Little Women

It was the night before Christmas, and the four March sisters sat around the fire.Their father was far away, helping the soldiers in the war, and money was short that year."Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," said Jo, lying on the rug.

Meg, the oldest, sighed and looked down at her worn dress.Shy little Beth said softly that they still had Father and Mother and each other.But young Amy added that they had no money, and just then that felt very hard.

Each girl had one dollar, and each had planned to spend it on herself.But their mother, whom they called Marmee, had a gentler idea.Because the winter was hard and the soldiers were suffering, she asked them to spend nothing on themselves this year.

The sisters were quiet for a moment, and then Jo spoke up."Let's each buy a present for Marmee, and nothing for ourselves," she said.The others agreed at once, glad to have found a way to give.

That evening Marmee came home cold and tired, but with a letter from Father.He wrote that he hoped his "little women" would be brave and kind and do their duty while he was gone.When he came home, he would love them and be proud of them more than ever.

The girls tried not to cry, and each quietly promised to be a little better.Then they sang together before bed, the way their mother loved best.