1 Presents for Marmee It won’t be Christmas without any presents grumbled Jo Meg sighed It’s awful being poor Little Amy sniffed It’s not fair that some girls have lots of nice things and others have nothing We’ve got Father and Mother and each other Beth said happily from her corner They each thought of Father far away in the fi ghting Meg said Mother knows it will be a hard winter She thinks we should not spend money on pleasures when the men suffer in the army We each have a dollar and that won’t help the army much I would like to buy a new book said Jo who loved to read 4
Beth said with a quiet sigh I plan to buy new music I will buy a nice box of drawing pencils Amy said Mother didn’t say we couldn’t spend our own money We work hard for it said Jo They each agreed that they worked hard with Meg teaching Jo taking care of fussy old Aunt March Beth keeping the house tidy and Amy going to school with girls who laughed at her for being poor Margaret was sixteen very pretty and a bit vain Fifteen-year-old Jo was tall and thin Beth was thirteen and shy She seemed happy to live in a world of her own Amy was pretty with blue eyes and yellow hair She always carried herself like a young lady When the clock struck six Beth put a pair of slippers by the fi replace to warm The girls knew their mother was coming and they all cheered up Jo held the slippers nearer to the fi re 5
These are old and Marmee needs a new pair Jo said Beth said Why don’t each of us get Marmee something for Christmas and nothing for ourselves Everyone agreed They decided to surprise her They would shop the next afternoon I shall get her a nice pair of gloves Meg said The best shoes cried Jo Some handkerchiefs said Beth And a little bottle of cologne added Amy While they waited they spent time practicing their annual Christmas play When they were done Beth said I don’t see how you can write such wonderful things Jo As they laughed together a cheery voice said Glad to fi nd you so happy my girls The girls welcomed their mother who they thought was the most splendid mother in the world As she asked about each of them they hurried around her to make her comfortable 7
