Луиза Мэй Олкотт (Louisa May Alcott)Little women
A Letter from Father
It was two days before Christmas.
Meg Jo, Beth, and Amy March were sisters. Meg was sixteen and she was very beautiful. She had big eyes and beautiful long brown hair. Jo was fifteen. She was tall and thin. She had dark eyes and long brown hair. Beth was thirteen. She was very quiet. Little Amy had blue eyes and yellow hair.
It was six in the evening and the girls were at home. They talked about Christmas.
Jo wasn’t happy.
“It’s Christmas and we aren’t going to have any presents!” she said.
Meg looked at her old dress.
“I know, Jo,” she said. “But we don’t have much money.”
Amy said, “My friends are going to have presents. I want some presents too.”
Beth smiled.
“We don’t have any money” she said. “But we have Mother and Father, and we’re happy.”
Jo didn’t smile.
She said, "We don’t have Father. He’s away in the war and he isn’t coming back for Christmas.”
“Maybe he isn’t going to come back,” the girls thought. But they didn’t say it.
“We have a little money,” Meg said. “What can we buy?”
“I want a new book,” Jo said. She loved reading
“And I’d like some pens,” Amy said.
“I don’t want any presents,” Beth said, “Let’s buy presents for Mother. We can put them on the table for her on Christmas Day.”
“Yes,” said Jo. “Let’s do that. We can buy them tomorrow. What can we get for her?”
Then Mrs. March arrived in her dark coat and old hat. She called, "Children, I’m home!”
“Hello, Mother!” the girls answered.
“Come and kiss me, girls!” Mrs. March said. They went to her, and she smiled at them. “I have a letter from Father,” she said. “Let’s eat, and then we can read it.” Later in the evening, Mrs. March said, “Sit down now, girls. I’m going to read Fathers letter to you,”
It was a happy letter. Father didn’t talk about the war. The letter finished:
Give my love and a kiss to my little women. A year is a long time, but I think of them every day.
The girls were very unhappy. They wanted their father. They thought about his letter.
“I’m going to be good this year,” Amy said.
“I don’t like my work,” Meg said, “but I’m going to do it well.”
“I want to be a ‘little woman’ for Father,” Jo said. “I’m often angry, but I’m going to stop now.”