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Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair

Louisa May Alcott

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Book Excerpt: 
. . .ens cackled, a pet lamb fed, and the old white dog lay blinking in the sun.

"I like children; we have none at home, and Mamma makes such a baby of me I'm almost ashamed sometimes. I want her to have a good rest now, for she has taken care of me all winter and needs it. You shall be my nurse, if I need one; but I hope to be so well soon that I can see to myself. It's so tiresome to be ill!" and Emily sighed as she leaned back among her pillows, with a glance at the little glass which showed her a thin face and shorn head.

[Pg 5]

"It must be! I never was sick, but I have taken care of sick folks, and have a sight of sympathy for 'em. Mother says I make a pretty good nurse, being strong and quiet," answered Becky, plumping up pillows and folding towels with a gentle despatch which was very grateful to the invalid, who had dreaded a noisy, awkward serving-maid.

"Never ill! how nice that must be! I'm always having colds and headaches, a. . . Read More

Community Reviews

What a lovely little short story! I grabbed this on Stuff Your Kindle Day, and I am not sorry. A bit simplistic, and it could have been a longer book. But I still enjoyed it. Very sweet story of friendship. And I am apparently jaded, I kept waiting for something bad to happen. I won't say if it did

A short story about the complementary friendship of two girls with very different lives and personalities.

sweet Alcott story

Country girl and City girl

Two young girls from varied backgrounds meet when one is cared for at the other's home. Eventually they form a bond through shared interests in poetry. This is their story.

“Mountain-laurel and Maidenhair” is one of Louisa May Alcott’s longer short stories. It features an all-female cast, focusing on two young women, named Emily and Becky.

Emily is too fragile to do much of anything. Because of this unwanted physical idleness, her mental attitude is somewhat idle too.