Louisa May Alcott

A Modern Cinderella Louisa May Alcott

Among green New England hills stood an ancient house, many-gabled, mossy-roofed, andquaintly built, but picturesque and pleasant to the eye; for a brook ran babbling through the orchardthat encompassed it about, a garden-plat stretched upward to the whispering birches on the slope, and patriarchal elms stood sentinel upon the lawn, as they had stood almost a century ago, when theRevolution rolled that way and found them young. One summer morning, when the air was full of country sounds, of mowers in the meadow, black-birds by the brook, and the low of kine upon the hill-side, the old house wore its cheeriestaspect, and a certain humble history began."Nan!""Yes, Di."And a head, brown-locked, blue-eyed, soft-featured, looked in at the open door in answer to thecall."Just bring me the third volume of 'Wilhelm Meister, ' there's a dear. It's hardly worth while torouse such a restless ghost as I, when I'm once fairly laid."As she spoke, Di PUlled up her black braids, thumped the pillow of the couch where she waslying, and with eager eyes went down the last page of her bo