added Winkle and Tupman , while the President bowed benignly . `` I merely wish to say , that as a slight token of my gratitude for the honor done me , and as a means of promoting friendly relations between adjoining nations , I have set up a post office in the hedge in the lower corner of the garden , a fine , spacious building with padlocks on the doors and every convenience for the mails , also the females , if I may be allowed the expression . It 's the old martin house , but I 've stopped up the door and made the roof open , so it will hold all sorts of things , and save our valuable time . Letters , manuscripts , books , and bundles can be passed in there , and as each nation has a key , it will be uncommonly nice , I fancy . Allow me to present the club key , and with many thanks for your favor , take my seat . '' Great applause as Mr. Weller deposited a little key on the table and subsided , the warming pan clashed and waved wildly , and it was some time before order could be restored . A long discussion followed , and everyone came out surprising , for everyone did her best . So it was an unusually lively meeting , and did not adjourn till a late hour , when it broke up with three shrill cheers for the new member . No one ever regretted the admittance of Sam Weller , for a more devoted , well-behaved , and jovial member no club could have . He certainly did add ` spirit ' to the meetings , and ' a tone ' to the paper , for his orations convulsed his hearers and his contributions were excellent , being patriotic , classical , comical , or dramatic , but never sentimental . Jo regarded them as worthy of Bacon , Milton , or Shakespeare , and remodeled her own works with good effect , she thought . The P. O. was a capital little institution , and flourished wonderfully , for nearly as many queer things passed through it as through the real post office . Tragedies and cravats , poetry and pickles , garden seeds and long letters , music and gingerbread , rubbers , invitations , scoldings , and puppies . The old gentleman liked the fun , and amused himself by sending odd bundles , mysterious messages , and funny telegrams , and his gardener , who was smitten with Hannah 's charms , actually sent a love letter to Jo 's care . How they laughed when the secret came out , never dreaming how many love letters that little post office would hold in the years to come . CHAPTER ELEVEN EXPERIMENTS `` The first of June ! The Kings are off to the seashore tomorrow , and I 'm free . Three months ' vacation -- how I shall enjoy it ! '' exclaimed Meg , coming home one warm day to find Jo laid upon the sofa in an unusual state of exhaustion , while Beth took off her dusty boots , and Amy made lemonade for the refreshment of the whole party . `` Aunt March went today , for which , oh , be joyful ! ''
said XXXXX .
Beth Jo Meg Tupman Winkle hour padlocks rubbers scoldings years