1 A Christmas letter

Little Women

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Chapter 1 A Christmas letter "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo March, lying on the rug. "I hate being poor," sighed her sister, Meg, looking at her old dress. "So do I," sniffed Amy, the youngest, who was gazing at passers-by. "And I don't think it's fair for some girls to have lots of pretty things and other girls nothing at all." "At least we have Father and Mother and each other," said Beth.

"We don't have Father," Jo observed, moving to the sofa. "Not for a long time..." "Perhaps never," each sister added silently to herself, thinking of their father far away at the war. "Mother said we ought not to have presents this Christmas anyway," announced Meg. "She thinks it's wrong to spend money for fun when our men are suffering in the army." At sixteen, and the eldest, Meg did her best to sound grown-up, but she didn't always succeed. "Mother wouldn't want us to give up everything!" cried Jo. "And we each have a dollar.

We could spend that on ourselves. I'm going to buy a book." "I'll buy drawing paper," decided Amy. Beth began playing the old piano, skipping over the parts where the notes were missing. "A new piano's too expensive," she said quietly, "but I'd love more music." "We deserve some fun," Jo added. "I suffer enough every day looking after Great Aunt March with her fussy old woman ways."

"It can't be as bad as my job, teaching those horrible children," Meg complained. "I hate having to work." "My life's worse," Amy butted in. "All the girls at school laugh at me because of my patched clothes." Beth put her mother's old slippers to warm by the fire. They were full of holes. "Let's not get anything for ourselves," she said. "Let's buy presents for Mother instead. She works so hard." Jo beamed. "That's a much better idea. We'll go shopping tomorrow." And, seizing Beth, she danced around the room.