Maggie - the Little Lass

Maggie, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Tulliver is nine and tall for her age. Sometimes she sits is the sunshine and reads a book. She has a brown skin and black hair. Her mother is very sad that the little girl is not very pretty. She wished Maggie would try to make herself beautiful. Maggi's hair was absolutely straight and she did not bother to comb or brush her hair. Her mother had to remind her to do so.

"Now go upstairs and brush your hair, and change your shoes and then come and do your patch work," her mother said.

  

"Oh, mother, I don't want to do my patch work," "What? Don't like patch work? Look at Aunt Glegg," "I don't like her. I don't like patch work either. Tearing things to pieces and sewing them together again"

Mr. Tulliver laughed at her intelligent utterance. "You encourage her to be naughty. Her aunts all say I don't teach her to be lady." Mr. Tulliver laughed again. Mr. Tulliver always thought about his son, Tom's education. "I want to send him to a really good school". This was an important matter.

  

Maggie's borther Tom was to be sent away to school. Maggie loved her brother very much. Those words worried Maggie. She went and sat on her father's knees.

"Father, when Tom goes to school can T go and see him sometimes? He'll miss home, the rabbits, the barn." Mr, Tulliver's heart was touched. He laughed with a certain tenderness and patted his girl on the back, and kept her between his knees.

Mrs. Tulliver's sisters and their families were coming on visit. The visitors arrived. "Go and speak to your uncles and aunts," her mother said. "Well my dear, you grow wonderfully fast. But I think the girl has too much hair," Aunt pullet remarked. Mrs. Tulliver was upset. She pulled Maggie to a side and said,

"Go upstairs now, immediately, and brush your hair. Brush it twenty times. Now go Don't be a disgrace."

Maggie was very hurt.

"Why does mother call me a disgrace? It's my hair. It's always getting me into trouble. I'll cut it." She took a pair of scissors, and ran upstairs. She just it in her hand and "snip" went the scissors. She had cut her hair. Then when the hair fell, she saw herself in the mirror and was truly frightened. She did not want to go down.

Tom came up looking for her. He was frightened too when he saw his sister with her cut. Maggie tried to be brave. Hand in hand they went down. Everybody was shocked.

"Little girl who cut their own hair should be whipped and fed on bread and water,"said Aunt Glegg.

Maggie broke into loud sobs and ran to her father."Now now," he said, "your hair will grow soon, don't cry."

She always went to her father for consolation and she knew father was always there to listen to her grievances.

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