Louisa May Alcott

with a shy man­ner, a timid voice, and a peace­ful ex­pres­sion, which was sel­dom dis­turbed.

I hate to think I’ve got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China-aster! It’s bad enough to be a girl, any­way,

Tell them I think of them by day, pray for them by night, and find my best com­fort in their af­fec­tion at all times.

“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls noth­ing at all,”

“I de­test rude, un­la­dy­like girls!”

you are al­to­gether too par­tic­u­lar and prim

which were very much in her way

Jo’s am­bi­tion was to do some­thing very splen­did; what it was she had no idea, as yet, but left it for time to tell her; and, mean­while, found her great­est af­flic­tion in the fact that she couldn’t read, run, and ride as much as she liked. A quick tem­per, sharp tongue, and rest­less spirit were al­ways get­ting her into scrapes, and her life was a se­ries of ups and downs, which were both comic and pa­thetic. But the train­ing she re­ceived at Aunt March’s was just what she needed; and the

Amy would have noth­ing old or ugly

Beth cher­ished them all the more ten­derly for that very rea­son, and set up a hos­pi­tal for in­firm dolls. No pins were ever stuck into their cot­ton vi­tals; no harsh words or blows were ever given them; no ne­glect ever sad­dened the heart of the most re­pul­sive: but all were fed and clothed, nursed and ca­ressed, with an af­fec­tion which never failed