she was not needed at home, Louisa decided to spend another winter in the city Her diary says:
”There I can support myself and help the family C offers 10 a ; the play ive me a sky-parlor for 3 a week, with fire and board I sew for her also” With practical forethought, she adds, ”If I can get A L to governess I shall be all right”
Then in a burst of the real spirit which had anian to write and sew and teach and act, and iven her by rich friends that she need not spend any money on herself, she declares in her diary: