Chapters I and II Summary

Sara is ten years old, the daughter of Russians who came to America in search of a better life. She has three sisters, Bessie, Mashah and Fania, and none of the three girls has a job as the story begins. As the story begins, Bessie returns home from another fruitless search for work as Sara is peeling potatoes for the family's supper. Mashah arrives, full of good humor and laughter, saying that she has purchased flowers for trimming her hat. When Fania arrives and discovers Mashah spent ten cents on the flowers, she throws her own hat to the floor, kicking it in frustration. Once, Mashah spent thirty cents on a new toothbrush and towel of her own because she had heard that wealthy people had those things. Her family is askance at the frivolous waste of...