In this way , the sly old gentleman got round proud Jo , and furnished her with the style of boy in which she most delighted . Of course it was uphill work at first , and Jo made queer mistakes , but the wise Professor steered her safely into calmer waters , and the most rampant ragamuffin was conquered in the end . How Jo did enjoy her ` wilderness of boys ' , and how poor , dear Aunt March would have lamented had she been there to see the sacred precincts of prim , well-ordered Plumfield overrun with Toms , Dicks , and Harrys ! There was a sort of poetic justice about it , after all , for the old lady had been the terror of the boys for miles around , and now the exiles feasted freely on forbidden plums , kicked up the gravel with profane boots unreproved , and played cricket in the big field where the irritable ` cow with a crumpled horn ' used to invite rash youths to come and be tossed . It became a sort of boys ' paradise , and Laurie suggested that it should be called the ` Bhaer-garten ' , as a compliment to its master and appropriate to its inhabitants . It never was a fashionable school , and the Professor did not lay up a fortune , but it was just what Jo intended it to be -- ' a happy , homelike place for boys , who needed teaching , care , and kindness ' . Every room in the big house was soon full . Every little plot in the garden soon had its owner . A regular menagerie appeared in barn and shed , for pet animals were allowed . And three times a day , Jo smiled at her Fritz from the head of a long table lined on either side with rows of happy young faces , which all turned to her with affectionate eyes , confiding words , and grateful hearts , full of love for ` Mother Bhaer ' . She had boys enough now , and did not tire of them , though they were not angels , by any means , and some of them caused both Professor and Professorin much trouble and anxiety . But her faith in the good spot which exists in the heart of the naughtiest , sauciest , most tantalizing little ragamuffin gave her patience , skill , and in time success , for no mortal boy could hold out long with Father Bhaer shining on him as benevolently as the sun , and Mother Bhaer forgiving him seventy times seven . Very precious to Jo was the friendship of the lads , their penitent sniffs and whispers after wrongdoing , their droll or touching little confidences , their pleasant enthusiasms , hopes , and plans , even their misfortunes , for they only endeared them to her all the more . There were slow boys and bashful boys , feeble boys and riotous boys , boys that lisped and boys that stuttered , one or two lame ones , and a merry little quadroon , who could not be taken in elsewhere , but who was welcome to the ` Bhaer-garten ' , though some people predicted that his admission would ruin the school . Yes , Jo was a very happy woman there , in spite of hard work , much anxiety , and a perpetual racket . She enjoyed it heartily and found the applause of her boys more satisfying than any praise of the world , for now she told no stories except to her flock of enthusiastic believers and admirers . As the years went on , two little lads of her own came to increase her happiness -- Rob , named for Grandpa , and Teddy , a happy-go-lucky baby , who seemed to have inherited his papa 's sunshiny temper as well as his mother 's lively spirit . How they ever grew up alive in that whirlpool of boys was a mystery to their grandma and aunts , but they flourished like dandelions in spring , and their rough nurses loved and served them well . There were a great many holidays at Plumfield , and one of the most delightful was the yearly apple-picking . For then the Marches , Laurences , Brookes and Bhaers turned out in full force and made a day of it .
Five years after XXXXX 's wedding , one of these fruitful festivals occurred , a mellow October day , when the air was full of an exhilarating freshness which made the spirits rise and the blood dance healthily in the veins .
Bhaer Bhaer-garten Grandpa Jo Laurences Professorin Teddy apple-picking first ragamuffin