Nat was very fond of Mrs. Bhaer , but found something even more attractive in the good professor , who took fatherly care of the shy feeble boy , who had barely escaped with his life from the rough sea on which his little boat had been tossing rudderless for twelve years . Some good angel must have been watching over him , for , though his body had suffered , his soul seemed to have taken little harm , and came ashore as innocent as a shipwrecked baby . Perhaps his love of music kept it sweet in spite of the discord all about him ; Mr. Laurie said so , and he ought to know . However that might be , Father Bhaer took pleasure in fostering poor Nat 's virtues , and in curing his faults , finding his new pupil as docile and affectionate as a girl . He often called Nat his `` daughter '' when speaking of him to Mrs. Jo , and she used to laugh at his fancy , for Madame liked manly boys , and thought Nat amiable but weak , though you never would have guessed it , for she petted him as she did Daisy , and he thought her a very delightful woman . One fault of Nat 's gave the Bhaers much anxiety , although they saw how it had been strengthened by fear and ignorance . I regret to say that Nat sometimes told lies . Not very black ones , seldom getting deeper than gray , and often the mildest of white fibs ; but that did not matter , a lie is a lie , and though we all tell many polite untruths in this queer world of ours , it is not right , and everybody knows it . `` You can not be too careful ; watch your tongue , and eyes , and hands , for it is easy to tell , and look , and act untruth , '' said Mr. Bhaer , in one of the talks he had with Nat about his chief temptation . `` I know it , and I do n't mean to , but it 's so much easier to get along if you ai n't very fussy about being exactly true . I used to tell 'em because I was afraid of father and Nicolo , and now I do sometimes because the boys laugh at me . I know it 's bad , but I forget , '' and Nat looked much depressed by his sins . `` When I was a little lad I used to tell lies ! Ach ! what fibs they were , and my old grandmother cured me of it how , do you think ? My parents had talked , and cried , and punished , but still did I forget as you . Then said the dear old grandmother , ' I shall help you to remember , and put a check on this unruly part , ' with that she drew out my tongue and snipped the end with her scissors till the blood ran . That was terrible , you may believe , but it did me much good , because it was sore for days , and every word I said came so slowly that I had time to think . After that I was more careful , and got on better , for I feared the big scissors . Yet the dear grandmother was most kind to me in all things , and when she lay dying far away in Nuremberg , she prayed that little Fritz might love God and tell the truth . ''
`` I never had any grandmothers , but if you think it will cure me , I 'll let you snip my tongue , '' said XXXXX , heroically , for he dreaded pain , yet did wish to stop fibbing .
Ach Bhaers Daisy Laurie Nat Nicolo Nuremberg days right years