1 Playing Pilgrims

Little Women Retold from the Louisa May Alcott original

CHAPTER 1 Playing Pilgrims While the snow fell quietly outside their New England home, the four March sisters stayed warm by the fire in their cozy living room. "Christmas won't be the same without presents," grumbled fifteen-year-old Jo, lying on the rug. Her older sister Meg sighed as she looked at her old dress. "It's not much fun being

poor." "It's not fair that some girls have lots of pretty things, and other girls don't have any at all," sniffed Amy, who at twelve was the youngest. "But we've got a mother and a father who love us very much, and we've always got each other," thirteen-year-old Beth said happily from her corner. Her words seemed to cheer up the others. "Father's been gone for a long time, and we don't know when he'll be coming back," said Jo. Meg insisted, "This is going to be a hard winter for everyone. We shouldn't be buying presents while so many men are suffering during the war. We should make sacrifices!" But even as she said these kind words, Meg still longed for pretty things at Christmas. Jo said, "We've only got a dollar each and

that's not going to help the army much." She was the bookworm in the family and wanted to buy anew novel. Beth longed for music, and Amy dreamed of coloring pencils to help her draw. Jo continued, "Mother wouldn't mind if we spent our dollars on ourselves and had a little fun. We work hard." The chimes announced that it was six o'clock. Beth put a pair of her mother's slippers near the fire to warm. Jo noticed how old and worn they were. She said, "We should get Marmee a new pair!" When Beth said she was going to buy the slippers with her dollar, Jo insisted she should be the one to buy them because their father had told her to take special care of their mother while he was away. Meg thought that she should since she was the oldest.

Beth said, "I've got an idea! Let's all buy something for Marmee, and not for ourselves." All the girls thought this was a wonderful idea. Meg said she would buy Marmee some gloves. Jo exclaimed, "Satin slippers! The best I can get." Beth chimed in, "Lovely hemmed handkerchiefs." Amy thought for a minute as she pulled one of her blond curls. "I'll get Marmee a little bottle of perfume. This way I'll still have something for myself." Jo was excited. "I can't wait to surprise her!" She turned to her sisters. "We'll go shopping tomorrow. And remember,we've got to rehearse our Christmas play." Jo started marching around the living room. In a few minutes, the girls were laughing so hard

they almost didn't hear their mother come in from the cold. "Glad to see you girls are having so much fun, "Marmee said. "Did you all have a good day?" As Marmee took off her wet clothes, put on her warm slippers, and sat down in front of the fire, the girls flew into action. Jo stoked the fire, Meg got dinner ready, Beth helped Meg, and Amy told everyone what to do and how to do it. When all five of them were sitting down at the dining-room table, Marmee said, "I've got a treat for you girls after supper." The smiles quickly spread. Jo threw her napkin in the air, crying, "It's a letter. Three cheers for Father!" Marmee nodded. "Yes, it's a letter from your father. He's well and thinks the winter won't actually be that bad. He sends his love